Duke and Georgia Tech enter Sunday in the midst of 2 game losing streaks.
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Duke is looking to rebound from back t0 back lackluster performances in games they were very capable of winning but for long stretches "checked out". Georgia Tech in addition to their losing streak are also dealing with off the court turmoil with their head coachJosh Pastner being investigated for possible sexual harassment.
Josh Okogie, Jose Alvarado, Tadric Jackson, Ben Lammers are all averaging double figures for the Yellow Jackets with Okogie leading the way at 18.4 points per game and shooting over 41% from beyond the arc. Ben Lammers leads the Jackets in rebounds coming in at 8.6 per game.
Duke will be without leading scorer Marvin Bagley III who is out with a mild knee sprain. Duke may choose to simply replace Bagley with Marques Bolden who played well at UNC despite still working himself back into game shape, or the Devils can choose to go small and perhaps start Alex O'Connell who also played well off the bench against UNC. What Duke cannot afford is am absent Grayson Allen who has had a disappointing season to say the least. Duke will need Allen to play his best basketball to account for the loss of Bagley. Duke will also need their freshmen point guard to play a much smarter floor game. Trevon Duval, like Allen, has had a disappointing season - especially as of late with shoddy decision making and poor defensive efforts. Duke will also lean heavily on Wendell Carter Jr. who will need to stay out of foul trouble and be more aggressive on the offensive end. UNC defensively seemed to frustrate the freshmen big man who seemed to have trouble finishing over smaller players. Georgia Tech provides a chance for Duke to right the ship and get things moving in a positive direction. A loss at Georgia Tech really puts Duke in a world of hurt mentally and will have a huge impact on where the Devils will be seeded in the ACC Tournament.
- No. 9 Duke completes a three-game road swing Sunday night with a match-up against Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
- A win Sunday gives Duke its 22nd consecutive 20-win season and the program’s 53rd all-time.
- Duke’s 10-game winning streak in the series versus Georgia Tech is its longest current win streak in ACC play.
- Led by Marvin Bagley III’s 21.2 points, Duke has five averaging in double figures. The Blue Devils have an effective field goal percentage of .573 (15th nationally) and are second in offensive efficiency (126.9).
- Bagley is bidding to be the first Blue Devil, and the league’s first freshman, to lead the ACC in scoring and rebounding. Of the 12 previous ACC players to accomplish it, eight have won the league’s Player of the Year Award.
- Bagley is second nationally with 18 double-doubles, and has tied Duke’s freshman record for dunks in a season (64).
- Gary Trent, Jr., is second in the ACC in both overall three-point field goal percentage (.447) and in ACC play (.488). For the season, his .447 percentage leads all NCAA freshmen.
- Trent has made 13 of his last 22 (.591) and 35 of his last 60 (.583) from three-point range.
- Wendell Carter, Jr., leads the ACC in both overall field goal percentage (.612) and in league play (.615). He is averaging 15.9 points and 10.1 rebounds over Duke’s last 12 games.
- Marques Bolden is 6/6 from the field, has 12 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in 39 minutes over the last three games. He had missed seven straight games (knee).
