February 18, 2020

Georgia Tech Basketball Travels to Wake Forest

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech continues Atlantic Coast Conference play with a pair of road games this week, first with a visit to Wake Forest for a 7 p.m. tip Wednesday night at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Georgia Tech update (12-13, 6-8 ACC) – Tech sits in a three-way tie for 10th place in the ACC standings with Virginia Tech, one game out of fifth place. The middle eight teams in the ACC are within one game of each other. The Yellow Jackets, who had a bye last weekend following their 64-58 home win over No. 5 Louisville Wednesday, have won three of their last five ACC games, including home wins over NC State and Virginia Tech. Tech is 3-4 on the road in ACC games this season, 4-6 overall.

Wake Forest update (11-14, 4-11 ACC) – The Demon Deacons have lost three of their last four games, including a 74-51 defeat at Miami on Saturday. The lone win in that stretch came over North Carolina on Feb. 11 at home, where Wake has won three of their last four. The Deacons, who have a bye following Wednesday night’s game, are in 14th place in the ACC, one-game ahead of North Carolina.

Broadcast information – Live television on the ACC Network. Online streaming available through the ESPN app. Radio coverage by Learfield IMG College (680 AM and 93.7 FM the Fan in Atlanta, TuneIn app). Tech broadcast available on satellite radio (XM ch. 385, internet ch. 975).

Head coach Josh Pastner meets the media prior to Tuesday's departure

THE TIPOFF

Back-to-back – A win at Wake Forest would give Georgia Tech back-to-back wins for just the third time this season. It would also give the Yellow Jackets their first consecutive ACC wins since the end of the 2018-19 regular season (Boston College, NC State).
More snacks – Tech is 3-4 on the road this season in the ACC, having defeated NC State, North Carolina and Boston College. A win Wednesday would give the Jackets four ACC road wins for the first time since the 2007-08 season, when they finished 4-4.
Winning in Winston – Tech has lost its last three games to Wake Forest at the Joel Coliseum by an average of 12 points. Tech’s last win in Winston-Salem was Feb. 1, 2014.
Never easy – Georgia Tech’s six ACC losses in January and February have come by an average of 6.5 points. It’s five wins have come by an average of 12.6 points.
Efficient – Tech has scored at a rate over 100 points per 100 possessions five times in ACC play since the start of January (North Carolina, Boston College, Notre Dame twice, Virginia Tech). The Jackets were close to the mark (98.1) at Louisville on Jan. 22.
Twelve – The number of games missed due to injury for Tech players this season. Tech has had its full roster available for only 13 games, from Tech’s Dec. 22 opener in the Diamond Head Classic, when Jose Alvarado returned from a seven-game injury absence, through Jan. 22 at Louisville. Leading scorer Michael Devoe was sidelined for three games with an injured left foot. Reserve forward Evan Cole has missed the last two games with an ankle sprain. Jordan Usher did not play in the season’s first seven games, sitting out as a transfer.
Six – The number of different starting lineups Tech has used this season. The most frequent has been Jose Alvarado, Michael Devoe, Jordan Usher, Moses Wright and James Banks III, used 13 times in the last 16 games, interrupted only by Devoe’s injury that forced him to miss three games. Moses Wright is the only Jacket to start every game this season.
Offense for defense – Tech ranks 10th in the ACC in scoring average in conference games (69.29) and 10th in scoring defense (70.79), a reversal of last year’s final rankings (15th scoring offense, 7th scoring defense).
Guard’s game – Tech has four starters averaging in double figures this season, in all games and in ACC games only. But starting guards Michael Devoe and Jose Alvarado, Tech’s two leading scorers, have accounted for 38.2 percent of the Yellow Jackets’ points in ACC games this season, and 37.7 percent of the scoring since Alvarado returned from his ankle injury.

SERIES VS. WAKE FOREST

Georgia Tech has a 43-40 lead in the all-time series with Wake Forest and a 42-38 lead in games played since it became a member of the ACC.
Tech has won eight of the last 11 meetings between the two teams, winning the teams’ only regular-season game in 2018-19 by a 92-79 score at McCamish Pavilion.
Tech made a sweep of the season series in 2010-11, setting school records in each game for margin of victory in an ACC game (74-39 at home on Jan. 19) and for margin of victory in an ACC road game (80-54 on Mar. 3). The Jackets also swept the Demon Deacons in 2012-13.
The home team has won 38 of the last 49 regular-season games in the series, with Wake Forest winning four times in Atlanta during that span, and Tech winning seven times in Winston-Salem.
Tech has lost 14 of the last 19 meetings at the Joel Coliseum, but has one of its better records in an opponent’s building at 8-20. Tech is 12-27 against Wake Forest on the road, including a 2-3 mark in regular-season games played in Greensboro and a 2-4 mark in games played in Winston-Salem prior to the opening of Joel Coliseum.
Tech is 40-29 against Wake Forest since 1985, including 12 straight victories from 1985-91.

Sophomore guard Michael Devoe talks with the media before Tuesday's departure.

