GEORGIA TECH VS. GEORGIA STATE
- Saturday, November 12, 2022 | 7 p.m. ET | Atlanta, Ga. | GSU Convocation Center
- Live Stream: ESPN+
- Play-by-Play: Dave Cohen | Analyst: Lamont McIntosh
- Radio: Georgia Tech Sports Network by Legends Sports (In Atlanta: Xtra 106.3 FM | SXM channel 389, SiriusXM app 989 | Listen Online | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets App | TuneIn
- Play-by-Play: Andy Demetra | Analyst: Randy Waters
THE FLATS – For the first time since 2007, Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team travels across town to face Georgia State on its home floor when the two city of Atlanta rivals tip off at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Panthers’ new GSU Convocation Center.
Behind six players scoring in double figures, the Yellow Jackets opened their seventh season under head coach Josh Pastner Monday night by defeating Clayton State, 93-63, at McCamish Pavilion. The Panthers, likewise, opened their first season under head coach Jonas Hayes Monday with a 76-59 victory over Coastal Georgia at the Convocation Center.
Saturday’s meeting marks the 21st regular-season meeting between the two teams and the last of a three-game series that began with the 2020-21 season opener. The first two meetings were both decided in overtime, Georgia State winning in 2020 and Tech in 2021 at McCamish Pavilion.
The game will be streamed live online on ESPN+, available on the ESPN app with a subscription. Radio coverage will be heard locally on Xtra 106.3 FM, as well as on satellite radio (SiriusXM channel 389, SXM app 989).
JACKETS AT-A-GLANCE
Georgia Tech welcomes back eight players who logged significant playing time during 2021-22, looking to replace the 1-2 scoring duo of Michael Devoe and Jordan Usher, who combined to average more than 32 points per game.
Among the eight key letterwinners returning are two starters from the 2021-22 squad, both seniors in 6-3 point guard Kyle Sturdivant (7.6 ppg, 2.3 apg) and 6-11 center Rodney Howard (6.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg), as well as the backup point guard, 6-1 junior Deivon Smith (5.7 ppg, 2.0 apg) and a rising trio of sophomore perimeter players in 6-6 Dallan “Deebo” Coleman (6.2 ppg), 6-6 Miles Kelly (4.5 ppg) and 6-7 Jalon Moore (2.8 ppg). Junior 6-2 guard Tristan Maxwell and 6-8 junior forward Jordan Meka return to provide additional depth.
Pastner and his staff have augmented the eight returnees with a pair of transfers in 6-2 guard Lance Terry (14.3 ppg at Gardner-Webb) and 6-7 forward Ja’von Franklin (12.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg at South Alabama), and over the summer signed a pair of international players who will be freshmen in 2022-23 – 6-8 forward Freds Pauls Bagatskis from Latvia and 7-foot center Cyril Martynov of Canada.
Coach Pastner Thursday Press Conference
SERIES VS. GEORGIA STATE
- Georgia Tech is facing Georgia State in the Panthers’ home arena for just the third time in the series and the first time since 2007. GSU won the first time, 77-73, on March 10, 1973, and the Yellow Jackets prevailed, 72-67, on Dec. 5, 2007 at the GSU Sports Arena.
- Tech holds an 18-3 overall lead in a series that began in 1970, taking last year’s contest in overtime by a 72-62 score at McCamish Pavilion. Georgia State had won the prior last two meetings, although one of the meetings was an exhibition game in November of 2017 to raise money for hurricane relief efforts that year.
- The Panthers defeated Tech at McCamish Pavilion to open the 2020-21 season, a 123-120 victory in four overtimes, the first quadruple-overtime game in Tech program history.
- Saturday’s meeting is the final installment of a three-game series agreed to by the two programs in the summer of 2020. The first two games were played at McCamish Pavilion.
- Tech is 17-2 against the Panthers on its home floor, including a 16-1 mark in Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
Rodney Howard posted the fourth double-double of his career Monday night with 15 points and 13 rebounds against Clayton State. (photo by Danny Karnik)
Competitive Drive Initiative
In a unified endeavor, Georgia Tech, the Georgia Tech Foundation, Georgia Tech athletics and the Alexander-Tharpe Fund have come together to accelerate funding for student-athlete scholarships with the launch of the Competitive Drive Initiative. The initiative kicks off with the Accelerate GT Match Program, where any new gift to the A-T Fund’s Athletic Scholarship Fund made through Dec. 31 will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Georgia Tech Foundation, up to $2.5 million. Should Accelerate GT reach its $2.5 million fundraising goal, the matching gift would result in a $5 million impact for Georgia Tech athletics. To learn more and to contribute online, visit atfund.org/accelerate.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team has completed six seasons under head coach Josh Pastner, winning the Atlantic Coast Conference championship in 2021 and making its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 11 years. 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.
