Jackets Make First Road Trip of 2023-24 to Cincinnati

GEORGIA TECH (2-1) vs. CINCINNATI (4-0)

• Wednesday, November 22, 2023 | 7 p.m. ET | Cincinnati, Ohio | Fifth Third Bank Arena
• Live Stream:  ESPN Plus  (Announcers:  Anthony Mazzini, Terry Nelson, Kelsey Conway)
• Radio: Georgia Tech Sports Network by Legends Sports (In Atlanta: 680 AM/93.7 The Fan) | SiriusXM channel 371
• Other ways to listen:  SiriusXM app | Listen Online | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets App | TuneIn
• Announcers: Andy Demetra, Randy Waters

THE FLATS – Making its first road trip under new head coach Damon Stoudamire, Georgia Tech travels to Cincinnati to take on the Bearcats in a 7 p.m. EST contest Wednesday at Fifth Third Bank Arena.

Tech began its 2023-24 campaign with three home games, capturing an 84-62 victory over Georgia Southern on Nov. 6 and a come-from-behind 88-85 win over Howard, 88-85, before dropping a 74-71 decision to UMass Lowell last Thursday night.

A first-year member of the Big 12 Conference, Cincinnati has won its first four games, all at home by double digits against UIC, Detroit Mercy, Eastern Washington and Northern Kentucky.

Wednesday’s game will be streamed live on ESPN+, also available on the ESPN app. Radio coverage is on the Georgia Tech Sports Network by Legends Sports and flagship station 680 the Fan (680 AM/93.7 FM). The Tech broadcast is also available on the SiriusXM app and SiriusXM channel TBD.

THE TIP-OFF

• Georgia Tech faces a Big 12 team for the first time since March 19, 2010, when the Yellow Jackets defeated Oklahoma State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Milwaukee, Wis. Since then, Tech has twice played Houston, also currently in its first season as a Big 12 member, in the 2016 NIT and the 2019 Diamond Head Classic.
• Cincinnati is one of five guaranteed non-conference opponents for Tech that won 20 or more games in the 2022-23 season, including four that played in the post-season. Mississippi State (21-13), Penn State (23-14) and Howard (22-13) all played in the NCAA Tournament last season, while Cincinnati (23-13), a new member of the Big 12, reached the quarterfinals of the NIT. UMass Lowell (26-8) finished second in the America East Conference. The Yellow Jackets potentially could play two more 20-win teams in the Diamond Head Classic, with a possible game against Hawai’i (21-11) in the second round and TCU (22-13) in the final round.
• Tech has played its first three games without two players expected to be significant contributors this season, senior guard Lance Terry who averaged 10.1 points per game a year ago, and 6-9 freshman forward Baye Ndongo, a four-star prospect from Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut.
• Tech’s four returning scholarship players – Miles Kelly, Lance Terry, Dallan “Deebo” Coleman and Kyle Sturdivant – accounted for 59.4 percent of the Yellow Jackets’ points and 56.5 percent of the minutes during the 2022-23 season. They collectively shot 35.6 percent from three-point range.
• Tech has a total of nine scholarship newcomers on its roster, five transfers who were judged the 17th best transfer class in the country by 247Sports, and four freshmen.
• Tech’s five transfers combined to average 37 points and 17.2 rebounds per game last season at their previous schools. They have combined to play in 263 games in their careers, and have made 116 starts.
• Kyle Sturdivant, a transfer himself from USC prior to the 2020-21 season, is the elder statesman on the Tech roster, beginning his fourth season. He is the lone player remaining from Tech’s 2021 ACC Championship team and has played 91 games (49 starts) in a Tech uniform.

Dallan “Deebo” Coleman leads the Jackets in shooting percentage overall and from three-pouint range. (photo by Danny Karnik)

SERIES VS. CINCINNATI

• Georgia Tech and Cincinnati are meeting for the 12th time. The most recent meeting was an 87-70 Bearcat victory in the 1996 NCAA Southeast Regional semifinal at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.
• Tech and Cincinnati met eight times as members of the old Metro Conference in the latter half of the 1970s, with the Bearcats winning five of the eight games. Two of Tech’s three wins came at home in Alexander Memorial Coliseum, the other occurred in the 1978 Metro Conference Tournament, which was played at Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati.
• Tech is 0-4 in regular season games at Cincinnati, three of those at Riverfront Coliseum and the other in the teams’ first-ever meeting in 1926. Tech has never played at Fifth Third Bank Arena.
• UC associate head coach Chad Dollar, who has been with the Bearcats the last two seasons, was on the staff at Georgia Tech under head coach Brian Gregory five seasons from 2011-16, serving the last two as associate head coach.

TEAM TRENDS

• At least nine players have seen the court in each of Tech’s three games (10 vs. Howard). Eight players average 13 or more minutes per game.
• Tech has a 40-to-31 assist/turnover ratio over its first three games, averaging just 10.3 turnovers per game.
• Tech leads the ACC and ranks fifth nationally in offensive rebounds per game (18.33).
• Tech also leads the ACC and ranks 23rd nationally in three-point percentage defense (24.1 pct.).
• Tech is averaging 25.7 three-point attempts per game (No. 2 in the ACC), and 37.1 percent of its three-point field goals have come from behind the arc.
• Tech ranks No. 2 in in the ACC with nearly 30 bench points per game (29.33).
• Tech’s average height, according to KenPom.com, is 78.1 inches, making the Jackets the 48th tallest team in the nation and a full inch taller than last year’s team, which ranked No. 171.
• Tech’s D-I experience is rated No. 115 nationally (2.11 years), compared to No. 255 (1.55 years) for last year’s team.

PLAYER UPDATES

• Deebo Coleman has made at least one three-point field goal in 18 consecutive games, dating back to Jan. 17, 2023 when he went 0-5 vs. NC State. He hit 5-of-9 from distance against UMass Lowell and is 9-of-16 for the season.
• Coleman’s 24 points against the River Hawks were a career high, beating his previous best of 21 vs. Virginia Tech last Feb. 15.
• Through three games, Coleman has connected on 62.5 percent of his shots from the floor (third in the ACC) and 56.3 percent from three-point range (fourth in the ACC), both team highs. Coleman has yet to commit a turnover in more than 85 minutes of court time in three games.
• Miles Kelly extended his streak of double-digit scoring games to 11 after tallying 11 points against UMass Lowell. He has averaged 20.1 points over that stretch.
• Tyzhaun Claude saw his streak of double-digit scoring games end at 18 after scoring just nine points with nine rebounds against UMass Lowell. Claude reached double figures in 30 of 31 games last season at Western Carolina. Claude also leads the Jackets in rebounding (8.3 rpg).
• Kyle Sturdivant has 13 assists against four turnovers through three games.

Competitive Drive Initiative Turn 2

Looking to build on the success of last year’s Competitive Drive Initiative, Georgia Tech, the Georgia Tech Foundation and Georgia Tech athletics are partnering once again to launch Competitive Drive Initiative Turn 2. CDI Turn 2 has a goal of raising $2.5 million in new gifts to the Alexander-Tharpe Fund’s Athletic Scholarship Fund by Dec. 31, and Georgia Tech and the Georgia Tech Foundation will match eligible gifts to accelerate the impact for Tech athletics. Like last year, not only will gifts to CDI Turn 2 be matched, but so will the contributor’s benefits in the way of A-T Fund giving levels and priority points. To learn more and contribute online, visit atfund.org/turn2.

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL

Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is in its first 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 Twitter (@GTMBB) and Instagram. For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com.