Men’s Basketball Closes Regular Season at Boston CollegeMen’s Basketball Closes Regular Season at Boston College
Men's Basketball

Men’s Basketball Closes Regular Season at Boston College

Yellow Jackets and Eagles tip off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Conte Forum

GEORGIA TECH (13-17, 5-14 ACC) vs. BOSTON COLLEGE (15-15, 9-10 ACC)

THE FLATS – Carrying the momentum of its first Atlantic Coast Conference road win of the season, Georgia Tech finishes out its regular season schedule at 2:30 p.m. Saturday with another road opportunity against Boston College at the Silvio O. Conte Forum.

Georgia Tech (13-17, 5-14 ACC) went 5-4 in the month of February, 4-4 in the ACC. and finished out its home schedule with four straight wins over Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Florida Tech and Louisville. On the heels of that, the Yellow Jackets hammered Syracuse Tuesday night, 96-76, at the JMA Wireless Dome, and its three ACC road losses prior to that were decided by a total of 17 points.

Boston College (15-15, 9-10 ACC), one of the surprise teams in the ACC this season after being picked to finish 13th. enters Saturday’s game playing for the ninth seed in the ACC Tournament and a bye out of the Tuesday opening round. The Eagles, currently tied with Syracuse at 9-10, are 9-6 at home this season and are riding a three-game winning streak.

Saturday’s game will be televised live on ESPNU with a live stream of the broadcast available the ESPN app. Radio coverage is on the Georgia Tech Sports Network by Legends Sports, carried locally on Xtra 106.3 FM and 1230 AM, and nationally on satellite radio (SiriusXM channel 388, SXM app 978).

THE TIP-OFF

  • At 5-14, Georgia Tech is locked into the 13th seed for next Week’s ACC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C. The Yellow Jackets will play the loser of Saturday’s game between Florida State and Virginia Tech at 2 p.m. The Seminoles and Hokies are tied at 7-12, two games ahead of the Yellow Jackets, with the winner gaining the 11th seed and the loser seeded 12th.
  • Tech’s last back-to-back ACC road wins came at Miami and Virginia Tech in the 2020-21 season. The Yellow Jackets have won their last two games against Boston college at the Conte Forum.
  • Tech’s February upswing has been led by the emergence of its two transfers, center Ja’von Franklin and guard Lance Terry, who have averaged 14.9 and 13.9 points, respectively, over the last eight games.
  • Tech has averaged 75.9 points per game over that stretch, connected on 46.3 percent of its shots from the floor and 39.8 percent of its three-point attempts. The Jackets have averaged 10.3 three-point field goals made.
  • Tech’s leading scorer, sophomore guard Miles Kelly, has averaged 20.0 points and 4.0 rebounds over the Yellow Jackets’ last five games, hitting 49.3 percent from the floor and 46 percent from three-point range. He has hit 18 threes over Tech’s last three games.
  • Senior guard Lance Terry has played the full 40 minutes in nearly all of Tech’s five ACC wins, the only exception was the final minute at Syracuse when Tech emptied its bench. In those five games, Terry has averaged 19.6 points while connecting on 51.5 percent of his field goals, 54.1 percent of his three-point attempts (20-of-37).
  • Senior forward/center Ja’von Franklin has averaged a double-double (14.9 ppg, 11.5 rpg) over Georgia Tech’s last eight games. He actually has achieved double-doubles in five of his last six games, including the fifth triple-double in Tech history Tuesday night at Syracuse. He also has led the Yellow Jackets in assists, blocks and steals over these last eight games.
  • Over Tech’s last seven ACC games, the Yellow Jackets’ rotation has shortened to six or seven players, with the five starters playing nearly 82 percent of the minutes.
  • At the moment, Tech’s offensive efficiency rating as measured by KenPom.com is 104.0, the highest for the Jackets in seven seasons under Josh Pastner.
  • Tech’s season turnover rate of 11.0 per game is its lowest on record dating back to the 1992-93 season. The Jackets have turned it over just 10.3 times per game in its last seven ACC games.
RB1_7838-e1708190700725Men's Basketball at Syracuse - Feb. 28, 2023

Miles Kelly has made 18 three-point field goals over his last three games. (photo by Rich Barnes)

 

