The No. 9 Duke Blue Devils (22-3; 12-2 ACC) will take on the No. 11 Virginia Tech Hokies (20-4; 10-4 ACC) for the second time this season on Thursday. This matchup between the No. 1 and No. 3 teams in the ACC standings is scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
Both the Blue Devils and Hokies have won four straight games, with Virginia Tech’s last loss coming to Duke back on Jan. 26. The Blue Devils held the Hokies to just 34.7 percent shooting from the field (including a 1-of-9 performance from reigning ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley) and 55 total points, which was the second-lowest point total of the season for Virginia Tech, and were led by sophomore guard Shayeann Day-Wilson, who scored 18 points.
That kind of defensive effort is nothing new for Duke, which has leaned on its defense for the entirety of the 2022-23 regular season. The Blue Devils currently rank No. 3 in Division I in defensive efficiency, according to Her Hoop Stats, allowing 73.1 points per 100 possessions, and have excelled at both blocking shots (13.8 percent block rate; No. 4 in Division I) and finishing possessions with defensive rebounds (74.1 percent defensive rebounding rate; No. 21). Duke has also done an excellent job at forcing stagnation in…
