How Duke basketball can get back on track against feisty Pittsburgh

Duke basketball must get back on track against Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. 

It’s been a week since the Duke basketball team has been on the court, and the Blue Devils should be fresh entering their road tilt against the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Following a loss against No. 20 Virginia Tech, the Blue Devils saw themselves drop out of the Associated Press Top-25 for the first time since the 2015-16 season, and the rumblings have already begun about Mike Krzyzewski‘s team being on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament.

Duke’s best win came on the road against Notre Dame, and none of its other victories have been convincing, although its three losses have all come against ranked opponents.

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However, the Blue Devils have been bitten by the COVID-19 and injury bugs this season, but all seems to be well with the squad entering a very important stretch in the ACC.

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski returned to the sidelines after his quarantine period, freshman Jalen Johnson (foot) briefly saw action against the Hokies, graduate transfer Patrick Tape (back) has returned to practice, and Henry Coleman (non-COVID illness) has also been practicing with the team again.

Duke basketball has many questions to answer ahead of stretch run

Before Duke can cement itself as any type of contender, the Blue Devils must figure out a slew of questions that surround this team, first with its offense.

Who is the No. 2 option behind Matthew Hurt? Will Wendell Moore show consistency? How effective will Jalen Johnson be?

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The list goes on and on, but those are some of the most important questions that need answers relatively soon for this batch of Blue Devils.

Despite no crowd, defeating Pittsburgh will be no easy task, but it’s a critical matchup for Duke to see how this team will react when hit with adversity.