No. 4 Duke Visits Virginia Tech for Saturday Noon Showdown

Saturday, January 31

Blacksburg, VA

12 p.m.

Duke University

Virginia Tech

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Nikolas Khamenia - 2025-26 Duke Men's Basketball

Photo by: Duke Athletics

No. 4 Duke Visits Virginia Tech for Saturday Noon Showdown

1/30/2026 1:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)

The Opening Tip

No. 4 Duke visits Virginia Tech on Saturday, Jan. 31, at noon on ESPN.
Dave O'Brien and Cory Alexander will call the action on ESPN. David Shumate and John Roth team up for the broadcast on the Blue Devil Sports Network.
Duke leads the series with the Hokies, 54-13, including a 14-9 advantage in Blacksburg.
The Blue Devils are 6-0 on the opposition's home court this season.
Duke has won 30 of its last 31 games against conference opponents.
Duke is second in NET rankings and is also second with eight Quad 1 wins. (Jan. 28)
The Blue Devils have played eight nationally-ranked opponents this season (7-1 record).
Duke has secured top-25 victories over No. 7 Michigan State, No. 15 Florida, No. 20 Louisville (twice), No. 22 Arkansas, No. 24 SMU and No. 25 Kansas.
Duke is one of only two teams ranked in the top-five nationally in both offensive efficiency (126.9, 5th) and defensive efficiency (91.5, 4th) ratings. (KenPom)
The Blue Devils lead the ACC and are sixth nationally in scoring margin (+21.0).
Duke tops the conference and ranks 10th in the country in rebounding margin (+10.2).
The Blue Devils rank 13th in the nation and are first in the ACC in scoring defense (64.6 ppg).
Nikolas Khamenia scored a career-high 14 points in Monday's win over Louisville.
Cameron Boozer is the nation's third-leading scorer with an ACC-high 23.5 points per game, and ranks third in the ACC in rebounding (9.9 rpg), seventh in steals (1.9 spg), 12th in assists (4.1 apg) and fifth in field goal percentage (.579).
Boozer's 32-point performance versus Wake Forest was his 10th game scoring 25 points or more, which is third among Duke freshmen all time.
Isaiah Evans ranks second in the ACC in free-throw percentage (.887), and is the ACC's 10th-leading scorer in conference play, averaging 18.4 points per game, and is tied for third in the league with 3.0 3-pointers per ACC contest.
Evans has drained three or more 3-pointers in 10 games this season. Duke is 21-0 the past two seasons when the sophomore sharp-shooter hits three or more triples.
Duke's 19-1 record is the program's best start to a season since the 2010-11 campaign (19-1).
Duke owns the best record in Division I college basketball over the past two seasons at 54-5.
On Dec. 16, Jon Scheyer broke the ACC record for the fastest coach to 100 wins (122 games), exceeding the standard set by Duke's Vic Bubas in 1964 (128 games).
The Blue Devils are the second-tallest team in the country with an average height of 79.4 inches. (KenPom)
Duke is coming off its 18th Final Four appearance, 23rd ACC Tournament title and 21st ACC regular-season championship, finishing with a 35-4 overall record last season.

About the Virginia Tech Hokies

Duke leads the series with Virginia Tech, 54-13.
The Blue Devils are 14-9 at Virginia Tech, including an 8-7 edge at Cassell Coliseum.
The Hokies own a 12-1 record at home this season, including a triple-overtime win over No. 21 Virginia (Dec. 31) and a one-point loss to Stanford (Jan. 7).
The Hokies started the season with a 12-2 record, aided by four overtime victories, including triple-OT against No. 14 Virginia.
Virginia Tech is third in the ACC in turnover margin (+3.0) and fourth in free-throw attempts per game (23.7).
Seven Hokies average more than eight points per contest, topped by Amani Hansberry's 14.8 points per game.
Former Blue Devil Jaden Schutt is seventh in the ACC with 51 3-pointers and averaging 8.9 points per game.
Virginia Tech sophomore guard Ben Hammond, who is second in the ACC with 41 steals, was a teammate with Duke sophomores Patrick Ngongba II and Darren Harris at St. Paul VI Catholic High School, winning the conference and state championships during their senior season in 2023-24.

On This Date - Jan. 31

Duke is 19-8 all-time when playing on Jan. 31, winning six straight, eight of its last nine and 11 of its last 13 on this date.
Duke has an 8-6 record in Jan. 31 road games, having won four consecutive and eight of its last 10 outings on this date.
The Blue Devils last played on this date in 2023, a 75-73 home win over Wake Forest.
The Blue Devils' last road contest on Jan. 31 was in 2022, a 57-43 win at Notre Dame.

