Written by Andy Demetra | Voice of Yellowjacket
Georgia Tech's last game: Away against a team in ESPN's NCAA Tournament “Last 4.” They beat them once before this season, going 15-0 at home.
Mission complete.
Georgia Tech's next game: On the road, they will play a team that finished in ESPN's “Last 4” in the NCAA Tournament. The team has beaten them once before this season, and they won. 11 consecutive seriesis scheduled to play on Senior Day after a midweek bye.
Hey, it's March. Why not?
The Yellow Jackets could remain the ultimate disruption agents once the regular season ends, while continuing to hone their status as a dangerous double-digit seed in the ACC Tournament. Georgia Tech (14-16, 7-12), which defied expectations at Wake Forest, heads to Charlottesville for a late-season revenge tour, playing John Paul Jones at his arena for Virginia (21-9, 7-1) They will play against the ACC (12 wins, 7 losses). Despite sitting third in the ACC, the Cavaliers have lost three of their last four games and find themselves teetering on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
“We are fighting for our lives right now.” Virginia forward Ryan Dunn said after last Saturday's 73-48 loss to Duke University.
Motivation, desperation, home-court advantage, the excitement of Senior Day — the Cavaliers have all the intangibles to propel the team in March, not to mention the confidence that came with a 75-66 win over Tech in January. .But as they surely know, Georgia Tech won 5 of the top 7 teams At ACC. Can the Jackets overcome these intangibles and close out the regular season with another win? Enjoy the best notes, quotes, and anecdotes from my chart as the tech companies enter their final innings (8 p.m. ET, Georgia Tech Sports Network):
Myles Kelly has made 50 percent of his 3-point attempts in Tech's ACC road games. (Photo courtesy of Wake Forest Athletics)
With tortoise-like pace and a ferocious defense (9th in NCAA defensive efficiency), Virginia didn't need to light up the scoreboard to win. However, for the Cavaliers, who are ranked high in offensive efficiency, scoring has become a more difficult task than in previous years. 13th in ACC In conference play.
Virginia's offense looked fully functional in Atlanta, shooting 50 percent and sinking 11 threes to erase an early 11-point deficit.Guard Reece Beekman (19 points, career-high 11 assists against Georgia Tech) is very good at reading defenses. Wide pindown and baseline screens, which Virginia frequently used to participate in attacks at Atlanta.Isaac McNeely (12.2 ppg, 45% 3pt.) remains a shifty catch-and-shoot threat off screens and drills 6 of 9 threes Meanwhile, the Cavaliers recently added 6-11 Jacob Groves (48.3% 3pt.) to the starting lineup, giving him another outside shooting threat. Tech teams need to play well in cross-matches and win the ball 50-50 on defense.
Virginia does not attempt an unnecessary number of threes – ranks in three-point percentage (3PA/FGA) 13th in ACCahead of only Florida State and Louisville, would be wise to keep an eye on the arc this Saturday.
Virginia is 14-2 When you shoot over 33% from three-point range.
They are 7-9 When you don't.
*****
With the win over Wake Forest, Georgia Tech has truly become a top-tier school. the 4th Division I teams will win games this year by shooting within two free throws.
| Win with 2 or fewer FTAs – 2023=24 | ||
| date | team | FTM-FTA |
| March 5, 2024 | Georgia Tech @ Wake Forest | 2-2 |
| January 28, 2024 | Marist @ Canisius | 2-2 |
| January 24, 2024 | Lafayette @ Loyola (MD) | 2-2 |
| January 15, 2024 | Cornell @ Penn | 1-1 |
Virginia rarely sends teams to the foul line, but the Cavaliers have struggled mightily at the foul line itself and are ranked 338th nationallymade just 64.9 percent of their free throws.
*****
Wisconsin had five players named to the Associated Press Men's All-State First Team in 2022.
Four of them play in the ACC – Danilo Jovanovic (Louisville), Seth Trimble (North Carolina) and Virginia's tandem of Leon Bond III and Andrew Rode.
This pipeline should not give Charlottesville any credibility. Virginia head coach Tony Bennett grew up in the state and played at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Tafara Ngapare is averaging 9.2 points and 7.0 rebounds in Tech's last five games. (Photo courtesy of Wake Forest Athletics)
Wisconsin had five players named to the Associated Press Men's All-State First Team in 2022.
Four of them play in the ACC – Danilo Jovanovic (Louisville), Seth Trimble (North Carolina) and Virginia's tandem of Leon Bond III and Andrew Rode.
This pipeline should not give Charlottesville any credibility. Virginia head coach Tony Bennett grew up in the state and played at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
*****
Bubble or not, Virginia could make you question your life choices on offense.
The Cavaliers can make every possession feel like a war of attrition by focusing on hard hedging and taking away middle drives. Beekman broke UVa's all-time steals record against Duke and gives the Cavs an artistic defender who is always lurking, much like Wake Forest's Cameron Hildreth, who had four steals against Tech. Beekman could become the first player since 2012 to win back-to-back ACC Defensive Player of the Year awards, but his assistant, teammate Ryan Dunn (2.4 bpg, 1.3 spg) may be further evaluated. persyn williams Compare to Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson.
To be successful on Saturday, tech companies will need to perform well. “random” – Damon Stoudemire's A term used when a half-court set starts to go off-script.Dan would probably be utilized as Baye Ndongostill ranks second in the ACC in field goal percentage, or Tafala Ngapare, has been piecing together some balanced box scores lately. Check out Gapare's plus-minus splits over the past three games.
Georgia Tech point difference
Gap on floor: +34
Off-floor gap: -20
Miles Kelly's work is also noteworthy. 50 percent of his three point shots in an ACC road game.
*****
Damon Stoudemire I know a thing or two about beating Virginia in March. Thirty years ago, he scored 20 points in Arizona's 71-58 victory over the Cavaliers in the second round of the 1994 NCAA Tournament in Sacramento, California. One of Virginia's starters that day was Jason Williford, now an assistant at UVa.
*****
The preparation is now complete. I hope you're ready as well. Join us for pregame coverage starting at 7:30 PM ET on Georgia Tech Sports Network. See you in Charlottesville.
-advertisement-
Alexander Tharp Fund
The Alexander Tharp Foundation is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech's athletics department and provides scholarship, administrative and facility support to the school's more than 400 student-athletes. Join the development of Yellow Jackets as they advance academically and compete for championships at the highest level of collegiate athletics. Annual Sports Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships directly to Georgia Tech student-athletes. For more information about Yellowjacket support, please visit: atfund.org.
About Georgia Tech Men's Basketball
The Georgia Tech men's basketball team is in its first year under head coach Damon Stoudemire. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, winning the ACC Championship four times (1985, 1990, 1993, 2021), appearing in the NCAA Tournament 17 times and reaching the Final Four twice. Participated twice (1990, 2004). Connect with Georgia Tech Men's Basketball on social media by liking his Facebook page or following him below. Twitter (@GTMBB) And Instagram. For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
