Inside The Chart: Georgia Tech vs. N.C. State

By Andy Demetra | Voice of the Yellow Jackets

Josh Pastner is focused on winning.

But first, he’s focused on “winning the first dribble.”

As Georgia Tech (8-9, 1-6 ACC) continues to workshop ways to juice up its offense, the Yellow Jackets’ head coach says his team needs to create more gaps – even “double gaps” and “super gaps,” as he calls them – in its half-court offense.  After that, he’s keyed in on a specific area where his players can improve.

“On your first dribble, defensively, you’ve got to force that [defender] to open up the gate, to open up his back foot, to be able to get downhill,” Pastner’s explained.

He hasn’t seen his players win the first dribble enough lately, which may explain some of Tech’s recent struggles at the rim.

“That dribble you put down, you’ve got to win that, beat him to the spot, make his foot open up and swing the gate open, and you clip his hip with your shoulder. That’s how it’s got to be,” he added.

Once they do that, Pastner says his players need to “rack it” – i.e., attack the rack and score forcefully at the rim.

Put those things together, and the Yellow Jackets may rack up wins and close the gap in the ACC standings.

It starts Tuesday with a matchup against surging North Carolina State (14-4, 4-3) at McCamish Pavilion.  Enjoy your pre-tip reads before Tech welcomes in the Wolfpack to Atlanta (7 p.m. ET, Georgia Tech Sports Network from Legends Sports):

With a pair of double-doubles in Tech’s last two games, Deivon Smith has the quickness to match the Wolfpack. (photo by Danny Karnik)

In a league full of potent, pure-scoring guards, the most instant offense alpha of the ACC may reside in Raleigh.

Terquavion Smith (6-4, 165) comes to McCamish averaging an ACC-leading 18.7 points per game, with four straight 20-point games.  Smith gave a full sampler of his skills last year when he blitzed the Yellow Jackets for 26 points (6-8 3pt.) and nine rebounds in a 77-61 win.  He’s an athletic blowtorch who gets downhill in transition and can make tough shots in the half-court (he also leads the ACC with 2.9 3pt. FGM/game).

Head coach Kevin Keatts has paired him this year with 6-1 Ole Miss transfer Jarkel Joiner (16.1 ppg), a quicksilver guard who can shoot, slash and create.  Senior Casey Morsell (12.9 ppg) lurks around them with an ACC-leading 45-percent three-point success rate, but between Smith and Joiner, N.C. State has a pair of irrepressible shot makers who see any sliver of daylight as an invitation to shoot.

The Wolfpack run their usual ball screen-heavy offense, including a series of plays that begin off an “Iverson cut” where a guard glides over a pair of screens at the elbow and catches on the wing.  The Wolfpack are also running more straight post-ups than they have in years past.  D.J. Burns (6-9, 275), a former Big South Player of the Year at Winthrop, is a brawny target on duck-ins and a crafty passer out of double teams.  Through it all, N.C. State plays soundly – the Wolfpack rank ninth nationally in turnover percentage.

Can Tech avoid getting into scrambles?  Can they stay active and alert out high, rotational-rebound well, and make Smith and Joiner see bodies on penetration?  They’ll make tough shots, but that can’t deflate Tech’s spirits.

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Joiner’s bio may harken Tech fans back to their post-season run from six years ago.

The Oxford, Miss., native began his career at Cal-State Bakersfield, where he spent two seasons before transferring home to Ole Miss.  Georgia Tech, of course, knocked out Ole Miss in the 2017 NIT quarterfinals in Oxford, then beat Cal-State Bakersfield in the NIT semis in New York City.

So how did a Mississippian land with a relatively nascent Division I program in California?  The connective thread, as you might suspect, is former Ole Miss head coach Rod Barnes (1998-2006), now the head man at CSUB.  Barnes’ recruiting relationship with Joiner actually began in a barber’s chair: his Dad used to cut Barnes’ and his kids’ hair.

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They don’t play at breakneck speed – their KenPom adjusted tempo ranks sixth in the ACC in conference games – but few teams score more lethally in transition than N.C. State.  The Wolfpack rank sixth nationally in fast break points per game, a number that’s due in part to their hectic defensive style.  N.C. State also leads the ACC in steals and ranks 16th nationally in turnover margin (+4.5).

Look for the Wolfpack to spring traps, shoot gaps, jump handoffs, and overhelp as they hunt for turnovers.  Joiner is a frisky point-of-attack defender, which could make Deivon Smith’s quickness even more vital.  The Loganville, Ga., native took his first official visit to N.C. State as a junior at Grayson High School.

Deebo Coleman and N.C. State forward Ernest Ross went against one another in a Florida state high school playoff game when Coleman was a senior. (photo by Danny Karnik)

Miles Kelly had a streak of 11 straight games in double figures snapped after a season-low six points against Pittsburgh.

The sophomore scored his points on a pair of three-pointers, which quietly extended a more impressive streak.

Kelly has now made multiple threes in 11 straight games dating back to the ACC/Big Ten Challenge against Iowa.  Based on some box score sleuthing, that’s the longest streak by a Yellow Jacket since Anthony Morrow had a 12-game run during his sophomore year in 2005-06.

The Yellow Jackets sprayed 12 threes against Pittsburgh, their second-most in an ACC game since 2012.  With N.C. State so dangerous in transition, they’ll have to beware the long, runout rebounds that three-pointers can create.

Also, can Tech get reacquainted with the free throw line after a sabbatical on Saturday?  N.C. State is allowing 22 percent of opponents’ points to come off free throws in ACC play, the highest average in the league.  The Jackets may need that as a workaround for stickbacks – though they did a commendable job on the offensive glass versus Pitt, N.C. State leads the ACC in defensive rebounding percentage.

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Deebo Coleman and Lance Terry may both reminisce about the final games of their high school careers Tuesday.

Their memories will probably vary slightly.

N.C. State forward Ernest Ross exploded for a career-high 17 points and nine rebounds in N.C. State’s overtime win over Miami Saturday.  His high school team knocked off Coleman’s West Nassau Warriors in the semifinals of the Florida 4A state tournament as a senior.  Coleman scored a game-high 33 points, but his team lost on a layup with 0.6 seconds left.

Terry will likely have a more glowing greeting for N.C. State center Ebenezer Dowuona.  The two teamed up for four years on the varsity at the Heritage School in Newnan, Ga., beginning when Terry was a freshman and Dowuona was an eighth grader.  They captured the school’s first state title during Terry’s senior season.

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Now that we’re prepared, we hope you are as well.  Join us for pregame coverage starting at 6:30 p.m. ET on the Georgia Tech Sports Network from Legends Sports.  See you at McCamish.

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Now that we’re prepared, we hope you are as well.  Join us for pregame coverage starting at 6:30 p.m. ET on the Georgia Tech Sports Network from Legends Sports.  See you in South Bend.

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ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL

Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team has completed six seasons under head coach Josh Pastner, winning the Atlantic Coast Conference championship in 2021 and making its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 11 years. 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 Twitter (@GTMBB) and Instagram. For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com.