Duke Heads To Blacksburg To Take On Virginia Tech

After playing at Syracuse on Saturday third ranked Duke will next travel to Blacksburg where they will take on twentieth ranked Virginia Tech on Tuesday night who will be without their starting point guard Justin Robinson who remains sidelined and is out indefinitely with a left foot injury he suffered at Miami on January 30th. “according to https://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com/2019/02/04/virginia-techs-justin-robinson-remains-sidelined-with-left-foot-injury/ Tre Jones who is Duke’s point guard has also had an injury to deal with this season as he suffered an AC Joint Separation when Duke played at home against Syracuse earlier this season but unlike Justin Robinson Tre Jones is back in the lineup and has been since he returned January 26th when Duke hosted Georgia Tech but Duke will be down a player as fellow freshman Zion Williamson will miss his second straight game after suffering a knee sprain in Duke’s game against North Carolina. “according to http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/26077481/zion-williamson-duke-blue-devils-getting-better-not-play-vs-virginia-tech-hokies

Last season when Duke and Virginia Tech played in Blacksburg Chris Clarke’s layup with four seconds remaining gave the Hokies a 64-63 win. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211792612

Duke comes into the game with a record of 24-3 while they’re 12-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference while Virginia Tech comes into the game with a record of 21-6 while they’re 10-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

As for Duke’s previous game, they won the road at Syracuse.

Once the game started, it seemed like just another tilt featuring the two winningest coaches in NCAA Division I history, except for the massive record crowd that made the dome's walls shake every time the Orange scored. The top-ranked Blue Devils (24-3, 12-2) improved to 7-0 on the road in the Atlantic Coast Conference. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211792265

In the first game between the teams, the Orange (18-8, 9-4) pulled off the upset, 95-91 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, as Tyus Battle scored a season-high 32 points and Syracuse used its 2/3 zone defense to rattle Duke in overtime. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211792265

Swingman Cameron Reddish was out with an illness and point guard Tre Jones suffered a shoulder injury roughly 5 1/2 minutes in to put Duke down two starters in that one. It was a completely different team, just like it was on Saturday without injured freshman star Zion Williamson, who had a season-high 35 points in that first game. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211792265

Freshman forward RJ Barrett, who had a triple-double and double-double in Duke's previous two games, scored 30 points to lead Duke and Alex O'Connell had 20. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211792265

Tyus Battle led Syracuse with 16 points on 4-of -17 shooting, Elijah Hughes had 12, and Marek Dolezaj and Frank Howard had 10 apiece.”according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211792265

O'Connell's four-point play early in the second half gave Duke a two-point lead and neither team led by more than four over the ensuing five minutes. O'Connell's fifth 3-pointer of the game, a career high, and Barrett's layup gave the Blue Devils a 58-52 edge with 9:16 to go. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211792265

Two free throws by Hughes narrowed the lead to two, but Barrett drained a 3, O'Connell followed with a steal and dunk, and Barrett converted a lob from Jones to give the Blue Devils a 65-56 lead with 4:45 left and the Orange never got closer than five the rest of the game.”according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211792265

Syracuse led nearly the entire first half and went into the locker room with a 34-29 lead. Barrett kept the Blue Devils in the game with 17 points in the opening period.for Duke’s previous game, they won at Syracuse. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211792265

Like Duke, Virginia Tech also won their previous game as they topped Notre Dame.

– Posting his second straight double-double, Kerry Blackshear Jr. led the charge in the No. 20/18 Virginia Tech men's basketball team's 67-59 win over Notre Dame at Purcell Pavilion on Saturday. “according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2019/2/23/mens-basketball-blackshear-leads-no-20-18-hokies-to-win-at-notre-dame-67-59.aspx

The redshirt junior recorded a game-high 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting with a game-best 14 rebounds and three assists, racking up his sixth double-double of the season. The Hokies (21-6, 10-5 ACC) were also paced by sophomore Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who joined Blackshear in double figures with 12 points, three rebounds and two assists. “according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2019/2/23/mens-basketball-blackshear-leads-no-20-18-hokies-to-win-at-notre-dame-67-59.aspx

The Fighting Irish (13-14, 3-11) were led by T.J. Gibbs's team-high 18 points and two rebounds.”according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2019/2/23/mens-basketball-blackshear-leads-no-20-18-hokies-to-win-at-notre-dame-67-59.aspx

Blackshear kicked it off with the game's first bucket, hitting a stepback jumper, and then nailing a 3-pointer a few possessions later to give Tech an 11-2 lead. The nine-point lead would get cut to six points, following a layup by the Irish's John Mooney, who leads the ACC in double-doubles and had one tonight (12 points, 10 rebounds). “according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2019/2/23/mens-basketball-blackshear-leads-no-20-18-hokies-to-win-at-notre-dame-67-59.aspx

But the Hokies would stay steady, not allowing it to get less than a two-possession game thanks to freshman Isaiah Wilkins scorig five points in the final minute, giving Tech a 30-23 advantage at half.”according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2019/2/23/mens-basketball-blackshear-leads-no-20-18-hokies-to-win-at-notre-dame-67-59.aspx

Tech would get up by as many as 13 points after a free-throw by sophomore Wabissa Bede with 6:45 remaining. Then Notre Dame began chipping away at the deficit, cutting it to a six-point game with 1:27 left. But the Hokies would hit their free throws, making 11 of 14 (78.6 percent) from the charity stripe the final minute 1/2 to seal it.”according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2019/2/23/mens-basketball-blackshear-leads-no-20-18-hokies-to-win-at-notre-dame-67-59.aspx

Tip-off is set for 7:00pm from Cassell Coliseum . The game will be televised on ESPN.