Atlantic Coast foes will collide when the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (12-9) play the Duke Blue Devils (15-6) at McCamish Pavilion. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 2 and can be seen on ESU and ES3.
The Yellow Jackets are hoping to rebound after their 60-57 loss to Syracuse on Saturday. Ben Lammers had a good outing, recording 10 points, seven rebounds, and two steals for Georgia Tech. The Blue Devils, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 80-69 loss against Miami (FL) on Monday. Duke lost despite the best efforts of Brandon Ingram, who recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Marcus Georges-Hunt has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Yellow Jackets. During that stretch, he has averaged 20.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 1.0 three-pointer.
Georgia Tech could dominate the offensive glass in this matchup, as it’s ranked 21st in the nation in OR% at 37.4%. Alternatively, Duke ranks 308th in the nation on the defensive backboards with a DR% of 67.0%. The Blue Devils should also expect to protect the ball well. They rank sixth at avoiding errors (TO% of 14.7%). Conversely, the Yellow Jackets force the 10th-fewest turnovers in the nation (opponents’ TO% of 15.0%).
Duke takes on Georgia Tech as a three-point favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 154 points. The Yellow Jackets have gone 12-9 Straight Up (SU) and 12-6-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (6-2-1). Expect to see a lot of second-chance opportunities for Georgia Tech in this matchup, which is one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 13.8 offensive boards per game. Georgia Tech is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.40.
Over on the other bench, the Blue Devils have 15-6 SU and 10-10 ATS records. Offensively, they average 84.9 points per game, which is good for eighth in the country. The Blue Devils get to the line and convert their free throws at a high volume, ranking 39th in the nation with 383 made (18.0 per game). The Blue Devils are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 38th in Division I at 1.35.
These conference foes will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, Duke came out on top, bumping its SU record over their most recent meetings to 9-1. The Blue Devils also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. Neither team held the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers in a single game during this span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Duke, ATS Winner – GaTech, O/U – Over
Notes
Georgia Tech is 6-1-1 ATS in its last 8 games.
Georgia Tech is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Georgia Tech’s last 8 games.
Georgia Tech is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Georgia Tech’s last 18 games when playing Duke.
Georgia Tech is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Duke.
Georgia Tech is 2-13 SU in its last 15 games when playing at home against Duke.
The Duke Blue Devils hold a split 4-4 SU record against Atlantic Coast Conference teams, but the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have an abysmal 2-6 SU record in such matchups.
Duke is one of the top-scoring teams on the road, averaging 78.5 points per game (ranked 25th). Georgia Tech, on the other hand, allows 69.1 points per home game (ranked 190th).
Ranked second, the Duke Blue Devils have an offensive rating of 123.6. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, on the other hand, rank 211th with a defensive rating of 104.5.
Duke has an average field goal percentage of 47.7%. Georgia Tech is a losing 1-4 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets rank higher based on their field goal percentage (143rd) than their effective field goal percentage (213th). The Duke Blue Devils rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (26th) than their field goal percentage (32nd).
Georgia Tech ranks 31st in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.40, while Duke ranks 38th with an A/TO of 1.35.
Georgia Tech ranks 26th in rebounds per game with 40.8 and Duke ranks 92nd with 38.3 rebounds per game.
Georgia Tech ranks 78th in defensive rebounding. When it comes to offensive rebounds, Duke ranks 40th.
Duke has forced an average turnover rate of 18.1% this season. In games where its turnover rate is 18.1% or higher, Georgia Tech is an even 3-3.
