Dec 21, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Lance Terry (0) shoots over Duke Blue Devils guard Sion James (14) at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech used a strong second half to break their losing streak to Virginia in the 2nd round of the ACC Tournament and now they get to face the top team in the league. No. 1 Duke is a heavy favorite today, but the Yellow Jackets are looking to shock the world and advance to the ACC semifinals tomorrow night.

Duke (28-3, 19-1 ACC) lost its only ACC game at Clemson on Feb. 8, but has reeled off seven wins in a row since then by nearly 28 points a game. The closest game was an 80- 62 victory at Virginia on Feb. 17. The Blue Devils defeated the Yellow Jackets, 82-56, on Dec. 21 in Atlanta in the teams’ only regular season meeting. The winner of the Tech-Duke game will advance to face the winner of Wake Forest and North Carolina at 7 p.m. Friday in the semifinals.

Georgia Tech and Duke last met in the ACC Tournament in the championship game of the 2010 tournament in Greensboro, N.C. The Blue Devils won 65-61. Tech is 3-7 against the Blue Devils in the tournament, last defeating them in the opening round on the way to the championship of the 1993 event at the old Charlotte Coliseum. Tech is 2-4 vs. top-25 teams this season (including a win over Clemson, which was No. 21 in the coaches poll but unranked in AP at the time), and 5-5 under Damon Stoudamire.

Tech has defeated the nation’s No. 1-ranked team 8 times in its history. One of those wins came over Duke on Jan. 10, 1993 in Atlanta. Not surprisingly, 11 of the Jackets’ 35 losses to No. 1 teams have come against the Blue Devils. Duke is the first No. 1 team Tech has faced since Feb. 21, 2019 (Virginia), and the Yellow Jackets have dropped 4 straight against top-ranked teams dating back to a 77-61 win over Connecticut on Nov. 26, 2003 in the Preseason NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden.

After yesterday’s win over Virginia, Yellow Jackets head coach Damon Stoudamire was asked about the matchup with Duke:

“Well, I think that Duke is a team that obviously they’re different. They’re long. They’re athletic. I look forward to the game, though, to be honest with you. At the end of the day, the one thing I do know going into this game is that we’re playing our best basketball of the season. If we weren’t, maybe I wouldn’t feel the way I do, but I feel as confident as I’ve ever felt about this group of guys. It’s going to be a task, but we’ll go in there, and we can’t fear them. We’ve got to do the things that we need to do. It’s a challenge, but I think that we’re all looking forward to that.”

Duke leads the overall series 79-25, and is 67-21 against Tech since the Jackets joined the ACC. Duke won the only meeting between the two teams during the 2024-25 regular season, an 82-56 contest in Atlanta.

Duke has won 18 of the last 20 games in the series. The Yellow Jackets earned an 81-77 overtime victory on March 3, 2021 in Atlanta, snapping a 14-game losing streak in the series that dated back to 2010, and defeated the Blue Devils, 72-68, in December of 2023. Tech’s four wins over Duke since 2000, not counting its most recent win, were by Yellow Jacket teams that made the NCAA Tournament (2004, 2007, 2010 and 2021). Tech’s best stretch of the series occurred between 1982 and 1989, with 10 wins in 17 meetings. Tech has never won more than two in a row.

According to Fanduel Sportsbook, Duke is going to be a 22.5 point favorite today vs the Yellow Jackets and the over/under is set at 143.5.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

There is no doubt about who the better team in this game is, but Georgia Tech has been playing well enough as of late that I think they keep the game close for a period of time. In the end, I don’t trust Georgia Tech’s offense to do enough vs an elite Duke defense and the Blue Devils pull away in the second half.

Final Score: Duke 83, Georgia Tech 67

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