Tag: Pittsburgh Panthers

Unpacking Future Packers: No. 86, Pittsburgh TE Gavin Bartholomew

Up next in the Unpacking Future Packers draft preview series is Pitt tight end Gavin Bartholomew.

The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects who could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2025 NFL draft.

Tucker Kraft has emerged as a budding star at tight end for the Green Bay Packers. Kraft’s counterpart, Luke Musgrave has battled the injury bug during his first two seasons in the league and there is no denying his potential upside.

With those two on the roster, the Packers likely won’t add a tight end early during the 2025 NFL Draft.

As Brian Gutekunst starts to chart the future of that room, Kraft is on his way to earning a second contract and could develop into the best tight end in the league. If Musgrave can’t stay healthy the Packers may start to think about adding another tight end to serve as the immediate third tight end, with the eye on him being the long-term second option behind Kraft.

Gavin Bartholomew is a tight end that the Packers could target early on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Pittsburgh prospect checks in at No. 86 in the Unpacking Future Packers Countdown. 

A Pennsylvania native, Bartholomew caught 28 passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns during his first season on campus. The following season he caught 21 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns. In 2023, he caught 18 passes for 326 yards and one touchdown. 

This past season, the Panther tight end reeled in 38 receptions for 322 yards and four touchdowns. 

“Bartholomew was a playmaker who might’ve just come at an off-time for Pitt’s offense,” Christopher Carter, the Pitt writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said. “His freshman year he was a young, promising playmaker buried behind an NFL tight end in Lucas Krull on an ACC Championship team. But his highlights then and over the years showed great potential. He just didn’t get many chances to show it. As his highlights like his hurdle touchdown against Tennessee in 2022 were impressive, his stats never translated to big numbers.”

Bartholomew is a good-sized athlete. He’s a controlled route runner and accelerates after the catch to create YAC. He spears the ball away from his frame and shows no issues making catches in a crowd. 

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“Bartholomew has good hands and offers the athleticism to make guys miss and fight through contact for hard yards,” Carter said. “He may be underrated there because he wasn’t featured a ton in Pitt’s offense, and not because he did anything poorly enough to contribute to that.”

Bartholomew is a competitive blocker, both in pass protection and as a run blocker. He’ll get after you as a run blocker and keep his legs driving at contact. He’s able to seal the edge and has physical hands. 

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“Bartholomew’s blocking wasn’t always top-notch, but he grew into a very good player,” Carter said. “That, if nothing else, shows his dedication to his craft. He improved as a blocker over the years and played a role in big-run game success for NFL product Israel Abanikanda in 2022 and Desmond Reid in 2024. Now, he may be one of the best blockers in his class. Even when he isn’t targeted in the passing game, he brings the physicality. NFL coaches will love that.”

Fit with the Packers

The hope in Green Bay is that Musgrave stays healthy and earns a second contract with the Packers to give Jordan Love a dynamic one-two punch at tight end with Kraft and the former Oregon State Beaver.

That’s the dream. A dream that could be crushed by the injury bug. With his ability as a blocker, Bartholomew would be a quality third tight end behind Kraft and Musgrave and could step in seamlessly if Musgrave were to get bit by the injury bug again this season.

“Bartholomew’s lack of superstar numbers may make him one of the more underrated players in the tight end class,” Carter said. “He possesses playmaker talents and athleticism while being a good blocker. If you’re an NFL general manager you can draft him in the middle rounds as a No. 2 tight end behind a good starter who you might not think will be around for much longer and reasonably plan for Bartholomew to grow into your No. 1 tight end.”

Cooper Flagg and the Duke Blue Devils take No. 1 spot in the ESPN Basketball Power Index

After Tuesday’s 29-point victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers, the Duke Blue Devils sit alone atop the ESPN Basketball Power Index.

[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and the Duke Blue Devils won their ninth straight game on Tuesday night, manhandling a 12-2 Pittsburgh Panthers team for a 76-47 victory, and the ESPN Basketball Power Index can deny the truth no longer.

This is the best college basketball team in the country.

