An unlikely Duke duo

By The Associated Press     Jan 11, 2007

GEORGIA TECH FORWARD JEREMIS SMITH (32) knocks Duke forward Lance Thomas backward. The Yellow Jackets beat the No. 11 Blue Devils, 74-63, on Wednesday in Atlanta.

Javaris Crittenton wasn’t about to let Georgia Tech lose to Duke again.

The freshman guard made all the big plays down the stretch and led the Yellow Jackets to just their second win over the 11th-ranked Blue Devils in the past decade, 74-63 Wednesday night.

Ra’Sean Dickey scored a season-high 21 points and Anthony Morrow added 19, but it was Crittenton who came through when it mattered most. He scored nine of his 11 points in the final 3 1â2 minutes.

“I never give up,” said Crittenton, who came up with a huge steal that helped stymie a Duke comeback. “No matter how I’m playing, I just want to do whatever it takes to help my team win.”

Duke (13-3, 0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) lost its second straight, failing to bounce back from a shocking home loss to Virginia Tech, and is off to its worst start in the league since 1996.

“Just because you’re at Duke doesn’t mean you inherit winning,” coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “You inherit money – you don’t inherit knowing how to win. We’ve got to learn how to do that.”

Georgia Tech (12-4, 1-2 ACC) defeated the Blue Devils at Alexander Memorial Coliseum for the first time since ’96.

No. 1 North Carolina 79, Virginia 69

Chapel Hill, N.C. – Tyler Hansbrough had 18 points and the Tar Heels overcame a slow start to improve to 11-0 at the Dean Smith Center.

No. 7 Pittsburgh 59, DePaul 49

Rosemont, Ill. – Aaron Gray scored 18 points and had seven rebounds to lead the Panthers.

Illinois-Chicago 73, No. 12 Butler 67

Chicago – Josh Mayo scored 19 points and hit a big three-pointer in overtime to lead the the Flames to their second-ever win over a ranked team.

Vanderbilt 82, No. 16 Tennessee 81

Nashville, Tenn. – Shan Foster scored on a putback as time expired, and the Commodores snapped the Volunteers’ nine-game winning streak.

Marquette 73, No. 24 Connecticut 69

Storrs, Conn. – Ousman Barro had 17 points and 13 rebounds and the Golden Eagles used a 16-2 second-half run to snap the Huskies’ 31-game home winning streak.

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