The No. 3 Duke Blue Devils saw a five-game winning streak snapped
in Wednesday’s 78-73 loss against the Temple Owls. Mike Krzyzewski’s
squad continues its journey away from home in Saturday’s 12 p.m. (ET) tip with
the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Sportsbooks opened Duke as an 11.5-point favorite, while first
setting the ‘total’ at 138.5. NCAA basketball odds makers first set the
money line with Georgia Tech as a 550 underdog, with the Blue Devils as minus
750 choices.
Blue Devils upset in Philly
Duke’s setback against Temple saw the Blue Devils allow 56.4
percent field shooting from the Owls, including 5-of-10 connecting from
three-point land. Coach K’s crew had no answer for Temple’s Khalif Wyatt,
who hit 8-of-12 from the floor and grabbed five steals.
Blue Devils forward Mason Plumlee finished with 16 points and a
team-high 13 rebounds, logging his seventh double-double of the season.
Plumlee’s brother Miles sank 8-of-11 field buckets en route to 17 points off
the bench, with the duo uniting for five blocks.
The contest’s combined 151 points ducked below the closing ‘total’
of 151.5, making the ‘under’ 3-1 in the Blue Devils last four games. Duke
was edged out in boards, 30-29, while knocking down 11-of-16 free throws.
Yellow Jackets stung at home
Georgia Tech’s latest loss came in Tuesday’s 73-48 spanking as a
five-point home dog against the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Yellow Jackets
struggled from the foul line, sinking 4-of-12 at the charity stripe, while
logging a sizable 22 turnovers.
Yellow Jackets forward Kammeon Holsey led his squad’s scoring with
14 points, hitting 7-of-9 field buckets. Holsey united for 11 boards with
mate Daniel Miller, who was held scoreless en route to logging three assists.
The lopsided affair’s combined 121 points lunged above the ‘total’
of 117, lifting the ‘over’ to 4-1 in the Yellow Jackets’ last five ‘board’ battles.
Georgia Tech was held to 40.8 percent field shooting, dropping its
season-scoring average to 66.6 PPG at home.
Back the ‘under’ in Atlanta
This sports betting handicapper is backing the ‘under,’ looking for Duke’s
defense to turn up the heat after Wednesday’s loss and control the pace at
Philips Arena. The ‘under’ is 5-0 in the last five meetings between these
rivals hosted by Georgia Tech, who has held visitors to 60.4 PPG and 42 percent
shooting on its floor.
Mason Plumlee is the ACC’s second-leading rebounder (9.9 RPG) for
Duke, while Georgia Tech’s Daniel Miller ranks second in the conference for
blocks (2.8 BPG). Both presently reside just behind North Carolina’s John
Henson (10 RPG, 3.2 BPG) in the pair of categories.
Free-throw shooting has hurt both squads this season, with the
Blue Devils and Yellow Jackets ranking ninth (68 percent) and 10th (65.1
percent), respectively, in the ACC’s group of 12 squads. Last February’s
most recent battle between the foes saw both teams unite for 37 personal fouls,
with ‘under’ backers collecting as Duke’s 79-57 win saw the duel’s combined 136
points plunge below the ‘total’ of 146.
The ‘under’ has cashed at a storied 43-18 in Duke’s last 61 games against
conference foes, while collecting at 14-6 in Georgia Tech’s last 20 home
games. Look for ‘under’ tickets to cash again here, with the early tip
time also not hurting the wager’s chances.