WASHINGTON—When Duke first played Virginia Tech, there was an air of disappointment in the matchup.
With both teams missing their star player—Justin Robinson for the Hokies and Zion Williamson for the Blue Devils—it's easy to think about what could have been a top-15 showdown between two top ACC teams at full strength.
And despite missing each other in the conference tournament, those two sides will finally go head-to-head with all their pieces in place, this time on the verge of the biggest stage in college basketball.
Top-seeded Duke will look to avenge its Feb. 26 77-72 loss to No. 4 seed Virginia Tech Friday at approximately 9:39 p.m. at Capital One Arena in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. With the Blue Devils returning Williamson to dominate the interior and the Hokies having 3-point sharpshooter Robinson back from a foot injury, both teams' biggest strengths will be on full display.
"I think I bring a lot to the table," Williamson said. "Virginia Tech is a great team. So they won that game. That's not taking nothing away from them. I think it's going to be a battle."
For Duke, Williamson makes all the difference as it will try to break through one of the toughest interior defenses in the nation. Virginia Tech (26-8) ranks fourth in the nation in two-point attempts allowed, using athleticism and quick hands to clog lanes and force turnovers.
In the Blue Devils' first game against the Hokies, Virginia Tech was able to bait Cam Reddish and R.J. Barrett into charging into the lane, preventing Duke from finishing easily and forcing the Blue Devils to find offense outside of its freshmen due to foul trouble.
With Williamson back in the mix, Duke (31-5) has arguably the best finisher in the nation with the agility to weave through Virginia Tech's guard-heavy lineup, giving the Blue Devils a massive boost on the offensive end. The Spartanburg, S.C., native has also proven himself to be a competent spot-up shooter, making better than 45 percent of his attempts from long range since his return.
The Hokies' tendency to miss switches and leave some shooters wide open means the Blue Devils will need to capitalize on split-second opportunities and sink open threes.
"I'm going to enjoy playing the rematch because it was very unfortunate to see my brothers lose, even though they battled really hard," Williamson said. "I'm just glad to be able to go to war with them."
However, while Virginia Tech may be tempted to dare a Duke team shooting 30.7 percent from three to take open shots, the Blue Devils themselves cannot let the gas off in defending the Hokies on the perimeter.
Virginia Tech boasts four sharpshooters in Robinson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Ahmed Hill and Ty Outlaw, all of who can get hot at any time. In Duke's first matchup against Virginia Tech, the Hokies were able to seize the momentum out of a possible Blue Devil comeback with a dagger triple from Outlaw.
Shooting at a 39.5 percent clip from downtown—good for eighth in the nation—the Hokies strength comes in playing stingy defense and burying opposing teams with a barrage of threes.
"I don't know how much you get from that game," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said of Duke's previous matchup against the Hokies. "I'd like to have one more, like, cover the corner, you know, on penetration so we don't give Outlaw an open three. I'd like to hit one more shot."
To survive and advance, the Blue Devils must limit turnovers and use their size to their advantage and dominate the glass to ensure Virginia Tech can't stymie Duke's offense. However, if the Blue Devils can't assert themselves early on and fall into the Hokies rhythm, Duke could be the first No. 1 seed to be sent home this tournament.
"[The Hokies] are veterans," Krzyzewski said. "They're together. They play—they don't beat themselves. They do not beat themselves. And I really thought, at the end of the season, that there are five teams from our conference that could win the whole thing and the five that I thought are here, are in the Sweet 16."
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