No. 3 Duke Blue Devils at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Saturday, 1/7/12, 12:00 PM EST, TV: ESPNU
Opening Point Spread:
Current Betting Line:
Opening Total:
Current Total:
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Duke will face off against Georgia Tech Saturday afternoon inside Phillips Arena in Atlanta, looking to bounce back from a disappointing 78-73 loss to the Temple Owls as 7.5-point neutral-site favorites. “We were slow and they played a lot harder than we did,” commented Blue Devils freshman guard Austin Rivers. “We have a great team, but we just didn’t fight.” The Blue Devils lead the all-time series, 62-22, including a 24-15 mark on the road. The program has won three straight and 27 of the last 30 in the series. Duke is 7-2 ATS following a straight-up loss.
The Blue Devils have posted a double-digit win in 19 of the last 30 meetings with the Yellow Jackets. Duke has tallied a solid 24-7 record in ACC openers under head coach Mike Krzyzewski, including wins in 14 of the last 15. The program hasn’t lost back-to-back games since February 2009, posting a 12-0 record following a loss in that span. Few teams will have the resume that this squad has come tournament time, ranking second in both RPI and strength of schedule.
Georgia Tech will start its conference schedule and look to improve upon its 4-3 home record, but has dropped two consecutive games inside Phillips Arena in 2012. The Yellow Jackets have struggled in taking care of the basketball recently, committing 22 turnovers in their 73-48 defeat to the Alabama Crimson Tide as five-point home underdogs. “It just puts you in a difficult situation if you start off the game and give your opponent 22 possessions,” commented Yellow Jackets head coach Brian Gregory. Georgia Tech is 10-4 ATS following a double-digit loss at home.
The Yellow Jackets rank third in the conference in allowing opponents to shoot just 37.8 percent from the field, while sitting fourth in surrendering just 59.9 points per game. Georgia Tech is scoring 63.8 points per game and will be going against a squad that scores 82.1 points a night. Two players are averaging double figures in scoring, led by Glenn Rice Jr., who is pouring in 12.5 points per game. Gregory inherited two returning starters and nine letterwinners in his first year since leaving Dayton.
Bettors will likely back the Blue Devils due to the favorite being 17-6 ATS in the last 23 meetings, while the Yellow Jackets are 2-6-1 ATS versus conference foes.
Don’t miss out on a winning season and let the college basketball handicappers at Maddux Sports line your pockets with cash. Long term packages are available now!
