Tech and California Meet for 1st Time in AtlantaTech and California Meet for 1st Time in Atlanta
Men's Basketball

Tech and California Meet for 1st Time in Atlanta

Yellow Jackets and Golden Bears tip off at 4 p.m. EST Saturday at McCamish Pavilion

GEORGIA TECH (12-13, 6-8 ACC) vs. CALIFORNIA (12-13, 5-9 ACC)

 

THE FLATS – For the second time this week, Georgia Tech will host a new member of the Atlantic Coast Conference from the West Coast, entertaining California for a 4 p.m. contest Saturday at McCamish Pavilion.

Tech (12-13, 6-8 ACC) has won four of its last six games, three of its last four, after downing Stanford, 60-52, Wednesday night. The Yellow Jackets have defeated Virginia Tech (71-64), No. 21 Louisville (77-70) and the Cardinal at home during that stretch, and captured a road win at No. 21 Clemson (89-86, 3-OT). Tech is 11-5 at home this season, 5-2 in ACC play, and has won its last three conference home games.

California (12-13, 5-9 ACC) has lost four of its last five games and comes to Atlanta following a 78-57 defeat at No. 5 Duke Wednesday night. The Golden Bears won three in a row prior to that, including its only ACC road victory this season, a 65-62 win on Jan. 18. Cal is 2-7 on the road this season, 1-5 in ACC games.

Saturday’s game will be televised live on the ACC Network, with a live stream available on the ESPN app. 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 193 or 208 and the SiriusXM app.

THE TIP-OFF

  • A win Saturday would give Tech four straight ACC home wins, something the Yellow Jackets have not accomplished since winning its final five conference home games in the 2019-20 season.
  • Tech is now alone in 10th place in the ACC standings, a mere half-game out of 9th place (and a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament if the tournament were to begin today).
  • Tech has won three of its last four games, four of its last six. The Jackets are just one win shy of their ACC win total from 2023-24.
  • Tech is 11-5 on its home court after beginning the season 2-3.
  • Tech is the only ACC team to defeat both Clemson and Louisville, the teams tied for 2nd place in the standings, this season. The Jackets stopped a 10-game winning streak by Louisville, which has gone on to win 3-straight since, and stopped a 6-game win streak by Clemson, which responded by defeating Duke and North Carolina.
  • Tech has never trailed in a game only three times this season – West Georgia, Central Arkansas and Stanford.
  • Seven of Tech’s 14 ACC games this season have been decided by single digits, including 5 of the last 6 (71-64 win over Virginia Tech, 71-68 loss at Notre Dame, 77-70 win over Louisville, 89-86 win over Clemson, 60-52 win over Stanford).
  • Tech is 2-5 vs. NCAA NET Quad 1 teams this season and 6-12 under head coach Damon Stoudamire. Pittsburgh (51) and Wake Forest (67) are the only Quad 1 opportunities remaining on the Yellow Jackets’ schedule.
  • Tech has its second bye in the conference schedule next week, resuming play at Boston College next Saturday. After Cal. the Yellow Jackets will have two home games and three road games remaining.

SERIES NOTES VS. CALIFORNIA

  • All three of the prior meetings between Tech and California took place in the Golden State. The most recent meeting occurred on Nov. 23, 2012, a 68-57 Golden Bears victory in the semifinals of the DirecTV Classic in Anaheim, Calif.
  • The other two games were played on back-to-back days during the 1950-51 season as part of a West Coast holiday trip by Roy McArthur’s Yellow Jacket team. The Golden Bears routed Tech in both games. The Jackets also played at San Francisco the day before the first game with Cal, and lost that one as well.
  • Tech coach Damon Stoudamire has never faced California in his head coaching career, but he was 6-2 vs. the Golden Bears as a player at Arizona, and 2-2 as an assistant coach with the Wildcats.

