By Andy Demetra | Voice of the Yellow Jackets
Michael Devoe had always likely occupied the top of teams’ scouting reports this year.
Odds are the font size has gotten bigger, and the font type bolder, for Devoe’s section over the past few weeks.
How could it not? After scoring 33 points against Wisconsin Wednesday, Devoe leads the nation in scoring at 25.0 points per game. His three-point shooting (59 percent) also leads the country.
The praise has poured in from all over the country, and his hot shooting has sent one scouting report after another hurtling into the paper shredder. But now comes the next trick for Georgia Tech’s senior guard: carrying that playmaking into the 20-game grind of ACC play, which begins Sunday when Georgia Tech (5-2, 0-0 ACC) faces North Carolina (5-2, 0-0 ACC) at McCamish Pavilion.
Enjoy the top five notes from my chart as the defending conference champions make their ACC debut in Atlanta (3 p.m. ET, Georgia Tech Sports Network from Legends Sports):
ACC matchup today vs UNC, time to get loud!#TogetherWeSwarm
📍: McCamish Pavilion
⏰: 3pm
📺: ESPN2
📻: 680/93.7 The Fan pic.twitter.com/LaBwfugf6D— Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball (@GTMBB) December 5, 2021
For the first time in 18 years, ACC play begins without Roy Williams pacing and fist-pumping along the UNC sidelines.
The Tar Heels’ Hall of Fame head coach retired in April, handing the reins to his longtime assistant, former UNC legend Hubert Davis. After a pair of desultory losses to ranked opponents at the Mohegan Sun Arena, Davis and the Tar Heels found their bearings Wednesday when they drilled No. 24 Michigan 72-51 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Chapel Hill.
Williams’ teams were always defined by blistering pace and overpowering big men. The Tar Heels still like to get up and go, and they remain a backcourt-focused team with guards R.J. Davis (13.0 ppg) and Caleb Love (16.1 ppg), a smooth, skilled creator off the dribble. The biggest change from last year though? North Carolina has vastly upgraded its three-point shooting:
Year 3pt.% NCAA Rank ACC Rank
2020-21 31.8% 263rd 13th
2021-22 41.5% 11th 2nd
Those numbers have also gone up thanks to the addition of a pair of pick-and-pop threats in the transfer portal in 6-11 Marquette forward Dawson Garcia (13.0 ppg) and 6-9 Oklahoma forward Brady Manek (14.0 ppg). The Tar Heels still don’t shoot a high volume of threes, though their improved accuracy has unlocked previously unseen angles in the halfcourt. Can Jordan Usher and Khalid Moore avoid the fouls that plagued them against Wisconsin’s wings? And can the Jackets get their “stick hand” up and Garcia and Manek and limit their floor stretching powers Sunday?
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Devoe has certainly done his part, but Georgia Tech only ranks a few spots behind North Carolina – 15th nationally – in three-point percentage (40.6 percent). Still, can other players help loosen up the floor against the Tar Heels? It’s a small sample size, but in Georgia Tech’s five wins, players other than Devoe have shot a combined 38.9 percent from three (26-of- 67).
In Georgia Tech’s two losses, it’s a different story:
3pt.% (except Devoe):
- Wins: 38.9%
- Losses: 5.9% (1-of-17)
North Carolina had some unsound defensive moments earlier this year, though the Tar Heels shored that up Wednesday when they held Michigan to 35-percent shooting. In particular, UNC hedged more, doubled the post, and played less drop coverage on pick-and-rolls than they did in previous games. Will that strategy persist against the Yellow Jackets? Worth noting: on a per-possession basis, North Carolina is the worst team in the ACC in forcing turnovers.
We have a special treat tomorrow at McCamish with the All-Star Stunt Dogs @GTMBB
🎟 https://t.co/GhK45Pyt88 pic.twitter.com/ngOtPZRuKl
— Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (@GTAthletics) December 4, 2021
North Carolina led the nation last year in offensive rebounding percentage, grabbing a board on 40.9 percent of their missed shots.
The Tar Heels come into Sunday’s game ranked 185th (28.1 percent).
North Carolina favored a traditional double post under Williams, but with a pair of rangier “4” men in Manek and Garcia, the Tar Heels have gone to more of a 4-out, 1-in system under Davis. Their offensive rebound percentage may not quite look as menacing as a result, but Josh Pastner still wants his players to be on high alert for offensive rebounds, especially after a couple Wisconsin rebounds led to untimely kickout threes. UNC still features 6-10, 240-pound Armando Bacot (15.0 ppg, 9.4 rpg), a powerful presence on duck-ins and a lob threat late in the shot clock. His ability to put Michigan center Hunter Dickinson in early foul trouble in the second half helped swing the game in the Tar Heels’ favor Wednesday.
A hidden key to Georgia Tech’s 72-67 win over North Carolina last year: the Yellow Jackets held the Tar Heels to a season-low seven second-chance points. Even though their pure offensive rebounding numbers are down, gang defensive rebounding – especially on long shots – will still be key.
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Hubert Davis’ first ACC game as North Carolina head coach comes against Georgia Tech at McCamish Pavilion.
Josh Pastner’s first ACC game as Georgia Tech head coach came against North Carolina at McCamish Pavilion.
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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 from Legends Sports. See you at McCamish.
–AD–