Last Time Out

No. 4 Duke men's basketball blitzed No. 20 Louisville, 83-52, at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday, Jan. 26.
The Blue Devils held the Cardinals to a season-low scoring output and outrebounded the visitors, 47-26, to earn Duke's seventh victory over a ranked opponent.
Cameron Boozer led all scorers with 19 points and added a game-high 10 boards for his 10th double-double of the season. The freshman also led all Duke players with four assists.
Three other Blue Devils scored in double-figures, with Patrick Ngongba II and Isaiah Evans each scoring 15 and Nikolas Khamenia adding a career-high 14 points.
Duke scored 42 points in the paint, while limiting Louisville to just 10, its season low for the category. The Blue Devils have logged at least 42 points in the paint in each of their last four outings and in five of the last six contests.
With the win, Duke earned its 19th victory through 20 games played, the best 20-game start to a season under head coach Jon Scheyer. The last Duke team to win at least 19 games with just one loss to start a season was the 2010-11 squad.
Dating back to last season, Duke has won 27 consecutive games at home. The Blue Devils are now 58-3 (.951) at Cameron Indoor Stadium in four seasons under Jon Scheyer.
The Cardinals entered Monday's game leading the conference, and ranked 19th nationally, for scoring offense (87.8). Duke's defense held Louisville to a season-low 52 points.
The 52 points were the fewest scored by the Cardinals since posting 50 against Notre Dame on Feb. 21, 2024.
The Blue Devils limited Louisville to 24 points in the second half, its lowest output in any half this season.
Duke ranked 19th nationally and second in the league for scoring defense (65.3) entering Monday night and held the Cardinals to 13.3 points below that average.
Duke's defense, highlighted by guard play of Caleb Foster and Cayden Boozer, held Mikel Brown Jr. to just seven points on 1-of-13 (.077) shooting overall, including 1-of-7 (.143) from deep. The Louisville guard entered the night averaging 16.9 points on 40.3% shooting from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc.
Duke began Monday's contest leading the ACC and ranked seventh in the country for scoring margin (+20.5). The Blue Devils posted the largest margin of victory in the all-time series against Louisville, surpassing the +30 margin (86-56) on Dec. 8, 1961.
The Blue Devils outrebounded Louisville by 21 (47-26) and have finished with a positive margin on the glass in 16 games this season.

Blue Devils Efficient at Both Ends of the Floor

Duke is one of only two teams ranked in the top-five nationally in both offensive efficiency (126.9, 5th) and defensive efficiency (91.5, 4th) ratings, according to KenPom.com.
The Blue Devils are the nation's No. 3-rated team, according to KenPom, with an overall rating of 35.45. (through games played on Jan. 28)
The 2024-25 Blue Devils achieved the best offensive efficiency rating (130.1) in the history of KenPom (since 1996-97 season).
In 2024-25, Duke registered the second-highest overall rating (39.29) in KenPom history, trailing only the 1998-99 Duke Blue Devils (43.01).
Last season, Duke was the only team in the country ranked among the top-five in both offensive (130.1, 1st) and defensive (90.8, 5th) adjusted efficiency (KenPom).

Pace of Play

Duke's offense is playing at a faster pace this season than any prior campaign under head coach Jon Scheyer, according to KenPom.com.
The Blue Devils' average length of possession on offense is 16.3 seconds.
In comparison, Duke's average length of offensive possession was 17.1 seconds in 2024-25, 17.5 in 2023-24 and 18.7 in 2022-23.
Duke maximizes its 16.3 seconds with an effective field goal percentage (57.7%) that ranks 14th in the country and a two-point field goal percentage (62.7%) that's third nationally.
On the other end of the floor, Duke's defense is forcing opponents to use 18.1 seconds per possession.
The greater use of time has not yielded improved results for Duke opponents, as the Blue Devils' effective field goal percentage defense (45.9%) is 14th-best in the nation.

Tracking Blue Devil Deflections

Through 20 games, the Blue Devils have accumulated 376 deflections, an average of 18.8 per game.
Duke amassed a season-best 32 deflections versus Niagara (Nov. 21), topping the previous high of 30 against Indiana State (Nov. 14).
Maliq Brown, described as a "defensive menace" by head coach Jon Scheyer, tops Duke with 109 deflections (5.5 avg.).
Brown, who was selected to the 2023-24 ACC All-Defensive Team after leading the league with 71 steals as a sophomore at Syracuse, recorded 12 deflections against Niagara (Nov. 21), the most by a Blue Devil this season.

Cleaning the Glass

Duke tops the conference and ranks 10th in the country in rebounding margin (+10.2), outrebounding its opposition by an average of 40.5 to 30.3 boards per game.
The Blue Devils have outrebounded their opponent in 16 games this season.
Duke has outrebounded six opponents by 20 or more boards, including a season-best rebound margin of +34 (55-21) against Lipscomb and a +21 (47-26) versus Louisville.
Duke has limited three opponents to two points or less in second-chance points, including a pair of shutouts (Lipscomb, Georgia Tech).

