Tech Hoops to Meet Penn State at Madison Square Garden

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech men’s basketball and Penn State will meet on the hardwood at Madison Square Garden for a noon tipoff on December 16, kicking off MSG’s Holiday Festival triple-header. Tech’s game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

Tickets for Tech-Penn State game can be purchased through the Georgia Tech ticket office by calling 888-TECH-TIX or by clicking on this link. The Yellow Jackets’ game will be followed by the St. John’s men’s team facing Fordham at 3:30 p.m. and St. John’s women taking on Villanova at 6 p.m. on that Saturday.

The Nittany Lions reached the NCAA Tournament last season, advancing to the round of 32, and finished with a 23-14 overall record and a 10-10 mark in the Big Ten. Tech and Penn State will meet for the fifth time, most recently in 2016 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at State College. The Nittany Lions lead the series, 3-1.

Tech will play a game at Madison Square Garden for the first time since 2017 post-season National Invitation Tournament. The Yellow Jackets are 18-8 all-time in the arena.

The game completes the Yellow Jackets’ 2023-24 non-conference schedule, which also includes a road trip to Big 12 Conference member Cincinnati (Nov. 22), the ACC/SEC Challenge against Mississippi State at home (Nov. 28), the annual Tech-Georgia game in Athens (Dec. 5) and the Diamond Head Classic (Dec. 21-24) in which the Jackets will face Massachusetts in the opening round.

The non-conference slate includes five guaranteed games against teams that won 20 or more games in the 2022-23 season, including four that played in the post-season. Mississippi State (21-13), Penn State (23-14) and Howard (22-13) all played in the NCAA Tournament last season, while Cincinnati (23-13), a new member of the Big 12, reached the quarterfinals of the NIT. UMass Lowell (26-8) finished second in the America East Conference. The Yellow Jackets potentially could play two more 20-win teams in the Diamond Head Classic, with a possible game against Hawai’i (21-11) in the second round and TCU (22-13) in the final round.

Tech opens the 2023-24 season Nov. 6 against Georgia Southern at McCamish Pavilion, and opens its Atlantic Coast Conference slate Dec. 2 against Duke, also at home.

SEASON TICKETS FOR TECH BASKETBALL

Season tickets for the 2023-24 campaign for Georgia Tech men’s basketball are available to the general public. Tech’s schedule will include 10 Atlantic Coast Conference home games as well as the Yellow Jackets’ always-challenging non-conference slate. Further information on Tech’s 2023-24 schedule will be announced later this summer. Season ticket prices start at $290. Season tickets for faculty, staff and letterwinners are $280, and tickets for new alumni can be purchased for as little as $199.

Looking to return the Yellow Jackets to national prominence, first-year head coach Damon Stoudamire brings the experience of 13 years as a successful NBA player, 10 years of coaching experience on the collegiate level and four years on the NBA level. He was named the West Coast Conference Coach of the Year in 2020, his final season as the head coach at Pacific University, and went from there to be an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics, who posted the best record in the NBA’s Eastern Conference the last two years. Stoudamire has built his staff with coaches who helped build winning programs at their previous schools.

The Jackets return four starters from a team that went 15-18, 6-12 in the ACC in 2022-23, while adding a transfer class that has been ranked No. 17 in the nation by 247Sports.

First-year head coach Damon Stoudamire and senior guard Kyle Sturdivant will lead the Yellow Jackets in their first game at Madison Square Garden since 2017. (photo by Eldon Lindsay)

 

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 is in its first year under head coach Damon Stoudamire. 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.

Season tickets for men’s basketball can be reserved here.