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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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 24: Ahmed Hill #13 of the Virginia Tech Hokies celebrates with Ty Outlaw #42 as time expires in the second half against the Liberty Flames during the second round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 24, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

1. Watch the perimeter game.

Throughout the 2018-19 campaign, the Blue Devils have found themselves near the bottom of the ACC at it pertains to their shooting percentage, roughly 30 percent, from downtown. The Hokies, conversely, connected on a stellar clip from long range, approximately 40 percent, which only trails another No. 1 seed in Virginia in the conference.

Furthermore, Virginia Tech is No. 1 in the conference in 3-point baskets made per contest at 9.4. Given Duke’s dominance in the paint, the Hokies will have to perform proficiently from deep if they hope to upset the Blue Devils. Ironically, when this pair of squads previously battled, Duke notched a better output from 3-point land, at 33.3 percent compared with 30.8 percent for Virginia Tech.

Part of why those statistics didn’t prevent the Hokies from achieving stems from the Blue Devils not having Williamson in the line-up. His absence in the middle enabled Virginia Tech to go 15-of-24 on field goals inside the arc, and the Hokies also got to the charity stripe on 29 occasions. That duo of factors mightily contributed to Virginia Tech besting Duke on its turf.

For the Blue Devils to reach the regional finals, freshmen forwards Cam Reddish and RJ Barrett must each hit a few 3-pointers to spread the floor. That, in turn, will keep the Hokies defense more honest and enable Williamson to do his thing closer to the hoop.