Duke at Virginia Tech Game Notes

Game 29[1 AP / 1 Coaches] Duke (26-2, 12-1 ACC)  vs. Virginia Tech (18-8, 8-5 ACC)
Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011 • 9:00 p.m.
 
The Opening Tip• Duke (26-2, 12-1 ACC) faces Virginia Tech (18-8, 8-5 ACC) on Saturday, Feb. 26 at Cassell Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m.
• The game is being televised by ESPN with Dan Shulman (play-by-play) and Dick Vitale (analyst) calling the contest. ESPN College GameDay will also be in Blacksburg for the meeting between the two schools.
• Duke is ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, while Virginia Tech is unranked in both polls.
• Duke has won 44 of the last 47 games entering Saturday’s game with Virginia Tech. The Blue Devils have won 16 of their last 17 contests against ACC opponents.
• The Blue Devils are looking for their 20th straight win in the month of February.
 
Duke-Virginia Tech Series History• Duke and Virginia Tech have met 43 times heading into Saturday’s game with the first meeting between the two schools coming in 1912.
• The Blue Devils lead the all-time series 36-7, including a 3-1 mark at Cassell Coliseum.
• Duke has won four consecutive games and 14 of the last 16 in the series.
• Mike Krzyzewski is 7-2 at Duke against the Hokies. The Blue Devils are 3-1 in Blacksburg under Krzyzewski.
• Duke has won three consecutive games at Cassell Coliseum in the series.
• Five of the last eight games in the series have been decided by 10 points or less.
• Duke won 10 straight games in the series from 1934-1948.
• Duke has held Virginia Tech to less than 70 points in six consecutive meetings.
 
Numbers Game

Saturday marks the 25th anniversary of Duke's first game as the No. 1 team in the AP Poll under Coach K. The Blue Devils topped Clemson, 77-69, on Feb. 26, 1986 in Krzyzewski's first game with a top-ranked team.

Mike Krzyzewski has led Duke to a 183-25 (.880) mark as the top-ranked team in the AP Poll. He ranks second behind only John Wooden in games played, wins and winning percentage with the No. 1 team in the poll.

Duke has won five consecutive ACC road contests. The Blue Devils have a +16.2 scoring margin during the win streak.

Mike Krzyzewski is one of seven coaches in ACC history with a winning percentage above .500 in league road games. Coach K’s .612 road winning percentage ranks fourth all-time, while his 139 career road wins are an ACC record.

Nolan Smith is attempting to become the first player in ACC history to lead the league in scoring and assists. Smith is currently averaging an ACC-best 21.4 points and 5.2 assists per game.

Seth Curry is averaging 12.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals during seven games. He is 17-of-35 (.486) from three-point range and has a 3.25:1 assist-to-turnover ratio in that span.

Kyle Singler is 21 points shy of passing Juan Dixon (Maryland) for 12th on the ACC career scoring chart. Singler currently has 2,249 career points.

Mason Plumlee is averaging 9.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game over the last seven contests. He is shooting 69.8 percent (30-of-43) from the field in that span.

Nolan Smith is averaging 22.4 points in true road games this season.