Justin Robinson, Virginia Tech Beat Liberty; Advance to Sweet 16 vs. Duke

Kerry Blackshear Jr. posted 19 points and nine rebounds as No. 4 Virginia Tech defeated No. 12 Liberty 67-58 in the second round of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on Sunday.

Ahmed Hill scored 14, including a clutch and-1 jumper with 3:13 left to put the Hokies up 59-50. Justin Robinson added 13 points off the bench, and Ty Outlaw contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Darius McGhee led the Flames with 15 points.

Blackshear came through when his team needed him the most in the first half.

Liberty opened up a 26-18 edge and was well in control of the game. Blackshear contributed one of the game's most pivotal moments, however, when he grabbed one of his six offensive rebounds and put it back up for two:

That jump-started an 8-0 run, which was capped by another Blackshear layup, to tie the game.

The Flames refused to go away and took a 44-41 lead with 14:15 left in the second half, but Virginia Tech responded with an 11-0 run. Hill's three-pointer to put Virginia Tech up 50-44 helped the cause:

Liberty went cold from the field down the stretch, making only two field goals. Still, the 29-7 Flames have a lot to be proud of, as they upset No. 5 Mississippi State on Friday in one of the tournament's better stories. They also had an impressive fan section Sunday:

But the 26-8 Hokies are moving on to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1967 and the second time in school history.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports credited the hiring of ex-Marquette head coach Buzz Williams to run Virginia Tech:

The Hokies now have a chance to make the Elite Eight for only the second time ever when they play No. 1 overall seed Duke in the Sweet 16 on Friday. The Hokies beat their ACC rival 77-72 during the season, but neither Robinson nor Duke forward Zion Williamson played. Both will be on the court Friday.