Collegiate Times

Jeff Allen (#0) stands on the base of the hoop as he is surrounded by fans after upsetting #1 Duke.

Related gallery: Virginia Tech Men's Basketball upsets #1 Duke, 64-60

Related gallery: ESPN College GameDay at Cassell Coliseum

Despite facing the No. 1 ranked team in the country, the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team defied the odds and pulled off the miraculous.

Tech secured a victory over the Duke Blue Devils — and likely an NCAA Tournament berth. In front of one of the most raucous crowds in Cassell Coliseum’s history, the Hokies recorded a signature victory for the program, 64-60. And College GameDay's appearace in Blacksburg for the weekend only sweetened the win.

“That was just a definition of a team win,” said Seth Greenberg, Tech head coach. “It’s plain and simple. Go to every guy that played in the game picked a moment, and they had their moment.”

The Hokies' five starters battled through the ebbs and flows of the game, eventually stifling the Blue Devils on offense and earning the victory.

Tech point guard Malcolm Delaney had a tough night for much of the game as he was harassed by Duke’s Nolan Smith. Delaney finished with just 11 points on four-of-15 shooting.

Yet, the senior came up huge down the stretch, nailing a three-pointer that extended the lead to 62-57 with 2:03 remaining in the game, and making some key defensive stops.

“We never gave up,” Delaney said. “We know Duke can go on runs, but we limited (those runs). The last few times we played them, when they went up six, we couldn’t stop them.”

In the first half, Hokies were firing on all cylinders early on. Tech took a 9-4 lead and forced Duke into some difficult shots.

However, the Blue Devils responded with a 12-5 run to take the lead with 8:50 remaining in the first half. Yet, a 13-3 run by Tech gave the Hokies a 29-22 lead with 4:40 remaining in the first half.

Smith was the catalyst for the Blue Devils in the first half, as he also helped the Blue Devils close the gap to 33-31 at the break.

Smith had 12 points in the first half on six of 10 shooting, and limited Delaney to just 4 points on one of four shooting in the first stanza.

In the second half, it appeared as though the length and ability of Smith and Duke’s Kyle Singler were too much for the Hokies. Duke went up six, 53-47 with 7:44 remaining in the game, and Tech’s offense couldn’t get in a rhythm.

Nonetheless, Tech went on a 9-0 run to re-take the lead 59-55 with 2:39 remaining in the game. A crucial three-pointer by Delaney at the 2:03 mark sealed the victory for the Hokies.

The fans inside Cassell Coliseum, who made the venue deafening throughout the game, stormed the court celebrating their victory over the top-ranked team in the country.

While Smith had an exceptional game for Duke, Singler struggled from the field hitting just six of 19 shots including one of seven from three-point range. Tech forward Terrell Bell defended Singler for much of the night, and his defensive effort was crucial for the Hokies.

“Singler was a matchup for me that I really wanted to get into so I wasn’t really thinking about scoring,” Bell said.

Tech will host another ACC matchup this Tuesday against Boston College. Tip-off will be at 9 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPNU.