Yellow Jacked Up
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Georgia Tech Basketball: Jackets ready for midweek showdown against struggling Blue Devils

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

Dec 30, 2020; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Bubba Parham (3) and guard Jose Alvarado (10) show emotion against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the second half at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2020; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Bubba Parham (3) and guard Jose Alvarado (10) show emotion against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the second half at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Georgia Tech men’s basketball team will look to bounce back from a heartbreaking 64-62 loss on Saturday night to Virginia when they take on the Duke Blue Devils on Tuesday night at 9 p.m..

The Jackets are playing their best basketball of late despite the loss to Virginia while Duke has now dropped three-straight games. Their offense has struggled over the losing streak, averaging 68.3 points per game.

Besides looking to pick up their eighth game of the season, the Jackets will also be looking to earn their first win against the Blue Devils since 2010. Since a 71-67 win on January 9, 2010 at McCamish Pavillion, the Jackets have lost 13 straight to the Blue Devils.  The Jackets have pulled off numerous upsets over the Josh Pastner era  but a win over Duke is one thing that has alluded the Jackets during his tenure. Perhaps Tuesday night will end that search.

When when the Blue Devils have the ball:

Offensively this season, the Blue Devils have been good but not great. They’re averaging 73.6 points per game and are shooting 44.8% from the floor and 33.2% from three-point range.

In terms of particular players, 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Matthew Hurt is the biggest name to know. A fantastic player, Hurt is averaging 19.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game this season for the Blue Devils. He’s shooting 53.2% from the floor and 47.3% from beyond the arch. The Jackets can’t lose track of Hurt when he’s on the floor as he can take over any game single handedly.

Freshman forward Jalen Johnson, a former five-star is the Blue Devils best player when it comes to playing on both ends. Through seven games, he’s posting an offensive rating of 104.8 and a defensive rating of 94.4. Great numbers for a freshman and while a rather small sample size, it’s a great indication of his potential.

Other players to know include freshmen guard duo DJ Steward and Jeremy Roach. Both five-star talents in the 2020 recruiting class. Steward is averaging 13.1 points per game on 42.3% shooting while Roach is shooting at a 43.9% clip while averaging 10 points per game.

When the Yellow Jackets have the ball:

For the Yellow Jackets, offensively, it will be much of the same game plan they’ve had for the last few games. Move the ball around, find the open shots, and overall good shot selection will be key. The Jackets have been great from beyond the arch as well for the last few games and they’ll need to continue that going forward.

Look for big games out of the same names you’ve grown to know in Jose Alvarado, Michael Devoe, Jordan Usher, and Moses Wright. Usher especially has come alive of recent and has provided the Jackets either  considerably strong fourth option when the starting five is in the floor.

Prediction:

The Jackets are by far the hotter team going into this game and are playing well on both ends of the court. If they keep that level of play up, especially offensively, they’ll have a great chance of coming away with a victory on Tuesday night.

For an official prediction, we’ll go with the Yellow Jackets grabbing that first win against Duke since 2010 by a final score of 74-68. The Jackets see big games out of their two most important players in Jose Alvarado and Michael Devoe.