Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Duke Blue Devils Preview
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham
When: Wednesday, January 3, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (+19,5) vs. Duke Blue Devils (-19.5) – view all NCAAB lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
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Betting on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (+19.5)
The Yellow Jackets have the rare opportunity of beating North Carolina and Duke in back-to-back fashion. They’ve already accomplished the first half of that mission, handing the No.9 Tar Heels a 75-63 loss on December 31.
It’s not going to be easy beating Duke for Georgia Tech but it must help the Yellow Jackets that the Blue Devils could again be missing the indefinitely suspended Grayson Allen. As for their own, the Yellow Jackets will lean on the tandem of Ben Lammers and Josh Okogie.
Lammers paces the team in scoring this season with 14.6 points per game, while Okogie is chipping in 14.2. Okogie nearly doubled his average against North Carolina, scoring 26 points. Tadric Jackson, meanwhile, is putting up 11.3 PPG.
Georgia Tech is 2-1 ATS in its last three games as the underdog.
Betting on the Duke Blue Devils (-19.5)
Duke wants to win one for coach Mike Krzyzewski before the legendary mentor takes a time off to heal from a scheduled back surgery.
Duke had been coasting through the schedule, winning 10 consecutive games before getting ambushed by Virginia Tech on Sunday, as they lost to the Hokies, 89-75. Duke’s defense was exposed in that game with the Hokies going 32-of-58 shooting from the field for a 55.2 FG%.
Despite the loss, Luke Kennard was able to be a bright spot, scoring 34 points on a sizzling 11-for-19 shooting. Kennard has taken added load on offense of late, averaging 26.3 points in his last three games.
He should get help, though, against the Yellow Jackets, who are 49th in defense (64.8 points allowed per game) and 48th in KenPom’s defensive efficiency rankings.
Duke will need its shooters to knock down shots with the Yellow Jackets having a solid interior defense. Georgia Tech is third in the nation in blocks with 7.0 rejections per contest.
Duke is shooting 35.3% from beyond the arc, making 7.6 threes per contest.
Writer’s Prediction
Duke (-19.5) wins, 81-65.
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