It didn’t matter what Pitt did or how it did it on Tuesday night — Duke was better. The Blue Devils shot with deadly accuracy and showcased their talent and athleticism to their fullest extent in an 84-54 win over the Panthers at the Pete.

Pitt men’s basketball has a Goliath standing in between it and a strong end to the season. The Panthers will welcome No. 7 Duke on Tuesday night for renowned Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s last ACC road game of his career.

Pitt pulled away from Duke in the second half to win 54-29 on Saturday. Staff Writer Frankie Richetti argues that the Panthers need to eradicate slow starts and make some changes on offense in order to stay ahead of the chaotic Coastal Division.

Pitt (8-2 overall, 4-1 ACC), rode another game of dominance from first-year forward Justin Champagnie to a 79-73 win over Duke (5-4 overall, 3-2 ACC), the Panthers’ first over the Blue Devils since Feb. 2016. 

Both the Pitt men’s and women’s basketball programs postponed games due to COVID-19 protocols on Thursday.

The No.1 Pitt Panthers opened the ACC Tournament in Raleigh, North Carolina, with a strong 2-1 win over Duke. It was unclear how Pitt would play without star first-year forward Bertin Jacquesson, who missed the game due to coronavirus-related protocols, but the Panther offense still found enough success to pull out a win.

Though the Panthers lost 73-56, the bigger story was that they outplayed the Blue Devils for half the game, largely thanks to a breakout performance from first-year forward Rita Igbokwe.

While Pitt had its downfalls in Tuesday's Duke loss, a double-digit margin of defeat does not adequately tell the whole story.

A career-high 27 points from sophomore forward Au’Diese Toney wasn’t enough for Pitt to steal a win against the Blue Devils Tuesday night.

As the halfway mark of the college basketball season approaches, ushering in the marathon of conference play across the nation, one thing is clear –– parity is this year’s defining trait.