Michael Devoe enters tonight’s game with 1,540 career points, 17th on Tech’s career list. (photo by Anthony McClellan)
Georgia Tech landed on the opposite side of that equation when it faced Miami Jan. 29 in Atlanta.
The Yellow Jackets forced Miami into a season-high 16 turnovers. The Hurricanes came in leading the ACC in turnover margin.
Tech held Miami to 41-percent field goal shooting. The Hurricanes came in leading the ACC in offensive efficiency in league games.
Yet Miami led by as many as 19 points and survived a second-half comeback to win 73-62 at McCamish. It’s easy to point to free throws as the splitting point – Miami made 21 of 25 while Georgia Tech only made 3 of 10. To make that number even more maddening, the Hurricanes have only attempted six free throw attempts combined in their two games since.
But more than that, Josh Pastner pointed to a pair of L’s – layups and live-ball turnovers – as the bigger culprits. The Hurricanes bothered the Yellow Jackets by picking their guards up early and making it difficult for them to get into a flow. Miami loves to swipe down on dribble-drives and ceiling-fan its arms in passing lanes. The Yellow Jackets will have to pass and cut hard to apply pressure on the second and third side; if so, they can get cleaner driving lanes than the ones they encountered in Atlanta. Tech’s struggles with layups last month was even more puzzling considering Miami lacks a true rim protector. Can the Yellow Jackets drive with force and finish better around the rim Wednesday?
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Their approaches may differ – Miami predominantly plays man-to-man – but the Jackets and Hurricanes share a similar profile statistically in ACC play:
| Category |
Miami (ACC Rank) |
Georgia Tech (ACC rank) |
| Turnover Rate Defense |
20.2% (#2) |
20.8% (#1) |
| Steals/game |
9.58 (#1) |
9.18 (#2) |
| 2pt. FG% Defense |
54.3% (#14) |
54.9% (#15) |
Miami has dropped consecutive games for the first time all season, so expect Tech’s defensive sharpness to get tested early. The Hurricanes once again roll out a collection of smooth, pick-and-roll-savvy guards led by Isaiah Wong (15.7 ppg) and Kameron McGusty (team-high 20 points vs. Georgia Tech). A lot of Miami’s ending action involves a middle iso for them, though 5-11 Charlie Moore (12 points) also has an ability to get deep and attack the crevices of the halfcourt. Each is capable of quick pull-ups from three if Georgia Tech’s defenders have their hands down. Tech will need to crowd the floor and be “in the feet” of the Hurricanes’ shot-makers.
Pay attention to Wong, a preseason first-team All-ACC guard who’s still searching for a breakout game against Georgia Tech. The 6-3 junior has a high release and a deft pullup, but he’s only shot 28 percent and gone 1 of 13 from three in his career against the Yellow Jackets. He’ll look to get engaged following a season-low 6 points in Miami’s 71-58 loss to Virginia.
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Michael Devoe will meet his numerical doppelganger Wednesday.
Devoe enters the day with 1,540 career points and 533 made field goals.
Moore enters the day with 1,534 career points and 530 made field goals.
In Devoe’s defense, he’s done it in less time – Moore is a sixth-year senior, one of four on the Hurricanes’ roster. Moore (No. 2 in the ACC in steals) battled foul trouble in Atlanta, but he’s a subversive guard who gives Miami a pestering presence at the point of attack.
