Duke (25-3,12-3) narrowly escaped Virginia Tech (10-18, 2-13) last night in Blacksburg, VA. Jahill Okafor, who was questionable after an ankle injury vs. North Carolina two games ago, powered the Devils with 30 points and 9 rebounds. Senior Quinn Cook, who has been Duke’s rock all year, added 26 points and Duke’s Freshman Justice Winslow added 15.
Virginia Tech was led by Jalen Hudson who sparked the Hokies with 23 points off the bench. Buzz Williams’s troops hit a season high 12 3 pointers on only 22 attempts. 12 three pointers were a season high for Virginia Tech also it’s the most Duke’s allowed this season.
The Blue Devils are undoubtedly one of the nation’s best teams, but if they want to avoid another early exit in the tournament, Duke will need to fix somethings in the next few weeks. The first thing Duke must fix is guard penetration. The Hokies' guards were able to attach the Devils all night and that opened up shooters in the corners for easy looks. The other flaw for the Blue Devils is free throw shooting. Duke was 11-22 from the line last night and if you go back a week ago Duke shot 16-31 from the line against North Carolina.
Nonetheless, Duke survived and is still in great shape to get a number one seed come March. Duke has now won 11 of their last 12 games and has clinched a double-bye in the ACC tournament. Getting a number one seed may be more important for the Devils than you think. Duke has not fared well in the tournament recently as a 2 seed and it would mean they avoid being put in Kentucky’s regional.
Duke will be home for next couple of games. They host Syracuse and Wake Forest in next week. Virginia Tech’s sledding doesn't get easier as the Hokies will head to Charlottesville to take on Virginia on Saturday.