THE OPENING TIP
- No. 16 Duke hits the road for its next two games, beginning with a trip to the Peach State for a date with Georgia Tech Sunday, Jan. 15. Tipoff is slated for 4 pm, live on ACC Network.
- Pam Ward and Stephanie Ward will call the action on ACC Network while Chris Edwards calls the game on the radio on the Blue Devil Sports Network from Learfield.
- Duke rose three spots to No. 16 in the Week 10 Associated Press (AP) Poll and checks in at No. 19 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
- Currently amid a 10-game winning streak, Duke is off to its best start in recent history – boasting a 15-1 overall record and a 5-0 mark in ACC play. The Blue Devils’ 15 wins in 16 games, along with their five consecutive wins to open conference action, mark program bests dating back to the 2013-14 campaign.
- In the latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings the Blue Devils are slotted ninth (as of Jan. 13).
- Defense has been the calling card for the Blue Devils this season as the team has won each of its games by an average of 22.7 points and held each of its opponents below their season scoring average, including nine of the 16 to 50 points or less.
- Duke has held its foes to 50.6 points per game on 33.8 percent shooting from the floor, marks that currently rank fourth and ninth in the NCAA, respectively, as well as first in the ACC (as of Jan. 13).
- Over its last five games, Duke has knocked down its treys at a 43.2-percent clip compared to just 26.9 percent from deep through the first 11 games of the season.
- The Blue Devils have received a huge lift from their reserves, averaging 27.8 points off the bench.
- Sunday’s matchup marks the 74th all-time meeting between Duke and Georgia Tech, with 62 of those games going the way of the Blue Devils. The teams met once during the 2021-22 season — a 13-point win (59-46) by the 12th-ranked Yellow Jackets.
SHARING THE WEALTH
- Duke’s starting five of seniors Elizabeth Balogunjunior Kennedy Brownsophomores Shayeann Day-Wilson and Reagan Richardson and senior Celeste Taylor have provided a steady hand for the Blue Devils this season, combining for 65.5 percent (46.0 points) of the team’s 70.2 points per game.
- Taylor has reached double digits in 12 of the 16 games this season followed by Balogun with nine. Brown and Day-Wilson have tallied seven double-figure scoring games apiece while Richardson has posted six.
- Taylor leads the offensive charge for Duke, averaging 12.9 points per game with Balogun (10.8) and Brown (8.1) right behind in second and third. Day-Wilson and Richardson round out the group with 7.6 and 6.6 points a contest, respectively.
- Duke’s depth has been on full display as the Blue Devils have featured seven different leading scorers through 16 games this season, with Balogun (5) and Taylor (5) finishing with the team high on multiple occasions.
- The squad features 10 players averaging at least 13 minutes per game with four of them averaging 20-plus minutes a contest — Taylor (27.8), Brown (24.0), Day-Wilson (22.8) and Balogun (21.6).
- As a team, Duke ranks sixth in the ACC in field goal percentage (.444) and has assisted on 256 of its 422 made field goals (.607) for an average of 16.0 dimes per game — No. 2 in the ACC.
- The Blue Devils are also second in the ACC in turnover margin (+4.19), third in free throw percentage (.764) and scoring margin (+19.56) and as well as fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.06).
DISRUPTING THE PEACE – ELITE BLUE DEVIL DEFENSE
- Disruptive defense has been the calling card for the Blue Devils early in the season as the team ranks among the nation’s elite, having held its opponents to 50.6 points per game on a 33.8 percent clip from the field.
- Those marks check in at fourth and ninth in the NCAA, respectively, while ranking first in the ACC (as of Jan. 13).
- Duke is also 10th in Defensive Rating, allowing its opponents just 0.654 points per possession.
- In two ACC road games, Duke has only allowed seven made field goals in the fourth quarter — NC State (4-of-18), Wake Forest (3-of-9)
- The Blue Devils have won each of their games by an average of 22.7 points and held each of their opponents below their season scoring average, including nine of the 16 to 50 points or less.
- In addition to leading the league in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense, the Blue Devils are also second in the ACC in rebounding defense (31.06), fourth in defensive rebounding percentage (.743) and blocks (4.94) and fifth in both three -point defense (.270) and steals (9.63).
DUKE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
- Duke rose three spots to No. 16 in the Week 10 Associated Press (AP) Poll and check in at No. 19 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
- The Blue Devils are also ranked ninth in the ESPN Women’s Basketball Power Rankings.
- The latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings have the Blue Devils slotted ninth nationally (as of Jan. 13), which leads the ACC, with an undefeated record at home (8-0) and in true road contests (6-0) , while being 1-1 in neutral site games.
- With an average opponent NET ranking of 13, the Blue Devils are 3-1 this season against teams ranked in the top 50 of the NET Rankings and 8-1 against the top 100, including wins over NC State (No. 13), Louisville (No. 32), Virginia (No. 39), and Oregon State (No. 55). Duke’s lone loss came to UConn, which checks in at No. 2 in the NET.
UPTICK IN EFFICIENCY
- Duke’s duo of Elizabeth Balogun and Celeste Taylor has seen an uptick in its efficiency, particularly on the offensive end.
- The team’s leading scorer this season, Taylor is averaging 14.8 points on 47.7 percent from the floor and 47.6 percent from distance across her last eight games.
- She has scored double figures in seven of those games, including a season-high 23 points to help the Blue Devils knock off then-No. 6 NC State, 72-58.
- In her first eight games, Taylor put up 11.1 points on 41.7 percent from the floor and 24.0 percent from three.
- Over her last eight games, Balogun has raised both her scoring (12.1) and rebounding (7.0) averages, in addition to her field goal and three-point percentage.
- After shooting 48.1 percent from the field and just 30 percent from three over her first eight games, Balogun has raised those averages to 58.0 percent and 57.1 percent, respectively.
- During this stretch, Balogun has scored in double digits five times overall and in three of the last four, including back-to-back double-doubles in wins over Louisville (20 pts, 10 rebs) and at Wake Forest (12 pts, 10 rebs).
HEATING UP FROM DISTANCE
- After a slow start from downtown to open the season, the Blue Devils have settled in and started to find their stroke from three-point land.
- Over its last five games, Duke has knocked down its treys at a 43.2-percent clip compared to just 26.9 percent from deep through the first 11 games of the season.
- The Blue Devils have shot over 40 percent in three of the five games while six Duke players have combined for 38 three-point makes.
- Celeste Taylor has led the charge with 16 treys during this stretch, followed by Shayeann Day-Wilson with six triples, then Elizabeth Balogun and Ashlon Jackson with five apiece.
- Vanessa de Jesus has drained four threes while Reagan Richardson has cashed in a pair.
UP NEXT
Duke hits the road for its next two games, starting with a trip to the Peach State for a date with Georgia Tech on Sunday, Jan. 15. Tipoff is slated for 4 pm, live on ACC Network.
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