ACC Basketball: Key narratives for Duke vs. Virginia Tech in Sweet 16

By Neil Adler | Mar 28, 2019

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - MARCH 24: Zion Williamson #1 2 and RJ Barrett #5 of the Duke Blue Devils celebrate after defeating the UCF Knights in the second round game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

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COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – MARCH 24: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils celebrates with his teammates after defeating the UCF Knights in the second round game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

The Sweet 16 is filled with chalk, and one enticing match-up features ACC basketball squads Duke and Virginia Tech in Washington, D.C.

Following a first weekend of the 2019 NCAA Tournament in which many of the country’s powerhouse programs advanced, five ACC basketball members remain in the field, and two of those ACC basketball teams will collide in our nation’s capital on Friday evening. No. 1 overall seed Duke (31-5), which is also the top seed in the East Region, looks to exact revenge versus No. 4 seed Virginia Tech (26-8) in a tantalizing Sweet 16 encounter at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

The Blue Devils had multiple bouts of good fortune late in their contest this past Sunday in the round of 32, as their opponent, No. 9 seed UCF, failed to convert on two potential game-winning shots, the second of which dramatically spun around the rim but didn’t go through the net. That left Duke with a heart-palpitating 77-76 triumph against the Knights, a crew that really impressed me in this duel.

The Hokies, meanwhile, amped up the defensive intensity in the second half of their round of 32 affair versus No. 12 seed Liberty, erasing a three-point deficit at the intermission and ultimately producing a 67-58 success to make the Sweet 16 for the second instance in the school’s history.

When Virginia Tech and the Blue Devils go toe to toe, with a berth in the Elite Eight at stake, Duke will undeniably have a score to settle, because the Hokies knocked off the visiting Blue Devils, 77-72, in February. Duke’s star freshman forward, Zion Williamson, did not suit up in that meeting due to a sprained right knee. That meeting occurred in Blacksburg, Va., and while Virginia Tech should have a huge contingent of fans in attendance in D.C., it won’t prove the same kind of home-court edge.

Duke possesses a 71.1 percent chance to prevail, according to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index. Let’s discuss three primary storylines for this fantastic competition.