139 thoughts on “Pitt at Duke Basketball Thread”

  1. Pitt has not won a game in Cameron in 43 years!!!!! It is time to give the Dookies a DEVIL of a game.

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  2. Yep 1979, beat a Duke team that was ranked #3 and that game featured a Sam Clancy vs Gene Banks of Philly who had played against each other in the Dapper Dan Roundball a few years before that. Believe PA All-Stars beat the USA All-Stars that night.

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    1. Freddy. I was at that game in 1977..
      Pa win 98-92 and Gene Banks MVP.
      Still have the media book.

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      1. Yep. me too ! Clancy from what I remember outplayed Banks and SHOULD HAVE been MVP ! Go CC !

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  3. Looks like the score keeper forgot to give Santos credit for 1 of 2 free throws.

    Score should be 14-12

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  5. Pitt playing non-intimidated, comes with the experienced players. Refs are keeping Dook close.

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  7. These refs stink. Both of the charges against Burton were dubious calls…especially the 2nd one….the defender was sideways, blocking Burton’s path.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Too many GD self-inflicted wounds! Burton with the push off, Hinson with the travel, Cummings with 2-3 completely terrible passes. Playing well in so many ways, but also keeping Duke in the game with 100% unforced errors.

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  10. nice half and frankly should be up by a bit more

    c’mon Nellie, play within yourself and Nate needs to relax, he’s just looking tight and unable to hit some very good open shots

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  12. BigB and JeanieB tuned in…. Seeing some nice shooting with good “form” but way too many turn-overs and stupid penalties ( hard to fix stupid) on both teams…. PITT should win going away!!! DUKE looks awful……

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    2. Maybe they could velcro the twins together… instant weight boost…Hey, if they were Siamese twins would they count as one or 2 players??

      Liked by 2 people

  16. Has Fede ever played the first half without getting that second foul? Good thing Diaz Graham is getting better all the time

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  17. For such an experienced team Pitt must cut down on the turnovers and eliminate “stupid”. Experienced Cummings should be able to score or set up a good shot in the final 25 seconds. And Hinson seems unfocused again at times. The traveling call was…. stupid.

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    1. Maybe that’s why we got them at Pitt instead of them going to one of the elites.
      Besides no one plays mistake free, well maybe Seth Curry

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  19. Need L’bron Burton, Fede Jabaar and Charles Hinson to stay in the court to hold down the two dookie runs we will need to indur.

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  26. Duke has either ratcheted up the defense or their pushing/slapping & shoving.
    Either way it’s getting harder for Pitt to score.

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    2. Not exactly Groundhog day for Pitt basketball(the last 7 years)…would be a blow out loss at Duke.
      We’re still tied with 10 minutes to go.

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  33. Pitt does not have ACC guards. Burton and Cummings are 1on1 turnover machines. Pitt playing right into Dukes hands! Awful to watch. Can we activate Dior now??

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  35. Very tentative at this point. They need to find the hot hand. Sibande was hitting shots but won’t take them now. Hinson has not been a factor either. And this announcing crew makes me want to puke..

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  43. This is not a good Duke team !!
    They have a few ACC guards and a big man but are very well coached! Not so sure about Pitt This is embarrassing

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  54. Last 2 games – but particularly this one- feel like last year. Other team comes out ready to play, bad fouls, afraid, horrible spacing and baseline protection on D. I don’t get it.

    That said, lots of time and Duke has choked this year. Pitt with no inside presence will always haunt us in the ACC

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  55. Folks the refs aren’t the reason for the bad smell.

    9 points in 13 minutes is the result of one team making halftime adjustments and the other team feeling they figured out the winning formula.

    Oh, and the other team has a point guard.

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  57. Hope this doesn’t go to Overtime…these commercials are unbearable.
    Really despise TV anymore other than watching reruns for the umpteenth time
    of Columbo & Bewitched !

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  58. If u think you’re getting a foul call at Duke, think again. We’re back to playing like we did Vs WVU and Michigan.

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  64. I’m a broken record, but I don’t understand why Pitt has changed what was working. During the run of wins, the ball moved, many guys got many shots. Now it’s Burton dribbling and trying to take guys one on one. Cummings dribbling a lot and trying to take guys one on one. Hinson has disappeared. Elliot has disappeared. No rhythm to the offense and it carries over to the defense. And, honestly, Hugley needs to get over his issues and get back on the court.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. And the lack of a point guard to create the flow…the coaches recruit the players and these guys have not snagged a PG yet to play at Pitt.

