Duke basketball’s bounce-back guys lead Blue Devils to win at Virginia Tech
For the first time since 2019, Duke basketball left Virginia Tech with a victory.
The seventh-ranked Blue Devils overcame foul trouble with a resounding rebounding effort and several bounce-back performances in a 77-67 win against the Hokies on Monday night at Cassell Coliseum.
Duke (16-4, 7-2 ACC), which had lost five of its last six games against Virginia Tech (13-8, 5-5) in Blacksburg, leaned on strong efforts from captains Jeremy Roach and Ryan Young to get it done on the road.
After losing back-to-back road games earlier this season, Jon Scheyer’s Blue Devils have won five in a row away from Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke doesn’t play again until Saturday’s rivalry matchup at No. 3 UNC.
Here’s what stood out in the Blue Devils’ latest win.
Bounce-back games for Duke basketball’s Jeremy Roach, Kyle Filipowski
Banged up with various injuries in recent games, Jeremy Roach looked more like himself against the Hokies. After scoring five points against Clemson, Roach came off the bench to finish with a team-high 16 points with four assists at Virginia Tech.
The Virginia native’s had a knack for responding after single-digit outings. Roach had nine points at Pitt before bouncing back with 18 points against Georgia Tech. At the beginning of the season, Roach followed a trio of single-digit games with double-digit points in the next six.
DUKE'S CLOSERS: Duke basketball's Tyrese Proctor, Jared McCain the closers in Blue Devils' win vs. Clemson
UNC-DUKE STANDOUTS: UNC basketball vs. Duke: 10 debuts that stand out for Tar Heels, Blue Devils since 2014
RESPECT FOR ROACH: Why Duke basketball’s Jeremy Roach could be the Blue Devils’ most important player
Like Roach, Kyle Filipowski rarely strings together bad games. Despite another game in which he dealt with foul trouble, Filipowski had 14 points and eight rebounds against the Hokies.
The sophomore had nine points and four rebounds against Clemson. After scoring seven points at Notre Dame earlier this year, Filipowski bounced back with 26 points at Pitt.
Ryan Young’s key 15 for the Blue Devils
In 15 minutes off the bench, Ryan Young had one of his best games of the season. With Filipowski in foul trouble, Young finished with 10 points, five rebounds and two assists against the Hokies for his second double-digit scoring game of the season. The 6-foot-10 big man did most of his damage in the second half, scoring eight points in a five-minute stretch.
Jared McCain’s rebounding keys Duke’s best effort
With a 38-20 rebounding advantage against the Hokies, Duke notched its best rebounding margin against a Power Five opponent this season. Jared McCain, a 6-foot-3 freshman guard, powered that effort by pulling down a team-high 10 rebounds for his first double-digit rebounding game since Duke’s loss at Arkansas. McCain’s rebounding numbers are key for Duke, which was out-rebounded in three of its four losses.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball's Jeremy Roach bounces back in win at Virginia Tech