Flagg and his teammates moved past the Auburn Tigers for the No. 1 spot in the BPI rankings as of Wednesday morning, mirroring their rise to the summit of the KenPom rankings.

Thanks to an offense averaging 83.8 points per game over its last four appearances and a defense that has only let three teams score more than 65 points all season, the Blue Devils excel in both the offensive and defensive power indexes. Duke’s 12.2 offensive rating trails only Auburn’s 13.7, and the Blue Devils rank third on the defensive side with an 11.6 index.

No other team resides within the top five on both ends of the court.

Duke certainly doesn’t lack the star power to win a national title, either. Flagg finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds against the Panthers despite some first-half foul trouble, and fellow freshman [autotag]Kon Knueppel[/autotag] made four 3-pointers to finish with 17 points of his own.

With no other ACC team within the top 20 of the BPI rankings, ESPN projects Duke to win 27.5 games this season. That’s 1.5 forecasted losses over the Blue Devils’ final 16 outings even with a February showdown against the Illinois Fighting Illini on deck.

Where are the Duke Blue Devils in the men’s basketball NET rankings after Tuesday’s win?

See where the Duke Blue Devils stand in the NCAA Men’s Basketball NET rankings after Tuesday’s victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers.

The Duke Blue Devils picked up their fifth Quad 1 win of the season on Tuesday night with a 76-47 blowout of the Pittsburgh Panthers, leaving the team from Durham second in the men’s basketball NET rankings as of Wednesday morning.

Even with Duke’s two early losses to the Kentucky Wildcats and Kansas Jayhawks, only the Auburn Tigers boast more Quad 1 wins as of January 8. The Blue Devils handed Auburn its only loss of the season last month, the top line on a resume that also includes road wins against the Arizona Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, and SMU Mustangs. While the Panthers came to Durham for this weekend’s game, they still did so with a 12-2 record and a five-game win streak.

Auburn remained ahead of Duke in the NET rankings thanks to its seven Quad 1 wins, but the Blue Devils officially jumped the Tigers for the No. 1 spot in the KenPom rankings after the 29-point win over Pittsburgh. Duke has now won nine straight games, including each of the last six by at least 20 points.

The Tennessee Volunteers, Houston Cougars, and Florida Gators rounded out the NET top five in an SEC-dominant season thus far. Pittsburgh remains second among ACC teams at No. 20.

Duke basketball officially jumps past Auburn for the top spot in the KenPom rankings

It’s official: the Duke Blue Devils are the best basketball team in the country (according to KenPom).

After a 29-point victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers on Tuesday night, the Duke men’s basketball team finally did enough to sit atop the KenPom rankings.

The Blue Devils spent the first two months of the season chasing the Auburn Tigers and their prolific offense, but as of Wednesday morning, Duke’s +36.73 net efficiency rating finally usurped the Tigers’ +36.64.

The Blue Devils have deserved credit for their defense all season, allowing 65 points or fewer in 12 of their first 15 games. Only three of Duke’s opponents have shot better than 40% from the field, resulting in a defensive efficiency rating of 86.1 points allowed per 100 possessions (which leads the nation).

However, Duke’s offensive improvement over the past four games closed the gap on Auburn more than anything. The Blue Devils have put 83.8 points per game on the board since December 21, a far cry from their 73.0 points per game from November 22 through December 17, to break back into KenPom’s top 10 offenses.

Auburn still leads the country by nearly six points per 100 possessions with an offensive rating of 131.1, but the 19th-ranked defense can’t keep them ahead of the Blue Devils anymore. The Houston Cougars are the only other team with a differential above +31.0.

The best Duke basketball photos from Tuesday’s win over the Pittsburgh Panthers

Check out the best Duke basketball photos from Tuesday’s win over the Pittsburgh Panthers.

The Duke Blue Devils overcame some early foul trouble for freshman superstar [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] on Tuesday night, still getting 19 points from the 18-year-old forward in a 76-47 victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Flagg needed to sit out six minutes of the opening half after a pair of whistles, but he brought down the roof in Durham with a one-handed dunk over Pittsburgh center Guillermo Diaz Graham after the break. Add in a trio of 3-pointers from classmate [autotag]Kon Knueppel[/autotag] in the first half, part of a 17-point night for him, and the Blue Devils looked dominant once again.

