By Andy Demetra | Voice of the Yellow Jackets
Balanced offense and bracing defense helped give Georgia Tech (11-12, 5-7 ACC) its fifth win of conference play Tuesday.
They now hope that combination can propel them to something they’ve yet to accomplish this year.
An ACC win streak.
Curiously, every one of Tech’s five conference wins has been followed by a loss. The wins have been impressive – three on the road, three by double digits – but momentum has been elusive. The Yellow Jackets will try to stop that trend Saturday while also breaking apart from a five-way tie for eighth place in the ACC, a spot they currently share with their next opponent Pittsburgh (14-9, 5-7 ACC). Enjoy the top five notes from my chart in preparation for Saturday’s matchup in snowy Pittsburgh (2 p.m. ET, Georgia Tech Sports Network from Learfield IMG College):
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In sizing up Jose Alvarado and Michael Devoe’s 32-point, 10-assist, 2-turnover stat line against Virginia Tech, Josh Pastner saw it as more proof of a belief he’s espoused throughout the year.
“It’s a guard’s game,” Pastner’s said in our post-game radio interview. “It’s all about guard play. And when our guards play well, it gives us a really good chance to win.”
Get ready for another guard’s game Saturday. Pittsburgh regularly rolls out a four-guard lineup, which they use to isolate ballhandlers and get them downhill. Sophomore Xavier Johnson (12.0 ppg), who broke Pitt’s freshman scoring record against Georgia Tech last year, is a fearless driver who hoards free throws. Sophomore Trey McGowens (12.8 ppg) uses his athleticism to make crafty finishes around the rim. Au’Diese Toney (8.7 ppg) is 6-5, long-armed and bouncy in the lane. They also have a likely freshman All-ACC candidate in 6-5 Justin Champagnie (11.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg), who gives Pitt a fluid, versatile presence on the wing. Champagnie was impressive against Notre Dame’s John Mooney Wednesday, finishing with 20 points and 11 rebounds in an 80-72 loss.
The Yellow Jackets leaned heavily on their 1-3-1 zone against Virginia Tech, discombobulating the Hokies’ young guards and making them tentative in their dribble-drives. Can Tech coax that same confusion out of Pitt’s guards? The Panthers have struggled at times to score against zone defenses, though they played their last two games without three-point specialist Ryan Murphy (41.5 percent on threes at home) due to a concussion. Something else to consider: Johnson, McGowens and Toney shot a combined 6 of 25 against the Jackets last year.