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📻 @680TheFan / 93.7 FM#StingEm 🐝 pic.twitter.com/2dLqFcjBkR— Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball (@GTMBB) March 1, 2025
By Andy Demetra | Voice of the Yellow Jackets
Give an extra game ball to Barbara Crenshaw.
After laboring through a 1-for-11 shooting day against Boston College, including missing all six of his three-point attempts, Duncan Powell knew he needed to reset quickly. Another road game awaited Georgia Tech on Tuesday, and after a 69-54 loss to the Eagles, the Yellow Jackets’ margin for error for a first round ACC Tournament bye had narrowed considerably.
If Powell’s psyche was rattled from his lowest scoring output in nearly two months, the junior didn’t have much time to mend it. But on the day of Georgia Tech’s game against Pittsburgh at the Petersen Events Center, Powell checked his phone to find a message from Barbara Crenshaw.
Her words were all he needed to see.
“My granny texted me before the game. Shout out to my granny,” Powell said in our postgame radio interview.
“She just told me to play with confidence. She used to take me to the gym growing up every day, working on my threes, shooting, all of that,” he added.
Evidently Grandma knows best. Powell responded with a career-high 26 points. He drilled six threes, two of which went for four-point plays. And in a game low on glamor but high on grit, he helped lead Georgia Tech (14-14, 8-9 ACC) to a 73-67 win over a Pittsburgh team that was desperate to re-enter the NCAA Tournament picture.
Tech has another chance to move to .500 in ACC play when it hosts N.C. State (11-17, 4-13 ACC) at McCamish Pavilion. Despite their win on Tuesday, a loss to the Wolfpack could potentially cost them four spots in the ACC standings.
To break from the Pack, Tech may need to beat the Pack. But this time, Powell won’t need to check his phone for any motivational messages.
His grandmother Barbara Crenshaw will be flying in from Dallas to attend the game in person.
Enjoy the top notes from my chart as the Yellow Jackets pursue a fifth straight win at McCamish Pavilion (3 p.m. ET, Georgia Tech Sports Network):
Duncan Powell (31) rebounded from a 3-point performance at BC to score 26 at Pitt, including 6 3-point field goals. (photo courtesy of Pitt Athletics)
N.C. State’s surprise run to the 2024 Final Four began at the ACC Tournament, where the 11th-seeded Wolfpack won five games in five days to secure the league’s automatic bid.
With three games remaining in the regular season, the Wolfpack now have to fight simply to make the conference tournament. Following a 74-60 loss to Syracuse on Wednesday, N.C. State remains a game back of the 15th and final spot for Charlotte.
That game, however, was preceded by arguably State’s most impressive win of the season, a wire-to-wire, 85-73 victory over Wake Forest in Raleigh. And even when they were mired in a nine-game ACC losing streak, the Pack had been competitive: in seven of their ACC losses, the margin was within a possession with less than four minutes left.
N.C. State may still be 0-11 away from Raleigh, but take the Wolfpack lightly at your own peril. N.C. State still runs a pick-and-roll-heavy offense that’s designed to get its guards attacking downhill, with leading scorer Marcus Hill, Jr. (11.9 ppg) combining both drives and midrange isos. Six-foot-6 Georgetown transfer Dontrez Styles (10.8 ppg) has made 43% of his threes over the last month. Pay attention to 6-4 Jayden Taylor (11.9 ppg), who may look to get engaged early following his first scoreless game of the season against Syracuse. The senior tallied 21 points in a win over Tech last year.
Much like Cal, N.C. State derives a lot of confidence from making rhythm shots off the bounce. Tech will need to make multiple efforts, make the Wolfpack see bodies on dribble penetration, and not allow them to play freely.
Coaches preach ball security as a matter of course, but it may take on greater importance Saturday. Despite their 4-13 conference record, the Wolfpack lead the ACC in turnover margin, which dovetails with their 13.3 fast break points per game.
Georgia Tech was outscored -24 in points off turnovers in the last two games. The Wolfpack like to hedge, deny, shoot gaps, and play with manic hands against ball handlers. Can Tech limit N.C. State’s chances to get easy, turnover-fueled baskets in transition, which could spackle any holes in their halfcourt offense?
Nait George turned conventional wisdom on its head – in his case, a head with a frizzy, billowing shock of hair on it – when he shot substantially better as a freshman in ACC road games than he did at McCamish.
It’s been almost the complete opposite this year.
| Nait George – 3pt.% ACC | ||
| Away | Home | |
| Last year: | 40.0%* | 23.50% |
| This year: | 30.50% | 43.20% |
| *Includes ACC Tournament | ||
The sophomore only went 3 for 13 from deep during Tech’s road trip. But the numbers suggest that shouldn’t faze him.
Baye Ndongo (11) has grabbed 30 offensive rebounds in Tech’s last 5 wins, helping the Jackets to 42 second-cance points. (photo by Danny Karnik)
Missed shots hate when they see Baye Ndongo coming.
The sophomore continued his rebounding rampage at Pitt, and has now grabbed 30 offensive rebounds in Tech’s last five wins.
Just how critical have those boards been? After combing through the play-by-play, Ndongo’s offensive rebounds have led to 42 second chance points, either on Baye stickbacks, Baye free throws after he was fouled or points from his teammates on the ensuing possession.
| Opponent | 2nd chance points | Margin of victory |
| Louisville | 5 | 7 |
| Clemson | 9 | 3 |
| Stanford | 6 | 8 |
| Cal | 11 | 3 |
| Pitt | 11 | 6 |
He’ll face an N.C. State team that allows the highest offensive rebounding percentage in the ACC (32.8%). The Wolfpack have struggled at times in their pick-and-roll defense; can Ndongo maintain his effectiveness on short rolls and pocket passes, even as N.C. State tries to collapse and swipe down on him? With the Wolfpack’s tendency to hedge, Georgia Tech’s ability to play out of rotations will be key.
While the Yellow Jackets and Wolfpack hoop at McCamish, #3 Maryland and #1 Notre Dame will be squaring off at Bobby Dodd Stadium in the inaugural Atlanta Lacrosse Invitational. N.C. State point guard Michael O’Connell originally committed to Maryland lacrosse in high school before opting to play basketball at Stanford.
Now that we’re prepared, we hope you are as well. Join us for pregame coverage starting at 2:30 p.m. ET on the Georgia Tech Sports Network. See you at McCamish.
-AD-
🆓 hats for students tomorrow 🧢#StingEm 🐝 pic.twitter.com/45nXtt2mVz
— Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball (@GTMBB) February 28, 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.
