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For Justin Champagnie, Pitt’s 79-73 victory over Duke on Tuesday night was about gaining respect – for himself and his team.
Playing in a near-empty Petersen event center that would have tipped over under normal circumstances, Pitt survived a Duke rally that cut a 15-point lead to two three times in the second half.
Each time, the Panthers (8-2, 4-1 ACC) fought back, never lost their head and took the form of a team that seems tired of being trampled and neglected.
“We don’t get a lot of credit in this league,” said Champagnie, “and we wanted to go out there and show why we deserve the credit that we have earned.
“We were tired. We were tired,” said Pitt coach Jeff Capel. “We couldn’t get back in transition. They were all against us, but we were able to maintain our lead.
Then there’s the not-so-banal question of Champagnie’s duel – at least in his mind – with Duke’s Matthew Hurt.
Both players entered the Petersen Events Center as the ACC’s top scorers. And you can be sure Champagnie knew that Hurt was No.1 (19.6 points per game) and No.2 (18.7).
Champagnie was “incredible” – Capel’s word – scoring 31 points, with 14 rebounds and five blocks. He is the only Pitt player in at least 36 years to reach these three thresholds. Perfect on his eight two-point attempts, he hit four of seven three-pointers, added two interceptions and, oddly enough, missed half of his foul shots (three of six).
Meanwhile, Hurt managed just 13 points while missing eight of 13 attempts, allowing Champagnie to take the lead in the ACC score (20.3-18.9).
“Before the game I kept telling myself, ‘I don’t think he’s better than me,’ said Champagnie,“ and I went over there and kind of proved it.
The victory was Pitt’s first against Duke since 2016 and made Capel the first former Blue Devils player to defeat Mike Krzyzewski as a coach. He also joins Mike Brey from Notre Dame as the only former Krzyzewski assistants to defeat their ex-boss as a head coach.
“I did not know. I never really thought about it. I really didn’t care, ”Capel said.
Capel acknowledged that defeating Duke – even when the Blue Devils (5-4, 3-2) are not dominant – is a remarkable achievement.
But Capel played it a quarter of a century ago. He has so much more work to do to rebuild the Pitt program that only matters today.
“It’s important for our program. It’s important for our guys, ”he said. “Anytime you try to take the next step and can beat one of the blue bloods, it’s big.
Champagnie, only a sophomore, understands the magnitude of the victory.
“We said it was Duke. All calls always go their way, ”he said. “We have to fight against all of this. We can’t complain, we can’t show the referees. We have to go through and fight and that’s what we did.
What’s particularly important is how Pitt continued to strike back when Duke refused to leave. Hurt and Duke Freshman Jalen Johnson, a 6-foot-9 forward projected as a Top 10 pick in this year’s NBA Draft, combined for 37 points – 27 in the second half.
Johnson didn’t start after missing the last three games with a foot injury, but he still scored 24 points with 15 rebounds.
“Really proud of our team because we beat them when they’re different,” said Capel, who was surprised when Duke gave up his usual man-to-man defense and played in zones 3-2 and 1- 2-2 most of the game.
“It was a bit awkward,” admitted Champagnie.
But surviving Johnson’s athleticism and size was the biggest win in a win. “They are a very different team when he plays like he played today,” Capel said.
In the end, the game boiled down to a handful of key games in the 2:03 final.
After Jordan Goldwire’s layup reduced Pitt’s lead to 75-73 with 2:03 to go, Xavier Johnson responded with his own basket, then fed Au’Diese Toney for a dunk to establish the final score. Johnson barely missed a double / double with nine points and 11 assists.
At that point, it didn’t matter that Champagnie and Femi Odukale missed four foul shots in the final 15 seconds.
Toney was also “amazing” – again, a description of Capel – with 22 points and 11 rebounds. He was cramped at the end of the game after he and Champagnie played 39 of the game’s 40 minutes.
“To beat this team,” Capel said, “you have to fight for 40 minutes.”
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Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Tribune-Review. You can contact Jerry by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
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