Four Keys for Virginia Tech Men's Basketball vs. No. 4 Duke

Duke is the highest-ranked opponent that the Hokies will have played this year.

Jan 27, 2026; Blacksburg, Va.; Virginia Tech guard Neoklis Avdalas (17) is congratulated by fans after the game against Georgia Tech. | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech men's basketball embarks on potentially its most difficult test of the season tomorrow afternoon, facing off against No. 4 Duke.

The Hokies (16-6, 5-4) sit on the precipice of making the NCAA Tournament and a victory tomorrow against the Blue Devils (19-1, 8-0) could go a long way towards boosting its hopes of making the 68-team March Madness field.

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Ahead of the contest, here's what I think are three keys to a Hokies victory tomorrow afternoon in Blacksburg.

Key No. 1: Limit Cameron Boozer.

I believe that it's unrealistic to stop Boozer — after all, the star freshman forward is averaging 23.5 points per game, good for fourth in the entirety of NCAA Division I basketball. Boozer has been cold, calculated and efficient, operating as a do-it-all forward. The freshman leads the team in points (23.5), rebounds (9.9), assists (4.1), steals (1.8) and is third on the team in blocks per game with 0.6.

Thus, for Virginia Tech to win, finding some way to limit Boozer and forcing Duke to rely on its secondary options is the main roadblock between it and an upset victory.

Besides Boozer, two other Blue Devils average in double figures: guard Isaiah Evans (14.5 points per game) and center Patrick Ngongba II (11.2).

Key No. 2: Shut down the Blue Devils' three-ball.

Duke has been fairly precise from beyond the arc, knocking down 34.4% of its shots. While none of its consistent players (min. 10 minutes per game) have posted a three-point shooting percentage higher than 83.5%, only three have logged a clip lower than 30%.

Duke is balanced in its three-point diet and Tech will need to be stout in guarding the vast majority of the Blue Devils' shooters.

Duke is balanced on both ends of the floor, too. According to Ken Pomeroy's metrics, the Blue Devils possess the fifth-highest adjusted offensive efficiency and the fourth-highest adjusted defensive efficiency in D-1. Moreover, the Blue Devils rank second in the nation in two-point shooting percentage, shooting a lights-out 62.7% inside the arc.

Key No. 3: Win the battle on the boards.

Duke is the third-best team in the ACC in regard to total rebounds per game, grabbing 40.5 boards a contest on average. In comparison, Virginia Tech ranks No. 13 with 36.2 boards per game.

Duke's efforts on the boards are anchored by Boozer (9.9), plus Ngongba (6.1). Ngongba attended Paul VI High School in Chantilly, Virginia, the same school as Ben Hammond (four years) and Christian Gurdak (two years, transferred to Gonzaga after sophomore year) did.

Key No. 4: Have a stellar game from wing Neoklis Avdalas.

Thus far, in league play, the freshman wing has struggled, averaging 10.7 points, which sits fifth on the team. Avdalas is also shooting 31.1% from the field, 18.8% from long range and 67.7% from the free-throw line. His turnover numbers are also up, sitting at 2.78 miscues per game.

For Virginia Tech to win, an effective and dialed-in Avdalas is imperative to any hopes of a victory in Saturday's showdown.

Virginia Tech will tip off against the No. 4 Blue Devils at 12 p.m. ET, with coverage for the contest being carried on ESPN.