Coming out of the Christmas break, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team knew they were going to be up against fourth-ranked Duke on Tuesday. To the Hokies' credit, they hung tough with the Blue Devils and only trailed by 10 points at halftime, but in the end, Duke overwhelmed Mike Young's squad in the second half to pull away for a convincing victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The loss dropped the Hokies 0-2 in ACC play and 5-8 overall as they head back to Blacksburg and return to Cassell Coliseum on Saturday afternoon to host Miami and old friend Lynn Kidd. The Hurricanes are going through a major transition with head coach Jim Larranaga stepping down the day after Christmas. Before we get too far ahead, here are two truths and a lie from the loss ar Duke.
Truth: Tobi Lawal continues to impress
One of the more pleasant surprises this season has been VCU transfer Tobi Lawal. He is as athletic of a player that Young has coached at Virginia Tech and can make a big impact at both ends of the floor. That was the case against Duke.
another 🔨 for Tobi 🫡
— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) December 31, 2024
📺 ACCN pic.twitter.com/W7C5syMvAC
He finished with a team-high 19 points and five rebounds, but he continues to be able to step out and shoot the ball, as well as scoring inside and he even had a nice finish in transition in the second half. He can't do it alone, but he continues to impress each game.
Truth: Cooper Flagg is as good as advertised
It's not every year that a kid from Maine goes to Duke and becomes the top NBA prospect in college basketball. That is the case with Cooper Flagg and the Hokies got their first opportunity to play him, and likely last, and he didn't disappoint.
He finished with a game-high 24 points and played an all-around excellent game with six assists, four steals, and three rebounds. Heck, he even had a block. There were times when the Hokies were looking for a traveling call on him around the basket, but he is big, athletic, and can finish with a nice touch that looks like it might be traveling but it's not. Good luck to the rest of the ACC defending him this season.
Lie: Game wasn't as close as score indicates
One look at the final score and you might think that this was a run away from the opening tip, which couldn't be further from the truth. Virginia Tech hung with the fourth-ranked team in the country in the first half and only trailed by 10 at the break and had the game as a single-digit deficit until a Duke basket at the buzzer made it a double-digit lead.
As the second half went along the Blue Devils' talent and depth took over, but in the end, it was not a bad showing for the Hokies who showed a ton of fight against a much superior team. Yes, it's a 23-point loss (the Hokies actually covered the 24.5-point spread), but there is still stuff to take away from this game and build on going forward.