The Duke and Pitt men’s basketball programs have partnered to host the inaugural “Hoops4ALS” games. Hoops4ALS is dedicated to uniting college basketball coaches, players, and fans to raise awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis — also known as ALS — and promote research and advocacy to help those dealing with this horrible disease and to support those working to find a cure.
Former Duke standout and current Pitt head coach Jeff Capel III partnered with the Duke ALS Clinic in Durham, NC to establish the Jeff Capel Jr. ALS Research Fund in honor of his father, Jeff Capel Jr. who was diagnosed with the disease in 2017.
Ahead of the contest players from both teams will warm-up wearing shirts in support of the cause. The matchup is the second regular-season meeting between Duke and Pittsburgh, with the Blue Devils winning in the first contest, 75-53, in Pittsburgh on Jan. 9.
Tipoff for Saturday’s game is 8pm. It will be aired on the ACC Network.
Game Notes:
- Saturday will be the 26th meeting between Duke and Pitt, with the Blue Devils holding a 17-8 advantage in the series.
- In the last meeting on Jan. 9, Duke made 9-of-17 three-pointers in the first half for a 48-23 halftime cushion and 75-53 win. Kyle Filipowski posted 26 points and 10 rebounds.
- In his first start since an injury at Georgia Tech on Dec. 2, Tyrese Proctor registered 17 points versus the Yellow Jackets (Jan. 13) on 5-of-10 shooting from the field, including 3-of-5 from long distance, and 4-of-4 from the foul line.
- In the past 10 games, Jeremy Roach has distributed 37 assists with just eight turnovers.
- Among ACC leaders, Kyle Filipowski ranks fourth in scoring (18.2 ppg), fifth in rebounding (8.9 rpg), fourth in blocked shots (1.9 bpg) and eighth in field goal percentage (.517).
- Duke ranks seventh in the nation in both assist/turnover ratio (1.82) and fewest turnovers per game (9.2).
- Blake Hinson ranks fifth in the ACC in scoring with 18.1 points per game to top the Panthers. The 6-8 senior forward leads the conference and is 11th in the nation with 3.3 three-pointers per contest.
- Last season’s ACC Coach of the Year Jeff Capel is in his sixth year at Pitt. Capel is a former Duke player and assistant coach, spending seven seasons on Mike Krzyzewski’s staff (2011-18).
- A four-year starter for the Blue Devils from 1993-97, Capel was a two-time team captain. He was part of 83 wins and helped the program to 1994 NCAA title game.
- Duke is 14-2 overall on Jan. 20, winning 10 of the last 11 games played on this date since 1982.
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