Duke Basketball: 3 takeaways from crushing overtime loss to Georgia Tech

When they needed a win the most, Duke Basketball failed to seal the deal against Georgia Tech, falling to the Yellow Jackets in overtime in a late-night ACC showdown on Tuesday evening, 81-77.  The loss sends the Blue Devils to 11-10 overall, and – most significantly – further down the bubble ladder.

Entering the night fresh off a disappointing overtime loss to Louisville on Saturday, the Blue Devils desperately needed a win to bolster their chances of receiving an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament.  Projected to be just outside the field heading into this game, the general consensus entering this game was that a win would propel Duke back into the field.

Instead, Georgia Tech – which was just barely in the field – further widened the gap.  The Yellow Jackets earned another monster performance from senior Moses Wright on his Senior Night, with Wright posting a line of 29 points (12-19 2PT, 1-1 3PT, 2-4 FT), 14 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks.  He was not alone, either – Michael Devoe (15), Jordan Usher (14), and Jose Alvarado (10) all logged double-digits, as well.

This game was not pretty by any means, particularly towards the end of both regulation and overtime – but, to Duke’s credit, this was one of their better performances.  Both Wendell Moore Jr. and Mark Williams registered 20 points apiece, while Matthew Hurt continued his string of double-digit performances with 12 points.  Jordan Goldwire, meanwhile, came off the bench and dished out a game-high eight assists.

There is now no room for error for the Blue Devils, who are now one loss shy of evening both their overall and conference at .500.  They have now lost back-to-back games for the first time since their three-game losing streak to begin February, and they will now have to travel to North Carolina to close out their regular season.

Ahead of that game on Saturday, however, there are a few things to take away from Duke’s performance against the Yellow Jackets – and they must be addressed or acknowledged if the Blue Devils hope to reach the NCAA Tournament.