ATLANTA — Nick Saban’s postgame speech to the Alabama football team after its 27-24 victory over Georgia in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium won’t be hard for players to remember.

That’s because it was short and sweet.

“My speech in the locker room after the game was one word: Celebrate,” the coach said after the game. “And I had just enough left within me to do the dance. Just enough.”

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Saban made his case for Alabama to be in the College Football Playoff field, but allowed that he has disagreed before with the selection committee’s choices. He said Alabama had to beat Georgia for the SEC title to have an opportunity to be in the playoff discussion.

He was also asked to demonstrate the dance as a follow-up.

“No. It’s not that good. Ask these guys,” he said, referring to quarterback Jalen Milroe and linebacker Dallas Turner, who shared the podium with him.

Duke basketball’s Tyrese Proctor was injured in the first two minutes of the Blue Devils’ ACC opener at Georgia Tech on Saturday. 

While driving to the basket, Proctor appeared to roll his left ankle with 18:44 left in the first half and Duke up 3-2 against the Yellow Jackets.

The sophomore guard, who was unable to put weight on his left ankle, was helped off the court by teammates Stanley Borden and Neal Beogvich. Following Proctor’s injury, Georgia Tech went on a 14-1 run to take an 11-point lead with just under 15 minutes left in the first half.

One of three captains for the Blue Devils, Proctor entered Saturday’s game averaging 11.7 points, 5.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game. 

The 6-foot-5 Aussie leads the ACC with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.75. Proctor was in the starting lineup for each of Duke’s seven games this season, dropping a career-high 22 points against Bucknell.

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.

The Blue Devils tip off this afternoon in their ACC opener against Georgia Tech. Before the matchup, the Blue Zone brings you some can’t-miss prop bets:

Duke (-12.5) vs Georgia Tech 

It’s Georgia Tech who carries momentum into this ACC clash. After beating No. 21 Mississippi State 67-59 Tuesday, the Yellow Jackets are looking to improve to 4-2 on the season.

Georgia Tech certainly has the talent to give Duke a hard time Saturday. Led by junior guards Miles Kelly and Kowacie Reeves Jr., who average 19.4 and 10.8 points per game, respectively, the Yellow Jackets have a strong veteran presence and length. So far this season, Georgia Tech has out rebounded its opponents 201-189 behind strong size inside. If the Yellow Jackets’ shifty guards are able to hit open shots and are given second-chance points through offensive rebounding, they could pull off their second-straight upset. 

On the opposite end, the Blue Devils are coming off an 80-75 loss to Arkansas. The game marked the second loss for Duke this season. Star center Kyle Filipowski went for 26 points and veteran point guard Jeremy Roach had 22 points in stellar performances. However, the rest of the roster underperformed, as no other player was able to score in double figures and the team finished just 24-of-67 from the field. While the team is still growing, head coach Jon Scheyer has demonstrated that his squad can bounce back after tough losses. After their loss against then-No. 12 Arizona, the Blue Devils went on to win four straight games before falling to the Razorbacks. Therefore, there is reason to believe that Duke will have a better offensive and defensive output against Georgia Tech. 

Even against the Yellow Jackets’ size and experience, I believe that the Blue Devils will once again demonstrate that they are capable of bouncing back after a tough loss. Georgia Tech won’t be able to match Duke’s raw talent and depth, and the Blue Devils will be able to redeem themselves after the Arkansas loss. 

Pick: Duke (7.7)

Over/ Under 148.5 total points

Mark Mitchell: Over/Under 9.5 points

Prior to the beginning of the season, sophomore forward Mark Mitchell was expected to take a leap on offensively. On the other side of the ball, the Kansas City, Kan., native ranked in the 94th percentile on defense last year. This being said, Mitchell has been somewhat inconsistent over the last couple of games, scoring a combined 12 points. While this can be attributed in part to the defense and size of opposing teams, his shot selection also explains his struggles. 

In six games played so far, Mitchell has only hit one 3-pointer in 12 attempts, but has made 50% of his field goals overall. While the team expected Mitchell to have a higher contribution offensively this season, his tendency to shoot threes has hurt the team more than helped it. As a result, Mitchell saw a season-low 19 minutes on the court after going 0-for-3 from beyond the arc against the Razorback.

If Duke wants to get the most of Mitchell offensively, it’ll have to put him in situations he’s most comfortable in — namely in the post and in transition. Although Mitchell was unable to attack the paint against Arkansas, he is more effective overall when attacking the rim. With a 6-foot-9 frame, Mitchell can easily body smaller guards and get to his spots. His elite defensive agility also means that he can get easy buckets from takeaways, and Georgia Tech is prone to turnovers. 

It’s been a rough stretch of games for Mitchell, but this may be the game that he’ll get over the slump. 

Pick: Over 9.5 points