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ACC Basketball: 2018-19 storylines for Virginia Tech at North Carolina

By Jason Kinander

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 15: Nassir Little #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after a dunk against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half of a game at the Dean Smith Center on January 15, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 75-69. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 15: Nassir Little #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after a dunk against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half of a game at the Dean Smith Center on January 15, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 75-69. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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BLACKSBURG, VA – DECEMBER 05: Nickeil Alexander-Walker #4 of the Virginia Tech Hokies looks to pass in the second half during the game against the VMI Keydets at Cassell Coliseum on December 5, 2018 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Lauren Rakes/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, VA – DECEMBER 05: Nickeil Alexander-Walker #4 of the Virginia Tech Hokies looks to pass in the second half during the game against the VMI Keydets at Cassell Coliseum on December 5, 2018 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Lauren Rakes/Getty Images) /

No. 2: The play of Virginia Tech’s big three

If there’s one clear strength of this Virginia Tech team, it is their nucleus.

Justin Robinson, Kerry Blackshear, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are three of the better players in the ACC, and they have certainly played a big role in the Hokies’ 15-2 start.

Robinson, a senior guard, is averaging 12.8 points and 5.4 assists per game. The catalyst of the Virginia Tech offense, Robinson has been a major contributor in the Hokies’ stellar ball movement.

Blackshear, a junior forward, is averaging 13.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Blackshear is the center of the Virginia Tech defense and will be tasked with handling the Tar Heel’s spectacular pair of forwards.

Finally, Alexander-Walker, perhaps the best of the three, is having a great sophomore season, averaging 18 points per game. Alexander-Walker, a former McDonalds’s All-American, dropped 24 points against Wake Forest and is following up a quiet freshmen season with a special sophomore year.

It wouldn’t be fair to say that these three players are the reason why Virginia Tech has been so good, but it isn’t far off. If all three of Robinson, Blackshear, and Alexander-Walker show up, North Carolina simply doesn’t have a chance.

All three players excel on both offense and defense. Virginia Tech has built a strong core, and they’ll need that very core to play up to par on Monday if they want to leave Chapel Hill with a big road win.

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