Men’s Hoops Opens February vs. #21/22 LouisvilleMen’s Hoops Opens February vs. #21/22 Louisville
Men's Basketball

Men’s Hoops Opens February vs. #21/22 Louisville

Yellow Jackets and Cardinals tip off at 3:45 p.m. EST Saturday at McCamish Pavilion

GEORGIA TECH (9-12, 3-7 ACC) vs. #21/22 LOUISVILLE (16-5, 9-1 ACC)

 

THE FLATS – Back home after playing four road games in the last six, Georgia Tech faces its first top-25 team in more than a month Saturday when it hosts No. 21/22 Louisville at 3:45 p.m. at McCamish Pavilion.

Georgia Tech (9-12, 3-7 ACC) opens the month of February having gone 2-5 in the month of January with wins over Boston College and Virginia Tech, both at home. The Yellow Jackets, coming off a 71-68 defeat at Notre Dame Tuesday, are 9-5 overall at home this season, 3-2 on conference play.

Louisville (16-5, 9-1 ACC) comes to Atlanta riding a 10-game winning streak, the last eight of which were conference games, and is one game behind Duke in second place in the ACC standings. The Cardinals, 5-0 on the road in ACC games this season, won seven of those eight by double digits.

Saturday’s game will be televised live on The CW Network, which is available on Atlanta on Peachtree TV. Radio coverage is on the Georgia Tech Sports Network by Legends Sports and flagship station 680 the Fan (680 AM/93.7 FM). The Tech broadcast is also available on Sirius XM channel 385 and the SiriusXM app.

 

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Lance Terry (0) remains the Jackets’ leading scorer overall and in ACC games. (photo by Danny Karnik)

 

THE TIP-OFF

  • Louisville is the fifth top-25 team Tech has faced this season and the first since Duke back on Dec. 21. The Yellow Jackets are 0-4 against top-25 teams this season after going 3-1 against them in 2023-24.
  • A win Saturday would also be Tech’s first against a Quad 1 opponent in the NCAA’s NET rankings this season (Louisville is No. 25). The Yellow Jackets are 0-5 against Quad 1 opponents this season after going 4-7 against such teams last year. Two more Quad 1 opportunities exist on Tech’s schedule, Clemson (30) and Wake Forest (69), both on the road.
  • Tech is 2-5 against Louisville at home since the Cardinals joined the ACC, including an 83-67 win two seasons ago (Feb. 25, 2023).
  • Tech is 7-11 against Louisville all-time when the Cardinals have been ranked. Most recently, Tech defeated No. 5 U of L, 64-58, on Feb. 12, 2020.
  • Unlike last season, when 14 of Georgia Tech’s 20 ACC games were decided by less than 10 points, only four of the Yellow Jackets’ first 10 conference games this season have been decided by single digits, and two of those have occurred in Tech’s last two games (71-64 win over Virginia Tech, 71-68 loss at Notre Dame).
  • Five Yellow Jackets have averages in double-digits for ACC games – Lance Terry (15.1), Javian McCollum (14.1), Duncan Powell (13.3), Naithan George (11.5) and Baye Ndongo (11.0).
  • Tech has utilized 7 different starting lineups through its first 21 games this season, all because of injury. Ibrahim Souare and Javian McCollum have each started Tech’s last four games, and Duncan Powell has started two of the last four.
  • Tech rotation players have missed a total of 36 games this season because of injury or illness. Kowacie Reeves, Jr., has missed the last 15 games (foot injury), Luke O’Brien missed the last 10 games (toe injury), Jaeden Mustaf has missed the last 3 (foot) and Lance Terry has missed 2 of the last 4 (hand/illness). Javian McCollum missed 4 games earlier in December with a concussion. Reeves, Jr., has not played in an ACC game this season, while O’Brien has played in only one.
  • Despite Tech’s shorter rotation the last three weeks, the Yellow Jackets’ bench remains one of the more productive in the ACC, ranking fifth in points per game (23.7), and 106th nationally.

SERIES NOTES VS. LOUISVILLE

  • Of the four teams added in the 2013 expansion of the ACC, Tech had the longest history with Louisville, meeting 28 times prior to the Cardinals joining the conference.
  • Louisville has won 14 of the last 16 games in the series and is 12-2 against Tech since becoming a member of the ACC. Tech’s only wins were a 64-58 triumph over a Cardinals’ team ranked No. 5 in the nation at home on Feb. 12, 2020, and an 83-67 home win on Feb. 25, 2023.
  • After a 12-year hiatus, Tech was 2-2 vs. Louisville when both teams were members of the Metro Conference in the late 1970s. Dwane Morrison was the Yellow Jackets’ head coach for all those games, and Denny Crum was on the Cardinals’ bench.
  • After another long break, the teams met 13 times between 1988 and 1999, with Bobby Cremins and Crum on the opposing benches in all those games. The Yellow Jackets went 8-5 against the Cardinals during this time. Three of the meetings took place at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, and six at Freedom Hall.
  • The other four were played at the Georgia Dome, which was demolished in 2017 following the opening of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Tech won three of those, including the first-ever college basketball game played in the facility, and before the largest crowd ever to witness a college game in the state of Georgia at the time (28,885). That game will be forever remembered in Tech lore after James Forrest launched a half-court heave on an inbounds play that dropped through the net at the buzzer for an 87-85 Yellow Jacket victory,
  • Tech was 10-7 against Louisville teams coached by the legendary Denny Crum, but are just 2-13 since.

