ACC Basketball: Duke Hokie-Poked Virginia Tech Easily

By Horran Cameron
Peter Casey USA SPORTS Today

It was just another night in Blacksburg, Virginia when the No. 6 ranked Duke Blue Devils faced the Virginia Tech Hokies. The top three scorers in the ACC were playing in this game. Virginia Tech’s Erick Green leads the ACC with 25.3 points per game. Duke has the No. 2 and No. 3 scorers in the conference. Mason Plumlee averages 17.6 points per game and Seth Curry averages 16.9 per game.

In this particular game, Duke’s star players led the way for an easy victory. Plumlee finished the game with 13 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Curry added 22 points, two rebounds and two assists. Curry made five out of his six three-point field goal attempts. Virginia Tech’s Green finished the game with 22 points, two rebounds and three assists. C.J. Barksdale contributed 14 points and 8 rebounds while completing 100% of his field goals (six of six from the field).

The key statistics from the game were three-point field goals and turnovers. As a team, Duke hit 12 of their 17 three-point field goals (70.6%), whereas Virginia Tech only made one of their 16 three-point field goal attempts. Virginia Tech committed 12 turnovers compared to Duke’s five turnovers.

Duke proved to be too much for Virginia Tech. Duke’s role players continued their routine of contributing in a big way. Rasheed Sulaimon had 17 points and five rebounds. He connected on three of his four three-point field goal attempts. Sophomore forward Josh Hairston followed suit with 11 points and three rebounds.

When Duke clicks on all cylinders, they are one of the best teams in the nation. It seems as though they have adjusted well to the absence of senior forward, Ryan Kelly. With the emergence of their role players, Duke may possibly be able to surpass the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

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