Pittsburgh @ Duke preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 22, 2019 ) Duke 79, Pittsburgh 64

It had been nearly two years since Duke dropped consecutive games, and the Blue Devils responded to their mini-skid by pummeling Miami. With this past weekend off, coach Mike Krzyzewski hopes his eighth-ranked Blue Devils will have the same energy when they seek a fifth straight win over Pittsburgh on Tuesday at Cameron Indoor Coliseum.

Duke led by 24 points at the half last Tuesday against the Hurricanes as freshman Matthew Hurt scored 15 of his 22 points in the opening stanza while the defense forced the Hurricanes into missing 25 of their first 31 shots in the 89-59 victory. “They really responded to the two losses in a positive way. Our practices yesterday were excellent. Our team meetings - I think we grew a lot as a team and I think it showed today," Krzyzewski said afterward. “We just concentrated more on (defense). In our six wins, we’ve given up (an average of less than) 60 points. In the two losses, we gave up (an average of 72.5). We talked to our team about that. For us to win we have to play good defense." Pitt had a chance for a third straight ACC victory for the first time since 2015-16, but the Panthers' rally came up short in a 69-61 loss at Syracuse on Saturday. Pitt cut a 16-point deficit with 9:20 left to three points twice, the last coming with 33 seconds left.

TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN

ABOUT PITTSBURGH (13-7, 4-5 ACC): Freshman Justin Champagnie (11.5 points, 7.0 rebounds) had 14 points and nine rebounds, Terrell Brown (5.3 points, 1.9 blocks) had 11 points, and both shot 5-of-6 from the floor. Trey McGowens (13.1 points, third in ACC with 2.0 steals per game) had seven points on 2-of-8 shooting while Xavier Johnson (11.9 points, fifth in ACC with 5.3 assists) was limited to nine points on 3-of-13 from the field. In Big East games only, Pitt is shooting an ACC-worst 43.4 percent on 2-pointers.

ABOUT DUKE (16-3, 6-2): Hurt (11.5 points, 43 percent on 3-pointers) shot 8-of-11 from the field - including 4-of-7 beyond the arc - and added six rebounds to go along with three blocks in 24 minutes. Tre Jones (14.9 points, ACC-best 6.8 assists, 2.2 steals) chipped in 16 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Vernon Carey (16.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, ACC-best 59 percent shooting) chipped in 11 points, six boards and three assists. Duke is the only team in the nation ranked in the Top-5 by KenPom in offensive (117.1 points per 100 possessions) and defensive efficiency (88.4) - ranking fifth in both.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Duke is 6-1 against Pitt since the Panthers joined the ACC with the lone loss at Pittsburgh in 2016 (76-62).

2. The Blue Devils’ 30-point win over Miami marked their seventh victory of 30 or more points this season, including four in ACC play to tie a school record for most 30-point ACC wins in a season - a record previously set in 1997-98, 1998-99 and 2000-01.

3. The Panthers are ranked second in the ACC in scoring defense (62.1 points).

PREDICTION: Duke 72, Pittsburgh 60