After two convincing wins to open conference play on the road, the Blue Devils are back inside the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on one of the ACC's surprise teams early in league action.
No. 14 Duke and Virginia Tech square off at noon Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Hokies are fresh off home wins against N.C. State and No. 4 Virginia, but will look to prove their winning formula can succeed outside of Blacksburg, Va., Saturday against a Duke team with limited depth.
Since the loss of senior Amile Jefferson to a fractured right foot, different people have been stepping up for the Blue Devils. Sophomore guard Grayson Allen stepped up as the team's offensive leader at the start of the season, then freshman swingman Brandon Ingram elevated his game—teaming with Allen to provide one of the most formidable scoring duos in the conference—but both have had help of late.
"[Grayson Allen] has the ability to draw fouls in addition to shoot and score," Duke head Mike Krzyzewski said after his team's 103-81 victory against Long Beach State Dec. 30. "Actually Brandon [Ingram] can do that. We need to get Luke [Kennard] on a consistent basis doing that. Then you become tough to defend."
Based on that logic, the Blue Devils (13-2, 2-0 in the ACC) have officially become tough to defend. Kennard is averaging 18.2 points per contest and shooting at a 53 percent clip in his past five games—including his second straight 7-of-11 shooting performance in Duke's 91-75 victory at Wake Forest Wednesday. The Franklin, Ohio, native was a perfect 9-for-9 at the charity stripe and has rounded out the Duke backcourt as another potent weapon.
Kennard's scoring was much-needed Wednesday in Winston-Salem, N.C., as Allen and junior guard Matt Jones both picked up their fourth fouls early in the second half, forcing Krzyzewski to go with a thin and inexperienced rotation for several key minutes. But Duke responded behind the play of Kennard and graduate student Marshall Plumlee, who anchored Duke in the paint to the tune of a career-best 18 points.
The Hokies (10-5, 2-0) boast a productive bench, outscoring opponents by 7.5 points per game entering Saturday. Virginia Tech played seven ACC games last year that were decided by one possession, and it lost five of them, not including a tough 91-86 overtime defeat against the Blue Devils.
But head coach Buzz Williams' team is now a year older, and with much of the same cast, is already off to a fast start in conference play. The Hokies defeated the Wolfpack Monday for the first time since 2011 and upset the Cavaliers Wednesday for the first time since 2012.
Those victories came in spite of the Hokies' efforts on the glass—Williams' squad has been outrebounded by 13.8 boards per contest in the last four games, and shoots 45 percent from the field as a team. But the key to the team's success has been aggresiveness on both ends of the floor.
The Hokies trailed the Wolfpack throughout the first half, but came from behind and reeled off a 25-8 second-half run by attacking the rim. Sophomore guard Jalen Hudson—who scored 23 points against the Blue Devils a year ago—flashed his potential once again with 23 points and numerous finishes off the bounce, through contact and high off the glass.
The Blue Devils will have to hone in on stopping Hudson's penetration without getting in foul trouble like they did Wednesday, while also respecting the dangerous outside shooting of Justin Bibbs, who knocks down 59 percent of his looks from the perimeter.
"We have to get back in transition and take away their strong players," Kennard said Friday. "We can score the ball, we’re a good offensive team. If we just play great defense, it’ll lead to great offense for us."
The formula for Duke looks similar. The Blue Devils lead the country in adjusted offensive efficiency and rank ninth in free-throw attempts. Against a defense aggressive enough to force 16 Cavalier turnovers—well above Virginia's season average—the Blue Devils are likely to head to the line. There, Allen and Kennard are shooting 87 and 93 percent, respectively.
"They play really hard," Allen said. "They have an aggressive defensive style, they really get after the ball, they make it hard for you to catch on the wing, so they’re a good defensive team. We’re going to have to really be sharp."
Play in the paint will also be crucial. Plumlee will get no let-up after guarding Wake Forest star Devin Thomas, who put up 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds Wednesday. Despite an indefinite injury to freshman starting forward Chris Clarke, Virginia Tech has gotten productive post play from junior forward Zach LeDay. The South Florida transfer leads the team with 14.7 points per game and 9.5 rebounds.
LeDay gives up five inches to Plumlee, but he is versatile and can shoot from the perimeter, which will force the Duke big men to step out to the perimeter and could leave the Blue Devils exposed near the rim.
Nick Martin and Delaney King contributed reporting.
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