Duke Basketball: Tough matchups for the Blue Devils in the East Region

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 16: Teammates RJ Barrett #5 and Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils react after defeating the Florida State Seminoles 73-63 in the championship game of the 2019 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

3 of 4

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – JANUARY 15: Justin Robinson #5 of the Virginia Tech Hokies drives past Kihei Clark #0 of the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on January 15, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

2. Virginia Tech Hokies

The Virginia Tech Hokies got great news on selection Sunday when they learned senior guard Justin Robinson would be available for the NCAA tournament. Robinson missed 12 games with a foot injury, before becoming available for the tournament. This is great news for the Hokies as Robinson is the leader of this team and averaged 13.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists before suffering an injury.

When Robinson is paired with fellow guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, they have one of the best backcourts in the nation. Alexander-Walker is a sophomore guard who is a great scorer. He can also stretch the defense with his elite 3-point shooting. He is currently averaging 16.6 points per game and shooting 38.1% from the 3-point line. These two guards would look to cause problems for a young, but stout Blue Devil defense.

The Hokies, as a whole, are shooting 39.4 percent from the 3-point line, which has them ranked 8th overall in three-point percentage. The Blue Devils could have upset written all over them if the Hokies could get hot from three. The great recipe for an upset is a hot 3-point shooting team. The Hokies are capable of getting extremely hot on any night.

The Blue Devils would rather not face the Hokies because of their dynamic backcourt and their excellent three-point shooting. The Hokies have already been a trendy pick by most fans to upset the Blue Devils in the tournament. This could be because the Hokies beat the Blue Devils 77-72, on February 26. The Blue Devils were without Williamson, but the Hokies were also without Robinson. Watch out for the Hokies to make a run at Duke in the NCAA tournament.

Home/Duke Blue Devils