Over the final days of 2021, Ramblinwreck.com is revisiting the top moments of the year for each Georgia Tech team. Below is a look back at the Yellow Jackets’ stunning upset of Florida State to give Georgia Tech its first Atlantic Coast Conference title since 1993.
Box Score (.pdf) | Full gamebook (.pdf) | Multimedia | Photo Gallery | Postgame Notes
Press Conference Transcripts: Head coach Josh Pastner | Michael Devoe | Jose Alvarado
GREENSBORO, N.C. – For the first time in 28 years and the fourth time overall, Georgia Tech men’s basketball is the Atlantic Coast Conference champion! Tournament MVP Michael Devoe paced four Yellow Jackets in double-figures with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting to lead fourth-seeded Tech to a 80-75 victory over No. 2-seeded and No. 13-ranked Florida State in the 2021 ACC Championship Game on March 13 at the Greensboro Coliseum.
With the win, Georgia Tech (17-8) earned the conference’s automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Tournament, its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2010. Tech’s 2021 ACC championship is its first since 1993. The Jackets also won ACC titles in 1985 and 1990.
After leading 31-30 at halftime, the Yellow Jackets trailed by nine points at 44-35 with less than 14 minutes to go in the ballgame. However, sparked by a driving layup and a 3-pointer by Jordan Usher and capped by a steal and layup by Jose Alvarado, Georgia Tech went on a 13-2 run to retake a 48-46 lead. While Florida State was able to pull even three times, the Yellow Jackets never trailed again.
Key plays for the Jackets down the stretch included a thunderous dunk by Usher that stretched the Jackets’ lead to 66-60 shortly after FSU had pulled within four with less than three minutes to go, and a steal by Alvarado and pass ahead to Devoe for a layup in the waning seconds that sealed the victory. Tech also made 12-of-13 free throws over the final two minutes of the contest.
Despite four scorers in double-figures – Devoe, Usher (15), Moses Wright (15) and Alvarado (13) – it was Georgia Tech’s defense that was the key to its fifth win of the season over a nationally ranked team (against just three losses). Tech forced Florida State into a season-high 25 turnovers, triggered by an ACC Tournament championship game record 15 steals, and scored a whopping 31 points off the Seminoles’ miscues. Alvarado, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, led all players with five steals.
Devoe became the fourth Tech player to win the Everett Case Award as tournament MVP, joining Mark Price (1985), Brian Oliver (1990) and James Forrest (1993).
Alvarado joined Devoe as a member of the all-ACC Tournament first team. Usher earned second-team honors. Devoe was named tournament MVP on the strength of scoring 33 points on 13-of-22 shooting (.591) in the Jackets’ two wins in Greensboro.
Michael Devoe was named ACC Tournament MVP after recording 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting (photo courtesy of the Atlantic Coast Conference).
Post-Game Notes
- Georgia Tech (17-8) claimed its fourth ACC Tournament championship and its first since 1993. The Yellow Jackets are 4-4 all-time in tournament title games.
- The Yellow Jackets became the sixth No. 4 seed to win the ACC Tournament, and the first since North Carolina in 1989.
- Georgia Tech claimed its first championship at the Greensboro Coliseum. The Yellow Jackets’ previous ACC Tournament titles came The Omni in Atlanta (1985) and at the Charlotte Coliseum (1990 and 1993). Saturday night marked Tech’s first berth in the championship game since 2010, and the eighth time in their conference history.
- While this marked Georgia Tech’s first ACC Tournament championship in Greensboro, the Yellow Jackets reached the title game here three times prior to this season (1986 versus Duke, 1996 versus Wake Forest, and 2010 versus Duke).
- Georgia Tech earned the ACC’s automatic qualifying berth in the 2021 NCAA Tournament and carried an eight-game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis, where they lost to Loyola of Chicago.
- Tournament MVP Michael Devoe led Georgia Tech in scoring with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor. He led four Yellow Jackets scoring in double figures (Moses Wright and Jordan Usher had 15 points each; Jose Alvarado had 13). Devoe became the fourth Tech player to win the Everett Case Award, joining Mark Price (1985), Brian Oliver (1990) and James Forrest (1993).
- Florida State shot 56 percent from the floor, but the Yellow Jackets scored 31 points off 25 Seminole turnovers. The 25 turnovers were the most by an ACC team in any game this year and the second-most in ACC Tournament championship game history, behind North Carolina’s 26 versus Duke in 1989.
- Georgia Tech’s 15 steals set an ACC Championship game record, eclipsing the previous mark of 14 set four times prior to Saturday night. ACC Defensive Player of the Year Jose Alvarado led the effort with five steals.
- The 2021 ACC Tournament championship was the fourth overall league tournament title for Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner, who led Memphis to three straight Conference-USA tourney titles from 2011-13.
- Georgia Tech became the fifth school to win at least four ACC Tournament championships, joining Duke (21), North Carolina (18), NC State (10) and Wake Forest (4).
Moses Wright hauled in eight rebounds along with 15 points on Saturday (photo courtesy of the Atlantic Coast Conference).
Game Highlights
💛 of a 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡@AlvaradoJose15 #BuiltDifferent /// #ACCTourney 🏆 pic.twitter.com/CX86A88qMp
— Georgia Tech Basketball (@GTMBB) March 14, 2021
Moses Wright 𝘾𝙍𝘼𝙕𝙔 𝙁𝘼𝙉 𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀! @GTMBB | @mant12_ pic.twitter.com/1HGf5htK0o
— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) March 14, 2021
“They don’t want to see us in March. 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵!” – @Callmeush @GTMBB | @GTAthletics pic.twitter.com/e95xAVRnq1
— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) March 14, 2021
We did it 🖤💛🐝 pic.twitter.com/b6vBP4tBIi
— Rodney Howard (@RodneyHoward24) March 14, 2021
