After struggling through the non-conference at 5-6, Virginia Tech men's basketball coach Mike Young is hoping that all that experience will help his team get ready for ACC play. After dropping their ACC opener to Pittsburgh on Dec. 7 at Cassell Coliseum by five points, the Hokies will pick up the long grind of ACC play Tuesday afternoon at fourth-ranked Duke.
This is a less-than-ideal way for the Hokies to ring in the New Year, but at least they get this matchup out of the way. Duke, a favorite to win the ACC this season, has star Cooper Flagg who Virginia Tech will get their first look at and try and defend.
How to watch Virginia Tech vs. Duke men's basketball
As is the case with the New Year, the ACC begins conference play in earnest New Year's Eve and New Year's Eve Day and this season, Virginia Tech gets the Bue Devils on the road. Here is the information needed to watch the game.
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 31
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Venue: Cameron Indoor Stadium
How to Watch: ACC Network or FuboTV
Virginia Tech Record: 5-7 (0-1 ACC)
Duke Record: 10-2 (2-0 ACC)
Flagg, a guard from Newport, Maine, is averaging 16.3 points a game, 8.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists a night for Duke, which has lost to just Kentucky and Kansas this season. The 6-foot-9, 205-pound Flagg is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and even worked out this past summer with Team USA before the Olympics.
For Virginia Tech, it will be a matter of surviving the early onslaught from Duke and shooting the ball better than they have through their first 12 games. Protecting the ball better than they have will also go a long way to being competive. It is also a return home for Hokies guard Jaden Schutt, who transferred to Blacksburg from Duke last spring.