GAME NOTES: The fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils put their flawless ACC record on the line this evening, as they take on the Virginia Tech Hokies at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg. The Blue Devils have won five straight games and are 3-0 in league play following Saturday's 93-80 win over Clemson in Durham. It was the 22nd straight time that Duke had beaten the Tigers. The Hokies will attempt to halt Duke's momentum coming in, as they put their perfect home record on the line. The Hokies had their own little win streak heading into last weekend, but couldn't make it four straight games, instead falling to Georgia Tech in Atlanta, 81-70. The loss dropped Tech to 11-7 overall this year and an even 2-2 in-conference. The Blue Devils have dominated this series to date, winning 32 of the 39 previous matchups. However, since the Hokies have joined the ACC, the series has been much closer, with Duke holding a 3-2 edge.

The Blue Devils posted their 22nd straight win over Clemson thanks to DeMarcus Nelson's hot hand. The veteran guard hit 10-of-13 shots from the floor to lead all scorers with 24 points. Four others notched double digits in support, with Kyle Singler pouring in 17 and Gerald Henderson adding 16. Freshman Nolan Smith and sophomore Jon Scheyer were solid off the bench for Duke, chipping in with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Duke shot a sterling .534 from the floor in the game and outscored Clemson at the free-throw line, 24-10. It has been a lot of the same for Duke this season, as the team has been able to generate solid offensive numbers across the board. Thanks to four players currently boasting of double-digit averages, Duke has been able to net 85.0 ppg. Nelson is the go- to-guy, leading the team in scoring (14.3 ppg) and rebounding (6.0 rpg) and ranking second in assists (46). Henderson and Singler are tied for second in scoring at 13.1 ppg each and Scheyer has been solid off the bench, tacking on 11.4 ppg. Both freshman Taylor King (9.1 ppg) and junior Greg Paulus (9.1 ppg) provide even further scoring depth.

It will be up to Virginia Tech to dictate the pace of the game, if the Hokies have any shot of derailing the Blue Devils tonight. The Hokies cannot match firepower with Duke, and instead must rely on the kind of defense that has the team four games over .500 this year. The Hokies are averaging just 67.6 ppg, but that is enough, when considering the team holds foes under 40 percent shooting (.392) and just 60.7 ppg. The team's top offensive weapon is guard A.D. Vassallo, who is averaging almost 16 points per game (15.8), thanks to .402 shooting. A problem in this game will be the absence of freshman forward Jeff Allen (12.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg), who has been handed a two-game suspension for misconduct during the Georgia Tech game. That will leave more of a burden on Deron Washington (12.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg) in the frontcourt. Tech struggled offensively against the Yellow Jackets, shooting just .421 overall and .267 from long range (4-of-15). Washington led four Hokies in double figures with 15 points. Allen and Malcolm Delaney added 13 points apiece and Vassallo finished with 10 points and nine rebounds, but committed seven turnovers as well.

The Hokies would be outmanned even with Allen in the lineup. Without him, the team stands little chance of pulling off an upset of Duke.