Duke has now won each of its last nine games, including six in a row by at least 20 points, to surge out to a 13-2 record.

Check out the best Duke basketball photos from Tuesday’s game below.

How many points did Cooper Flagg score against the Pittsburgh Panthers?

Here’s how Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg performed against the Pittsburgh Panthers on Tuesday.

Duke basketball superstar [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] entered Tuesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Panthers as the reigning ACC Player of the Week and ACC Rookie of the Week, a product of his consecutive 24-point outings against Virginia Tech and SMU.

The 18-year-old forward hit an early road block in search of another 20-point outing, picking up his second foul with more than 12 minutes left in the first half. He spent more than six minutes on the bench as a result, only logging five points before the midway break.

It’s hard to keep the best freshman in the country down for a full game, however, and Flagg threw down a pair of ridiculous dunks to still put together a double-double.

Cooper Flagg points scored vs. Pittsburgh:

Flagg still finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds against the Panthers despite only playing 33 minutes, making seven of his 11 attempts and one of his two 3-pointers. He also set up his teammates for five assists and contributed a block and steal apiece.

Did Duke win?

Yes, the Blue Devils ended the game on an 18-0 run for the 76-47 victory. Duke is now 13-2 for the season amid a nine-game win streak.

Cooper Flagg’s next game:

The Duke Blue Devils will return to the court at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday with a home game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Duke outlasts Pittsburgh despite Cooper Flagg foul trouble for a ninth straight win

Despite Cooper Flagg spending most of the first half in foul trouble, Duke pulled away from Pittsburgh for a 76-47 win on Tuesday.

The Duke basketball team spent a decent chunk of the first half of Tuesday’s game against Pittsburgh without freshman superstar [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], but the whistles fell on deaf ears in an eventual 76-47 victory over the Panthers.

The Blue Devils entered Tuesday’s game on an absolute offensive roll, making 54.3% of their shots and 39.5% of their 3-point shots over the previous three games, and that form looked set to continue on the opening possessions.

Sion James lobbed up a pass for center Khaman Maluach less than a minute into the game, an alley-oop for the night’s first points, and James and Tyrese Proctor followed that bucket with two straight 3-pointers for an early 8-3 advantage.

After that, however, the Blue Devils found themselves mired in a cold spell more reminiscent of early December. Duke missed 12 of its next 13 shots over the ensuing seven minutes, a streak only broken by a Flagg 3-pointer, as the Panthers went on a 9-3 run to take the lead.

Duke relied on Flagg to win games like this before, and the first-year star scored at least 20 points in five of the team’s previous seven games, but he spent most of the first half in foul trouble. He picked up his second whistle with 12:31 left before halftime, prompting a six-minute stint on the bench as the Blue Devils tried to stave off an upset.

In his absence, fellow five-star freshman [autotag]Kon Knueppel[/autotag] stood up and stood out on the offensive end. He made a trio of 3-pointers within two minutes to swing the game late in the first, opening up a 29-19 advantage en route to a 17-point outing, his third-most of the season.

Flagg finally got to let loose over the closing 20 minutes, and he celebrated his newfound freedom with a one-handed dunk over Panthers 7-footer Guillermo Diaz Graham. He dropped another hammer a minute later, a two-handed jam, and he still found a way to finish with 19 points and 10 rebounds for another double-double.

After he made seven of his 11 shots at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Flagg is shooting 23/37 (62.2%) from the field and five-for-eight (62.5%) from 3-point range over the last eight days.

Even with Flagg and Knueppel showing off on the offensive side, the Duke defense stole the show in a repeated pattern of the 2024-25 season. The Panthers only mustered 33 points over the final 29 minutes, and one of the ACC’s most efficient offenses finished 31.0% from the floor.

Flagg and the Blue Devils, now 13-2 for the season after a nine-game win streak, host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the second part of a three-game home stand on Saturday.

