February 16, 2019

Cold-Shooting Jackets Fall to No. 17 FSU

THE FLATS — Georgia Tech men’s basketball could not find a rhythm offensively in Saturday’s 69-47 loss to No. 17 Florida State at McCamish Pavilion.

Georgia Tech (11-15, 3-10 ACC) shot just 27.1 percent from the field (16-for-59), its lowest field-goal percentage of the season. The Yellow Jackets’ 47 points were their fewest of the season.

As has been the case for much of the season, the Jackets’ defense was exemplary, holding Florida State (20-5, 8-4 ACC) to its fifth-fewest points of the season and limiting the Seminoles to a 39.1 field-goal percentage (25-of-64), which marked only the fifth time this season that they made less than 40 percent of their shots.

Georgia Tech point guard Jose Alvarado broke out of a month-long shooting slump by making 6-of-11 field-goal attempts (the first time he’s made at least 50 percent of his shots since Jan. 12 at Syracuse) for a game-high 17 points. Making his first start, true freshman Kristian Sjolund matched a career-high with 11 points for the Jackets.

Tech looks to snap a seven-game losing skid on Wednesday when it hosts Pitt. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. at McCamish Pavilion.

Jose Alvarado led all scorers with 17 points in Saturday’s loss to No. 22 Florida State.

Post-Game Notes

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

Georgia Tech starting lineup: Alvarado, Devoe, Haywood II, Alston, Banks III
First subs for Georgia Tech: Alston for Wright – 14:52-1^st half
On the floor for Georgia Tech at the end: Alvarado, Moore, Sjolund, Gueye, Banks III
Opening tap won by Florida State: Georgia Tech has won the opening tap 15 times in 26 games this season
Series record vs. Florida State: Georgia Tech is 29-42 overall, 17-17 at home, 1-3 under Josh Pastner, 9-16 vs. Leonard Hamilton
Current series trend: Florida State has won the last three meetings
Georgia Tech is 9-7 at McCamish Pavilion this season, 81-44 in its sixth season in the building, 38-18 under Josh Pastner
Georgia Tech is 2-6 on the road this season, 2-7 away from McCamish Pavilion
Georgia Tech’s next game: Wednesday, Feb. 20, vs. Pittsburgh (9 p.m., McCamish Pavilion)

TEAM NOTES

Georgia Tech started its 11^th different lineup this season against Florida State, keeping with its 4-out, 1-in alignment but inserting sophomore Moses Wright and freshman Kristian Sjolund at the forward spots along with guards Jose Alvarado and Michael Devoe and post man James Banks III
Sjolund made his first career start against the Seminoles, while Wright started for the 15^th time this season and first time since Jan. 19 against Louisville. Devoe, a freshman, has started Tech’s last 17 games, having made his first collegiate start at Arkansas. Banks has started the last 19 straight games in the post, and Alvarado has started 24 games.
No Yellow Jacket has started every game this season, and 10 different players have started three or more games.
Eight Tech players logged 17 or more minutes in the game against Florida State, and all seven of them scored at least one basket.
Tech was missing one scholarship player against Florida State – Evan Cole (viral illness). Shembari Phillips (flu) returned after missing the last two games.
Georgia Tech has held 16 opponents this season, and seven ACC opponents, under 40 percent from the floor (Florida State shot 39.1 percent). The Jackets have limited 15 opponents, eight in the ACC, to 30 percent or less from three-point range.
Tech shot a season-low 27.1 percent from the floor against Florida State (previous low was 27.6 percent at Tennessee), the third time this season the Yellow Jackets have been limited to under 30 percent. It was Tech’s least efficient game offensively this season, according to KenPom.com.
Conversely, Tech connected on 34.8 percent (8-of-30) from three-point range against FSU, and is 30-for-85 (35.3 percent) in its last four games. Tech is 19-for-50 (38 percent) in its last two games.
Tech has connected on 30 of 62 three-point field goals (35.5 percent) in its last three games, despite the struggles of Jose Alvarado and Curtis Haywood, who are 3-of-24 between them in those three games. In the five games before that, the Jackets shot 14-for-96 (14.6 pct.) from bonus range.
Wake Forest (74.4 ppg, scored 79), Clemson (71.4 ppg, scored 72 in the first meeting) and Virginia Tech (75.6, 76 in second meeting) remain the only Georgia Tech opponents to exceed their season scoring averages this season against the Yellow Jackets. Tech had held every other opponent this season under its season scoring average – breakdown by game: Lamar 81.8 (69), Tennessee 85.5 (66), East Carolina 71.1 (54), UTRGV 70.2 (44), Prairie View A&M 69.2 (54), Northwestern 73.5 (67), St. John’s 83.5 (76), Florida A&M 63.2 (40), Gardner-Webb 82.9 (79), Arkansas 81.8 (69), Georgia 79.2 (70), Kennesaw State 62.5 (57), USC Upstate 70.9 (63), Virginia Tech 81.1 (52), Syracuse 70.9 (59), Louisville 79.9 (79), Notre Dame 74.7 (61), Duke 88.6 (66), North Carolina 88.1 (77), Florida State 77.8 (59), Clemson 71.2 (65 in second meeting), Notre Dame 71.7 (69 in second meeting), Florida State 77.5 (69 in second meeting).
Tech has made 75 percent of its free throws over its last five games; however, the Yellow Jackets have averaged scoring just 10 points from the charity stripe.

