Duke holds off Georgia Tech on day riddled with upsets

ATLANTA, Ga. — The Blue Devils did what many other ACC teams have been unable to do of late—they won on the road in a charged environment.

Top-ranked Duke (18-1, 7-0 in the ACC) defeated No. 14 Georgia Tech (16-4, 4-3) Saturday 82-74 after making a late surge the Yellow Jackets were unable to match.

The win over a lower-ranked opponent was an anomaly on the day, as 1/3 of the nation's top 25 teams fell to underdogs, including North Carolina's loss at Clemson. The Tar Heels are now 0-4 on the road in ACC play.

Meanwhile, the Blue Devils extended their dominance over the nation's best conference, remaining the lone undefeated team in the ACC.

A combination of Chris Duhon’s leadership, Luol Deng’s offensive production, tenacity on the boards and timely three pointers by J.J. Redick and Daniel Ewing catalyzed Duke down the stretch.

With the Yellow Jackets nursing a 66-64 advantage, Shavlik Randolph put down an emphatic dunk, and on the ensuing possession made a short turnaround jumper.

Next, Georgia Tech's Luke Schenscher—who had 18 points and was praised by head coach Mike Krzyzewski for his performance after the game—earned a chance at a conventional three-point play, but missed the free throw.

The Blue Devils capitalized, as Redick collected a tipped pass off a missed free throw by Deng behind the arc, pump faked, allowed the Georgia Tech defender to fly by him, took a power dribble, and nailed his third trey of the contest.

The boiling point came in the first half, when Redick and B.J. Elder began wrestling over the ball directly in front of the Yellow Jackets' bench, despite the fact that the play had already been whistled dead. Redick, who had been stripped by Elder, regained possession of the ball, though his back and head were out of bounds. Regardless, Elder attempted to rip the ball from Redick's hands, perhaps unaware the whistle had been blown.Neither player would relinquish the ball, however, as Elder shoved Redick in the chest with his forearm, prompting Ewing to come to Redick’s aid. Georgia Tech reserve Robert Brooks then stepped onto the floor and entered the fray.The scrap was then quickly ceased by the referees and players.

Following a five-minute review and discussion by the officials, Redick and Ewing were charged with technical fouls, along with Elder and Brooks. Brooks was subsequently thrown out of the game.

The foul was the third on Redick, forcing him to sit out the remaining 11 minutes of the half.
The fight seemed to energize Duke, which scored 11 straight points following the scuffle, most coming in the paint as Shelden Williams battled his way to a 14-point first half.

Duke would eventually take a five-point lead into the locker room.

“We feel fortunate to win, I think we earned it, but Georgia Tech could have sat here and said they won and that they earned it,” Krzyzewski said.

Please stay tuned to The Chronicle Online for more on Duke’s 15^th consecutive win, including a slideshow and extended quotes from Krzyzewski and the rest of the Blue Devils.