Duke basketball is fighting for their NCAA Tournament lives when the Blue Devils take on Georgia Tech.
The last week of the regular season means teams on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament are really running out of time to impress the selection committee. Games between bubble rivals are often compelling theater since there is a bit of win-or-go-home flavor to the contests, making tonight’s game between Duke and Georgia Tech a sneaky good one on a loaded night of hoops.
Duke basketball looked like they were climbing back onto the right side of the bubble thanks to a well-timed four-game winning streak but their momentum came to a crashing halt thanks to a tough overtime loss against Louisville on Saturday. Carlik Jones wouldn’t allow the Cardinals to lose, racking up 25 points, six rebounds and four assists to help drop Duke to 11-9 overall and 9-7 in ACC play.
The defeat was a major missed opportunity for Mike Krzyzewski’s team, which doesn’t have much to distinguish its resume outside of home wins against Virginia and Clemson. The Blue Devils are on the road for the final week of the regular season and face a de facto must-win game tonight against a fellow bubbler in Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets have done good work to put themselves back in the bubble hunt, winning four games in a row entering this matchup, a run that was highlighted by a win over Virginia Tech last week in the Hokies’ first game back after a COVID pause. Stacking up wins is critical for Georgia Tech since they have a pair of Quad 3 losses on their resume thanks to season-opening defeats against Mercer and Georgia State.
Those losses have become anchors to the Yellow Jackets, who have already lost to the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor earlier this season. A loss here would mean that Duke secures a season sweep, a tough obstacle to overcome if these two teams are vying for one at-large spot into the field on Selection Sunday.
How to bet and watch Duke at Georgia Tech
- Date: Tuesday, March 2
- Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Venue: McCamish Pavilion
- TV: ACC Network
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- Line: Georgia Tech -1.5 (FanDuel)
- Prediction: Duke 73, Georgia Tech 70
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