 

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Naithan George (1) has scored in double digits in 8 straight games. (photo by Danny Karnik)

 

TECH BYTES

  • Tech has shot 48.1% from the floor in its last 2 games (47.1% vs. Virginia Tech, 49.1% at Notre Dame. The Jackets connected on an aggregate 40.2% during their 4-game losing streak.
  • Tech’s 57.6% assist rate is the 6th highest of any Yellow Jacket team since the inception of KenPom.com metrics in 1997 – 2016-17 (62.4%), 2000-01 (62.9%), 1999-2000 (62.9%), 1998-99 (58.1%) and 2001-02 (57.7%).
  • Tech has exceeded a point per possession in each of its last three games (1.08 vs. Florida State, 1.07 vs. Virginia Tech and 1.09 at Notre Dame) after falling below that standard in three straight games. Tech’s efficiency rating at FSU and Notre Dame are its two highest in road games this season. The Jackets have scored over a point per possession in all 9 of their wins this season, and in 3 of their 12 losses.
  • Tech has played 7, 6, 7 and 7 players in its last four games. The Jackets had played 8 or more in every game prior to Clemson, 9 or more in 11 games.
  • Tech has had fewer than 10 turnovers five times this season, twice against Notre Dame (8 each time). The Jackets’ starting 5 committed only 2 between them against the Fighting Irish.
  • Sophomores Baye Ndongo and Naithan George are the only Yellow Jackets to have appeared in every game this season, and also the only ones to start every game this season. No one else has started more than 14. Ndongo has started 50 consecutive games, George 49, dating back to last season.
  • Tech has attempted 39 more free throws than its opponents in ACC play. The Yellow Jackets have finished a season with more free throw attempts than their opponents since the 2016-17 season, and only once since 2000. Tech’s percentage of free throw attempts to field goal attempts in ACC play (34.7%) ranks 4th in the league.

PLAYER NOTES

  • Senior guards Lance Terry and Javian McCollum have failed to reach double-figure points in the same game just 3 times this season – Cincinnati on Nov. 23, Duke on Dec. 21, and Notre Dame on Jan. 28.
  • Sophomore guard Naithan George has scored in double digits in 8 straight games, averaging 12.4 points and 6.4 assists per game. He has shot 45.3% (29-of-86) from the floor, 33.3% (13-of-39) from 3-point range, during that stretch.
  • George is the ACC’s No. 2 assist dealer with 6.2 per game, and ranks No. 4 in assist/turnover ratio at 2.55 per game. He has posted 10 games of 7 or more assists this season.
  • George’s 265 career assists are the 7th most all-time in Tech annals through a Yellow Jackets’ first two seasons, and most since Shumpert’s 274 from 2008-10.
  • Junior forward Duncan Powell has averaged 14.6 points and 5.8 rebounds over his last 8 games, including three games of 20 points or more. The Sacramento State transfer has hit 46.5% (41-of-88) from the floor, 42.9% (18-of-42) from three-point range and 70.7% (29-of-41) from the foul line in that stretch.
  • Powell has shot a team-high 39.5% on 43 3-point attempts in ACC play, and has been to the foul line a team-high 50 times (72%).
  • Senior guard Javian McCollum has averaged 15.0 points over his last 9 games, scoring 20 in four of those games. He has connected on 42.2% (46-for-109) from the floor, 35.3% (18-of-51) from three-point range and 29-of-32 from the free throw line. He has added 36 assists (4.0 per game) and 14 steals.
  • In ACC games, McCollum is averaging 14.1 points and 4.1 assists, hitting 44.0% from the floor, 35.4% from three-point range, and is 88.5% from the foul line. He also has 37 assists and just 14 turnovers with a team-high 13 steals.
  • Senior guard Lance Terry has scored 20-plus points in 6 games this season, 3 times in ACC games. The senior guard, who missed the Clemson game with a hand injury, has averaged 16.3 points in his last 7 games, hitting 43-of-83 (51.8%) from the floor, 15-of-38 from three-point range (39.5%).
  • In ACC games, Terry leads the Jackets at 15.1 points per game while connecting on 44.3% from the floor and 34.0% from bonus land.

 

Full Steam Ahead

Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL

Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is in its second season 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.