Duke vs Georgia Tech CBB Picks
The No. 8 Duke Blue Devils are coming off of a dramatic 69-67 win over the Maryland Terrapins, and they are ready to take on the unranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Tuesday night. [ad-4468020]
No. 8 Duke (20-5, 9-3 ACC) @ Georgia Tech (13-12, 4-8 ACC)
Tuesday, Feb. 18 9:00 p.m. ET ESPN3
Spread: Duke -11
Over/Under: 141
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These two teams have faced off once this season, and simply put, it was a blowout. The Blue Devils—ranked 16th at the time—only outscored GT by one in the first half, but a 45-24 second half gave them a 79-57 victory.
Any time a team is blown out, there’s extra motivation to bounce back next time, and that’s the motivation Georgia Tech will use in this one.
Duke
Duke may have come out on top big last time, but it also home home-court advantage. This time around, the team will be at McCamish Pavilion, the home of the Yellow Jackets, and a place where GT has gone 9-6 on the year.
Although the Blue Devils have been strong all year, they don’t have a lot of road experience. On the season, they’ve only played six games on the road (their first 13 games were either at home or at a neutral location), going .500 up to this point.
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The Blue Devils have been up and down on defense depending on the category. They’re solid at defending the three-point line (30.7 percent, 42nd in the nation), they’re middle of the road in scoring defense (67.4 points per game, 100th in the nation) and they’re awful at defensive field-goal percentage (45 percent, 251st in the nation).
A good defensive effort will go a long way, but with Georgia Tech’s struggling offense, it will be Duke’s offense that will make the difference.
Georgia Tech
On the year, Georgia Tech is scoring just 67.8 points per game. That’s 265th in the country, and it fails in comparison to what Duke brings to the table.
The Blue Devils are scoring an impressive 81.7 points per contest throughout the 2013-14 season. Don’t expect defense to be a huge theme in this one, meaning GT must step up its offensive game in order to keep up with its ACC foe.
Last time these two faced off, it was Rodney Hood for Duke who stole the show. The Yellow Jackets have evidence that shows they need to contain the sophomore forward, but as we all know, the biggest weapon the Blue Devils have is Jabari Parker.
So far this season, Parker is averaging nearly 20 points and nine rebounds per game. He’s considered a top draft pick in 2014 for a reason, and Georgia Tech is going to have its hands full containing the phenomenal freshman.
If Parker has an off night, expect this one to be close with Duke having yet to prove itself on the road.
That said, if Parker does what he does best, which is put the ball in the basket at a high rate, it could be another long night for the Yellow Jackets.
Prediction: Duke 78 – Georgia Tech 63
