Georgia Tech vs Duke Picks and Predictions: Blue Devils Take Sting Out of Yellow Jackets

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will face their fourth ranked opponent in seven games on Tuesday in what will be their toughest challenge to date. On the opposite side of them will be the Duke Blue Devils and, most notably, star freshman Paolo Banchero. 

Continue reading for our free college basketball betting picks and predictions for Georgia Tech vs Duke on Tuesday, January 4th for more.

Georgia Tech vs Duke odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

The spread opened with Duke as sizable 17-point favorites and has since moved to 18.5. The total opened at 141 and has largely stayed there at the time of this writing.

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.

Georgia Tech vs Duke predictions

• Prediction: Duke -18.5 (-106)
• Prediction: Under 141 (-104)
• Best bet: Under 141 (-104)

Predictions made on 1/4/2022 at 2:37 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Georgia Tech vs Duke game info

• Location: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, NC
• Date: Tuesday, January 4, 2022
• Tip-off: 9:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ACCN

Georgia Tech at Duke betting preview

Injuries

Georgia Tech: None.
Duke: None.

Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.

Betting trend to know

Georgia Tech has a 3-9 record against the spread this year, including their active stretch of failing to cover in seven of their last eight. They have also played Under the total in five straight games. Find more NCAA betting trends for Georgia Tech vs. Duke.

Georgia Tech vs Duke picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Spread analysis

Georgia Tech is largely a two-man show and its lead star is senior guard Michael Devoe, who averages a monstrous 21.2 PPG (T-8th) and is just one of 23 Division I players to average 20-plus points per game. His game is fluid and effortless, and he combines smooth finishes inside with efficiency with respectable volume from the perimeter (46.4% on 6.3 3PA per game) and the free-throw line (71.9% on 5.2 FTA per game).

Fellow senior guard Jordan Usher is his co-star, averaging 15.1 PPG and 7.1 RPG. Usher is a hybrid-type player who is too big for guards at 6-foot-7, 213 lbs, and too quick with the ball in his hands for forwards. The problem, however, is that Georgia Tech simply doesn't have enough outside of Devoe and Usher. If one of the two is having an off night, the Yellow Jackets are often in a lot of trouble.

For example, Devoe has shot just 40% from the field over the last five games compared to the 57% he shot in the six games prior to that. Usher, on the other hand, has had a 50% field goal percentage and a 56% three-point percentage in the last four games but scored just 13 points total in the two games prior to that. The two not being able to overlap each other's production has yielded poor results and Georgia Tech has been on the losing end in five of its last six.

Sure, Duke has a similarly top-heavy attack between Paolo Banchero (17.1 PPG) and Wendell Moore (17.0 PPG), but the rest of its roster is far more complementary. They have Joey Baker and AJ Griffin, both of whom shoot better than 40% from three, center Mark Williams, who is a towering presence inside (67.7% field goal percentage), and Trevor Keels, who is an all-around complementary scorer (12.7 PPG).

That massive difference in roster quality and construction is why Duke ranks 8th in scoring whereas Georgia Tech is a very pedestrian 263rd. Making matters worse, Georgia Tech will also have the challenge of scoring against a Blue Devils defense that ranks 22nd in KenPom defensive efficiency. Their last two affairs against top defenses (LSU and USC) netted them 53 points both times, and they lost those games by an average of 15 points.

Prediction: Duke -18.5 (-106)

Over/Under analysis

Given Georgia Tech's previous struggles against quality defenses, and Devoe and Usher's inability to get on the same page production-wise, it's hard to see how the Yellow Jackets can contribute enough to the total. They're very likely losing this game and they've averaged under 60 points in their last five losses.

They've gone Under the total in four straight and in six of their last seven. The totals earlier in the season that they went Over were against the likes of Stetson, Lamar, Charleston Southern, and Georgia Southern.

Prediction: Under 141 (-104)

Best bet

One possible concern for the Blue Devils' potential backers is that they haven't played since Dec. 22 following the postponement of their last two games. Going nearly two weeks without game action can lend its hand to slow starts, which could be in play here.

As talented as Paolo Banchero and the rest of Duke is, there's more comfort and room for error in the total than there is in the spread.

Pick: Under 141 (-104)

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