No. 19 Duke (5-2, 3-0) vs. No. 20 Virginia Tech (9-2, 3-1)
Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Virginia; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Two ranked teams match up as No. 19 Duke visits No. 20 Virginia Tech in an ACC showdown. Duke has zero wins and two losses against ranked opponents this season, while Virginia Tech has against a ranked team.
VARYING EXPERIENCE: Virginia Tech has been fueled by senior leadership this year while Duke has relied on freshmen. Seniors Keve Aluma, Tyrece Radford and Justyn Mutts have combined to account for 44 percent of Virginia Tech’s scoring this season. On the other side, freshmen Matthew Hurt, DJ Steward, Jordan Goldwire, Jeremy Roach and Jalen Johnson have combined to account for 77 percent of all Duke scoring, including 91 percent of the team’s points over its last five.
DIALING IT UP A NOTCH: The Blue Devils have scored 68.5 points per game against conference opponents thus far, an improvement from the 73.5 per game they recorded in non-conference play.MIGHTY MATTHEW: Hurt has connected on 43.2 percent of the 37 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 13 of 29 over the last five games. He’s also made 68.2 percent of his foul shots this season.
UNDEFEATED WHEN: The Hokies are 8-0 when holding opponents to 43.6 percent or worse from the field, and 1-2 when opponents shoot better than that. The Blue Devils are 5-0 when they make eight or more 3-pointers and 0-2 when the team hits fewer than eight from long range.
STREAK SCORING: Virginia Tech has won its last five home games, scoring an average of 80.8 points while giving up 63.2.
LAST FIVE: Duke has scored 76.2 points while allowing 70.4 points over its last five games. Virginia Tech has averaged 81.8 points and given up 65.8 over its last five.
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