Virginia Tech Hokies vs Duke Blue Devils: Predictions, Odds and Roster Notes

Where: Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., USA.

When: Friday, March 29th at 9:39pm EST (subject to change based on LSU-Michigan State on the same court).

How (TV/Radio): CBS; March Madness Live Stream on ncaa.com

Virginia Tech Hokies

Head Coach: Buzz Williams {Overall: 26-8, .765 W-L% | Conference: 12-6, 5th in ACC}

The Hokies are enjoying their best tournament run in school history and will look to keep the party going against a Duke team whom they have already beaten this year. That win came on their home court at Cassell Coliseum, where Virginia Tech won 77-72 on February 26th.

Junior forward Kerry Blackshear Jr. was the top scorer in that game with a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Ahmed Hill contributed to the scoring effort with 17 points of his own, in a game where the Hokies made the most of their possessions by committing just five turnovers.

Virginia Tech punched their Sweet Sixteen tickets by taking out 12-seed Liberty, beating the Flames 67-58 on March 24th. Blackshear Jr. and Hill were the top scorers with 19 and 14 points respectively, while junior guard Ty Outlaw had a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Duke Blue Devils

Head Coach: Mike Krzyzewski {Overall: 31-5, .861 W-L% | Conference: 14-4, 3rd in ACC}

After nearly suffering the biggest upset of the tournament, Coach K’s group survives to endure another weekend of March Madness. Standing in their way of a second straight Elite Eight is a Hokie squad that knocked off the Blue Devils, albeit in a hostile environment in Blacksburg.

The Blue Devils escaped the Round of 32 with a close 77-76 win over UCF on March 24th. Freshman star Zion Williamson carried the scoring load with 32 points while grabbing 11 rebounds in the win, and drawing a critical fifth foul against Central Florida’s giant center, Tacko Fall. Fellow freshmen R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish supported Williamson’s performance with 16 and 13 points respectively.

Duke’s dynamic freshmen will need all the rest they can get leading up to the Sweet Sixteen, as Williamson, Barrett, and point guard Tre Jones played all 40 minutes against the Knights, as Krzyzewski went with a seven man rotation, opting not to play sophomore guard Alex O’Connell.

Virginia Tech Roster Notes

Freshman guard Landers Nolley II is out for the season due to eligibility issues.

Senior forward Chris Clarke is out for the season due to a suspension.

Duke Roster Notes

Junior forward Jack White is listed as questionable with a hamstring injury. White suffered the injury in the ACC Tournament final against Florida State on March 16th.

Head-to-Head: Nickeil Alexander-Walker vs R.J. Barrett

Nickeil Alexander Walker

Shooting Guard | 6-5, 205lb (196cm, 92kg) | Hamilton Heights Christian Academy | Toronto, Canada | Sophomore

16.4 PPG | 3.9 APG | 4.2 RPG | 1.9 SPG | 0.5 BPG | 2.8 TOV | .478 FG% | .380 3P%

R.J. Barrett

Small Forward | 6-7, 202lb (201cm, 91kg) | Monteverde Academy | Mississauga, Canada | Freshman

22.8 PPG | 4.1 APG | 7.7 RPG | 0.9 SPG | 0.4 BPG | 3.1 TOV | .457 FG% | .313 3P%

The top scorers for each team will be the focus in this game, with the loser likely playing his last college game. Each of these Canadian swingmen have not only proven to be proficient at getting buckets, they have also managed to step in as floor generals when their point guards missed time due to injury.

After a solid freshman season where he averaged 10.7 points, Nickeil Alexander-Walker has stepped up to be Virginia Tech’s top scoring option. The Toronto native has put up solid performances against tournament teams such as Purdue and Washington, against whom he dropped 25 and 24 points respectively. The brother of current LA Clipper Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had some lacklustre efforts though, which include the Liberty game where he scored just six points, as well as a January 9th game at Georgia Tech, where he shot 1 for 13 from the field.

There is not much that hasn’t been said about the top ranked recruit of the 2018 class, as R.J. Barrett has failed to disappoint this season. The ACC’s top scorer has been a dominant force in what should be his lone season in Durham, with six 30+ point performances, of which four came in conference play. Barrett’s only glaring weakness thus far has been his free throw shooting, where his 66.2% mark could hurt the Blue Devils during their championship push.

Virginia Tech vs Duke Predictions and Odds

Bettors who reside in New Jersey can wager on various props such as point spreads, over/unders, and player stats at the 888Sport sportsbook.

The moneyline odds on offer for this game are:

• Virginia Tech: +260
• Duke: -375