Shoes don't often serve as one of the biggest storylines heading into an ACC tournament game, but that was the reality before Thursday's showdown between Duke and Syracuse.

After all, Blue Devils star Zion Williamson suffered a knee injury when his foot went through the bottom of his Paul George shoes during a Feb. 20 loss to North Carolina. He wore shoes from Kyrie Irving's signature line Thursday, and they apparently delivered in the 84-72 win.  

"The shoes were incredible this game," he said, per Dan Wolken of USA Today.

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski revealed Nike did everything it could to make sure they were ready:

The shoes may have been incredible, but so was Williamson.

He tallied 29 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, five blocks and a steal during the victory, and he didn't miss a single one of his 13 field-goal attempts. Williamson had no issue attacking the rim off the bounce or lifting off for the soaring dunks that have placed him atop NBA draft boards.

Attention now shifts to a rematch with the Tar Heels in Friday's ACC tournament semifinal. It's safe to say Williamson will likely don Irvings again after his most recent performance.