PASTNER’S KEY METRICS

Assists to made field goals: The Jackets have 206 assists on 335 field goals (61.5 percent) in its last 13 games. The Jackets are at 58.2 percent for the season, 40^th in the nation, and 57.2 percent in ACC games. Tech assisted on nine of 16 made field goals (56.3 percent) against Florida State, missing its nightly goal of 60 percent.
Free throws made to opponents’ attempts: Tech is 37-17 under Josh Pastner when attempting more free throws than the opponent. Tech connected on 7-of-11 free throw attempts to Florida State’s 10-of-14 (nightly goal of making more than opponent tries not accomplished).
Turnovers: Tech has averaged 15.1 turnovers per game this season, 15.5 in ACC games to date (3.2 more per game than opponents). Target each night is 11 or fewer, which Tech has met twice this season (both wins). More telling for Tech under Josh Pastner is that when Tech has committed fewer turnovers than its opponent, it is 22-13. When it has committed more, it is 20-29.
Guard rebounding: The group of Alvarado, Alston, Devoe, Haywood, Moore and Phillips has combined to take 310 of Tech’s 671 defensive rebounds this season (46.2 percent). Tech’s guards combined for 13 of the Jackets’ 32 defensive rebounds against Virginia Tech.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

Jose Alvarado scored in double digits for the first time in seven games, notching 17 against Florida State for his highest scoring game since Jan. 12 at Syracuse (19 points). The 6-foot-sophomore guard had scored a total of 25 points in his last six games since getting 16 on Jan. 22 vs. Notre Dame (that was the last of a five-game double-digit streak).
Alvarado hit 3-of-7 from three-point range, as many threes as he had made in the previous six games (3-for-26). He went 6-for-11 overall and added five rebounds, three assists and two steals against FSU.
James Banks III posted his second double-digit rebound game in the last three with 10 against FSU. He has averaged 9.5 boards over his last four games.
Banks remains Tech’s scoring (11.6 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg) leader in ACC games, and he is hitting 50.4 percent of his field goals and 70.2 percent of his free throws against conference foes.
Freshman Michael Devoe averaging 10.5 points (No. 2 on the team), 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in ACC games, and he has hit 45.8 percent of his three-point tries (22-of-48) against conference opponents.
Freshman Kristian Sjolund has seen his most extensive action of the season in the Yellow Jackets’ last three games, scoring eight points in nine minutes at Notre Dame, 11 in 26 minutes at Virginia Tech and 11 more in 28 minutes against Florida State. The 6-7 forward has hit 10-of-21 from the floor and 8-of-17 threes in these three games. His season high for minutes had been 11 against East Carolina, and he had gone 2-for-11 from three-point range on the season prior to the last three games. He had seven total rebounds for the season before the Virginia Tech game, and has pulled 11 in the last two games.
With Tech opting for a 4-out, 1-in approach at Virginia Tech, Abdoulaye Gueye has not started the last two games (he missed two due to a medical condition. He played just four minutes at Virginia Tech, but played 17 against Florida State and scored five points with six rebounds. Gueye had averaged 12.0 points and 5.1 rebound over his previous eight games, and had scored in double digits in seven of those. The 6-9 senior connected on 52.6 percent of his shots from the floor (41-of-78) in the same stretch.