SERIES NOTES VS. BOSTON COLLEGE

  • Georgia Tech leads the all-time series with Boston College, 18-12 (one win vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions), and won the teams’ last four meetings, dating back to an 81-78 win at home at the end of the 2018-19 season. The one scheduled meeting in 2020-21 in Atlanta was not played due to COVID-19.
  • The teams have played to overtime six times in the series, including three of the last six meetings and five times since the Eagles joined the ACC.
  • Tech has played BC at three different venues in the Boston area. The Jan. 29, 2005 game was Tech’s first visit to the Conte Forum, BC’s current home court, where the Jackets are 5-6. The first game in the series on Dec. 31, 1946, was played at Boston Arena, and the teams also played in the Boston Garden on Jan. 19, 1980.
  • The teams have met twice in NCAA Tournament competition, both of them won by Tech. The Yellow Jackets downed the Eagles, 103-89, in the 1996 Southeast Regional second round in Orlando, and eliminated the Eagles, 57-54 in a 2004 second-round game in Milwaukee.

TEAM TRENDS

  • Georgia Tech has utilized the same starting lineup (Lance Terry, Kyle Sturdivant, Deebo Coleman, Miles Kelly, Ja’von Franklin) in each of its last eight games, the longest stretch of games this season that head coach Josh Pastner has sent out the same five.
  • Tech continues to lead the ACC in three-point defense and is 19th nationally, allowing 30.0 percent from distance.
  • Beginning with its Feb. 8 win over Notre Dame, and with only one exception, Tech has increased its point production with each game – 70 vs. Notre Dame, 70 at Wake Forest, 77 vs. Virginia Tech, 79 vs. Florida Tech, 68 at Pittsburgh, 83 vs. Louisville, 96 at Syracuse.
  • Tech has achieved ACC season highs in field goal percentage in each of its last three games (47.3 vs. Pittsburgh, 48.2 vs. Louisville, 50.7 vs. Syracuse). The Jackets have shot better than Tuesday’s 50.7 percent only twice (North Alabama, Alabama State) all season.
  • Tech has scored 70 points or more in six of its last seven games (Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Florida Tech, Louisville, Syracuse). The Yellow Jackets are 11-2 this season when scoring 70 or more points (5-2 in the ACC), 2-15 when failing to reach 70.
  • Tech has exceeded 100 points per 100 possessions (KenPom offensive efficiency rating) in each of its last seven games, the Yellow Jackets’ longest such streak this season. There are only two longer streaks on record, 10 straight games by Tech’s ACC title team of 2020-21 and two eight-game streaks by the 2006-07 team.
  • Tech has outshot seven of its last eight opponents from the floor, holding them collectively to 42.7 percent overall, 28.1 percent from three-point range. The Yellow Jackets are 12-2 this season when they have a higher field goal percentage.
  • Four or more Yellow Jackets have reached double digits in the scoring column in 16 games this season, and Tech has won 12 of those games.
  • Over Tech’s last seven ACC games, Kelly, Terry, Coleman and Sturdivant have combined to hit 42.0 percent (71-of-169) from three-point range.
  • Four Tech players (Kelly 16.3, Franklin 14.9, Terry 13.9 ppg, Sturdivant 11.9) are averaging double digits in points over the Yellow Jackets’ last eight games, and a fifth (Coleman) is averaging 9.3.

PLAYER UPDATES

  • Ja’von Franklin has four double-doubles and one triple-double in his last six games. He has eight double-doubles (including the triple-double) this season.
  • Franklin is the only player to rank in the top 10 in rebound average (8th), steal average (10th) and blocked shot average (4th) in conference games. At 6-7 and 214 pounds, Franklin is out-sized by nearly every ACC center.
  • Lance Terry is 56 seconds shy of playing the full 40 minutes in all of Tech’s five ACC wins. At Syracuse, he came out for the final 56 seconds when Tech emptied its bench. In those five games, Terry has averaged 19.6 points while connecting on 51.5 percent of his field goals (34-of-66), 54.1 percent of his three-point attempts (20-of-37).
  • Miles Kelly has reached double figures in five straight games, averaging 20.0 points and hitting 34-of-69 from the floor (49.3 pct.) and 23-of-50 from three-point range (46 pct.). This comes after a stretch in which he scored in double digits just three times in nine games and averaged 9.8 points.
  • Kyle Sturdivant has averaged 12.8 points over his last nine games, having reached double figures in six of them, including his career nigh of 20 points at Syracuse. He has made 17-of-41 from three-point range (41.5 pct.) over that stretch, and has a 34/14 assist/turnover ratio in his last nine games.

 

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.