Star Watch
Virginia Tech: Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Nickeil Alexander-Walker has begun to show flashes of the potential dominance many fans expected going into this season. He has scored in double figures in each of the last 3 games, including 18 points against Boston College at the end of January. He has struggled for most of the team’s ACC games, so it has been nice to see him find his shot lately. As a 5 star recruit, he is by far the player with the most raw talent on the team. While the Hokies put a lot of value in their veteran leadership, having this talented freshman playing well will be a key for their future success.NC State: Torin Dorn
As the team’s second leading scorer, Torin Dorn has been NC State’s most valuable player during ACC play. It’s simple: when Dorn plays well, NC State wins. When he doesn’t, they don’t. Dorn has scored double figures in 6 straight games, 4 of which have been wins. In 2 of their 4 ACC losses, Dorn was unable to score more than 9. Despite being a guard, Dorn is actually second the team in rebounds. The Hokies are known for their struggles getting rebounds, so Dorn will likely be attacking the glass from outside to get some second chance points and put some pressure on VT to rebound the basketball at a higher rate.Keys to the Game
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Win the rebound battle
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Knock down open looks