Gameday Preview: #1 Duke vs Georgia Tech – Thurs March 13th 2025

Charlotte NC: The Duke Blue Devils (28-3, 19-1) open their ACC Tournament as the #1 seed Thursday at noon against the #8 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (17-15, 10-10 ACC).  Teams previously met in the first ACC game of the regular season in Atlanta where the Blue Devils won 82-56.

The Yellow Jackets got to the quarterfinals by taking out the #9 seed, Virginia Cavaliers. In typical UVA fashion, the game was extremely low scoring as the teams were tied at 25 at the half. The Yellow Jackets only had 15 at the half in their finale last Saturday against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The Ramblin Wreck were able to get distance in the second half, keeping the Wahoos at arms length until the final minute where UVA’s press created some headaches. The Jackets were able to prevail 66-60 behind Duncan Powell’s 21 point performance. Baye Ndongo added a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards. The Cavaliers were led by Issac McKneely’s 27 points off 11 made three pointers. The Cavs season came to an end with a 15-17 and the firing of their interim head coach Ron Sanchez.

The Blue Devils got to the quarterfinals by beating rival UNC on the road to claim the outright ACC regular season championship and the #1 seed’s double-bye. In a game of runs, the Blue Devils gave up a 15 point first half lead, partially due to Cooper Flagg’s 3 first half personal fouls, to take a 1 point lead into the halftime break. RJ Davis and the Heel’s came out firing in the second half to complete the comeback and gain a 7 point lead midway through the half. The Devils then stormed back with a 33-13 finishing run that gave them an 82-69 victory in the Dean Dome. Cooper Flagg scored 15 points along with 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Kon Knueppel led the Devils in scoring with 17 followed by Tyrese Proctor and Sion James’s 16. 

Key Points:

Georgia Tech

• Take and consistently make the 3 pointer. The Blue Devils are rated as the best offense ever by KenPom and can score in droves. To keep up, the Yellow Jackets need to make the 3.
• Limit Duke’s ability to run. Slow down the pace and take care of the ball. Duke cannot score if they do not have the ball. Don’t turn it over to give them easy transition buckets.
• Start hot: The Jackets have a game under their belts in the Spectrum Center. With alleged tighter rims, the Devils could struggle out the gate finding their shot. Take advantage of a slow start and gain momentum to pull off the upset.

Duke

• Don’t fall into the trap. Looking forward to a potential third game against UNC or the Demon Deacons is an easy way to find yourself in a dog fight. The Yellow Jackets are playing for the proverbial lives as the finality of March settles in.
• Tinker with tournament lineups. Head Coach Jon Scheyer has today to find the rotations that will take them to the promised land. Who is left off? Take today to find out.
• End the game quickly. It’s called March Madness for a reason, anything can happen. The longer the Yellow Jackets stick around, the more their belief builds and the tougher game the Devils will have.