Georgia Tech Finishes Road Week at Virginia

Georgia Tech vs. Virginia

Saturday, February 12, 2022 | 4 p.m. ET | Charlottesville, Va. | John Paul Jones Arena

Television:  ESPN2

Play-by-Play:  Doug Sherman  |  Analyst: Chris Spatola

Radio: Georgia Tech Sports Network by Legends Sports (In Atlanta: 680 AM/93.7 The Fan | XM 380, SiriusXM app 970 | Listen Online | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets App | TuneIn

Play-by-Play: Andy Demetra  |  Analyst: Randy Waters

THE FLATS – Wrapping up a week of road games, Georgia Tech travels to resurgent Virginia for a 4 p.m. nationally-televised game Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va. It is the only scheduled meeting between the two teams this season.

Tech (10-13, 3-9 ACC), which escaped the ACC cellar last Saturday with a 69-64 victory at home over Clemson, is 3-5 over its last eight conference games following an 0-4 start, and 4-5 overall during that stretch. The Jackets own wins at Boston College on Jan. 12 (81-76) and Florida State (75-61) at home on Jan. 26 in addition to beating the Tigers.

Reigning ACC Tournament MVP Michael Devoe (Orlando, Fla.), the ACC’s No. 3-leading scorer (18.7 points per game), No. 6 three-point shooter by volume (2.45 per game) and No. 4 by percentage (38.8), leads the Jackets along with senior forward Jordan Usher (Canton, Ga.), averaging 15.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

Virginia (15-9 overall, 9-5 ACC) has elevated itself to sixth place in the ACC after winning its last three games over Boston College (67-55 on Feb. 1), Miami (71-58 last Saturday) and No. 7 Duke (70-69 Monday). The Cavaliers, 5-1 at home in conference play, are just a game and a half out of first place, currently occupied by Notre Dame.

Saturday’s game will be televised live on ESPN2, with a live stream available through the ESPN app. Radio coverage will be on the Georgia Tech Sports Network by Legends Sports and flagship station WCNN (680/93.7 the Fan), and on satellite radio (XM channel 390, SiriusXM app 980).

THE OPENING TIP

• Once around – Tech’s game against Virginia begins a stretch of four games against teams the Yellow Jackets will face just once this season, followed by NC State, Pittsburgh and Syracuse. The Jackets then finish the regular season with rematches against Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Clemson and Boston College.
• On the road – Georgia Tech is 1-4 on the road in conference play this season, 2-4 in all games. The Yellow Jackets have just three home games among their remaining eight regular-season games.
• Dynamic duo – Georgia Tech seniors Michael Devoe and Jordan Usher have accounted for 47.1 percent of the Yellow Jackets’ scoring this season, and as the top two assist men on the team, have had a hand in 67.7 percent of Tech’s field goals made. Those numbers for ACC games are similar (45.9, 68.1). In Tech’s 10 wins, they account for just 41.5 percent of the Jackets’ points; in Tech’s three ACC wins: 34.6 percent.
• Overturning turnovers – Georgia Tech has improved its turnover rate on both ends of the floor in conference play from early in the season, and ranks No. 5 in the ACC in turnover margin (plus-1.17). The Jackets were minus-0.6 in non-conference games.
• Grand theft basketball – The Jackets lead the conference in turnovers forced (14.42 per game) and are No. 2 in steals (9.25) in conference games. Tech’s last six ACC foes (Wake Forest, Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Miami) have coughed it up 96 times (16.0 per game), 62 of them takeaways for Tech.
• Eight lineups – Tech has utilized eight different starting lineups this season, and Jordan Usher and Khalid Moore are the only players to start all 23 games. For the last six games, Tech has returned to the original starting lineup with which it began the season and used for six of the first eight games (Michael Devoe and Kyle Sturdivant at the guards, Jordan Usher and Khalid Moore at the forwards, Rodney Howard at center).
• House of Usher – Usher has averaged 15.7 points and 6.6 rebounds over Tech’s last 15 games, having hit 89-of-184 shots from the floor (48.4 percent) and 26-of-68 threes (38.2 percent).
• Mikey likes it – Senior guard Michael Devoe fell from the top spot in the ACC in scoring average for the first time this season after Tech’s game at at Boston College, and is currently No. 3 at 18.68 points per game. Devoe is No. 4 in the ACC in three-point percentage (38.8) and No. 6 in three-point field goals per game (2.45).
• Climbing the ladder – After beginning the season No. 36 in career points at Tech, Devoe has risen to No. 17 on the Tech career points list with 1,560 points, passing such Tech luminaries as Iman Shumpert, Drew Barry, Jarrett Jack, Michael Maddox, Tico Brown, Marvin Lewis, Anthony Morrow, Lenny Horton, former teammate Jose Alvarado, and most recently Kenny Anderson. He is within 27 points of 16th place (John Salley) and 28 points of 15th place (Bruce Dalrymple).
• Three over a thousand – Senior Jordan Usher cleared the 1,000-point milestone for his career Jan. 15 at North Carolina. He has 1,109 points, 835 of them scored in a Tech uniform, giving Tech three 1,000-point scorers on its roster, including Michael Devoe (1,540) and Bubba Parham (1,452).
• Freshmen rising – Kick-started by strong performances against Clayton State, Tech freshmen Deebo Coleman and Miles Kelly have combined to average 13.4 points and hit 23-of 46 shots (50 percent) from three-point range combined over Tech’s last five games.
• Sturdy Sturdivant – Kyle Sturdivant has a 27:10 assist/turnover ratio over Tech’s last 10 games. The junior guard has averaged 7.4 points with two double-digit efforts over that stretch.
• Rescheduled – The ACC has rescheduled Tech’s postponed ACC game at Syracuse for Monday, Feb 21 at 7 p.m. (was originally scheduled for Dec. 29). That will give the Jackets three conference games in a five-day stretch (Feb. 19 at Pitt, Feb. 21 at Syracuse, Feb. 23 vs. Virginia Tech) and four over eight days (Feb. 26 at Notre Dame).

