Duke shows growth, beats Georgia Tech 75-68

Duke broke the streak Tuesday night, beating a very good Georgia Tech team 75-68 and pushing its record back above .500 at 6-5 overall and 4-3 in ACC play.

Many, including head coach Mike Krzyzewski, noted Duke’s fight and late game competitiveness against Louisville on Saturday. It was considered by most to be a good sign of the Blue Devils beginning to turn a corner, despite the loss.

And based on Duke’s performance against the Yellow Jackets, the assessment was spot on. Krzyzewski was looking for more toughness, and physicality from his team. And his squad gave him that and more.

“We beat a really good team tonight,” Krzyzewski said. “Proud of my guys. They played a tough game tonight. I thought the leadership that (Jordan) Goldwire and (Wendell) Moore provided, it was the first time we’ve had that level of leadership."

The leadership component was perhaps the most important thing showing up on the floor Tuesday, not that it has been absent this season. It just has not been, as Krzyzewski noted, at its highest level.

And leading up to Tuesday’s game, Devils Illustrated noted the importance of Goldwire’s presence, primarily because of Georgia Tech guard Jose Alvarado.

The Yellow Jackets’ star had a tremendous game, scoring 26 points and handing out five assists, and at times put his team on his back. He was the sole reason Georgia Tech was able to rally back from 11 points down in the second half, and make it close game up until the final moments.

But, what Goldwire, and Moore, provided was a response. They gave Duke poise that permeated through the rest of the team. And instead of letting Alvarado and Georgia Tech take over the game, Duke responded every time single time.

“Jordan really did a good job,” Krzyzewski said. “I mean he did a great job in the game.

“It goes to leadership. Goldwire really did a good job, and Wendell, of settling us down. You expend so much energy trying to stop’em and you can let up a little bit, or rush or not be poised. I thought we had good poise at the end.”

Twice Duke built 11 point leads in the second half, the first coming just 1:24 into the final 20 minutes of action. But, in the matter of 1:15, Georgia Tech cut Duke’s lead to four at 38-34. The Blue Devils responded, though, stretching their lead back to 11 points in a 7-0 run of their own that stretched over 1:15.

Duke fought off several other runs in the second half, and ultimately took control in the final 30 seconds by knocking down free throws.

Leading up to the game, Krzyzewski pointed out that he needed his team to be more physical, and find ways to get to the free throw line. They did exactly that, attempted 22 free throws in the game. More importantly, they converted those tries, making 18 of them.

DJ Steward, who led Duke with 19 points, while adding five rebounds and three assists, attacked the basket consistently all night long. The result was six free throws, all of which the freshman made.

Jalen Johnson was also aggressive, and as a result found himself fat the line five times. This was particularly the case in the second half and down the stretch in critical moments for Duke. Matthew Hurt also drew contact, shooting seven free throws.

It was a good sign for Duke.

“I would say we just had to be more aggressive,” Johnson said. “We weren’t being as aggressive the past few games. Just being aggressive and being physical and that led to a lot of free throws for us.”

Goldwire elaborated a little more on the topic.

“I think we went back and looked at film, kinda against Louisville,” he said. “We were kinda dribbling out on the perimeter a little more. I think guys were trying to get deeper into the lane today, if they had a shot or a kick. I just think we were more aggressive today and trying to get to the paint.”

In addition to being in more of an attack mode in general, Duke also saw its best players step up in big moments - notably Johnson, Hurt and Steward.

Johnson had moments in the final minutes where he put Duke on his back. With Duke trailing by one point, 61-60, with 3:48 to go, Johnson went into attack mode. He drove to the hoop with strength and finished the play while drawing the foul on Alvarado. He converted the free throw, and just like that Duke had a two point lead again.

Georgia Tech responded with an Alvarado 3-pointer just 18 seconds later to jump back in front by one. But Johnson was having none of it. He attacked the hoop again, finishing the play and drawing a foul on Moses Wright. Once again, he converted the free throw.

It was contagious for the team, as Matthew Hurt followed with a strong stretch of his own. Goldwire and Steward also came up big with important plays in the final stretch.

“Down the stretch, made big buckets,” Krzyzewski said. “Matt Hurt was strong, Jalen.

“Big win for us. You lose three games … and they had two threes - one that bounced up 25 feet in the air and came back down and came in - maybe 15 feet in the air, and then Parham threw that thing in at the end of the shot clock to make it 60-59 and then they took the lead by one.

“And based on losing three in a row, a team can start thinking negative and our guys didn’t. That’s all on them. Our players did that and I’m proud of them.”

In addition to Duke’s poise and improved physicality, a balanced effort was critical for the Blue Devils.

Johnson scored 18 points, pulled down six rebounds and recorded three steals. Hurt finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. Goldwire had 11 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

Krzyzewski has been waiting for Hurt and Johnson, in particular, to play well alongside each other. They co-existed in a huge way in the second half, combining for 29 of Duke’s 42 points. They connected on a combined 10-of-14 from the field in the half.

Then there was the play of Mark Williams, Duke’s 7-foot freshman, who has played limited minutes this season. He posted a career-high 13 minutes of action and gave Duke six points and six rebounds.

He was very important for Duke’s ability to take a lead into halftime. It was overall, just a strong showing from Duke and something they can potentially build from going forward.

“For us to come out and beat a very good Georgia Tech team, older team, it just shows we’re trying to keep improving everyday,” Goldwire said. “It’s one win. Obviously we’d like to get back in the win column. It’s a lot more games to go. We’ve just got to keep trying to get better and keep learning from our mistakes.”