FACTS & STATS: Site: Petersen Events Center (12,508) -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Television: None. Home Record: Duquesne 2-0, Pittsburgh 5-0. Away Record: Duquesne 2-1, Pittsburgh 0-0. Neutral Record: Duquesne 0-0, Pittsburgh 2-0. Conference Record: Duquesne 0-0, Pittsburgh 0-0. Series Record: Pittsburgh leads, 45-31.

GAME NOTES: The third-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers seek their eighth straight win to begin the 2008-09 season, when they welcome local rival Duquesne to the Petersen Events Center this evening for non-conference action.

Jamie Dixon's Panthers have won all seven of their contests thus far, all by double digits, including a pair of victories in the Legends Classic this past holiday weekend, topping Texas Tech (80-67) and Washington State (57-43) in Newark.

The Dukes have had a successful start to their season as well, as Ron Everhart's squad has won four of its first five games, with the lone loss coming last Friday, against then seventh-ranked Duke in Durham (95-72).

This is the 77th meeting between these two rivals, with Pittsburgh holding a 45-31 series advantage. In addition, the Panthers have won each of the last seven matchups.

The Dukes haven't beat a ranked opponent since 1997 and that streak was never in jeopardy of coming to an end in Cameron Indoor Stadium last Friday, as Duke jumped all over Duquesne and never let up. The Blue Devils took a 20-point lead into the half and extended that after the break in a 23-point romp. The loss spoiled a terrific performance by forward Damian Saunders, who registered his second straight double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Aaron Jackson added 14 points to the cause, but the team got little else in terms of offensive support. The Dukes really struggled with their long range accuracy, hitting a mere 3-of-21 from behind the arc. The team was overmatched in Durham, but has been much more productive at the offensive end on the year, averaging 80.6 ppg, on nearly 50 percent shooting (.497). Saunders paces the team in both scoring (17.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.4 rpg) and is connecting on 66.7 percent from the floor. Jackson ranks second in both categories (16.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg), while leading the team in assists (6.4 apg). Bill Clark represents another scoring option with 10.8 ppg, thanks to a healthy .514 shooting percentage. The Dukes will be a bit shorthanded in this contest, as reserve forward David Theis will miss the game due to a bruised kidney.

It was two of the nation's premier defensive teams going at it on Saturday and Pittsburgh was able to get past Washington State in a low scoring affair and remain perfect on the season. Both teams shot a mere .354 from the floor, but Pittsburgh was able to distance itself at the free-throw line, converting 20- of-27 opportunities, compared to a mere 3-of-4 for the Cougars. Sam Young, who was named the Legends Classic MVP, led the way with 15 points and eight rebounds. Levance Fields finished just behind Young with 14 points, while DeJuan Blair added just seven points to the cause, but made much more of an impact defensively, grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking three shots. The Panthers can win games at either end of the floor, as evidenced by the team's +19.7 scoring margin. Pittsburgh is averaging nearly 80 points per game (78.7), thanks to .506 shooting from the floor. Young currently leads the team in scoring with 19.4 ppg. Blair has been dominant in the paint, averaging a double-double with 15.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per outing. Fields has proven to be adept at both filling the basket (12.1 ppg) and getting others involved in the offensive flow (team-high 44 assists).

This is a grueling two-game set for Duquesne. The Dukes have already been outclassed in Durham and while this game represents a local rivalry, there isn't anything that indicates the Dukes will be able to pull off a huge upset in this one over the red-hot Panthers.

Predicted Outcome

Pittsburgh 83, Duquesne 66