Duke set for first road test against Georgia Tech without Wendell Moore

MIAMI, FLORIDA - JANUARY 04: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils drives to the basket against Chris Lykes #0 of the Miami Hurricanes during the second half at the Watsco Center on January 04, 2020 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - JANUARY 04: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils drives to the basket against Chris Lykes #0 of the Miami Hurricanes during the second half at the Watsco Center on January 04, 2020 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

The Duke Basketball team is set for its first game on the road without Wendell Moore as the Blue Devils will face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Wednesday night.

After two straight convincing victories in ACC play with the latest on the road against the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday night, the Duke Blue Devils will have a new challenge in front of them in the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Duke will be without freshman forward Wendell Moore who is recovering from a broken hand that he had surgery on Monday and Georgia Tech is coming off of a major road victory against the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday.

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The Yellow Jackets have a formidable guard combination of Michael Devoe and Jose Alvarado while in its frontcourt Georgia Tech utilizes James Banks III and Moses Wright.

The Blue Devils could miss the defensive prowess of Wendell Moore as he was proven as one of the better defenders Duke has but alongside point guard Tre Jones it could be Cassius Stanley that is tasked with controlling the Tech backcourt.

Vernon Carey Jr. may have his hands full with the 6-foot-9 Wright and 6-foot-10 Banks III who combine to average 15.1 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game.

Riding the high of its win on Saturday, the crowd at McCamish Pavilion will certainly bring its best in trying to rattle the Blue Devils on Wednesday but unfortunately for the Georgia Tech faithful, Duke is battle-tested already and the Yellow Jackets are just another hurdle this season.

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Duke is clearly the superior team when compared to Georgia Tech and although it is impressive to win in the Dean Dome, this North Carolina team was severely undermanned and not one of the best in recent years.

It’ll be important for Duke to get out to a fast start and not give the Yellow Jackets any momentum and confidence after they started Saturday’s game on a 27-4 run over the Tar Heels.

Tipoff is scheduled for Duke and Georgia Tech at 9:00pm EST on the ACC Network.

PREDICTION: Duke 73, Georgia Tech 54