WHAT’S TRENDING

Against ACC teams (according to KenPom.com), Tech ranks No. 4 in effective field goal percentage (51.0) against the league, the Yellow Jackets’ highest ranking in that category since they were No. 2 in 2010 (49.0). They also are No. 7 in offensive efficiency (99.3).
The Jackets rank No. 1 in percentage of points scored on two-point field goals (59.4), and have been the No. 1 team in the ACC in that category all four years under Josh Pastner. Tech ranks No. 3 nationally in all games (60.1 pct.).
Tech has exceeded 100 points per 100 possessions nine times, six of those games coming since Jan. 4 at North Carolina, which was the Jackets’ highest efficiency rating of the season (132.2). Most recently, Tech exceeded 100 against Notre Dame and Virginia Tech.
Tech ranks No. 28 in defensive efficiency according to KenPom.com (92.2 points per 100 possessions), No. 26 nationally in effective defensive field goal percentage (45.0) and 19th in three-point field goal defense (29.3).
Tech has held 12 opponents this season under 40 percent from the floor (five ACC opponents, Louisville hit 33.9 percent), and nine under 30 percent from three-point range (four ACC opponents, Louisville hit 12.5 percent).
Tech has held five opponents to their lowest offensive efficiency of the season, including two of its foes in Hawai’i – Elon, Arkansas, Nebraska, Boise State and Hawai’i. Four other teams, including Boston College, NC State, Virginia Tech and Louisville, posted one of their five lowest offensive efficiency ratings against the Yellow Jackets.
Tech’s adjusted tempo is 69.7 possessions per game according to KenPom.com (No. 117 in the nation), its best rate and ranking in Josh Pastner’s four years at Tech. Tech has played in the mid-60s in six of its last seven ACC games, but the Yellow Jackets’ tempo in league play (69.1) is the sixth-highest.
Two fouls in the first half? No problem. Georgia Tech ranks No. 1 in the nation, according to KenPom.com, in 2-foul participation, a measure of percentage of available minutes played by players with two fouls (68.3 percent for Tech). The Jackets led the nation in this category in 2018-19, was fourth in 2017-18 and 35th in 2016-17.
Tech has averaged 70.5 points per game away from home this season (72.5 in its six ACC road games), and averaged 66.0 at McCamish Pavilion.
All five Tech starters reached double figures in points against Louisville, the first time this season that has happened.
Tech has held its last three ACC opponents at home under 40 percent from the floor (NC State 38.2, Virginia Tech 38.2, Louisville 33.9). Collectively, those teams shot 36.3 percent (61-for-168).
The Jackets’ last three home ACC foes (NC State, Virginia Tech, Louisville) have hit just 16.9 percent (11-of-65) from three-point range, and Tech won all three of those games. Tech’s last nine ACC opponents (home and away) have combined to hit just 25.4 percent from distance (47-for-185).
Tech has hit 18-of-48 (37.5 percent) of its three-point attempts in its last three games.
Eighteen Tech players have fouled out this season, the most for the Jackets since the 2003-04 season (20). In ACC play, 11 Jackets have fouled out, most since 2005-06 (12).
Tech has won the rebounding battle six times and held even twice in 11 games since the beginning of January. The Jackets are plus-15 on the boards in ACC games for the season, averaging around one per game more than their opponents.

Jose Alvarado has risen to No. 13 all-time at Tech in career steals with 134. (photo by Danny Karnik)

PERSONNEL TRENDS

Jose Alvarado (game-high 18 points, 5-11 FG, 3-6 3pt, 5-6 FT vs. Louisville) has made a three-point basket in 12 straight games. That is the longest streak since Michael Devoe connected in 13 consecutive games during last season. Alvarado had a 10-game streak his freshman year.
Alvarado has hit 26-of-65 shots (40 pct.) from three-point range in his last 12 games (3-of-6 vs. Louisville) and is 62-of-127 overall (48.8 pct.) during that stretch. He has hit 36.5 percent from distance in ACC games.
Last four games for Michael Devoe – 16.4 points per game, 4.8 assists per game, 21-of-42 from the floor, 8-for-20 from three-point range, 16-of-18 from the free throw line. He has hit 41.5 percent of his threes in ACC games.
Jordan Usher reached double figures in points (11 vs. Louisville, 5-10 FG) for the first time since scoring 13 at Boston College on Jan. 11. The 6-7 junior has averaged 10.3 points in the eight games Tech has won since he became eligible.
Moses Wright hit double figures for the sixth time in eight games (12 points, 4-7 FG, 4-4 FT) after a streak of eight straight with 10 or more. The 6-9 junior has failed to reach double figures just five times this season, never back-to-back.
Wright has connected on 65.5 percent of his free throws (38-of-58) over Tech’s last 15 games after going just 4-of-14 in the first nine games of the season.
Alvarado and Devoe have combined to sink 38.6 percent of their three-point attempts in ACC games, 46.1 percent overall from the floor.
Jordan Usher has started every game since he became eligible on Dec. 18. The 6-7 junior has 10.3 ppg (32-58 FG), 4.5 rpg, 2.8 apg in the eight games Tech has won since he became eligible.

James Banks III ranks No. 8 in career blocked shots all-time at Tech. (photo by Pete Madia)

Alexander-Tharpe Fund

The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the A-T Fund’s Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes, and Athletics Initiative 2020, Georgia Tech athletics’ ongoing $125 million initiative to allow Tech to recruit the nation’s most elite student-athletes, build a better student-athlete once they arrive on The Flats and, ultimately, win! To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL

Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is in its fourth year under head coach Josh Pastner. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, won three ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993), played in the NCAA Tournament 16 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.

Season tickets for men’s basketball can be purchased here.