After losing four of their last five games, the Blue Devils will look to get back on track Tuesday night against Georgia Tech. Duke enters the contest unranked for the first time in eight years but will face off against a Yellow Jacket team that is only 2-6 in ACC play. Here are three keys to the game:
Get on the glass
Since senior Amile Jefferson was sidelined with a right foot injury, the Blue Devils have been hurting for an interior presence capable of bringing in rebounds. In its Jan. 13 loss at Clemson, Duke pulled down just 24 rebounds—their lowest of the season. A similar story ensued five days later in a home loss to Syracuse as the Orange out rebounded the Blue Devils 49 to 42. Although Georgia Tech has just two ACC wins in its first eight conference games, the Yellow Jackets have given themselves plenty of chances down low. Averaging nearly 41 rebounds per game, Georgia Tech is outrebounding opponents by eight per contest and are led by double-double machine Charles Mitchell. The 6-foot-8, 256-pound senior is averaging 10.7 boards to go along with 11.3 points per game.
Without their captain, Duke does not have a single player that averages more than eight rebounds per game and just two—Marshall Plumlee and Brandon Ingram—above six per contest. Against the Yellow Jackets' duo of Mitchell and 262-pound redshirt senior Nick Jacobs, the Blue Devils will need everyone to chip in if they are to win the rebound battle Tuesday.
Score enough points to win the game
Sure, it doesn't seem like a novel concept, but Duke needs to continue to light up the scoreboard. The Blue Devils possess the nation’s ninth-best scoring offense at 84.9 points per game, yet their four lowest point totals of the season have come in four of their five losses. A prolific offense is nothing new to head coach Mike Krzyzewski, but against top competition this year, Duke’s offense has gone missing.
The Yellow Jackets are no defensive juggernaut. Georgia Tech ranks 11th in scoring defense among ACC teams and allow nearly 72 points per game. With the Yellow Jackets also fourth-to-last in turnover margin in the conference, the Blue Devils should not have too much of a challenge getting going offensively in Atlanta. With sophomore and team scoring leader Grayson Allen putting up just over 20 points per game and Ingram close behind at 17.1 per contest, expect Duke to put its mark on the game early. If the Blue Devils score like they are capable of, they should be able to move back above .500 in conference play.
Build momentum
After Tuesday, Duke has just nine regular season games remaining before the start of postseason play. With a brutal stretch ahead—with five of nine games against ranked competition—the Blue Devils need to get pointed in the right direction before it is too late.
Unranked for the first time since 2007, Duke has to make its game against Georgia Tech a momentum-builder without looking too far ahead. The Blue Devils have sputtered out of the gates in the ACC and their 4-4 mark has them sitting tied for ninth in the conference. Starting Saturday, the Blue Devils begin a four-game stretch with home contests against N.C. State, No. 19 Louisville and No. 9 Virginia, followed by a rivalry road matchup at No. 2 North Carolina. For Duke to survive the gauntlet of its season, it needs to find the confidence that it has been lacking without Jefferson in the lineup. A win Tuesday night would help do just that.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Twitter: @mpgladstone13
A junior from just outside Philadelphia, Mitchell is probably reminding you how the Eagles won the Super Bowl this year and that the Phillies are definitely on the rebound. Outside of The Chronicle, he majors in Economics, minors in Statistics and is working toward the PJMS certificate, in addition to playing trombone in the Duke University Marching Band. And if you're getting him a sandwich with beef and cheese outside the state of Pennsylvania, you best not call it a "Philly cheesesteak."