College Basketball

Grayson Allen Leads Blue Devils to Win Over Pitt in Coach K's Return

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 6:58 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Chris Brown/FanSided via Ball Durham

A huge second half by Grayson Allen powered Duke Basketball past Pittsburgh in Mike Krzyzewski’s return to the sideline from back surgery.

It wasn’t easy, but Duke Basketball held off Pitt in a tight game that went down to the wire. The game was the Blue Devils’ first with head coach Mike Krzyzewski back on the sideline after taking a leave of absence to undergo a procedure on his back.

The Blue Devils got all they could handle from Pitt, a team that has struggled in ACC play but it not as bad as their 12-11 record indicates. The Panthers’ lone conference win was against No. 11 Virginia and they lost to Louisville (the first time) and UNC by single digits. They also feature one of the top duos in the conference with Michael Young and Jamel Artis. The Duke defense excelled in the first half only allowing 28 points for the Panthers.

However, the problem was was getting the offense going as they also only scored 28 points in the first. Duke was finally able to pull away midway in the second half after a dominant performance from junior shooting guard Grayson Allen. Freshmen Jayson Tatum, Frank Jackson, and Harry Giles also made key contributions in this game providing spurts to help the Blue Devils stay afloat while the offense stagnated.

Duke was led by Grayson Allen who scored 21 points and added six rebounds and six assists. Amile Jefferson also played a big role with 15 points and 9 rebounds. One issue to observe for the Blue Devils going forward is points in the paint. Duke scored 20 points near the basket while allowing 40 from Pitt.

The win also added to the record books and Hall of Fame career for Mike Krzyzewski, marking his 500th victory in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils move to 18-5 and 6-4 in the ACC with a huge matchup against North Carolina coming up on Thursday night.

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