      We have one coming with the current class…wait until next year again?

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  67. If we don’t activate Dior, this seasons over! Teams have tape on Pitt they are abusing our guards!
    Street ball by Pitt. Great coaching by Duke!!

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  69. amusing comments

    I’m sure Capel told them to stop moving the ball and start forcing up shots on Duke’s tighter handsy defense

    also told them to miss the several open shots they did get

    definitely coaching, not players puckering up and stopping playing loose and hard like they were in the first half

    Liked by 3 people

  70. Actually the only substantially scoring Pitt has gotten is from the Guards.
    14 for Burton, 14 for Cummings & 9 for Sibande + 7 for Elliot = 44 of Pitt’s 60 points.
    hardly any points or rebounds for Pitt’s frontline.
    And the biggest kid Capel has recruited for next year is only 6’6″. the other 2 are shrimps.

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    1. no, the coaching sucked!

      oh, yea, Capel should’ve told JB to finish those 2 drives where he missed the lay up baskets

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  83. Kinda crazy….Vic Morrow spends most of the movie in a Helicopter….and we know
    what happened to Sgt Sanders. Bizarre.

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  84. Glad I missed this one. Nothing like watching your team without a PG blow a big lead on the road to a hated rival…

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  85. When you are unable to get any easy baskets in the paint and have to rely on 3’s and mid range jumpers you are at a major disadvantage. Especially when you can’t stop their big men and give up 22 offensive rebounds.

    This team needs Hugley in the worst way. When Duke started to play defense knowing they didn’t have to worry about or 5’s and worked the ball inside to their bigs our guards tightened up and couldn’t get a decent shot off.

    Our guards just might be good enough if there was an offensive weapon underneath the hoop.

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  86. Even if we had a real PG…he’d had no one to pass to inside. Even Hinson is more of a perimeter shooter. Lack of recruiting big men & a true PG has been Capel’s biggest blunder.
    He recruits all mostly 2’s & 3’s. We call them tweeners.

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  87. I like our guys and I like our team, but don’t confuse the quality or our players to Duke.
    They are young but they are very talented.

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      1. I think your vastly overrating Hugely….who was never known as a shot blocker or a great/good defender. A lot of the rent-a-win Centers had huge games against Hugely.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Yes but he is not a lightweight and takes up space. No way they get 22 offensive rebounds with him in there and all those second and third chances.

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      2. 100%

        but coaching is horrible 🙂 (not looking at you Gordon)

        Capel kept Hugley, but….

        Capel got Dior, but….

        and that said, I don’t think Capel is a great coach for offense with this team or any year really over his time here at Pitt but he has players that could compete when they move the ball around and across the court

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  88. You guys are really tough on this team. I’m fortunate enough to not know any inside-basketball, so I’m still encouraged.

    If Elliott hits the 3 at the end it’s a one-point game. And that’s after being out-rebounded 51-28.

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 3 people

  89. Got to watch the last 8 minutes. I’ll be candid. This is not the same Duke squad we usually see. Not sure if they were missing some starters, but they were definitely not crisp and sharp.

    What I saw from Pitt was what you all saw on offense. I think that if i asked the group wh we would go to in the clutch, we would get seven different answers. We don’t have anyone that controls or understands the pace of the game (point guard), or a player that can take a game over.

    Great memories of the civic arena PA vs. USAll Stars. Attended a few of those contests and think I was at the Gene Banks/Sam Clancy match-up. Classic!

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  90. We’ll know if this is another 2nd half collapse or not in the next 2 games.
    Pitt plays the 2 teams at the bottom of the conf standings.
    Who are currently 1 win & 10 losses in the conf.

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    1. and I don’t think officiating was our issue, just wanted to mention that

      inside presence and rebounding is our biggest problem, no PG is another

      GaTech game becomes huge now

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      1. That has been Pitt’s (Capel’s) two biggest problems which he still hasn’t solved.
        Almost like the guy or Pitt is jinxed. Cause he lands a top PG recruit finally (Dior)
        and his estranged GF shows up and screws that up. And then Hugely was in trouble
        his first year and didn’t play and now he’s on the shelf again. Not that he was great, but he was at least a big body who could score a few points and grab a few rebounds.
        But you can’t just recruit one big man in 5 years and expect to be a competitive team
        in the ACC. Along with not recruiting even one real PG until year 5.