Cooper Flagg drops the hammer over Pittsburgh defender for a one-handed dunk

Cooper Flagg put yet another Duke basketball opponent on a poster on Tuesday night with a one-handed jam against Pittsburgh.

Duke freshman superstar [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] does everything well on the basketball court, so it can be easy to forget that the 18-year-old forward is as capable of highlight-reel dunks as anyone in the country.

While Flagg scored at least 20 points in five of Duke’s last seven games, it’d been a while since he brought Cameron Indoor Stadium to its feet with a dunk. He changed that in one fell swoop on Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Panthers.

While Flagg battled foul trouble throughout the first half, he authored one of the season’s most memorable moments on a breakaway possession a few minutes after the break.

He swiped the ball from the Pitt offense and raced down the court in a few long steps. Panthers 7-footer Guillermo Diaz Graham met Flagg in the paint, hoping he could somehow prevent two easy points, but Flagg seemed completely apathetic about the person in his path. He rose up and threw the ball down over Diaz Graham’s head with one hand, earning a whistle as he flexed in the opposing center’s face.

Flagg converted the ensuing free throw, a three-point play that built a 40-26 lead.

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Former Duke player and coach Jeff Capel III leads Pittsburgh into Cameron Indoor Stadium

The Duke Blue Devils will welcome a familiar face back to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday night.

The Duke Blue Devils could put some more distance between themselves and the rest of the ACC on Tuesday night when they host the Pittsburgh Panthers, one of two other unbeaten teams in conference play. However, any longtime Cameron Crazies also see the midweek battle as a homecoming game for the visiting coach.

Pittsburgh head coach Jeff Capel III played for the Blue Devils from 1993-97, averaging 16.6 points and 3.7 assists as a junior in 1995-96. He played 129 games across his Duke career, including a trip to the 1994 national championship game as a freshman alongside Grant Hill. He scored 14 points in that 76-72 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks, a result which withheld the Blue Devils’ third title in four years.

Capel began his coaching career elsewhere, taking over the VCU program in 2002 before being given the keys to the Oklahoma Sooners in 2006. He took Oklahoma to the Elite Eight in his third season, but he was fired in 2011 after failing to win 15 games in either of the following two years.

[autotag]Mike Krzyzewski[/autotag] welcomed him back to Durham as an assistant coach ahead of the 2011-12 season, and Capel was promoted to associate head coach for the 2014-15 season. The Blue Devils, notably, won their most recent championship in that campaign.

Capel spent seven seasons on the Duke staff before taking the Pittsburgh job in 2018. He’s coached against his former program eight times with a 2-6 record against the Blue Devils, including an upset at Cameron Indoor Stadium last January.

Andy Katz ranks Duke vs Pittsburgh ranked as the third-best basketball game of the week

With the Blue Devils looking to extend an eight-game win streak, their Tuesday battle against Pittsburgh is ranked as one of the week’s best.

Currently boasting an eight-game win streak, the Duke men’s basketball team will look for another big victory to start the week as they host the Pittsburgh Panthers on Tuesday. According to one NCAA reporter, it’s one of the best games of the week.

NCAA basketball analyst Andy Katz posted his weekly top-10 games of the week. Pittsburgh at Duke fell at No. 3, only behind the Tennessee Volunteers at Florida Gators and the Kentucky Wildcats at Mississippi State Bulldogs.

The Panthers come to Durham as one of three remaining ACC teams without a loss in conference play, joining Duke and the Clemson Tigers. They boast a 12-2 record with three ACC wins, and similar to the Blue Devils, they enter the game on a winning streak, albeit one only five games long.

Pittsburgh is ranked No. 22 in the KenPom rankings, second behind only Duke among conference teams, and the Panthers have notched big wins over teams like the West Virginia Mountaineers and LSU Tigers. If there’s a case to be made that a team can challenge the Blue Devils in the ACC, the Panthers have the strongest one. It just might go up in smoke on Tuesday night.

The game is set to tip-off at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time and will be played on ESPN.