TECH BYTES

  • Tech snapped a 6-game streak of scoring more than 1 point per possession, posting 0.95 points per possession against Stanford, however the Jackets limited the Cardinal to just 0.82 points per possession, a season best. The Jackets are 11-4 this season when scoring more than a point per permission, and 8-1 when holding their foes to less than a point per.
  • Tech has attempted 57 more free throws than its opponents in ACC play (+3.8 per game). The Yellow Jackets have not finished a season with more free throw attempts than their opponents since the 2016-17 season, and only once since 2000. Tech leads the ACC in limiting league opponents’ trips to the free throw line, holding them to a 23.8% rate of FTA to FGA, while ranking No. 6 in getting to the line (31.8% FTA/FGA).
  • Tech has utilized 9 different starting lineups through 25 games this season, all because of injury. An injury to Javian McCollum at Clemson prompted the Jackets to send out a new first five at Virginia, with Duncan Powell back in the starting lineup for the third time. Lance Terry’s unavailability (wrist) vs. Stanford opened a spot for freshman Darrion Sutton to make his first collegiate start.
  • Tech has played 6 or 7 players in its last 8 games (starting with the 1/14 game vs. Clemson), one exception being 8 on 2/4 at Clemson as Ryan Mutombo and Darrion Sutton saw rare minutes, and 2/8 at Virginia when two walk-ons finished the game. The Jackets had played 8 or more in every game prior to the first Clemson meeting, 9 or more in 11 games.
  • Twelve different players have started a game for Tech this season, 11 different players have started an ACC game. Darrion Sutton became the latest first-time starter against Stanford.
  • 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 17. Ndongo has started 54 consecutive games, George 53, dating back to last season.
  • Tech rotation players have missed a total of 51 games this season because of injury or illness. Kowacie Reeves, Jr., has missed the last 19 games (foot injury), Luke O’Brien missed the last 14 games (toe injury), Jaeden Mustaf had missed 6 straight (foot) before returning vs. Stanford, and Lance Terry has missed 3 of the last 7 (hand/illness). Javian McCollum missed 4 games earlier in December with a concussion, and missed the last 2 due to a head injury.
  • Reeves, Jr., has not played in an ACC game this season, while O’Brien has played in only one. Terry and McCollum had provided, on average, 27 of Tech’s 70 points per game (38.5%) in ACC play.
  • The four players who missed the Stanford game – Terry, McCollum, Reeves and O’Brien – have combined for 40 starts this season.
  • Five Yellow Jackets have averages in double-digits for ACC games – Naithan George (14.3), Lance Terry (14.2), Duncan Powell (13.6), Javian McCollum (12.9) and Baye Ndongo (12.1).
  • Despite Tech’s shorter rotation the last three weeks, the Yellow Jackets’ bench remains one of the more productive in the ACC, ranking No. 7 in points per game (21.5), and 164th nationally.

PLAYER NOTES

  • Naithan George has scored in double digits in 12 straight games, and 20-plus in his last three, after tallying a game-high 22 points against Stanford. The 6-3 sophomore has averaged 23.3 points (25-of-54 FG, 10-of-23 3pt FG, 10-of-13 FT) over that stretch, along with 6.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists.
  • George is averaging 15.3 points and 6.4 assists over Tech’s last 12 games. He has shot 45.7% (69-of-151) from the floor, 36.4% (24-of-66) from 3-point range, and 73.3% (22-of-30) from the foul line, during that stretch.
  • George leads the ACC in assist average with 6.2 per game (13th in the nation), and ranks No. 6 in assist/turnover ratio at 2.36 per game. He has posted 12 games of 7 or more assists this season. He ranks No. 34 according to KenPom in assist rate (assists divided by FG made by teammates while he is on the floor.
  • Only 3 other players in NCAA Division I besides George are averaging at least 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game this season (Steven Ashworth of Creighton, Braden Smith of Purdue and Bennett Stirtz of Drake.
  • George’s 291 career assists are the 6th most all-time in Tech annals through a Yellow Jackets’ first two seasons, and most since Drew Barry’s 305 from 1992-96.
  • Baye Ndongo notched his third double-double in Tech’s last four games with 15 points and 16 rebounds against Stanford. The 6-9 sophomore has averaged 15.0 points (25-of-49 FG) and 11.3 rebounds over the last four games.
  • Ndongo has 7 double-doubles this season (13 for his career), five of those against ACC teams – 15/16 vs. Stanford, 18/13 at Clemson (2/4), 12/11 vs. Louisville, 14/12 vs. Clemson (1/14) and 19/12 at North Carolina (12/7).
  • Duncan Powell has averaged 14.6 points and 5.6 rebounds over his last 12 games, including three games of 20 points or more. The Sacramento State transfer has hit 42.4% (59-of-139) from the floor, 38.8% (26-of-67) from three-point range and 71.4% (40-of-56) from the foul line in that stretch.
  • Powell’s numbers are even better over his last 7 games – 17.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 36.5% 3pt FG, 73.2% FT
  • Ibrahim Souare has started Tech’s last 8 games as injuries ravaged the Jackets’ rotation. The redshirt freshman has averaged 29.3 minutes, averaging 4.0 points (66.7% FG) with 5.1 rebounds and 5 blocked shots.
  • Freshman Jaeden Mustaf returned to action against Stanford after missing five games with a foot injury, scoring 7 points while playing 20 minutes.
  • Freshman Darrion Sutton has played more than 56 minutes in Tech’s last 2 games after totaling 54 minutes over Tech’s first 23 games (of which Sutton appeared in seven). He made his first collegiate start against Stanford, and made two key free throws in the final minute of play.
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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.