Moses Wright scored 23 points in Tech’s Jan. 30 victory over the Seminoles at home. (photo by Danny Karnik)
Georgia Tech’s first signature résumé win came against Florida State Jan. 30, when the Jackets outlasted the Seminoles 76-65 at McCamish. FSU came in to the game ranked 13th in the nation in offensive efficiency; at 0.89 points per possession, Tech dealt them its lowest offensive rating of the season.
Much of that had to do with the Seminoles committing a season-high 20 turnovers. Afterwards, Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton said his team over-dribbled in the halfcourt, which prevented them from getting the kick-out threes they normally feast on. The Seminoles finished the regular season ranked second in the ACC in three-point percentage (38.5%), but they converted just 3-of-14 against the Jackets. Pastner praised his team’s “hand activity,” particularly the work of Moses Wright, who recorded a career-high six steals. He also said the Jackets showed their “stick hand” on close-outs before FSU’s shooters could catch it.
The Seminoles function best when they get downhill and attack from the slots, leaving defenses vulnerable to drop-off passes to bigs like Balsa Koprovica or pitch-out passes to shooters like M.J. Walker. Koprovica, a 7-1 sophomore and former high school teammate of Michael Devoe, had a team-high 17 points and 11 rebounds in their semifinal win over North Carolina. Walker, a Jonesboro, Ga., native, leads the Seminoles in scoring (13.1 ppg) and earned a spot on the All-ACC second team. FSU also has one of the trickier covers in the ACC in 6-8, 260-pound RaiQuan Gray, a third-team All-ACC pick who gives off Draymond Green vibes with his shooting, passing and rebounding.
Florida State has a famously balanced offense – teams can’t lock in on any one player, which makes them difficult to defend – but Walker could offer a subtle clue. He finished the year shooting 44.1 percent from three-point range. In FSU’s four ACC losses, he’s only 4-of-22.
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In one statistic at least, maybe we should have seen this championship appearance coming. Georgia Tech finished the regular season shooting 48.2 percent from the field in ACC play, its highest percentage since…. 1992-93, when it last lifted the ACC Tournament trophy.
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That percentage didn’t exactly get a boost from the Seminoles, who led the ACC in field goal percentage defense (40.0). Leonard Hamilton once again has a roster flush with depth and length, which allows FSU to help and recover as hard as any team in the league. They also switch every ball screen and play up the line, making it difficult for teams to enter into their offense.
Tech was at its best in January when it attacked early, kept the ball in the middle third of the floor, and avoided playing side to side (a problem that plagued North Carolina in the quarterfinals). Michael Devoe and Jose Alvarado were able to engage help but not get engulfed by it. Alvarado made daring drives to the basket and finished with 21 points and six assists; Moses Wright, having more space to catch-and-go from the post, scored 23 after a somewhat muted performance in Tallahassee.
Forget the normal connotations of the phrase. As Georgia Tech’s guards look to create before FSU can set its defense, “it’s all downhill” could be a good thing for the Yellow Jackets.
