Duke (23-3, 15-9-1 ATS) stepped out of conference and disposed of St. John’s 86-56 as 22.5-point favorites.

2008-02-26

Duke (23-3, 15-9-1 ATS) stepped out of conference and disposed of St. John’s 86-56 as 22.5-point favorites. Coach Mike Krzyzewski is not ready to proclaim everything is dandy in Durham just yet. "The two losses knocked us back," he said. "We're not an established team yet. The roots of confidence both individually and as a team, are not deep enough yet, and they shouldn't be with so many developing players. So when you get knocked back, you have to reestablish those roots, and it will take more then one game."

The Dukies opponent, Georgia Tech (11-14, 10-13 ATS) might end up being home for the post-season, barring a fantastic finish. The Yellow Jackets have been stung by a lack of defense, allowing 75.8 points per game and even more in conference play at 78.4 PPG, lending reason for 4-7 and 5-6 ATS mark. All season, coach Paul Hewitt has tried to find the right players, often not finding success. Some combinations are very porous," Hewitt said, "and we don't want to keep them on the floor, especially with the (slim) margin for error we have now."
With Duke averaging 90.5 PPG at Cameron Indoor, Georgia Tech’s defensive woes don’t figure to magically disappear. The Jackets will be underdogs in the mid-teens at Sportsbook.com, attempting to end stranglehold the Blue Devils have held on them with 13-4 ATS record. Duke is 12-3 ATS in home games after scoring 80 points or more over the last three seasons, facing a Techster squad that is a rambling wreck playing on the road off a road loss at 0-7 ATS.
StatFox Take – Duke by 16

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