Georgia Tech's Damon Stoudamire Gives Early Thoughts On Matchup With Duke Basketball: "We Can't Fear Them"

Stoudamire and Georgia Tech advanced to the ACC Quarterfinals today with their win over Virginia

Mar 12, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Damon Stoudamire on the sideline during the first half against the Virginia Cavaliers at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech used a strong second half to surge past Virginia this afternoon in the second round of the ACC Tournament and set up a quarterfinals matchup with No. 1 Duke. Not only are the Blue Devils the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament, but they are the No. 1 team in the country and have had a historically dominant season. Duke is armed with three likely top-ten NBA Draft picks on their roster, led by presumed No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and will be the heavy favorites to win tomorrow's matchup and advance to the ACC Semifinals.

This is why they play the games though. March can be a magical time of the year for certain teams and tomorrow, Georgia Tech is going to hope to pull off the biggest upset of the season when they face Duke.

After today'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."

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 utilized its 10th different starting lineup this season, with freshman Jaeden Mustaf making his first start since Jan. 11 and his 8th of the season.

Georgia Tech won its first ACC Tournament game since its run to the 2021 championship and is now 30-40 all-time. Tech also is 9-8 in tournament games played in Charlotte, 2-2 in the Spectrum Center and 1-4 as a No. 8 seed.

Tech’s 17 wins matches the most for the program in a season since 2015-16, when the Yellow Jackets went 21-15 (Tech also won 21 games in 2016-17 though all those wins were vacated by the NCAA). Tech won 17 games in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

Additional Links

Bleav Georgia Tech: Instant Reaction to Georgia Tech Defeating Virginia In ACC Tournament + Lookahead to Duke Game

Everything From Damon Stoudamire After Georgia Tech's Victory Over Virginia in the ACC Tournament

Georgia Tech Center Doryan Onwuchekwa Set To Enter The Transfer Portal