Men's Basketball Looks to Even Season Series vs. NC State

GEORGIA TECH (8-14, 1-11 ACC) vs. NC STATE (18-5, 8-4 ACC)

• Saturday, February 4, 2023 | 1 p.m. ET | Raleigh, N.C. | PNC Arena
• Television:  ACC Network
• Play-by-Play:  Mike Monaco  |  Analyst: Randolph Childress
• Radio:  Georgia Tech Sports Network by Legends Sports (In Atlanta: 680 AM/93.7 FM | SiriusXM ch. 385, SXM app 975 | Listen Online | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets App | TuneIn
• Play-by-Play: Andy Demetra  |  Analyst: Randy Waters

THE FLATS – Looking to even the regular-season series against NC State, Georgia Tech travels to face the surging Wolfpack in a 1 p.m. Atlantic Coast Conference contest Saturday at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C.

Tech (8-14, 1-11 ACC) looks to snap an eight-game losing streak against the ‘Pack, who defeated the Yellow Jackets, 78-66, on Jan. 17 in Atlanta. Tech’s only ACC win to date came over No. 12 Miami, 76-70, on Jan. 4, and since then has lost to Florida State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, NC State, Syracuse, Clemson, Duke and Louisville, all by double digits with the exception of a one-point, overtime defeat at Notre Dame. The Jackets fell to last place in the conference standings after Wednesday’s loss to Louisville.

NC State (18-5, 8-4 ACC) has won its last three games and seven of its last eight dating back to the beginning of January. The Wolfpack’s lone loss in that stretch was an 80-69 decision at North Carolina, and they have since defeated Notre dame, Wake Forest and Florida State. NC State, in fourth place in the ACC standings, is 12-1 at home this season, losing only to Pitt in its conference opener back in early December.

Saturday’s game will be televised live on the ACC Network, with a live stream 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), and on satellite radio (SiriusXM channel 385, SXM app 975).

THE TIP-OFF

• Six of Georgia Tech’s final nine ACC games are on the road, including upcoming trips NC State, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Boston College, who are a combined 62-15 at home this season. The Yellow Jackets’ only remaining home games are against Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Louisville, who are a combined 0-18 on the road this season.
• Tech has won its last four games at PNC Arena and seven of 12 after dropping its first seven games to the Wolfpack in the building.
• Tech is No. 2 in the ACC in three-point defense and is 50th nationally, allowing 30.8 percent from distance.
• Tech leads the ACC in bench scoring, its reserves contributing 21.1 points per game this season. The bench has provided 30 or more points six times this season, and has outscored its opponents’ reserves in 12 of 22 games.
• Tech has used 10 different starting lineups this season, and no Yellow Jacket has started every game. Nine Jackets have started at least two games, and eight of them have started a minimum of eight times.
• Sophomore guard Miles Kelly leads Tech in scoring, minutes, field goals made and attempted, three-point field goals made and attempted, and free throw percentage.
• Deivon Smith, at 6-1 the shortest player on Tech’s roster, leads the Yellow Jackets in rebound average at 5.7 per game. He has three double-digit rebound games this season.
• In its last six games, Tech has averaged just 10.2 turnovers and assisted on 62.7 percent of its made field goals.
• Senior guard Lance Terry, who has averaged 9.3 points and made 34.4 percent of his threes in ACC games, has missed four straight games with a hamstring injury (last played Jan. 17 vs. NC State). Tech has connected on 25.2 percent of its threes and averaged just 53.8 points across those four games.
• Sophomore forward Jalon Moore had his best game of the season in Tech’s first meeting vs. NC State, scoring a season-high 17 points (8-14 FG) with eight rebounds.

Ja’von Franklin ranks fifth in the ACC in blocked shots. (photo by Danny Karnik)

SERIES VS. NC STATE

• NC State has a 59-44 lead in the overall series which dates back to 1925. Georgia Tech has won six of the last nine meetings, although the Wolfpack have won the last two games in the series over the Yellow Jackets, both in Atlanta. The teams did not play during the 2020-21 season due to COVID issues.
• Twenty-three of the last 29 meetings in the series have been decided by 10 points or less, with four of those decided in overtime.
• Since it joined the ACC, Tech is 36-45 against NC State, including regular-season and tournament.
• Tech has won six of nine games (one win was vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions) against the Pack under head coach Josh Pastner, and is 4-2 vs. NC State coach Kevin Keatts.
• The Jackets are 14-31 against NC State in Raleigh, including a 7-11 mark at PNC Arena (one win vacated by NCAA Committee on Infractions). The Jackets have won their last four games in the building.
• Tech is 3-3 against NC State in ACC Tournament games, the last meeting occurring in 2003 in a 71-65 Wolfpack victory in Greensboro. The Jackets won first-round games in 1996 in Greensboro (88-73) and 1990 in Charlotte (76-67).

