Duke Blue Devils vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 21st 2024

Preview and Prediction

In an effort to prolong their winning streak to six consecutive games and maintain their dominance over Georgia Tech, the fifth-ranked Duke Blue Devils will travel to Atlanta on Saturday for their second Atlantic Coast Conference matchup.

Since their loss to Kansas on November 26th in Las Vegas, Duke (9-2, 1-0 ACC) has not been defeated. However, they did suffer a 72-68 loss to Georgia Tech last December, bringing their overall record against the Yellow Jackets to 35-5 since 2000.

Led by freshman standout Cooper Flagg, Duke is still working to establish a strong offensive presence. Despite shooting only 37.5% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc, the Blue Devils managed to secure a comfortable 68-47 victory over George Mason on Tuesday.

Flagg, who leads the team with an average of 16.6 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, contributed 24 points, nine rebounds, and four assists in the win over George Mason, showcasing his versatile skillset.

"I was impressed with his aggressiveness," said Duke head coach Jon Scheyer. "It changes the dynamic of our team when he's looking to attack. The great thing about him is that some nights he'll take 20 shots and that's fantastic. Other nights, he'll have 10 assists, which will happen.

"I believe he's on track for a triple-double. I also believe he's capable of scoring 30 points in a game."

Following Flagg, fellow freshman Kon Knueppel averages 11.6 points per game, while junior Tyrese Proctor adds 11.4.

While Duke's offense has been consistent, it is their defense that has been the driving force this season. The Blue Devils have held their opponents to under 50 points in their last two games, bringing their average points allowed to 58.7, which ranks eighth in the nation.

Duke will look to continue their strong defensive performance on Saturday as they face a struggling Georgia Tech team that is still searching for their first win against a power conference opponent.

The Yellow Jackets (5-6, 0-1) have secured victories against West Georgia, Texas Southern, Charleston Southern, Central Arkansas, and most recently UMBC. However, they have struggled against major teams, losing by an average of 12 points in each game.

On Wednesday, Georgia Tech ended their three-game losing streak with a 91-82 win over UMBC at home. Despite holding a 22-point lead, they saw it shrink to just six points before securing the victory, highlighting a concerning trend for the team this season.

"I have no doubt that we can compete with Duke, but can we defeat them and close out the game?" said Georgia Tech head coach Damon Stoudamire. "To beat a team like Duke, we need to play for the entire 40 minutes. We can't have any lapses during the game, so that's what I want to see from our team."

Lance Terry leads Georgia Tech with an average of 15.5 points per game, followed by Baye Ndongo with 12.9 and Naithan George with 11.0. The Yellow Jackets will aim for back-to-back home wins against Duke for the first time since the 1988-89 season.

PREDICTION

Duke Blue Devils

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Duke Blue Devils vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Recap JAN 28TH 2023

Kyle Filipowski scored a game-high 18 points as Duke continued its dominance over Georgia Tech with a 86-43 victory over the host Yellow Jackets in Atlantic Coast Conference play on Saturday in Atlanta.

Filipowski added seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks, while Jeremy Roach chipped in 12 points and five rebounds for the Blue Devils.

Mark Mitchell had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists for Duke, which defeated the Yellow Jackets for the 16th time in the teams' past 17 meetings dating to February 2010.

Jacob Grandison and Ryan Young each had 10 points, while Dereck Lively II just missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.

The Blue Devils (15-6, 6-4 ACC) led by as many as 43 points in the second half, during which they outscored the Yellow Jackets 43-18.

Duke shot 34 of 61 (55.7 percent) from the field, including 9 of 23 (39.1 percent) from 3-point range. The Blue Devils, who have won two of their past three games, outrebounded the Yellow Jackets 43-22.

Georgia Tech (8-13, 1-10), which has dropped seven straight, was led by Tristan Maxwell's team-high 10 points. Rodney Howard added nine points and a team-high six rebounds.

The Yellow Jackets shot 17 of 55 (30.9 percent) from the field, including a dreadful 5 of 22 (22.7 percent) from beyond the arc.

Duke put the game away by opening the second half on a 19-3 run to take a 62-28 lead following Roach's 3-pointer with 13:45 to play.

Grandison's 3-pointer extended Duke's advantage to 73-36 with 7:40 left.

Duke jumped out to a 16-7 lead after Filipowski's 3-pointer with 14:43 left in the first half and never looked back. The Blue Devils ended the half on a 13-2 run to take a 43-25 halftime advantage.

Filipowski scored 14 points and Roach and Young added six apiece in the first 20 minutes for Duke, which shot 15 of 31 (48.4 percent) from the field before the break, including an impressive 6 of 13 (46.2 percent) from beyond the arc.

Georgia Tech was led by Howard's six first-half points, while Deivon Smith and Maxwell added five apiece.

The Yellow Jackets shot 10 of 29 (34.5 percent) from the field prior to halftime, including 3 of 9 (33.3 percent) from distance.