Busting Brackets
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ACC Basketball power rankings: Duke ahead of pack as conference play starts

By Michael Walton

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 31: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils huddles with his team during the second half of their game against the Boston College Eagles at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 31, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 88-49. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 31: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils huddles with his team during the second half of their game against the Boston College Eagles at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 31, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 88-49. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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LEXINGTON, KY – DECEMBER 14: Khalid Moore #12 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets dribbles the ball against Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

. 7-5 (0-2). . Yellow Jackets . 14. team. 436

Georgia Tech is coming off of a third-place finish in the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii. They played extremely well in wins over Boise State and in their third-place win over Hawaii but their loss to Houston in the semifinals of the Diamond Head Classic showcased one of their biggest issues: an inability to score with against teams with good defenses.

Houston held the Yellow Jackets to 37% shooting from the field and tough leading scorer Michael Devoe played well (17 points on nine shots), Georgia Tech couldn’t get enough from third-leading scorer Jordan Usher (4-for-12 from the field, 10 points)  and literally received nothing from their bench. This a recurring theme that will likely be their downfall in ACC play.

Over the last three games before Tuesday’s Florida State game—and keep in mind two of these games were actually wins—the Georgia Tech bench has scored a combined total of 16 points. That’s right. Six. Teen. Points.

Sorry to be so dramatic but it needs to be stated plainly: this Georgia Tech team isn’t talented enough to slug with the heavyweights of the conference if there are going to be absolutely no contributions from the bench.

We will get to see if the Yellow Jackets are ready to turn a corner soon. They have a January 4 date with North Carolina at Chapel Hill that could potentially wash the taste of the FSU loss out of their mouths. The Seminoles forced Georgia Tech into 20 turnovers and dominated them down the stretch of a game they were very much in through the first half.

It would’ve been great to see Georgia Tech at least keep things competitive against FSU because a matchup with the likely Cole Anthony-less Tar Heels could provide an opportunity for a big-time road win for a team that already has a surprise road win against NC State.