By: Ben McCormick
January 26, 2023
The No. 16 Duke women's basketball team (17-2, 7-1) will play its fourth game of the season against a top-25 opponent as it hosts No. 12 Virginia Tech (16-3, 6-3) ; the game is its first ranked game at home. The Blue Devils currently sit atop the ACC standings with No. 7 Notre Dame. The two are the only teams in conference with only one loss in league play.
The Hokies, who are on a three game winning streak have suffered losses to No. 7 Notre Dame as well as unranked Clemson and Miami. Meanwhile, Duke has lost to No. 5 UConn and No. 15 North Carolina. The Blue Devils are undefeated (9-0) at home coming into Thursday's contest.
The Blue Devils will be tasked with containing the reigning ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley, who is currently averaging 18.7 PPG, 11.1 RPG, and 2 BPG. Kitley's dominance will be difficult to match in the interior, especially for Duke's Kennedy Brown, who has been struggling recently.
The hot hand for Duke lately has been Shayeann Day-Wilson. She scored 24 points in Duke's loss at UNC, and has been an offensive force off the dribble over the course of the season. Duke is led in scoring by Celeste Taylor with 12.5 PPG.
Thursday night will be the toughest matchup Duke has faced at home so far this season, but a win would look great for a Duke team chasing a top seed in the tournament and an ACC Championship.
@Duke_Wisdom
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