BLACKSBURG – Playing back in the friendly confines of Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum for the first time in a couple weeks, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team will face No. 10/8 Duke at 7 p.m. ET on Friday.
Tech (6-2, 1-0 ACC), which is on a losing streak for the first time this season, will face a Blue Devil (8-1) team that is opening the ACC part of their schedule.
The two schools last faced each other in the Sweet 16 of the 2019 NCAA Tournament, a two-point win for Duke to advance to the Elite Eight in Washington, D.C. However, Tech has won three straight at home against Duke.
The matchup with the Blue Devils will be broadcast on ACC Network, with Jay Alter (play-by-play) and Cory Alexander (analyst) on the call.
GAME INFORMATION
Fri. | 7 p.m. ET vs. No. 10/8 Duke | Stats | Watch | Radio | Notes
The last time out, Tech fell to the hands of BYU (6-4) by a score of 90-77 at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational last Wednesday. Redshirt freshman Landers Nolley II dropped 22 points for the second time in the tournament on his way to making the all-tournament team.
Nolley would also earn ACC Freshman of the Week for the second time this season, becoming the second Hokie in school history to win the award twice, joining Jeff Allen 2007-08.
Junior P.J. Horne is shooting a blistering 65.3 percent from the field this season and is No. 2 in the country for effective field-goal percentage (79.6), according to KenPom.
SCOUTING No. 10/8 DUKE
• The Blue Devils, like the Hokies, have defeated No. 11/12 Michigan State (5-3), winning by a score of 87-75 in East Lansing on Tuesday in the B1G/ACC Challenge thanks to a big night from Vernon Carey, who posted a 26-point, 11-rebound double-double.
• Head coach Mike Krzyzewski enters his 40th season in Durham, following his five-year stint as the head coach at Army West Point from 1975-80. A five-time national champion and 12-time Final Four participant, Coach K has the most wins in the history of college basketball on the men's side in Division I with 1,140.
• Duke is paced by preseason All-ACC pick Tre Jones and his 7.4 assists per game, which ranks sixth nationally. On the inside, Carey is first in the nation in double-doubles with seven on the year, while he gets to the line at will, owning the top free throw attempts in the land at 72.
• Arguably the best shot blocking team there is in the country, the Blue Devils have racked up 61 blocks this year, which sits at No. 1 in the land. They aren't too shabby at swiping steals either, collecting 87 through nine games to rank ninth nationally and first in the ACC.
