The Blue Devils take on Georgia Tech on the road at 9 p.m. Tuesday night as the team starts a stretch of three games in five days. Before every basketball game, we’ll break down a player on each team who could be the difference-maker in the upcoming contest.
Duke: forward Amile Jefferson
Robert Carter, Jr. was absent for Georgia Tech in the last matchup against Duke, but his rebounding prowess—8.5 rebounds per game—means the Blue Devils will have to rely heavily on Jefferson to control the painted area. In both his career games against the Yellow Jackets, Jefferson has grabbed double-digit rebounds, including 10 boards in 28 minutes against Georgia Tech in January. Duke's goal will be to stay even on the glass. In each of its losses this season, Duke has lost the battle of the boards by at least five rebounds. An active Jefferson predicts the team's success, as well. When the sophomore has grabbed 10-plus boards in a game this year, the Blue Devils are 6-0. If that happens Tuesday, it’ll very likely be 7-0.
Georgia Tech: guard Marcus Georges-Hunt
If Georgia Tech wants to keep up with Duke’s high-powered offense, it’ll need big production out of Georges-Hunt, who's averaging 12.3 points per game on the year. With leading scorer Trae Golden sidelined due to a groin injury, Georges-Hunt came up big against Boston College, hitting two go-ahead shots in the final 20 seconds to secure the win, en route to a 15-point performance. Recently, he's been the barometer for Georgia Tech—he's averaged 18.0 points in the team's past two victories on 50.0 percent shooting, while only shooting 18.2 percent in the past two losses. When Georges-Hunt faced off against Duke in Cameron, he led the Yellow Jackets with 18 in the game.
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