By Andy Demetra | Voice of the Yellow Jackets
The freshmen delivered a star-turning performance, showing poise and shot-making beyond their years.
Except this time, the freshmen didn’t play for Duke.
Despite their usual litany of McDonald’s All-Americans, it was Baye Ndongo (21 points) and Nait George (9 assists) who combined to stun Duke at McCamish Pavilion last year, pacing the Yellow Jackets to a court-storming, 72-68 upset over the seventh-ranked Blue Devils.
“I thought we played extremely hard, and we were prepared for the moment,” head coach Damon Stoudamire recalled.
Georgia Tech (5-6, 0-1 ACC) knows it still hasn’t put together a complete game yet. Offensive lulls, inconsistent rotations due to injuries or fouls – they’ve all taken their turns as culprits, even in the Yellow Jackets’ wins. A complete game won’t be any easier Saturday against No. 5 Duke (9-2, 1-0 ACC) in their ACC home opener.
Then again, the Jackets don’t need to look far into the past for inspiration.
Enjoy the top notes, quotes and anecdotes from my chart as Tech hunts for some déjà vu against the Blue Devils (12 p.m. ET, Georgia Tech Sports Network):
Ryan Mutombo (12) has scored 16 points with 14 rebounds in the two games he has played. (photo by Danny Karnik)
Announcers said it so much this season, it bordered on meme material. But as of Saturday, Cooper Flagg, Duke’s 6-9 freshman and projected No. 1 NBA Draft pick, will officially no longer be 17.
The ACC’s Preseason Rookie of the Year, Flagg (16.6 ppg, 9.0 rpg) will celebrate his birthday on Saturday, though he’s played like an adult for a while. He’s a fluid wing who plays with leverage and an advanced feel for the game, able to pull up for soft jumpers and score from a variety of angles. He’s also an edgy defender who can guard all five positions.
Flagg may command the most attention, but he’s not the only Duke player who can fill it up. Six-foot-6 freshman Kon Knueppel (11.6 ppg) has drawn borderline lottery buzz as a polished, natural scorer, while junior point guard Tyrese Proctor (11.4 ppg) has shown improved touch from three-point range.
It’s odd to say of a team that ranks 12th nationally in offensive efficiency, Duke has struggled with offensive droughts. Paint touches have been hit-or-miss. Spacing has sometimes been an issue. And though they didn’t get the win in any of them, Georgia Tech held Oklahoma, North Carolina and Northwestern – two ranked teams and a back-to-back NCAA Tournament team, respectively – to 37.1% field goal shooting.
Can Tech be physical as Duke tries to manipulate its pick-and-rolls? Can they play well in gaps and run out to shooters with active hands? The Blue Devils lead the ACC in made threes per game; Tech will have to attack long rebounds and win scrambles. Pay attention to freshman guard Isaiah Evans (8.8 ppg), who has made 13 of his last 22 threes.
Ryan Mutombo earned his first start against UMBC following his 10-point, 7-rebound burst off the bench against Northwestern. There was something poetic about the choice of opponent – Mutombo’s career highs in points (15) and rebounds (11) came against UMBC as a freshman at Georgetown. Incidentally, Mutombo’s father, the late Dikembe Mutumbo, was roommates at Georgetown with Damon Stoudamire’s cousin Antoine.
Tech finished with a season-high 75% assist rate against UMBC, which comes at an opportune time. The Blue Devils have balanced out that unevenness offensively with bracing defense, ranking second nationally in defensive efficiency and third in field goal defense (35.5%). Flagg has predatory versatility, 7-2 freshman Khaman Maluach is a rangy rim protector, and 6-8 Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown is an athletic switchblade who covers ground well. They also have long guards who can all switch and smother.
The Jackets will need to set firm screens, cut with pace, and keep its ball movement brisk to chop down Duke’s nation-leading average height. Can they also avoid the long, out-of-rhythm shots that often become the first pass in an opponent’s fast break? The Blue Devils won’t hesitate to attack off long misses, and the Jackets have allowed 80 fast break points over the last four games.
Jaeden Mustaf (3) has averaged 13.4 points in his last seven games. (photo by Danny Karnik)
Duke’s roster features six freshmen and four transfers, so there’s a limit to how much can be gleaned from last year’s games. But consider this: an opponent exceeded its season scoring average against Duke just five times last season.
Georgia Tech was responsible for two of them.
And Duke finished the year ranked 16th nationally in defensive efficiency.
The Yellow Jackets shot 51% and 54% in those matchups against the Blue Devils. Prior to that, they hadn’t shot better than 50% in a game against Duke since 2006-07.
“He’s coming,” Stoudamire said of freshman Jaeden Mustaf, who poured in 15 points and a season-high five assists in his first career start against UMBC. He’ll now look for a better ACC showing than his debut at North Carolina, when he muddled through a 2-for-7 shooting day.
The afternoon wasn’t entirely for naught, though: Mustaf’s cousin has worked as an usher at the Smith Center since the building opened in 1986. He was able to snap a picture with her before pregame warmups.
Mustaf will lock horns Saturday with Tulane transfer Sion James, an Atlanta native who also has a family connection to Georgia Tech. His older brother Jehloni played three years as a walk-on for the Yellow Jackets and was part of Tech’s 2021 ACC Tournament championship team.
Now that we’re prepared, we hope you are as well. Join us for all the action starting with the “Ramblin’ Wreck Tip-off Show” at 11:30 a.m. ET on the Georgia Tech Sports Network. See you in Atlanta.
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Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is in its second year under head coach Damon Stoudamire. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, won four ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993, 2021), played in the NCAA Tournament 17 times and played in two Final Fours (1990, 2004). Connect with Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball on social media by liking their Facebook Page, or following on X (@GTMBB) and Instagram. For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com. Tickets for men’s basketball can be reserved here.