TEAM TRENDS

• Rodney Howard and Ja’von Franklin started together for the second time this season (Jan. 10 at Notre Dame was the other time).
• With Lance Terry (hamstring) and Deivon Smith (ankle) unavailable at Louisville, Tech utilized just eight players for the seventh time. Nine or more Yellow Jackets have taken the court in 15 of 22 games. Tech ranks No. 99 in the nation this season in bench minutes (34.1 pct.), and only one other Josh Pastner Tech team has seen its reserves play more.
• Tech has averaged 24.4 three-point attempts in ACC games, trying at least 20 in every game except Virginia (16).
• Tech has converted less than 30 percent of its three-point tries in nine games this season, and four of those have occurred over its last five games (2-for-21 vs. NC State, 4-for-23 at Clemson, 5-for-22 vs. Duke, 7-for-27 at Louisville). The Jackets have connected on just 22.6 percent from distance over that span and 29.7 percent against the ACC this season.
• Tech’s 29.5-percent field goal rate at Louisville was a season low, and the Yellow Jackets have failed to make 40 percent five times in the last six games, hitting 35.7 percent across those six games.
• Tech is 1-14 this season when the opponent makes a higher percentage of its field goal attempts, 7-0 when it has a better percentage.
• Tech’s last five opponents have connected on 52.4 percent of their field goal tries, and four (NC State, Syracuse, Clemson, Duke) have each shot better than 50 percent from the floor. Only two (Georgia, Virginia) did so in the Jackets’ first 17 games.
• Tech is 6-1 this season when scoring 70 or more points (1-0 in the ACC), 2-13 when failing to reach 70. The Jackets have failed to score 60 in three straight games, averaging 50.7 points against Clemson, Duke and Louisville.
• Tech went 15-of-24 from the foul line at Louisville after hitting just 18-of-38 over the previous five games. The Jackets have scored 14.8 percent of their points from the foul line this season.
• Tech has assisted on 57.6 percent of its field goals in ACC games, fourth-best in the ACC.
• After a four-game stretch in which it averaged 17 turnovers, Tech has averaged less than 10.3 in its last six games, including a season-low five against Louisville.

PLAYER UPDATES

• Lance Terry has missed fourth consecutive games with a hamstring injury. Deivon Smith sat out the Louisville game due to an ankle injury.
• Freshman Freds Pauls Bagatskis has appeared in Tech’s last two games (8 total minutes), and appeared for the first time this season in the first half of a game at Louisville. He made his second three-pointer of the season (1-for-3) and first in an ACC game.
• Ja’von Franklin has reached double figures in rebounds four times this season – twice in ACC games (12 each at Notre Dame and Louisville).
• Franklin blocked three shots against Louisville, his most in a game since swatting three Jan. 8 at Notre Dame, and had a season-high four steals.
• Miles Kelly’s 16 points at Louisville was his highest total in seven games dating back to Jan. 7 at Florida State, when he scored all 16 of his points in the game’s first nine minutes.
• Kyle Sturdivant’s 17 points were one off his season and personal best of 18 points Jan. 10 at Notre Dame.
• Tech’s sophomore trio of Deebo Coleman, Miles Kelly and Jalon Moore rank 1-2-3 on the Yellow Jackets’ scoring chart. They have accounted for 45.9 percent of the team’s total points this season (48.5 percent in ACC games) and have taken 44 percent of the shots from the floor (46.8 percent) in ACC games.
• Only one other Tech player has led the team in both rebound average and assist average – Iman Shumpert (5.9 rog, 3.5 apg) in 2010-11 – since assists began to be recorded 56 years ago. Deivon Smith currently leads the Jackets in both (5.7 rpg, 3.7 apg).

Kyle Sturdivant’s two highest-scoring games in his career have come in ACC road games. (photo by Danny Karnik)

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 Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.

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.