By Andy Demetra | Voice of the Yellow Jackets
Forgive Damon Stoudamire if he has trouble suppressing his smile Saturday.
Seeing the blond wood of Stanford’s Maples Pavilion may transport Georgia Tech’s head coach back to January 14, 1995, when his Arizona Wildcats knocked off the Cardinal 89-83 in overtime in a crucial Pac-10 matchup. Thirty years later, Stoudamire still remembers the way the floor bounced from Stanford’s students stomping on it in unison. He recalls a timeout in the second half, his team trailing by double digits, when head coach Lute Olson stayed quiet and he took command of the huddle. He recalls the praise of Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery, who said afterwards that it was one of the finest performances he had ever seen by an opponent.
But most of all, Stoudamire remembers the career-high 45 points that he scored on the very floor where he’ll lead Georgia Tech (11-12, 2-8 ACC) in its first ACC road matchup against the Cardinal. It remains the most points ever scored by an opposing player in Maples Pavilion history.
Can that scoring punch now transfer over to his players in this year’s matchup with Stanford (14-9, 3-7 ACC)? Enjoy the top notes from my chart as Tech tries to bounce back in the back half of its California road trip (8:00 p.m. ET, Georgia Tech Sports Network).
Georgia Tech head coach Damon Stoudamire holds the Maples Pavilion opponent scoring record of 45 points. (photo by Grayson Rosen)
Duke’s Cameron Boozer, North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson and Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. have taken up much of the ink in the discussion of top freshmen in the ACC.
Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie didn’t arrive with the fanfare of the league’s other rookies. But the Nashua, N.H., guard has become a breakout star, ranking second in the ACC and ninth nationally in scoring (21.6 ppg). His stat lines include a 36-point, 9-assist dismantling of North Carolina; a 31-point performance at Virginia Tech that included the game-winning three with three seconds left; and 28 points in an upset of Louisville. He’s a “not done” guard with a blend of burst and shiftiness, an advanced feel for gaps, and an uncanny knack for drawing fouls – he also ranks eighth nationally with 6.4 made free throws per game.
Stanford comes in on a five-game losing streak, but the Cardinal have also beaten No. 14 North Carolina and No. 16 Louisville and dealt No. 19 St. Louis its lone loss of the season. They nearly added to their body count on Wednesday, but they fell to No. 20 Clemson in a game that came down to the final seconds. Head coach Kyle Smith once again runs a five-out, cut-heavy offense that occupies defenders off the ball and keeps the floor spaced for three-point shooters like Benny Gealer (41.4%) and Ryan Agarwal (39.7%). Underneath, 6-10 Aidan Cammann (career-high 19 points against Clemson) and 6-10 Oskar Giltay give Stanford a pair of physical, industrious bigs off the bench.
Stanford ranks last in the ACC in field goal percentage in conference play (39.5%), but Tech will need to be sharp in its stunts and fight hard through screens. And of course, can they prevent Okorie from tapping into his inner Jeremiah Fears and take over for a Stanford team that will be equally desperate to stop a losing streak?
Akai Fleming dropped a team-high 19 points off the bench at Cal. (photo by Grayson Rosen)
Georgia Tech’s 60-52 win over Stanford last year was its first over the Cardinal since 1986, when they met in a neutral site game in Richmond, Va. The Cardinal were paced that day by 13 points from Eric Reveno, who later spent five seasons as Tech’s associate head coach (2016-2021). He’s currently in his second season as associate head coach and general manager at his alma mater.
It hasn’t produced the payoffs they had hoped, but it’s an encouraging trend nonetheless. Georgia Tech has shot a higher percentage than its opponent in four of its five ACC road games – and by a fairly wide margin.
FG% – Road ACC games
Georgia Tech 48.4%
Opponent 41.6%
Jaeden Mustaf and Akai Fleming have been at the center of that success. Mustaf (8.7 ppg) has reached double figures in four of five road games, while Fleming (9.4 ppg) has scored 35 points and made 5 of 10 threes over his last two.
Baye Ndongo dished out a career-high eight assists at Cal. (photo by Grayson Rosen)
The Jackets couldn’t overcome a gaping free throw disparity against Cal, but they may get some relief on Saturday. Even with Okorie, Stanford ranks 17th in the ACC in Free Throw Rate Offense, and they also rank last in the ACC in Free Throw Rate Defense. The Cardinal give up free throws, but don’t get many for themselves.
Stanford – FTA/FGA (ACC only)
Offense: 27.3% (#17 ACC)
Defense: 44.8% (#18 ACC)
Georgia Tech may need those free throws to offset a lack of quality three-point looks – thanks to solid, connected team defense, Stanford ranks 20th nationally in Opponent Three Point Rate, allowing a three-pointer on just 33.3% of opponents’ attempts. If that number holds, though, the Jackets may not be fazed. For one, they already shoot the lowest volume of threes in ACC play (31.6%). They also shot 57% from two-point range against Cal, their third highest average of the season.
One other footnote from Wednesday: Baye Ndongo shattered his previous career high with 8 assists against Cal, distributing smartly out of pocket passes and double teams. Along with his team-high 12 rebounds, the junior joined some elite company. The last two Jackets with at least 12 rebounds and 8 assists in a game? Ja’Von Franklin (2023) and Iman Shumpert (2011) in their triple-doubles.
Now that we’re prepared, we hope you are as well. Join us for pregame coverage starting with the “Ramblin’ Wreck Tipoff Show” at 7:30 p.m. ET on the Georgia Tech Sports Network. See you in Palo Alto.
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