Jan. 2, 2013
Georgia Tech returns home and returns to Atlantic Coast Conference play when the Yellow Jackets (7-5, 0-1 ACC) host the No. 19/21 Florida State Seminoles (11-1, 1-0 ACC) in a 7 p.m. tilt Thursday, Jan. 3, at McCamish Pavilion.
The Jackets played Duke in their ACC opener on Dec. 6 while the `Noles faced Boston College in their first league contest Dec. 30.
Tech enters the matchup with Florida State having won four straight games and claiming the FIU Sun & Fun Classic title Dec. 29 and 30 in Miami. In the only matchup with Florida State last year, the Jackets snapped a three-game skid to the `Noles with a 79-55 win in Tallahassee.
Florida State is Georgia Tech’s eighth-most played opponent all-time and the series couldn’t be much closer as the Seminoles hold a slim 20-19 series edge.
The game with the Seminoles features two of the ACC’s longest tenured coaches in Georgia Tech’s MaChelle Joseph and Florida State’s Sue Semrau. Joseph is in her 10th season with the Yellow Jackets while Semrau is in her 16th year at the helm of the Seminoles. Semrau ranks second in ACC service and Joseph is fourth.
POSTING AN SOS
Through games of Jan. 1, Georgia Tech’s strength of schedule is ranked ninth by realtimerpi.com, by far the toughest schedule any ACC team has faced thus far.
The next toughest schedule belongs to Virginia Tech, 14th, and Maryland follows at No. 15. No other conference team has an SOS under 35.
Four of Georgia Tech’s five losses come to teams ranked 14 or higher in this week’s AP poll. The fifth is to Syracuse who is 12-1 and receiving votes.
EARLY ACC-TION
The Dec. 6 ACC opener at Duke marked the first time Tech has opened ACC play in December since the Jackets hosted Florida State on Dec. 5, 2001.
JOSEPH VS. THE RANKED
Since MaChelle Joseph took the reigns of the Yellow Jacket program prior to the 2003-04 season, Tech has beaten 10 ranked opponents.
All-time, Georgia Tech has 32 wins over AP ranked teams with eight of those coming on the road.
LINEUP STABILITY
Head coach MaChelle Joseph has sent out the same starting five (Jasmine Blain, Danielle Hamilton-Carter, Tyaunna Marshall, Dawnn Maye and Aaliyah Whiteside) for the last six games.
After dropping the first two games against No. 8 Georgia and at No. 4 Duke, the five have won their last four games started together.
