Duke Basketball: Keys for Sweet 16 matchup with Virginia Tech Hokies
By Zach De Jong
1. Get Williamson and Barrett going to the basket.
Williamson and Barrett struggled at time to get into the lane in their Round of 32 matchup. This was because UCF had 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall in the lane. This sort of presence in the painted area was enough to defer the Blue Devils from challenging the painted area. When the Blue Devils did get the ball in the post, Fall was able to block or alter the Blue Devils shots.
The Hokies do not have the same size that UCF had in the previous game. Kerry Blackshear Jr. is the tallest player on the team at 6-foot-10. The next tallest player on the team after Blackshear Jr. is 6-foot-6. With the lack of an inside presence from the Hokies, the Blue Devils should be able to take advantage of high percentage shots in the post.
Williamson and Barrett are deadly when they get high percentage shots in the post. Williamson is shooting 74.9 percent from within the arc, and Barrett is shooting 52.9 percent within the 3-point line. With these shooting numbers in the paint. The Blue Devils don’t want their players settling for low percentage jump shots.
Next. Takeaways from McDonald's All-American game. dark
This Sweet 16 matchup should be a dogfight between the two ACC foes. The Blue Devils will be looking for revenge versus the Hokies after their regular season lost without Williamson. The Blue Devils will have a high chance at advancing to the Elite Eight if they succeed at doing these keys.
Prediction: Duke 65 – Virginia Tech 61