College Basketball Betting – #5 Duke Blue Devils at #20 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Duke Blue Devils at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Saturday, January 9th – 2:05 PM ET
College Basketball Betting Trends:

The Week That Was: Duke

The Dukies established themselves as the team to beat in the ACC by thumping Clemson, 74-53, on Sunday, Jan. 3. Coach Mike Krzyzewski had to love what he saw in the first half. Duke throttled the Tigers with an overwhelming defensive display. Clemson hit only 5 of 30 field goal attempts in a 12-point first half that enabled the home team to cruise to a 30-12 lead and ultimately coast to the finish line. After Clemson dismantled Duke by 27 points last season (74-47), Coach K’s ballclub gained a measure of revenge and fired a warning shot to the rest of the ACC.

Duke took that conference conquest and used it as motivational fuel for an intersectional encounter on Jan. 6 at Iowa State. The Blue Devils went into Ames, Iowa, and sacked the Cyclones, 86-65. Duke guards Jon Scheyer (31 points) and Nolan Smith (20 points) combined for 51 points on 17-of-29 shooting, as the ACC’s best team controlled the flow of the game with its quickness and agility on the perimeter. Duke also went 19 of 21 from the foul line to quiet down the ISU fans who were hoping for an upset at Hilton Coliseum.

The Week That Was: Georgia Tech

For a team that figured to make the NCAA Tournament – due to the arrival of highly-touted freshman Derrick Favors – the Yellow Jackets are not living up to their advance billing. The past week showed why Georgia Tech has a very long way to go on the road to the field of 65.

Tech did topple the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday, Jan. 2. Coach Paul Hewitt’s team did escape the Carolinas with a 76-67 win over an opponent from the Atlantic 10 Conference, but not before blowing a 15-point lead. Gani Lawal – who scored 29 against Charlotte – produced a key block and some clutch free throws down the stretch for Georgia Tech, but the performance was less than fully convincing.

The next game for this struggling ballclub showed that the Charlotte win was hardly a reason for sustained optimism.

The Georgia Bulldogs pulled off a 73-66 upset of a Georgia Tech squad that committed 20 turnovers. The Yellow Jackets were supposed to excel on the wings, but they’ve been outworked for much of this season. Something needs to change quickly if this team is to hear its name called on Selection Sunday.

Outlook & Pick

This isn’t rocket science: Duke owns dynamite guards who pressure the ball and hound opponents relentlessly on defense. Georgia Tech’s guards and wings aren’t strong with the ball and commit a lot of turnovers. The Blue Devils should win this game handily.

College Basketball Pick: Duke