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7 p.m.
Women's Basketball
vs Countdown to Craziness
Thursday, January 26
Durham, N.C.
8 p.m.
Duke University
vs
Virginia Tech
Photo by: Duke Athletics
No. 16 Duke, No. 12 Virginia Tech to Clash Thursday Night
1/25/2023 4:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball
THE OPENING TIP
SHARING THE WEALTH
DISRUPTING THE PEACE – ELITE BLUE DEVIL DEFENSE
DUKE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
UPTICK IN EFFICIENCY
HEATING UP FROM DISTANCE
A QUICK LOOK AT THE HOKIES
UP NEXT
The Blue Devils play three of their next four on the road, beginning with a trip to Tallahassee for a date with No. 24 Florida State on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m., on ACC Network.
To stay up to date with Duke women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWBB."
#GoDuke
- Fresh off a 62-50 win over Syracuse on Sunday, No. 16 Duke wraps a brief two-game homestand with another top-20 matchup, hosting No. 12/ 10 Virginia Tech on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 8 p.m., live on ACC Network.
- Pam Ward and Brooke Weisbrod will call the action on ACC Network while Chris Edwards calls the game on the radio on the Blue Devil Sports Network from Learfield.
- Duke checks in at No. 16 in both the Week 11 Associated Press (AP) and USA Today Coaches Polls.
- In the latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, the Blue Devils are slotted eighth (as of Jan. 25).
- Defense has been the calling card for the Blue Devils this season as the team has won each of its games by an average of 21.8 points and held each of its opponents below their season scoring average, including 11 of the 19 to 50 points or less.
- Duke has held its foes to 50.9 points per game on 34.7 percent shooting from the floor, marks that currently rank fourth and 13th in the NCAA, respectively, as well as first in the ACC (as of Jan. 25).
- Duke has found its stroke from distance lately, knocking down its treys at a 41.8-percent clip in ACC play.
- The Blue Devils have received a huge lift from their reserves, averaging 25.2 points off the bench.
- Duke and Virginia Tech will meet for the 33rd time all-time, with 27 of those games going the way of the Blue Devils.
- Although Duke has won six of the last 10 meetings, the Hokies swept the series last year, posting wins on Dec. 30 (77-55) and Jan. 13 (65-54).
SHARING THE WEALTH
- Duke's starting five of senior Elizabeth Balogun, junior Kennedy Brown, sophomores Shayeann Day-Wilson and Reigan Richardson and senior Celeste Taylor have provided a steady hand for the Blue Devils this season, combining for 67.8 percent (46.7 points) of the team's 68.7 points per game.
- Taylor has reached double digits in 14 of the 19 games this season followed by Balogun with 11. Day-Wilson has tallied nine double-figure scoring games while Richardson and Brown have each posted seven.
- Taylor leads the offensive charge for Duke, averaging 12.5 points per game with Balogun (10.7) and Day-Wilson (8.8) right behind in second and third. Brown and Richardson round out the group with 7.8 and 6.9 points a contest, respectively.
- Duke's depth has been on full display as the Blue Devils have featured seven different leading scorers through 19 games this season, with Taylor (6) and Balogun (5) finishing with the team high on multiple occasions.
- The squad features 10 players averaging at least 12 minutes per game with four of them averaging 20-plus minutes a contest -- Taylor (27.9), Brown (24.3), Day-Wilson (23.4) and Balogun (22.3).
- As a team, Duke ranks fifth in the ACC in field goal percentage (.442) and has assisted on 295 of its 491 made field goals (.601) for an average of 15.5 dimes per game -- tied for third in the ACC.
- The Blue Devils are also second in the ACC in turnover margin (+3.95), third in free throw percentage (.757), tied for third in three-point field goal percentage (.333), fourth in scoring margin (+17.79) as well as sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.01).
DISRUPTING THE PEACE – ELITE BLUE DEVIL DEFENSE
- Disruptive defense has been the calling card for the Blue Devils early in the season as the team ranks among the nation's elite, having held its opponents to 50.9 points per game on a 34.7 percent clip from the field.
- Those marks check in at fourth and 13th in the NCAA, respectively, while ranking first in the ACC (as of Jan. 25).
- Duke is also seventh in Defensive Rating, allowing its opponents just 0.663 points per possession.
