Georgia Tech's Upset Bid vs No. 11 Duke Comes up Short on the road 84-79

Georgia Tech has now lost five in a row and their record sits at 8-8

After the past three games in ACC play, it would have been fair to expect Georgia Tech to show up flat on the road today vs the No. 11 Duke Blue Devils. Yes, they had already beaten Duke, but you would think that would have made the Blue Devils well aware that Georgia Tech was capable of pulling an upset, but they did not come out like they remembered that last matchup between the two teams. 

A lot of credit should be given to Stoudamire for having his team ready to play. Cameron Indoor is arguably the toughest place to play in the country and Duke had not lost since playing the Yellow Jackets in December. Duke came into the game as 17.5 point favorites. 

Free throw attempts and turnovers are what defined this game today. Duke attempted 28 free throws to Georgia Tech's 12 and Georgia Tech had 14 turnovers compared to four from Duke

Stoudamire decided to make a slight change with the starting lineup tonight. Nait George, Miles Kelly, Kowacie Reeves, Baye Ndongo, and Tafara Gapare were the first five on the floor for the Yellow Jackets. Gapare started in place of Ebenezer Dowuona. 

Georgia Tech needed to get off to a good start and that is what they did. Both teams were shooting well, but the Yellow Jackets were staying within striking distance. The highlight of the first half was a massive dunk for Reeves. 

Whew Kowacie Reeves just destroyed Ryan Young 🤯 #GATech pic.twitter.com/L0vN3by48a

— TimeoutSPORTS__ (@TimeoutSPORTS3) January 13, 2024

It started to look like Duke was going to start seperating from Georgia Tech, but the Yellow Jackets defense stepped up in a huge way towards the end of the first half. Duke only hit one of their last 13 field goal attempts. 

At the half, Georgia Tech was shooting 52% from the field and 57% from three. Duke was shooting 35% from the floor and 44% from three. 

Duke was 13-19 from the free throw line. Georgia Tech was 1-4. 

The start of the second half saw Georgia Tech carry over the momentum that found at the end of the first. They started off on an 8-2 run and led 51-43 at the 14:53 timeout and did hold a ten point lead after the timeout  53-43. 

Then the Blue Devils started to find their footing offensively. 

An 8-0 run from Duke cut the lead to one halfway through the second half, but the Yellow Jackets were not going to lay down for Duke. They kept battling and held the lead 69-66 with 6:52 left. 

Georgia Tech Basketball vs Duke / Georgia Tech Athletics

Duke finished the game on an 18-10 run and won the game at home. Georgia Tech had their chances, but could not come up with stops late in the game and Duke won 84-79. 

For the game, Georgia Tech shot 55% from both the field and from three. Miles Kelly and Baye Ndongo each had 16 points, while freshman point guard Nait George had 17. 

Duke shot 43% from the field and 48% from three. 

The Yellow Jackets are on the road again on Tuesday, this time against Clemson. Tip off for that game is set for 9:00 p.m. and will be televised on ACC Network. 

Which Former Georgia Tech Stars are suiting up in the NFL Playoffs?

Follow us on social media for the latest news on Georgia Tech Athletics!

Facebook: All Yellow Jacket

Twitter: @AllYellowJacket