Strength of Schedule

Duke has secured seven top-25 victories with wins over No. 7 Michigan State, No. 15 Florida, No. 20 Louisville (twice), No. 22 Arkansas, No. 24 SMU and No. 25 Kansas.
Duke has played nine Quad 1 games, based on the NCAA's NET rankings (Jan. 28), with an 8-1 record in those contests. The Blue Devils' eight Quad 1 wins are second-most in the country.
The Blue Devils' NET strength of schedule ranking (8th) is better than any team in the top 10 of the NCAA NET rankings. (Jan. 28)
Eight ACC teams are among the top 40 of the NCAA's NET rankings - Duke (2), Virginia (16) and Louisville (19) top all ACC programs. (as of Jan. 28)
Five ACC teams are ranked in the latest Associated Press top-25 poll (Jan. 26): No. 4 Duke, No. 16 North Carolina, No. 17 Virginia, No. 20 Louisville and No. 22 Clemson.
Duke's 2025-26 non-conference lineup features eight opponents that reached the NCAA Tournament a year ago: Texas (Nov. 4; Charlotte, N.C.), Kansas (Nov. 18; New York, N.Y.), Arkansas (Nov. 27; Chicago), Florida (Dec. 2; Durham), Michigan State (Dec. 6; East Lansing, Mich.), Lipscomb (Dec. 16; Durham), Texas Tech (Dec. 20; New York, N.Y.) and Michigan (Feb. 21; Washington, D.C.). Of those teams, five advanced to the Sweet 16, with three reaching the Elite Eight.
The Blue Devils play 10 games against teams ranked in ESPN's preseason top 25: No. 2 Florida, No. 6 Louisville (twice), No. 8 Michigan, No. 11 Texas Tech, No. 12 Arkansas, No. 22 Kansas, No. 24 NC State and No. 25 North Carolina (twice).

Cameron Boozer's Historic Start

Cameron Boozer is the first Duke freshman to score 35 points or more twice - amassing 35 points versus Indiana State (Nov. 14) and tallying 35 points again versus Arkansas (Nov. 27).
The freshman forward became the first NCAA Division I or NBA player in the last 30 seasons to have an eight-game span with more than 175 points, 75 rebounds and 25 assists, 10 or fewer turnovers, and an undefeated record - doing so in Duke's first eight games. (OptaSTATS)
Boozer became the first ACC player with at least 100 points, 50 rebounds and 20 assists in a five-game span since Craig Smith of Boston College in March 2006. The freshman forward accomplished that standard in his first five college contests. (Nov. 19)
Boozer is the only Division I player in the last 30 seasons to collect at least 250 points, 100 rebounds and 40 assists through his first 11 career games. (Dec. 17; OptaSTATS)
Boozer amassed 35 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks, connecting on 13-of-16 field goals in a win over Indiana State on Nov. 14, becoming the first major conference freshman to reach 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists with no more than one turnover since Syracuse's Carmelo Anthony in 2003 (ESPN), and joined Zion Williamson (2019) and Christian Laettner (1990) as the third Duke player in the past 45 years to score at least 35 points in a double-double performance.
Boozer's nine assists against Florida State were the most by a Blue Devil in the past three seasons (10 assists by Tyrese Proctor against Pitt in the 2023 ACC Tournament).
Boozer needed just 16 career games to record 300+ points, 150+ rebounds and 50+ assists. That is the second fewest needed by any player this century, as LSU's Ben Simmons reached those figures in 15 games 10 years ago in 2015-16. (Stats Perform)
Boozer became the first Blue Devil to score 30 points in consecutive games since RJ Barrett in February 2019.
The Miami native has amassed 25 points or more in 10 out of 20 games, including 35 points against No. 22 Arkansas, 35 points versus Indiana State, 32 points against Wake Forest, 30 points at Stanford and 29 points against No. 15 Florida. Boozer's 32-point performance versus Wake Forest was his 10th game scoring 25 points or more, which ranks third among Duke freshmen all time.
Boozer has been voted ACC Player of the Week four times (Nov. 17, Dec. 1, Dec. 8, Jan. 19) and ACC Rookie of the Week eight times (Nov. 17, Nov. 24, Dec. 1, Dec. 8, Jan. 5, Jan. 12, Jan. 19, Jan. 26).
The freshman forward is currently the nation's leading scorer with 23.5 points per game, ranks 19th nationally with 9.9 rebounds per contest and is tied for 14th with 10 double-doubles.
Among ACC statistical leaders, Boozer leads the league in scoring (23.5 ppg), ranks third in rebounding (9.9 rpg), tied for sixth in steals (1.8 spg), 12th in assists (4.1 apg) and fifth in field goal percentage (.579).

Other Notables

Duke has won 30 of its last 31 games against conference opponents.
Duke owns the best record in Division I college basketball over the past two seasons at 54-5. Houston is second at 53-7. (College Basketball Report)
Duke has a record of 62-2 (.969) when committing 15 or fewer fouls under head coach Jon Scheyer, compared to 46-21 (.687) when the Blue Devils have 16 or more fouls. (@EvanMiya)
Maliq Brown is second in the nation in 2-point field goal percentage (77.2%), having made 44-of-57 shots inside the arc.
The Blue Devils have confronted double-digit deficits in four outings this season, including their largest deficits at Louisville (12) and versus SMU (11), and have rallied to win all four games.
Duke's 11-0 start was the best open to a season since the 2017-18 campaign.
The 55-point margin of victory over Army West Point (Nov. 11) was Duke's largest road win in program history.
Duke posted a record of 36-3 (.923) in 2025, to tie the ACC record for most wins in a calendar year, equaling the 1992 Blue Devils (36-2) and North Carolina in 2008 (36-3).