- The Blue Devils have won each of their games by an average of 21.8 points and held each of their opponents below their season scoring average, including 11 of the 19 to 50 points or less.
- In addition to leading the league in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense, the Blue Devils are also first in the ACC in rebounding defense (30.37), second in three-point defense (.265) , third in defensive rebounding percentage (.739) and rebound margin (+7.74), fifth in steals (9.58) and sixth in blocks (4.63).
DUKE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
- Duke checks in at No. 16 in both the Week 12 Associated Press (AP) and USA Today Coaches Polls.
- The Blue Devils are also ranked 10th in the ESPN Women's Basketball Power Rankings.
- The latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings has the Blue Devils slotted eighth nationally (as of Jan. 25), second in the ACC, with an undefeated record at home (9-0), a 7-1 mark in true road contests and are 1-1 in neutral site games.
- With an average opponent NET ranking of nine, the Blue Devils are 3-2 this season against teams ranked in the top 50 of the NET Rankings and 10-2 against the top 100, including wins over NC State (No. 12), Louisville (No. 33), Virginia (No. 40), FGCU (No. 57) and Oregon State (No. 58). Duke's two losses have come against UConn and North Carolina, who check in at No. 2 and No. 19, respectively, in the NET.
UPTICK IN EFFICIENCY
- Duke's trio of Elizabeth Balogun, Shayeann Day-Wilson and Celeste Taylor have seen an uptick in their efficiency, particularly on the offensive end.
- The team's leading scorer this season, Taylor is averaging 14.3 points on 43.6 percent from the floor and 41.9 percent from distance since the start of ACC play.
- She has scored double figures in seven of eight games, including a season-high 23 points to help the Blue Devils knock off then-No. 6 NC State, 72-58.
- In non-conference play, Taylor put up 11.2 points on 44.0 percent from the floor and 29.4 percent from three.
- Day-Wilson has raised her play since the schedule transitioned over to conference play, improving her scoring average by nearly three points while also raising her shooting percentage.
- After putting up 8.8 ppg on 38.1 percent and 35.7 percent shooting splits in non-conference play, the sophomore has averaged 11.5 points on 45.5 percent from the field and 48.0 percent from deep.
- In eight league games, Balogun has raised both her scoring (10.9) and rebounding (6.5) averages, while maintaining around the same efficiency shooting from the field and beyond the arc.
- Balogun shot 53.2 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from three in non-conference play, while ACC play has seen her shoot 52.9 percent and 40.0 percent, respectively.
- During this stretch, Balogun has scored in double digits in five games, including back-to-back double-doubles in wins over Louisville (20 pts, 10 rebs) and at Wake Forest (12 pts, 10 rebs).
HEATING UP FROM DISTANCE
- After a slow start from downtown to open the season, the Blue Devils have settled in and begun to find their stroke from three-point land.
- Since the start of conference play, Duke has knocked down its treys at a 41.8-percent clip compared to just 34.3 percent in non-conference action.
- The Blue Devils have shot over 40 percent in four of the eight games while seven Duke players have combined for the 48 three-point makes.
- Celeste Taylor has led the charge with 18 treys, followed by Shayeann Day-Wilson with 12 triples.
- Elizabeth Balogun and Vanessa de Jesus have cashed in six apiece, Ashlon Jackson has drained five, Reigan Richardson has netted three and Taya Corosdale has added one.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE HOKIES
- Virginia Tech (16-3, 6-3 ACC) comes into Thursday's game on the heels of a 74-57 victory over Wake Forest Sunday in Blacksburg.
- The Hokies own the second-best scoring defense (57.1) in the conference and check in at No. 4 in scoring offense with 75.1 points per game.
- Virginia Tech has four athletes who average 10 or more points per game - Elizabeth Kitley (18.7), Georgia Amoore (14.4), Taylor Soule (12.1) and Kayana Traylor (11.6).
- Kitley leads the rebounding efforts with 11.1 boards per game while Amoore is the team leader in assists with 5.5 per game.
UP NEXT
The Blue Devils play three of their next four on the road, beginning with a trip to Tallahassee for a date with No. 24 Florida State on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m., on ACC Network.
To stay up to date with Duke women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWBB."
#GoDuke
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