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THE FLATS – Georgia Tech men’s basketball let a 20-point lead evaporate, but used an 8-0 run over the final 4:08 of the game to pull out its sixth-straight home win, a 63-57 triumph over Miami (Fla.) on Saturday night at McCamish Pavilion.
With its fourth win in its last five games overall, Georgia Tech moved over .500 at 15-14 on the season and pulled even at 9-9 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Yellow Jackets’ nine league wins are their most since 2003-04, when they advanced to the national championship game of the NCAA Tournament. With one win in their final two games of the regular season (Wednesday vs. Pitt, Friday at Clemson), the Jackets would finish at least .500 in conference play for the first time since 2006-07, and clinch a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament.
Georgia Tech led 40-24 at halftime and extended the lead to 20 at 49-29 with 15:53 to go in the ballgame. However, Miami (14-14, 6-12) scored 24 of the game’s next 26 points to take a 53-51 advantage with 7:37 remaining.
Miami maintained a two-point lead at 57-55 with just over four minutes to go before the Yellow Jackets scored the final eight points and strung together six consecutive defensive stops to finish the contest. Tech held the Hurricanes to just two three-point field goals in 17 attempts and 36.7 percent from the floor for the game.
James Banks scored the first three points of Georgia Tech’s game-sealing run, and also recorded a big blocked shot in the final minute to cap a 13-point, 14-rebound performance. Half of Banks’ 14 rebounds came on the offensive end, as Tech outrebounded Miami 18-12 on the offensive glass and 48-33 overall.
Jose Alvarado (16 points) and Michael Devoe (14 points) combined for 30 of the Jackets’ 63 points, connecting on 13 of 27 shots from the floor.
Georgia Tech returns to action on Wednesday when it plays its final home game of the 2019-20 regular season versus Pitt. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m., and the game will be televised on the ACC’s Regional Sports Network (Fox Sports South in Georgia).
James Banks recorded a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday’s win over Miami (photo by Danny Karnik)
Post-Game Notes
TEAM NOTES
- Georgia Tech has won its last six home games after starting the season 3-6 within the confines of McCamish Pavilion. The Jacket have won four of their last five games overall.
- Tech has won its last five ACC home games, its first five-game winning streak in the league at home since the 2009-10 season. Since the Jackets finished the 1995-96 season 8-0 in home ACC games, they have won five straight ACC games at home five times (2001, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2020).
- Tech has won nine ACC games for the first time since the 2003-04 season (finished 9-7 before advancing to the national championship game).
- Tech has won seven of its last 10 games and is over .500 for the first time since Dec. 7, prior to its first loss to Syracuse which dropped the Jackets to 4-4. Tech is at .500 in the ACC for the first time since Jan. 11, after its win at Boston College to get to 3-3.
- Tech has not been at .500 in the ACC this late in the season since finishing the regular season 8-8 in 2006-07.
- Tech improved to 10-2 this season when leading at the half.
- Tech has limited six straight home opponents to fewer than 60 points, going back to the Yellow Jackets’ 64-58 win over NC State on Jan. 25. In those six games, Tech’s foes have averaged 57.1 points, shot 32.7 percent from the floor overall, 17.1 percent from three-point range.
- Tech has won the rebounding battle nine times and held even twice in 14 games since the beginning of January. The Jackets are plus-43 on the boards in ACC games for the season, averaging 2.4 per game more than their opponents.
- Tech has hit 38-of-106 (35.8 percent) of its three-point attempts in its last seven games. The Jackets went 2-for-13 against Miami.
- Over its last nine ACC games (6-3 record), Tech has averaged 69.9 points, has shot 45.7 percent from the floor, and 32.9 percent from three-point range. The Jackets also have a plus-3.2 scoring margin and a plus-4.8 rebound margin, have scored 14.6 points per game from the foul line and reduced its turnover rate to 14.8. Opponents have shot 41.1 percent from the floor, 22.7 percent from three-point range.
- Tech did not have a player foul out for the second straight game. The Jackets were whistled for just 16 fouls for the second game in a row, its fewest in an ACC game since Jan. 25 against NC State. Twenty-two Georgia Tech players have fouled out this season, the most for the Yellow Jackets since the 1989-90 season (28 in 38 games). In conference play, 15 Jackets have fouled out, the most ever for the Jackets in an ACC season.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Jose Alvarado (16 points, 7-15 FG, 1-6 3pt) has made a three-point basket in 16 straight games. That is the longest streak for a Tech player since Adam Smith knocked down a three in 24 straight games during the 2015-16 season.
- Alvarado has averaged 18.1 points over his last nine ACC games, connecting on 47.5 percent of his shots from the floor, 36.5 percent of his three-point tries and 75 percent of his free throws. He has hit 35.8 percent from distance in ACC games.
- Michael Devoe (14 pts, 6-2 FG, 1-3 FT) has made a three-point field goal in eight straight games. His longest streak is 13 games, last year as a freshman.
- James Banks III recorded his sixth double-double this season (13 pts, 14 reb) and first since Feb. 1 at Notre Dame (13/10). It was the 13th of his career. He came up one rebound shy of his career high of 15 against Duke back on Jan. 8.
- Alvarado and Devoe have combined to score 39.6 percent of Tech’s points and sink 38.7 percent of their three-point attempts in ACC games, 46.8 percent overall from the floor. Against Miami they combined for 30 of the Jackets’ 63 points, hit 2-of-9 from three-point range and 13-of-27 overall.
- Alvarado had seven steals against Miami, two short of his school-record nine set Jan. 25 against NC State and the most by any player against Miami this season.
- Last eight games for Michael Devoe (all in double digits) – 16.1 points per game, 4.8 assists per game, 50.6 percent (44-of-87) from the floor, 42.9 percent (15-for-35) from three-point range, 83.9 percent (26-of-31) from the free throw line. He has hit 42.6 percent of his threes in ACC games.
- Moses Wright snapped an eight-game streak of scoring in double digits, scoring nine points with eight rebounds against Miami. The 6-9 junior has scored 10 or more in all but six games this season.
- Jordan Usher has averaged 7.0 rebounds over his last four games.
