Inside The Chart: Georgia Tech at Pittsburgh

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— Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball (@GTMBB) February 25, 2025

By Andy Demetra | Voice of the Yellow Jackets

Living in Atlanta, Georgia Tech’s players should be used to gridlock.

The Yellow Jackets, then, ought to feel at home in the traffic that’s currently snarling the ACC standings.  Georgia Tech (13-14, 7-9 ACC) entered the week one of four teams tied for eighth place in the ACC, with two other teams a game behind.  With two weeks left in the regular season, the middle of the league roughly resembles I-85 on a Friday afternoon.

That means every night can cause a massive shakeup for ACC Tournament seeding.  And as much as he tries not to discuss those scenarios with his players, head coach Damon Stoudamire knows his team has won too much to tune it out now.

“We have to talk about these things.  You can’t be scared of the moment.  You have to embrace the moment,” Stoudamire said.

Stoudamire hasn’t shied from sharing the stakes with his team – or the stakes their opponents are facing.  Once 12-2, Pittsburgh (16-11, 7-9) now sits tied with Tech in the ACC standings, with its NCAA Tournament hopes hanging by a thread.  Tech will need to be ready to match that urgency in a game that could have major implications for its trip up I-85 for the ACC Tournament.

Enjoy the top notes from my chart as the Yellow Jackets look to tame the Oakland Zoo in Pittsburgh (7 p.m. ET, Georgia Tech Sports Network):

Baye Ndongo (11) is the first Tech player since Moses Wright to have two games of 15+ points and 15+ rebounds in the same season. (photo by Danny Karnik)

It’s fitting that a player named Baye wouldn’t be fazed by a bye.

On an otherwise dreary shooting day in Chestnut Hill, Baye Ndongo continued his formidable February, finishing with 17 points and 15 rebounds against Boston College. In the process, the sophomore joined some rarefied company: he and Moses Wright are the only two players in Georgia Tech history with two games of 15+ points and 15+ rebounds in ACC play in the same season.

Ndongo is also the only player in Tech history with two such games as an underclassman.

Ndongo notwithstanding, the Yellow Jackets could never find consistent offense at BC – at 0.83 points per possession, Tech finished with its second lowest offensive rating of the season against the Eagles.

Pitt, meanwhile, allowed 56% field goal shooting in a 65-60 loss to Notre Dame on Saturday – and the Irish were playing without guards Braeden Shrewsberry and Matt Allocco.  Head coach Jeff Capel said his team struggled to stop straight-line drives against the Irish, but the Panthers play with active hands and hedge ball screens as punishingly as any team in the ACC.

Stoudamire said the Jackets didn’t move the ball briskly enough against BC, leading to “settle” shots and a low volume of free throws.  Tech will need to avoid over-dribbling and be ready to make the next pass as they play out of those hedges.  Doing so can loosen up angles against a Pitt defense that leads the ACC in blocks.  The Panthers have also allowed an ungainly 41.4% from three-point range over their last seven ACC games.  Duncan Powell (0 for 6) and Lance Terry (1 for 6) couldn’t find their three-point touch at Boston College.  Can they cash out on those kickout threes in Pittsburgh?

Georgia Tech couldn’t land his father 35 years ago.  His son has done an admirable job making amends.

Jaeden Mustaf’s father, the late Jerrod Mustaf, said his first recruiting letter in high school came from Georgia Tech’s Bobby Cremins.  As he told Jaeden, his final choices came down to Tech, Maryland and Howard.

Mustaf ultimately opted for Maryland, where he starred for two seasons before declaring for the NBA Draft.  The younger Mustaf, who grabbed a season-high 8 rebounds against BC, actually charted an offer from Pittsburgh in high school.

Freshman Jaeden Mustaf (3), who grabbed a season-high 8 rebounds at Boston College, had Pitt as one of his scholarship offers coming out of high school. (photo by Danny Karnik)

Mustaf and the Tech guards will have to stay alert against a Pitt backcourt that has anchored its offense throughout the year.  Sophomore point guard Jaland Lowe (16.4 ppg) has appeared in some NBA mock drafts and is a shifty, sinewy lefty who likes to bend corners and keep defenders off balance.  Six-foot-3 senior Ishmael Leggett (16.4 ppg) has averaged 20.3 points on 53% three-point shooting over his last three games and has drawn the admiration of Stoudamire, who said, “I love Leggett because he’s tough.  He plays a physical brand of basketball.”  Six-foot-7 Zack Austin (9.5 ppg, 40.2% 3pt.) is an athletic, three point-shooting sniper from the corner, while 6-10 Cameron Corhen (20 points vs. Notre Dame) operates smoothly off pick-and-rolls and could be a good foil for Ndongo.

Tech will need good ball pressure and guard rebounding – Lowe and Leggett both average better than four rebounds per game.  And if the Jackets jump ahead, can they maintain their intensity on defense?  Pitt has overcome two 16-point deficits in its ACC wins, and they’ve won a school-record seven games when trailing at the half.  Lowe in particular has a knack for monster second halves.

Since Georgia Tech started charting blocks and steals as an official statistic in 1976-77, the Jackets never had a player lead the team in both categories in the same season.

They could have a player do it twice in the last three seasons.

Ja’von Franklin led the Jackets in both categories in 2022-23.  Baye Ndongo leads Tech in blocks (24) and is tied with Lance Terry for the team lead in steals (29).

Now that we’re prepared, we hope you are as well.  Join us for pregame coverage starting with the “Ramblin’ Wreck Tip-off Show” at 6:30 p.m. ET on the Georgia Tech Sports Network.  See you in Pittsburgh.

-AD-

Boston ✈️ Pittsburgh#StingEm 🐝 pic.twitter.com/UdIIOkO4r9

— Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball (@GTMBB) February 24, 2025

Full Steam Ahead

Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL

Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is in its second year under head coach Damon Stoudamire. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, won four ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993, 2021), played in the NCAA Tournament 17 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 X (@GTMBB) and Instagram. For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com. Tickets for men’s basketball can be reserved here.