THE FLATS – Georgia Tech plays the first of two straight road games in the Atlantic Coast Conference Sunday night when the Yellow Jackets visit Notre Dame for the second of two games this season against the Fighting Irish at 6 p.m. at Purcell Pavilion.
Tech (11-12, 3-7 ACC), in its third season under head coach Josh Pastner, has lost four straight games and six of its last seven, winning only against Notre Dame at home on Jan. 22 in that stretch. The Yellow Jackets are 2-5 on the road this season, 1-3 on conference play with a victory at Syracuse on Jan. 12.
Notre Dame (12-11, 2-8 ACC), in its 19th season under head coach Mike Brey, has defeated Boston College twice for its only two ACC victories to date, and is 1-4 at home in conference play. Two of those losses came to No. 2 Virginia and No. 3 Duke.
Sunday’s game will be broadcast live on ESPNU, and will be streamed live through the ESPN app. Radio coverage is provided on the Georgia Tech IMG Sports Network, airing in Atlanta on 680 AM and 93.7 FM the Fan. The Tech broadcast is available on satellite radio (Sirius ch. 134, XM ch. 193, internet ch. 955).
The Yellow Jackets rank No. 12 nationally in defensive efficiency.
STARTING LINEUP
- Never on Sunday – Sunday’s game at Notre Dame is the first of two Sunday ACC on ESPNU appearances for the Yellow Jackets. Tech will host Boston College on March 3 for its home finale in the other.
- Closure – Georgia Tech’s is in the midst of a four-game stretch against teams it has already played – Clemson (L, L), Notre Dame (W), Virginia Tech (L) and Florida State (L).
- Going away – After playing five of its first eight ACC games at home, Georgia Tech is now playing three of four games on the road, hosting only Clemson in that stretch last Wednesday before visiting Notre Dame and Virginia Tech.
- Buzz saw – Georgia Tech has lost four straight games, with all four opponents in the midst of winning streaks. Duke and North Carolina each have won their last six games, Florida State has won its last four, and Clemson has won three straight. All four teams rank among the nation’s top 21 in defensive efficiency according to KenPom.com.
- Old school – James Banks III and Abdoulaye Gueye have given Georgia Tech an increasingly reliable frontcourt combination in ACC play. The duo shared the floor for more than 56 minutes in wins over Syracuse and Notre Dame (Gueye was sidelined for games against Clemson and Louisville), and have shared the floor for 44.5 percent of the time in Tech’s last five games.
- The Bank is open – In 22 games at Georgia Tech, James Banks III has exceeded his 46-game totals at Texas in every offensive category, as well as blocked shots and steals. Banks has six double-doubles this season for the Jackets, fourth most in the ACC.
- Guard your yard – Georgia Tech ranks No. 3 in the ACC in scoring defense (66.9 ppg), No 3 in field goal percentage defense (40.4 pct.) and No. 2 in three-point percentage defense (28.8 pct.) against conference opponents. The Jackets rank No. 2 in steals (7.8 pg) and third in blocked shots (5.1 pg).
- Below average – Georgia Tech has faced three of the nation’s top 10 teams in offensive efficiency as ranked by KenPom.com – Tennessee (2), Duke (4) and Virginia Tech (10) – and held them to an average of 61.3 points. Each posted their lowest efficiency rating of the season against the Jackets. North Carolina is No. 7, and the Jackets held the Tar Heels to their fourth-lowest rating of the season. Florida State is No. 31, and was held to their second-lowest rating this season on Saturday.
- Going deep – Georgia Tech has deployed nine different starting lineups this season, and 10 Yellow Jackets have started three or more games.
- Longer bench – Tech has utilized at least eight players in all of its ACC games to date. Tech’s bench has played 33.6 percent of available minutes, No. 102 in the nation according to KenPom.com (national average is 30.7 pct.). Tech reserves are outscoring their opponents 21.8 to 16.1 per game.
SERIES VS. NOTRE DAME
- Georgia Tech holds an 11-8 lead in the all-time series with Notre Dame that began in the 1940-41 season. Tech and Notre Dame split their two meetings the last three seasons, each team winning at home.
- The Yellow Jackets are 5-6 against Notre Dame since the Fighting Irish joined the ACC, with the 11 meetings decided by a total of 51 points. Notre Dame’s 68-59 win in South Bend on Dec. 30, 2017 is the widest margin.
- At McCamish Pavilion, Tech is 5-1 against the Irish, and the games have been decided by a total of 20 points. Tech won the teams’ first meeting there this season, 63-61.
- Notre Dame has won all five meetings in South Bend since the Fighting Irish became a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, including a 68-59 decision on Dec. 30 last season.
- The Yellow Jackets won five straight meetings between the two teams from 1972 through Tech’s 74-69 victory in McCamish Pavilion on Jan. 11, 2014, the team’s first meeting as ACC foes.
- All but one game in the series has been played on the two campuses, the exception being a 2007 meeting in the third-place game of the Paradise Jam. The Yellow Jackets erased a 9-point deficit in the final 5:11 and won the game on a three-point basket by Matt Causey with two seconds remaining.
- Tech is 2-7 in games played in South Bend, and 1-6 in Purcell Pavilion, including an 88-80 overtime win on Feb. 24, 1990, with the Jackets headed toward an ACC title and Final Four berth later that season.
- That game and a 90-80 Tech victory in Atlanta a year earlier were the only two face-offs ever between legendary coaches Bobby Cremins and Digger Phelps.
- Tech is 8-1 all-time against Notre Dame in Atlanta, three of those wins at Alexander Memorial Coliseum and four at McCamish Pavilion.
- Four of the five meetings before that were played with Whack Hyder as Tech’s head coach, and the Jackets won three of those, including an 82-62 win in 1972 at Alexander Memorial Coliseum in Phelps’ first season as the Fighting Irish head coach.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is in its third year under head coach Josh Pastner. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, won three ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993), played in the NCAA Tournament 16 times and played 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. Tickets for men’s basketball can be purchased here.
