Nov. 12, 2015
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech begins its fifth season under head coach Brian Gregory Friday night with an 8 p.m. contest against Cornell at McCamish Pavilion.
GT-Cornell Game Notes | ESPN3 link | Purchase tickets
Friday’s opener is the back-end of a double-header on the Tech campus in which the Yellow Jackets’ women’s team opens its season against Loyola-Chicago at 5:30 p.m.
The Tech men vs. Cornell game will not be televised, but will be streamed live online over the ESPN3 platform. Radio coverage is provided by the Georgia Tech/IMG Sports Network, and can be heard in Atlanta on 680 the Fan (680 AM and 93.7 FM.
STARTING FIVE
• Friday’s game is the first of four straight home games to begin the 2015-16 season. The Yellow Jackets follow with a 7 p.m. nationally televised game (ESPNU) Monday night against former Southeastern Conference rival Tennessee, and home games against Green Bay (Nov. 19) and East Tennessee State (Nov. 22).
• Georgia Tech and Cornell are meeting for the fourth time, and for the third time on the Tech campus. The teams last met in November of 2003 in Ithaca, N.Y. This is their first meeting in McCamish Pavilion.
• Georgia Tech is 8-6 all-time against members of the Ivy League, including a 3-0 mark against the Big Red.
• Tech has won its last six season-opening games, dating back to the 2008-09 season. The last Yellow Jacket loss in a season opener was an 83-74 defeat to UNC Greensboro on Nov. 9, 2007. In the Atlantic Coast Conference era of Tech basketball, the Yellow Jackets are 31-4 in season openers.
• A couple of Tech players have received some pre-season recognition from basketball experts. Adam Smith, a graduate transfer from Virginia Tech, has been named one of the nation’s top 20 impact transfers both by Jeff Goodman at ESPN.com and Jon Rothstein at CBSSports.com. Rothstein also tabbed sophomore guard Tadric Jackson as one of 15 under-the-radar players who could have a breakout season.
SERIES NOTES
• The last time Georgia Tech and Cornell met in basketball, on Nov. 23, 2003 in Ithaca, N.Y., Paul Hewitt was the Yellow Jackets’ head coach, and Steve Donahue was the Bid Red head man.
• The Jackets won that game 90-69 in the highest-scoring game of the series for both teams. It was thr third game in a 12-0 Tech start that launched into the national top 10 and eventually into the NCAA Tournament national championship game.
• Jarrett Jack, now in his 11th NBA season, led Tech with 21 points and eight assists in that game. Center Luke Schenscher, still playing professionally in his native Australia, scored 15 points with seven rebounds. Anthony McHenry, still playing pro ball in Japan, scored five points with six rebounds. Marvin Lewis, now Tech’s associate director of athletics and chief financial officer, had 18 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is beginning its fifth year under head coach Brian Gregory. The Yellow Jackets have 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).
For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com. Tickets for men’s basketball can be purchased here.
