Georgia Tech vs Duke: Three Keys For the Yellow Jackets To Pull Off A Stunning Victory

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 is a huge underdog today, but how can they pull off the upset?

1. Limiting Duke's three-point shooting

Georgia Tech may not have to win the three-point battle against Duke to defeat them (though it would help), but they can't get overwhelmed by the Blue Devils shooting. Duke shot 17% from three in their loss to Kentucky earlier in the year, and they lost the three-point battle 58% to 33% in a close win over Notre Dame. It is tough to poke holes in this Duke team, but limiting their three point effectiveness and maybe even having a better shooting day could lead to a close game and possible upset. Lance Terry, Duncan Powell, and Nait George will be the ones to watch in this category.

2. Win the Turnover Battle

One of Georgia Tech's biggest weaknesses this season has been turning the ball over and when they turn the ball over a lot, they typically lose. You don't have to go back far to see how turnovers hurt the Yellow Jackets in a game. They turned it over 16 times in a blowout loss to Wake Forest last Saturday and they had 13 turnovers against Virginia yesterday, which led to 19 points for UVA. If Georgia Tech has a problem with turnovers today, it will not be a fun day vs the No. 1 team in the country. Limit turnovers and create them on the other end to give yourself an opportunity to pull the upset.

3.Fast Start

Georgia Tech has had a problem with slow starts this year. They scored only 15 points in the first half of the loss to Wake Forest last Saturday and yesterday, they fell behind 19-12 and went over seven minutes without a field goal. If they start poorly today, this game could be wrapped up in the first half. The Yellow Jackets have to start strong and take the fight to Duke early.

There are more than three things that Georgia Tech will have to do to pull this off, but I think these are the most important. They made attacking the paint a priority yesterday against Virginia, but I think three-point shooting is going to be key today. Limit turnovers and get off to a fast start today and see what happens.

Additional Links

Spread & Over/Under Predictions For Georgia Tech vs Duke Basketball

Updated ACC Tournament Bracket: Quarterfinal Matchups and TV Times Finalized

Duke Basketball Opens As Massive Favorite vs Georgia Tech in Quarterfinals Matchup