Banchero, No. 2 Duke beat Virginia Tech 76-65 in ACC opener
By AARON BEARD
AP Basketball Writer
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Paolo Banchero had 23 points and second-ranked Duke shot 62% after halftime to beat Virginia Tech 76-65 in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener. Banchero scored 17 points in that dominant second half, fueled by the move to a smaller lineup around the versatile 6-foot-10 star freshman. That helped Duke erase an eight-point deficit early in the second half while slowing Keve Aluma after his big first-half performance. Aluma had 17 points by halftime and finished with 25 to go with 10 rebounds. Virginia Tech shot just 1 of 9 on 3-pointers in the second half.