Preview: #6 Duke Blue Devils (11-1, 0-0 ACC) vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-4, 0-0 ACC)

#6 Duke Blue Devils (11-1, 0-0 ACC) vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-4, 0-0 ACC)

Wednesday, Dec. 31 • 4:00 p.m. ET

Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) • Durham, N.C.

TV: ACC Network

Radio: Blue Devil Sports Network from LEARFIELD

The No. 6 Duke Blue Devils battle Georgia Tech in their first ACC clash of the season at home in Cameron Indoor Stadium

TV ACC Network
Play-by-Play Jay Alter
Analyst Randolph Childress
Producer Will Black

Radio Blue Devil Sports Net.
Play-by-Play David Shumate
Analyst John Roth
Engineer Chris Majikowski
In Durham 96.5 FM & 620 AM
SiriusXM 161 or 193 & SiriusXM app

Georgia Tech won five of its first six games and has recovered from a three-game losing skid with four straight victories. The Yellow Jackets rank 40th in the nation in field goal percentage defense (39.5%) and 41st in three-point percentage defense (29.3%). Georgia Tech is positioned 41st nationally in rebounds per game (40.8) and 26th in defensive rebounds per game (28.8).

Georgia Tech’s entire starting lineup is averaging in double figures starting with Kowacie Reeves Jr. Reeves Jr. tops the five Yellow Jackets with double-digit scoring averages, posting 15.4 points per outing. Reeves has scored +20 points in four of the last five games. Baye Ndongo averages 12.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, while Mouhamed Sylla averages 11.2 points and a team-high 8.4 rebounds per outing, with five double-doubles. Georgia Tech’s leading assist man is senior guard Lamar Washington, the 6’4 guard out of Portland, OR is averaging 6.2 assists to go along with his 10.9 points per game.

Last Time Out:

Baye Ndongo led the Yellow Jackets to an 89-65 win over Florida A&M. Ndongo notched a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. He also totaled 5 assists and 3 steals in the win. The win gave Georgia Tech their 4th win in a row and their 9th on the season.

The Blue Devils are coming off of a 35-4 season that saw them within a game of a title shot. Duke went 19-1 in conference, winning both the regular season and the ACC Tournament.

The Blue Devils welcome in a number 1 recruiting class after their Final Four run. Jon Scheyer after losing his entire starting lineup to the NBA but retaining core pieces with experience. Leading Duke are experienced returners senior big Maliq Brown and junior guard Caleb Foster, both instrumental pieces in Duke’s run this past season. Duke also returned 3 members from last season freshman class in hot shooting Isaiah Evans, who shot a team high 41.6%. Duke also brings back Darren Harris who has reshaped his body in hopes for a larger role and Patrick Ngongba who similarly has reshaped his frame, coming into this season healthy.

Currently, Duke is fourth in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.362), seventh in scoring margin (+24.6) and ninth in scoring defense (62.6) – all tops in the ACC. On the glass, Duke ranks 19th in the country in rebounding (42.2 rpg), 11th in defensive rebounding (30.1) and 17th in rebound margin (+10.5 – best in ACC). In their first 12 games, the Blue Devils secured four top-25 victories with wins over No. 7 Michigan State, No. 15 Florida, No. 22 Arkansas and No. 25 Kansas. Duke is third in the NET rankings and is tied for the most Quad 1 wins (4). Duke is one of only five teams in the country to rank 13th or better in both offensive (124.1, 13th) and defensive (92.5, 5th) efficiency. (KenPom) Maliq Brown equalled his career high with five steals versus Texas Tech (Dec. 20), while adding seven points, five rebounds and a blocked shot. Brown, who has played in 99 games during his college career at Syracuse and Duke, is the national leader in 2-point field goal percentage (88.9%, 32-of-36). Cameron Boozer, the nation’s leading scorer (23.3 ppg), is the only Division I player in the last 30 seasons to collect at least 250 points, 100 rebounds and 40 assists through his first 11 career games. Boozer leads Duke in points, assists and rebounds per game. Duke has two other double figure scorers in Isaiah Evans with 11.8 points per game and Patrick Ngongba with 11.1 points to go with his 6.5 rebounds per game.

Last Time Out:

The Blue Devils lost a tough game 82-81 in MSG. Duke coughed up a double-digit lead against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, losing their first game of the season. Cam Boozer led the Blue Devils with 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the loss. Cayden Boozer also scored in double-figures, with 13 points. Texas Tech became the first Duke opponent to shoot better than 50 percent from the field this season, finishing the game 32-of-58 (.552).

While no one expected this Duke team to breeze through a tough non-conference schedule, it has to stick in their proverbial craw the way they lost their final game before the break. Losing a double-digit lead against a good team that you seemingly and should have put away, more so due to their own miscues and errors, is something the players and staff have had to sit with for weeks. This next game should show us a good amount about what this team is about

Against Georgia Tech, the Blue Devils, need to stay locked in and start the game off hungry and not complacent. That has been a struggle for this Duke team. Offensively, on paper, Duke looks like they should have no issues scoring at will, but as we’ve seen in the last few games – Duke does have lulls. A lot has been made of Duke not having a number 2, but they’ve been able to score behind Boozer by committee. In this first ACC game, I expect to see Duke try a few new wrinkles and try to get both Evans and Ngongba going early. Defensively, Texas Tech really exposed Duke and the Blue Devils had few answers. Baye Ndongo and Mouhamed Sylla are going to put pressure on the rim and Duke can ill afford to get into foul trouble, they mighty thin in the front court. Ndongo especially has been throughout his career a tough cover for the Blue Devils. He’s uber athletic, a fierce rebounder and has expanded his game out to the 3-point line he also has been a solid assist man for the Yellow Jackets, averaging 3 per contest. Being able to guard Ndongo effectively will make it easier to deal with Reeves on the outside.

While this is a game that Duke should win, stranger things have happened in ACC play and this Blue Devil team has questions they need to answer, more for themselves than anyone else. Is the team Duke that for the most part ran through their first 11 non-conference games, or are they the ones that let a very winnable game slip away via collapse on both ends of the floor.