By Andy Demetra | Voice of the Yellow Jackets
Close calls have become frustratingly commonplace for Georgia Tech as it winds through ACC play.
They’d love to avoid another close one Tuesday. Given the series history, though, they may not have a choice. No two ACC teams have combined on more tight, white-knuckle finishes lately than Georgia Tech (10-14, 3-10 ACC) and its next opponent, the North Carolina State Wolfpack, who come to McCamish Pavilion Tuesday. Their last five games have been decided by a total of 14 points dating back to 2016-17.
“It’s been unbelievable. The stress level for a coach is not real good,” Josh Pastner acknowledged on his radio show Monday.
Fortunately for Pastner, Georgia Tech has won four in a row over NC State (10-16, 3-12 ACC), its longest winning streak in the series since 1997. The Jackets will try to turn a stressful night into a successful one against a Wolfpack team that will be looking to shake a six-game losing streak overall. Enjoy the top notes, quotes and anecdotes from my chart as the Jackets look to make their brief trip home a winning one (8 p.m. ET, Georgia Tech Sports Network from Legends Sports):
Deivon Smith leads the Jackets in field goal percentage and offensive rebounds vs. ACC teams. (photo by Keith Lucas)
Only three players in the Power-5 lead their teams in points, rebounds, assists and steals.
By Tuesday night, Georgia Tech will have faced all three of them.
In addition to Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis and USC’s Isaiah Mobley, Dereon Seabron (18.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.5 spg) has emerged as a Pack-of-all-trades player for NC State. A leading candidate for ACC Most Improved Player, the 6-7 Seabron is a downhill guard who forces contact and has a knack for making tough layups. He’s also a punishing offensive rebounder – his 78 boards are more than twice as many as Georgia Tech’s leader, and he ranks second overall in the ACC in rebounding. That rim pressure enables Seabron to rank 11th nationally in free throw attempts, a stat that should have the Jackets’ full attention given their recent issues with free throw differential.
With Seabron at the helm, NC State runs a four-out, ball screen-heavy offense that features a variety of dribble handoffs, pick-and-pops, roll-and-replaces, and Iverson cuts (when a guard glides over a pair of screens at the elbows to catch at the wing). He’s joined in the backcourt by 6-1 Terquavion Smith (15.2 ppg), a bucket-getting freshman with unbridled confidence who leads the ACC in made three-pointers. Look for both to swish and sway on the dribble to get defenders off-balance, similar to how Miami’s guards operate. Six-foot-7 Jericole Hellams (13.5 ppg) has struggled of late but could occupy the high post role against Georgia Tech’s zone like he did against Syracuse.
NC State may be riding a six-game losing streak, but the Wolfpack were talented enough to hang 1.38 points per possession in a 77-63 win over Virginia, the highest efficiency rating the Cavaliers have ever allowed in ACC play under Tony Bennett. They also don’t undercut themselves with turnovers: the Wolfpack have the 11th-lowest turnover rate in the country. Can Tech, which still ranks among the ACC’s best at forcing turnovers, get NC State’s guards out of rhythm Tuesday? Jordan Usher and Khalid Moore could also play key roles with their ability to neutralize mismatches.
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They’ll both draw top billing on the scouting report, but Usher and Seabron may command even more attention in the second half.
In his last two games, Usher has scored 23 of his 27 points after halftime.
In his last two games, Seabron has scored 32 of his 39 points after halftime.
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Jose Alvarado made a patent out of playing bigger than his size, but Deivon Smith has done a pretty fair impression in his place. The 6-1 Smith actually leads Georgia Tech in both field goal percentage (52.4 pct.) and offensive rebounds (13) in ACC play. His shooting numbers are even more impressive if you take away his first three ACC games, which happen to be his three worst shooting games of conference play:
Deivon Smith FG% – ACC:
- First 3 games: 21.4% (3 of 14)
- Last 10 games: 61.2% (30 of 49)
He’ll come face-to-face with a former school that courted him out of high school: Smith said he took his first official visit to N.C. State.
In Tech’s last two games, Jordan Usher has scored 23 of his 27 points after halftime. (photo by Keith Lucas)
Even with its array of shot makers, NC State remains mired in a six-game losing streak, its longest skid since dropping seven straight in 2016-17. The Wolfpack snapped that streak with a 71-69 win over Georgia Tech at McCamish.
The root of NC State’s struggles lies on defense: they rank last in the ACC in both field goal percentage (.490) and three-point field goal defense (.419) in league play. The Wolfpack have played this year without center Manny Bates, the ACC’s leader in blocks the last two seasons, which has reined in some of their risk-taking on the perimeter. NC State ranks 164th nationally in turnover rate defense according to KenPom, a sharp drop-off from their usual standing under head coach Kevin Keatts:
Turnover Rate (NCAA Ranking):
- 2017-18: 57
- 2018-19: 28
- 2019-20: 96
- 2020-21: 47
- 2021-22: 164
*-per KenPom
Given their recent rash of turnovers, though, the Yellow Jackets can’t afford to relax. NC State still likes to spring traps, shoot gaps, jump dribble handoffs, and hunt for jailbreak turnovers. They also play a 1-2-2 full-court press that has some LSU-ish tendencies in the way it forces traps near midcourt. Tech can’t get overheated against NC State’s press. They’ll also need to pounce in offensive transition – the Synergy numbers don’t paint a glowing picture of NC State’s transition defense. And can the Yellow Jackets avoid the kind of sluggish start that can give a wounded team confidence? Tech has trailed by a margin of at least 8-2 in five of its last six games.
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For Georgia Tech, the real sparks have flown after February 14. Over the last two years, the Yellow Jackets are 13-1 against ACC opponents after Valentine’s Day.
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Now that we’re prepared, we hope you are as well. Join us for pregame coverage starting at 7:30 p.m. ET on the Georgia Tech Sports Network from Legends Sports. See you at McCamish.
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