The Blue Devils jump back into ACC play with a game on the road at the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Altanta. Duke leads the series with Georgia Tech, 78-25, including 17 wins in the last 19 meetings. Last season, each team held home court, as the Yellow Jackets won in Atlanta, 72-68, and the Blue Devils won in Durham, 84-79.
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Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The second year head coach of the Yellow Jackets, Damon Stoudamire won 14 games in his first season with wing over both Duke and UNC.
The Yellow Jackets enter the weekend with a record of 5-6 overall and 0-1 in the ACC, dropping a game to UNC on the road in their conference opener. Georgia Tech has played a challenging schedule thus far with games against Georgia, Cincinnati, Oklahoma and Northwestern.
The Yellow Jackets have four players averaging double-digit scoring, led by Lance Terry’s 15.5 points per game. Terry is shooting the 3 at a 39.7% clip so far this season. Sophomore Baye Ndongo leads Georgia Tech in rebounds per game at 7.7 on the year, paired with 12.9 points per game. Ndongo gave the Blue Devils fits last season, going for 21 points in the first matchup, shooting 9-11 from the field in the win. Ndongo followed that up with 16 points, shooting 8-11 in Cameron Indoor. Georgia Tech sophomore 6-3 guard Naithan George tops the ACC and ranks 19th nationally with 6.0 assists per game, while scoring 11.0 points per contest for Damon Stoudamire’s team. Javian McCollum rounds out the double-figure scorers at 10.3 points per game, the senior guard is also assisting at a 3.1 per game clip. Georgia Tech is top 40 in defensive rebounding, averaging 28 per game and 49th in total rebounds per game.
Duke Blue Devils
Duke enters the weekend with a 9-2 record, 1-0 in the ACC. Currently, on a 5 game winning streak, the Blue Devils won their first ACC matchup, coming from behind to win against Louisville at the YUM Center earlier this month. The Blue Devils rank third in the country in field goal percentage defense (.355), eighth in scoring defense (58.7), and 15th in scoring margin (+19.9). KenPom ranks the Blue Devils second nationally in adjusted defense efficiency (88.5).
Cooper Flagg, who turns 18 years old on Saturday, tops Duke in points (183), rebounds (99), assists (40) and blocks (15). Flagg became the first 17-year-old in NCAA history to record multiple 20-point double doubles, according to Real Sports. In addition to Flagg the Blue Devils boast 2 other double-figure scorers in freshman Kon Knueppel at 11.6 ppg and 2.9 assists and junior guard Tyrese Proctor at 11.4 points per game. Proctor is shooting the 3 at a 42.6% clip this season for the Blue Devils.
Final Thoughts
For the Blue Devils it begins with stopping Lance Terry, Terry is as good of a guard as there is in the ACC, scores from all 3 levels for them. He’s a guard with the strength of a forward and can get downhill and finish through contact. Stopping him is just the beginning, as I’m sure Jon Scheyer has nightmares about the games that Baye Ndongo put on Duke last season twice. In 2 games he put up 17-22 shooting, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks. Duke has to watch the sophomore forward’s ability to find ways to get his points off of put backs, lobs, and he’s added to his abilities a short jumper. Ndongo can make a living in the dunkers spot, but his game has expanded.
Another player who could be an ex-factor for the Yellow Jackets is Jaeden Mustaf. The 6’5 freshman has a lot of ability, especially from the mid-range on in, he’s got a solid base and gets to his shot with physicality. The entire Georgia Tech team is good in the mid-range and like their coach before them really have good touch on floaters, mid-range and around the rim.
Offensively, Duke is still fine-tuning. The Blue Devils still go through an inordinate amount of scoring droughts, especially when forced to play in the half-court. This game could be very close in the first half, but I think Duke should be able to pull away in the second. If the Blue Devils can take advantage of their open shots, which so far this season they haven’t, they could bury the Yellow Jackets early but in a raucous road environment and the recent history of slow starts. Not a bet I’d be willing to take.
