Rick Pitino concerned about one advantage Duke has over St. John's
· Yahoo Sports
Rick Pitino had already pointed out during his press conference on Thursday that St. John’s must shoot the three-pointer well to beat top overall seed Duke in the Sweet 16 matchup, despite the Red Storm not being precisely a great three-point shooting team.
Then, the 73-year-old coach brought up another uphill battle that his team will face against the Blue Devils: rebounding.
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“They (Duke) are plus-11 on the glass,” Pitino said. “They do the best job in the country at getting an offensive rebound. Almost like a secondary play of throwing it back out for a three. They're great at it. It's something they look for.”
He’s correct in those facts, as Jon Scheyer’s squad brings down 12.5 offensive boards a game and ranks fifth in the nation in rebounding margin at +11. Compared to St. John’s +4 rebounding margin, it’s clear who has the advantage on the glass.
What scares Pitino even more is the fact that the Blue Devils often turn those offensive rebounds into open three-point shots.
“If they don't have an immediate putback, they tip it out, or they take it, and they throw it right out to the three-point line,” he said. “We're not always great on the backboard. We have to make sure we are in this game.”
This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: Rick Pitino concerned about one advantage Duke has over St. John's