Looking to extend their winning streak to six games and continue their dominance over Georgia Tech, No. 5 Duke travels to Atlanta on Saturday for the second Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
Duke (9-2, 1-0 ACC) is undefeated since Nov. 26, when he fell to Kansas 75-72 in Las Vegas. The Blue Devils are 35-5 against the Yellow Jackets since 2000, but fell 72-68 at Georgia Tech last December.
Led by freshman phenom Cooper Flagg, Duke is still trying to find its footing on the back end of the court. The Blue Devils earned an easy 68-47 home win over George Mason on Tuesday, despite shooting 37.5 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range.
Flagg, who averages a team-high 16.6 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, had 24 points, nine boards and four assists against George Mason, while continuing to show off his all-around game.
“I liked how aggressive he was,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “It changes the whole strength of our team when they want to attack. The beauty is that one night, he’s going to be the one who hits 20 shots and that’s good. Another night he’s going to be the one who gets 10 assists, that’s going to happen.
“I think he should get a triple-double. I think he’s expected to have a 30-plus point game.”
Behind Flagg, fellow freshman Kon Knueppel averages 11.6 points per game, while junior Tyrese Proctor adds 11.4.
While Duke’s offense is stable enough, it’s the defense that carries most of the burden this year. The Blue Devils have allowed fewer than 50 points in back-to-back games, lowering their average points allowed to 58.7 — eighth best in the nation.
Duke looks to continue that trend Saturday, as Georgia Tech continues its search for its first conference power win.
The Yellow Jackets (5-6, 0-1) have wins over West Georgia, Texas Southern, Charleston Southern, Central Arkansas and most recently UMBC, but have not fared well against big teams, losing each by an average of 12 points.
Coach Damon Stoudamire’s team ended a three-game losing streak on Wednesday, when they topped UMBC 91-82 at home. Georgia Tech saw its 22-point lead shrink to six before getting the win, further evidence of a troubling trend this season.
“For me, there is no question that we can play with Duke, but can we beat them, can we finish the game?” Stoudamire said. “To beat a team like Duke, you’ve got to play 40 minutes. You’re not going to have icons in the game, so that’s what I want to see.”
Lance Terry with 15.5 points per game leads Georgia Tech, followed by Baye Ndongo’s 12.9 and Naithan George’s 11.0. The Yellow Jackets will be looking for back-to-back home wins against Duke for the first time since 1988-89.
–Field Level Media
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