Duke Basketball: Dukies Must Beat Virginia Tech to Cement No. 2 Seed

Duke can’t coast.

Mike Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils haven’t locked up a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament just yet. They must knock out Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament on Friday night, or the Dukies risk entering the Big Dance as a No. 3 seed.

Just back on February 25, VT forced overtime against Duke before losing 70-65. The fact that the Hokies are confident in their ability to hang with Duke means that the Blue Devils can’t get caught looking ahead to another matchup with North Carolina.

Virginia Tech is coming off a 68-63 win over Clemson in which they desperately needed a victory.

According to Nathan Warters of GoDanRiver.com, VT head coach Seth Greenberg raved about the performance of his starting guards Erick Green and Dorenzo Hudson, saying after the Hokies' first-round triumph that:

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“You could see it in their eyes. These two guys right here were by far the heartbeat and the pulse of our team tonight. The leadership they showed and the resiliency they showed and the belief they showed in each other and their teammates was really fun to watch.”

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That doesn’t sound like a team that's ready to bow down in the second round.

Duke is currently ranked No. 6 in the nation. A loss to VT will definitely put a No. 1 seed out of reach. Missouri, Ohio State, Michigan State and Michigan are all fighting the Blue Devils for a No. 2 seed, and are all still alive in their conference tournaments.

Thanks to Louisville, which eliminated No. 9 Marquette in the Big East tourney, a win over the Hokies should lock up a No. 2 seed. But once again, winning is a must and it won’t be a walk in the park.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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