Duke plays their first ACC home game against the Virginia Tech Hokies in Cameron Indoor Stadium on New Year’s Eve. Tuesday will be Duke’s 3rd ACC game before January, having played at Louisville and Georgia Tech.
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Virginia Tech Hokies
The Hokies will enter Tuesday with a 5-7 record overall and an 0-1 record in the ACC, having lost their first game to Pitt at home by 5 points. The Hokies are coming off a 20 point loss to Saint Joseph’s in the Holiday Hoopfest that took place in Philadelphia. Virginia Tech is in dire need of a signature win, and beating the Blue Devils in Cameron could turn their season around.
Virginia Tech ranks seventh in the ACC in rebound margin (+4.3) and eighth in offensive rebounds per game (11.8). The Hokies are positioned fourth in the conference in bench points per contest, with an average of 26.3. The Hokies are led in scoring by a duo of double-figure scoring in Tobi Lawal and Mylyjael Poteat. Lawal, a 6’8 forward, averages 10.7 points per game and 5.8 boards, where he’s also the team lead. Poteat is a 6’9 forward who scores it at a 10.1 point per game clip. He’s in his 3rd year at Virginia Tech, having transferred from Rose after the 2021-22 season. Starting in the backcourt for the Hokies is Duke transfer Jaden Schutt who is averaging 9.3 points per game and shooting the 3 at just under 37% so far on the season.
Duke Blue Devils
Duke enters the game against Virginia Tech with a 10-2 record and an ACC record of 2-0. Dukes’ 10 wins include wins against Arizona on the road and Auburn at home in Cameron Indoor. The Blue Devils are on a 6 game winning streak, including 2 ACC road victories. The Blue Devils boast the number 1 Adjusted Defensive Efficiency according to KenPom paired with a top 10 offense.
The Blue Devils are led in 3 categories by freshman Cooper Flagg. Recently named ACC Rookie of the Week for the 4th time, Flagg leads the Blue Devils in points (16.3), rebounds (8.6) and assists (3.5). Duke boasts 2 other double-figure scorers in freshman Kon Knueppel and junior Tyrese Proctor. Knueppel scores 12.2 points per game and is averaging 3.1 assists per contest. Shooting the ball at a 41% clip from beyond the arc, Tyrese Proctor, is adding 11.3 points per game to Duke’s tally. Freshman Isaiah Evans is leading the Blue Devils in 3-point shooting at 51% so far on the season and has increased his scoring output to 8.7 per game.
Final Thoughts
I mentioned earlier that the Hokies are in dire need of a signature win. It’s just a matter of time before Mike Young’s team puts together a full 40 minutes of good play. The Blue Devils obviously have an edge in the talent department, but there are key areas for the Blue Devils that I feel they need to win in this game, beginning with cleaning up the defensive glass. The only way I see Virginia Tech gaining an advantage on the Blue Devils is if Duke isn’t the quicker team to the ball – especially the 50/50 balls that can lead to Virginia Tech playing against a scrambling defense. That sort of situation, if Duke allows it, can spell danger for Jon Scheyer’s team and give life to a struggling offense. The majority of Virginia Tech’s players have the ability to knock down those types of looks (regardless of the percentages so far on the season), and giving them second chances with ineffective scrambling close-out and not securing the defensive exchange is a huge area within the margins that Duke needs to make sure doesn’t happen.
The Blue Devils also need to contend and match the athleticism of Tobi Lawal. The kid can jump out of the gym and Duke needs to assure they are aware of his ability to catch lobs, finish at the rim and get buckets off of stick backs.
Defensively, the Hokies are very susceptible to good ball movement and aren’t a very good rebounding team on that end. I feel like the Blue Devils can make a living off of their own misses. This could be a good game to get our guards going downhill come what may, with Duke’s ability to clean up the glass I think it could be a huge advantage for the Blue Devils.
