Duquesne players felt they were more ready than ever to face Pitt, but it seemed Pitt followed Anson's advice of not overlooking them.
Pitt came out extremely aggressive in the first half. Pitt was hitting everything, and simply not letting Duquesne score. Duquesne guard Micah Mason was essentially completely shut down by James Robinson in the first half. Robinson, as Duquesne coach Jim Ferry put it, "guarded the hell out of him". Pitt started the game going 30-12 and set the tone very early.
Sterling Smith had a fantastic night with a double double of 16 points and 11 rebounds.