Miles Kelly went 4-for-9 from three-point range against Mississippi State. (photo by Danny Karnik)
Prompted by a question over text: When was the last time Georgia Tech beat a ranked opponent so early in the calendar? You have to go back to November 21, 2006, when the Jackets downed No. 11 Memphis, 92-85, at the Maui Invitational.
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Duke has perennially (and rightfully) earned blueblood status in the ACC, but they’ve also had elevated levels of saltiness when playing Georgia Tech lately. Curiously, the Blue Devils are 1-4 in their last five games before facing Tech dating back to 2020-21. That includes an 80-75 defeat to Arkansas in the thunderdome of Bud Walton Arena Wednesday.
Spurning some first-round NBA Draft projections, 7-foot “stretch 5” Kyle Filipowski returns for his sophomore year and anchors the Blue Devils’ offense again. The ACC’s Preseason Player of the Year, Filipowski (19.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg) moves nimbly on slips, pick-and-pops, and relocations to the post. He can also dribble with either hand and is an adroit passer out of double teams.
Foul trouble handcuffed him against Arkansas (though he still finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds), but Filipowski creates constant mismatches and broken floors with his length, mobility and shot-making. Senior guard Jeremy Roach (13.0 ppg) is Duke’s best attacker off the dribble who has shown an improved touch from deep, while sophomore point guard Tyrese Proctor (11.7 ppg) has a nearly 5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio and maneuvers around screens well.
The Blue Devils haven’t hammered the offensive boards quite as hard as they have in years past – after finishing ninth in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage a year ago, they rank 210th as of Thursday (28.5 percent) – but Tech can’t get worn down by Duke’s length when chasing rebounds and 50-50 balls. The Jackets did a good job staying in gaps and playing “help the helper” defense against Mississippi State. That’ll need to continue against a Duke team that’ll be looking to rediscover its rhythm following a choppy offensive night in Fayetteville.
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Walk-on Emmer Nichols can offer a scouting report in two hemispheres for Tyrese Proctor, Duke’s preseason All-ACC combo guard and native of Sydney, Australia.
A Woodside, Calif., native, Nichols spent the second semester of his junior year of high school in Australia. Nichols’ Dad is Australian, which gives Emmer dual citizenship, and with high school sports cancelled in California for the year, the family moved to Australia for in-person schooling and to be closer to his Dad’s family. There, Nichols’ Australian Capital Territory team beat Proctor’s New South Wales Metro team in the third-place game of the U18 national championships. The 6-foot-6 Nichols had the defensive assignment on Proctor.
