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Georgia Tech-Duke Preview

Mar 14, 2010 - 3:55 PM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Georgia Tech (22-11) at Duke (28-5), 1:00 p.m. EDT

Another ACC tournament title would be nothing new for Duke, but it has been four years since the fourth-ranked Blue Devils entered the field of 65 as a top seed.

Georgia Tech, meanwhile, will settle for seeing its name anywhere in the bracket.

A No. 1 seed could be Duke's prize if it can claim its conference-record 18th tournament title Sunday afternoon in Greensboro, while the Yellow Jackets' first postseason ACC championship in 17 years would remove the worry about possibly not hearing their name called.

The Blue Devils (28-5) have won eight of the past 11 ACC tournament titles, including a 79-69 triumph over Florida State last year in Atlanta.

That was only good enough to earn Duke a No. 2 seed on selection Sunday, the third straight season coach Mike Krzyzewski's team has fallen short of the top line in the NCAA tournament. It hasn't advanced past the regional semifinals since 2006.

Additionally, Duke's last three Final Four appearances since 1999 have come as a top seed.

Now, with Kansas, Kentucky and Syracuse expected to be No. 1 seeds, it appears the Blue Devils are in contention with Ohio State and West Virginia for the remaining top spot.

While it would be tough to deny Duke a No. 1 with both the ACC's regular-season and tournament titles, Krzyzewski's team was preparing for Georgia Tech (22-11) just minutes after knocking off Miami 77-74 in Saturday's semifinal - its 16th win in 17 games as the ACC tournament's top seed.

"We are playing for a championship tomorrow," forward Lance Thomas said. "That is all we are thinking about."

Duke is likely looking at a third straight No. 2 seed if it can't beat the Yellow Jackets, but its vast ACC title game experience figures to give it a leg up on a team that hasn't played in one since 2005 - when it lost to the Blue Devils.

"We have been there, but if anything that just helps us knowing how tough it is," all-conference guard Jon Scheyer said after scoring 16 points against the Hurricanes.

Georgia Tech will certainly have its eyes on Scheyer, as the senior guard averaged 23.0 points and 6.5 assists in two meetings.

The Yellow Jackets won 71-67 in Atlanta on Jan. 9 behind 21 points from Gani Lawal, but Duke got revenge a few weeks later. Kyle Singler, who had 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists against Miami, scored a career-high 30 points in an 86-67 win at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Feb. 4.

"Duke is a great team, a very talented team but we feel like going into this game we are worried about what we do," Lawal said. "Not to be cocky or arrogant, we feel like if we establish ourselves inside out like we did at Tech, we will have some good results."

Lawal and freshman Derrick Favors, the Yellow Jackets' two leading scorers, have taken a Georgia Tech team that came into the ACC tournament on the bubble into one that could make its first NCAA appearance since 2007 even with a loss Sunday.

Favors had a game-high 17 points Saturday and Lawal added 12 points and 10 rebounds - his 12th double-double - in a 57-54 semifinal win over North Carolina State.

Rather than worry about his team's bubble status, Yellow Jackets coach Paul Hewitt was only thinking of winning the program's first ACC tournament title since 1993.

"We've got a chance to make ourselves a lock tomorrow," Hewitt said, "and that is the mindset we have right now."