The Blue Devils look to bounce back Saturday afternoon in a matchup against Georgia Tech. In anticipation of the contest, the Blue Zone has you ready with some can’t-miss prop bets:
Duke (-9) vs. Georgia Tech
To add to their away struggles this season, Blue Devils fell on the road against Virginia Tech Monday, a team that had not won a game in nearly five weeks. Duke, which has a 1-4 away record, faces a Georgia Tech squad in a similar form Saturday. The Yellow Jackets have lost their last six games and are merely 1-9 in ACC play. As such, there are multiple factors that point to a smooth Duke victory. Unlike Virginia Tech’s losses, most of Georgia Tech’s defeats have been by double digits, as the team has lost by 15 points or more six times. On the hardwood, Duke’s height will pose a dangerous threat to the Georgia Tech frontcourt. The Yellow Jackets only have one impact player over 6-foot-8, which likely won’t bode well against a lengthy, physical Duke team. Duke’s 47th-ranked defense should shut down many scoring avenues for the nation's 241st-ranked offense. Even though Duke has struggled from beyond the arc, Georgia Tech has struggled significantly in comparison, as the team is No. 294 in 3-point percentage. On the offensive side, Duke should dominate the paint and feast on second-chance points. The signs point to a dominant Duke victory, so let’s not overthink it.
Pick: Duke -9
Over/Under 138 points
This contest has the under written all over it. First of all, both sides have had low-scoring percentages all season. Away from home, Duke averages just 65.3 points and 26.2% from 3-point range. Alternatively, Georgia Tech has one of the lowest field goal percentages nationally at No. 297 and could struggle to find consistent scoring opportunities. Unfortunately for Duke, the team will be without freshman forward Dariq Whitehead, who suffered a leg injury when playing against Virginia Tech. With these factors in mind, the trends point to the under. Both teams have hit the under three or more times than the under, so there is little reason to believe that will change. Lastly, backing Duke to put up a high-scoring offensive performance away from Cameron Indoor Stadium is not a statistically wise decision.
Pick: Under 138 points
Kyle Filipowski over/under 16.5 points
At the moment, Kyle Filipowski is far from struggling. The standout freshman averages 15.7 points per game and shoots at a 43.1% mark from the field. Filipowski is fresh off a dominant 29-point performance in the loss to Virginia Tech and has shown no signs of slowing down. With Whitehead out, Filipowski might have to carry even more offensive duties, which sets him up for a huge display. Additionally, Georgia Tech likely does not have the skill to contend with the 7-foot Westtown, N.Y., native, so expect him to feast in the paint. In a critical game for the Blue Devils, it’s best to trust Duke’s top-performing player to deliver.
Pick: Over 16.5 points
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