        Liked by 1 person

  92. Officiating didn’t help but I agree its a minor issue the compared to the lack an inside game. Of course a star point guard would make a difference. Did the Duke coach make better coaching adjustments, of course he did, but his kids executed them. Our guys couldn’t buy a bucket in that second half.

    Liked by 1 person

  93. Funny these announcers tonite were talking up BC cause they only lost by 1 to Duke.
    Miami crushed BC tonite…by 16. Led by 15 at halftime.
    Always making excuses for Duke, whether it be ‘unintentional’ fouls tonite or
    1 point wins against BC, who has lost to D2 like teams, New Hampshire, Maine & even some college called Tarleton BY 16 points (I think my Grandfather use to smoke those). lol

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  94. A couple final thoughts after my temper cooled:

    This was the first Tobacco Road trip for many Pitt players. Crowd insanity and ref homers but I thought the refs made only a few homer calls

    Saw this comment on Facebook and agree heartily…”.Pitt is trying to play NBA Basketball without any NBA big men!”

    Give Duke a ton of credit for scouting and taking advantage of every one of Pitt’s weaknesses. Both Cummings and Burton are very good 2 guards who seek contact when driving BUT they expose the ball way too much on drives. Stealing the ball from them was like “taking Candy” for Duke!

    Hinson plays well when things are going well for Pitt but disappears during struggles. And his foul shooting form is atrocious well noted by Duke who fouled him with no regards for consequences.

    Pitt has no inside game and seems not to care. At least 6 times Fede and Diaz were wide open on cuts to the basket 2nd half but we’re utterly ignored but Cummings and Burton.

    It’s just one game. But a brutal loss!
    Lose vs GA Tech and the season is in trouble.

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  95. I am as frustrated as the rest of you with this loss. Most disappointing was that Duke played with a sense of urgency in the second half and we did not. But I also agree with MajorMajors take on this game: “If Elliott hits the 3 at the end it’s a one-point game. And that’s after being out-rebounded 51-28.”. You can say this Duke team stinks, but that is still a team loaded with 4 and 5 star players. Pitt’s defense had a lot to do with their poor shooting night. I still say Pitt basketball is back and we will be competitive in every game we play this year. H2P!

    Liked by 2 people

  96. It’s tough losing to teams they should beat. Pitt had nearly all the Duke starters in foul trouble but only one fouled out. When they should be passing they dribbled too much, and when driving they turned it over. That lost opportunity at the end of the first half started the second half breakdown.

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    1. Seems like we’ve always been awful with possessions at the end of the first half. We end up with a desperation shot as the norm – that’s if we even get a shot off. Been that way for ages, at least in my memory…

      Go Pitt.

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  97. Didn’t watch the game so I can’t really comment on the game. But all I had to do was watch the 1st half of the Clemson game to realize Pitt has no inside offensive game and just an OK PG to understand that almost every ACC game Pitt plays this year will be a flip of the coin. If the outside shots are falling Pitt will be in the games. And if not Pitt will probably lose most of their ACC games. The NIT may be the best Pitt could hope for come seasons end.

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    1. I play guitar and can play most things Jimmy Page but not Jeff Beck. He was a less public guitar genius who was the background of many groups and backing of many records! RIP

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  101. What has happened to Hinson, 3 rebounds last night, with his body he needs to do more of the dirty work, especially with Hugley on the bench.

    Did the three second rule go away, it seemed like Duke was camped out in the paint. Pitt doesn’t even try for offensive rebounds, as soon as someone shoots, they are running to the other end of the floor.

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  102. For everyone who was saying Pitt is back and Capel is a wonder somehow in year 7(or is it 8?)…we’ll not so much. This IS probably his most talented team, but they have a long way to go. At the end of the year, this is still around a .500 team at best. It will be interesting to see at the end of the year if anyone defects or if there are mass defections. Better crowds at the Pete and a better team keeps Capel here at least one more year – fortunately or unfortunately.

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  103. Don’t forget that the same thing happened at Syracuse when Pitt gave back a 20 point lead, but squeaked out a win. The team has some strengths but also some serious deficiencies. Coaching may be a part of it but I would say that the lack of inside strength and a true point guard are most of the problem.

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