Deebo Coleman scored 15 points and dropped three three-point field goals at Miami. (photo by Kameron Mincey)

SERIES NOTES VS. VIRGINIA

• Virginia has won 16 of the last 18 meetings to move ahead 45-40 in the all-time series, which dates back to 1947.
• The Cavaliers have won the last eight games in the series, including a 64-62 win in Charlottesville and a 57-49 win in Atlanta during the 2020-21 season.
• Tech is just 1-9 at John Paul Jones Arena and has lost on its last eight trips to Charlottesville.
• The Yellow Jackets were 10-16 against Virginia at University Hall, the Cavaliers’ former homecourt, Tech’s best winning percentage on any ACC foe’s home court.
• Tech is 2-4 against Virginia in McCamish Pavilion after going 21-8 against the Cavaliers in Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Overall, the Yellow Jackets are 24-15 on all home courts and 26-16 in games played in the city of Atlanta.
• Since Tech joined the ACC, the Yellow Jackets are 38-44 against Virginia.
• Tech was 11-8 against Virginia under Paul Hewitt, including wins in all three meetings in Hewitt’s first season of 2000-01. Josh Pastner is 0-8 vs. Virginia (including one loss while at Memphis), and Tony Bennett is 15-2 vs. Tech.
• Tech has failed to score 50 points in six of the 17 meetings against Bennett’s Virginia teams. Tech’s high of 75 came in the very first meeting in 2010.
• Tech and Virginia have played to overtime seven times since the 1983-84 season, including a 72-71 triple-overtime win for Tech in Atlanta on Jan. 23, 1984, and an 88-85 double-overtime triumph for Virginia in Charlottesville on Jan. 22, 1995.
• In the ACC Tournament, Tech has won five of 10 meetings, including a 70-61 Jacket victory in the 1990 final in Charlotte.

Alexander-Tharpe Fund

The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.   

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL

Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team won the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship in 2021 after finishing fourth in the regular season. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, winning four ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993, 2021), playing in the NCAA Tournament 17 times and playing in two Final Fours (1990, 2004). Connect with Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball on social media by liking their Facebook Page, or following on Twitter (@GTMBB) and Instagram. For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com.