NCAA Basketball Betting – #5 Duke vs. #17 Georgia Tech

No. 5 Duke Blue Devils (13-1, 9-4 ATS) at No. 17 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (11-3 SU, 6-3 ATS)

Saturday, January 9: 2:00 p.m.

Here are some NCAA Basketball Betting Trends which may impact this game:

• Duke: 1-1 ATS on the road
• Duke: Duke 3-0 ATS in their last 3 games
• Georgia Tech: 2-2 ATS at home
• Georgia Tech: Total has gone OVER in 4 of their last 7 games

Maybe the most exciting game in this weekend’s college basketball betting odds will take place in Atlanta, when the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets host No. 5 ranked Duke.
Georgia Tech comes into this game looking to rebound after an embarrassing loss Tuesday night to cross-state rival Georgia.

The Yellow Jackets are led by one of the most athletic frontcourts in college basketball, featuring two guys who likely be first round NBA Draft picks come June, Gani Lawal and freshman phenom Derrick Favors. Lawal, a sophomore is leading this team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 15 points and nine boards a night. Favors, who may be the player NBA scouts are most excited about, is averaging 12 points and nine rebounds a game. However, in his last two games Favors has struggled, scoring just six points against Charlotte and eight in the loss to Georgia.

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As for Duke, they come into this game on a roll, and may be the best team in the ACC early in 2010. They are college basketball’s fourth highest scoring team, averaging 85 points per contest, and have three of the conference’s leading scorers on their roster.

Jon Scheyer is playing at an All-American level, averaging 19.7 points as well as 6.1 assists per game, which is second best in the ACC. He is joined in the backcourt by the athletic Nolan Smith, who averages over 15 points per game. And of course, there’s maybe Duke’s most talented player, Kyle Singler, scoring 15 points a game. Although Singler may be the most NBA ready player, he hasn’t put up quite the numbers he did last year, as his points, rebounds and shooting percentage are all down from a year ago.

The key in this game will be how Duke handles the big frontcourt of Georgia Tech. Early in the season, against teams like UConn and Gonzaga, who also have good big guys, it wasn’t a problem for the Blue Devils, and quite frankly I suspect that they’ll figure out a way to handle Favors and Lawal on Saturday.

Yes Georgia Tech has a nice record, and are ranked in the top 25, but looking at their season, they really only have one quality win, against USC. Against teams with similar talent levels to Duke- Dayton, Florida State- they have struggled, and the loss to Georgia raises some red flags.

Often times early in the season teams are ranked a little bit higher than they should be, and I believe it to be the case with Georgia Tech. Their big guys have feasted against weaker competition, and I suspect that as ACC play gets in gear, the Yellow Jackets will be exposed for what they are: A totally average team.

Aaron’s Pick: Duke by 9