Tech Men’s Basketball Travels to VirginiaTech Men’s Basketball Travels to Virginia
Men's Basketball

Tech Men’s Basketball Travels to Virginia

Yellow Jackets and Cavaliers tip off at 5:30 p.m. EST Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena

GEORGIA TECH (11-12, 5-7 ACC) vs. VIRGINIA (11-12, 4-8 ACC)

 

THE FLATS – Bidding to match its longest win streak of the season (3 games), Georgia Tech hits the road again Saturday looking to win at John Paul Jones Arena for the first time since 2008 when it visits Virginia for a 5:30 p.m. tip.

Tech (11-12, 5-7 ACC) has opened the month of February with a pair of wins over Quad 1 and national Top-25 opponents, a 77-70 victory over Louisville last Saturday at McCamish Pavilion and an 89-86 triple-overtime decision at Clemson Tuesday night. Coupled with their 71-64 win over Virginia Tech on Jan. 22, the Yellow Jackets have won three of their last four games, losing only by 3 at Notre Dame. Tech and Florida State are tied for 10th place in the ACC.

Virginia (11-12, 4-8 ACC) also comes off a significant road win, a 73-57 triumph at Pittsburgh Monday night. The Cavaliers have won three of their last five games, defeating Boston College (74-56) at home and Miami (82-71) on the road in that stretch with home losses to Notre Dame (74-59) and Virginia Tech (75-74). UVA is 8-5 at home this season, 2-4 in conference games.

Saturday’s game will be televised live on The CW Network, available in 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 386 and the SiriusXM app.

gtmbb-at-clemson-020525_DSC05193_spearman-e1738875171930 - Georgia Tech men's basketball at Clemson, February 4, 2025, Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, S.C.

Baye Ndongo (11) has three double-doubles in Tech’s last six games. (photo by Brandon Spearman)

 

THE TIP-OFF

  • Tech’s 92-82 overtime win against Virginia on Jan. 27, 2008 remains the Yellow Jackets’ last and only win at John Paul Jones Arena. Tech has lost 10 straight there and is 1-11 all-time in the building. (Many of those losses coincide with the ultra-successful tenure of UVA head coach Tony Bennett, against whom Tech was 2-19.)
  • A win Saturday would give Tech back-to-back ACC road wins for the first time since Feb. 24 (Miami) and March 5 (Wake Forest) of last season.
  • Tech is now 2-4 vs. NCAA NET Quad 1 teams this season and 6-11 under head coach Damon Stoudamire. Pittsburgh (47) and Wake Forest (65) are the only Quad 1 opportunities remaining on the Yellow Jackets’ schedule.
  • Six of Tech’s 12 ACC games this season have been decided by single digits, including each of the last four (71-64 win over Virginia Tech, 71-68 loss at Notre Dame, 77-70 win over Louisville, 89-86 win over Clemson).
  • After dropping a game at Notre Dame it led for the first 36:53, Tech defeated Louisville and Clemson after holding the lead for just 15:12 and 14:41, respectively, in those games.
  • Five Yellow Jackets have averages in double-digits for ACC games – Lance Terry (15.6), Duncan Powell (13.6), Naithan George (13.2), Javian McCollum (12.9) and Baye Ndongo (11.7).
  • Tech has played either six or seven players in its last five games. The Jackets had played 8 or more in every game prior to the first meeting with Clemson on Jan. 14, 9 or more in 11 games.
  • Despite Tech’s shorter rotation the last three weeks, the Yellow Jackets’ bench remains one of the more productive in the ACC, ranking sixth in points per game (22.9), and 127th nationally.
  • Tech has exceeded a point per possession in each of its last five games (1.080 vs. Florida State, 1.067 vs. Virginia Tech, 1.090 at Notre Dame, 1.076 vs. Louisville, 104.8 at Clemson) after falling below that standard in three straight games. Tech’s efficiency ratings at FSU, Notre Dame at Clemson are its highest in road games this season. The Jackets have scored over a point per possession in all 11 of their wins this season, and in 3 of their 12 losses.
  • Tech has never had its entire roster available for an ACC game this season. Kowacie Reeves, Jr., has not played in an ACC game this season, while Luke O’Brien has played in only one.

SERIES NOTES VS. VIRGINIA

  • Virginia has won the last 12 games in the series, and 20 of the last 22 meetings to move ahead 49-40 in the all-time series, which dates back to 1947.
  • The Cavaliers swept the 2023-24 regular-season series, winning 75-66 in Atlanta and 72-57 in Charlottesville.
  • Tech is just 1-11 at John Paul Jones Arena and has lost on its last 10 trips to Charlottesville. The Jackets’ last win on the Cavaliers’ home court was Jan. 27, 2008, a 92-82 overtime decision.
  • The Yellow Jackets were 10-16 against Virginia at University Hall, the Cavaliers’ former homecourt, Tech’s best winning percentage on any ACC foe’s home court.
  • Since Tech joined the ACC, the Yellow Jackets are 38-48 against Virginia.
  • Tech was 11-8 against Virginia under Paul Hewitt, including wins in all three meetings in Hewitt’s first season of 2000-01. Tech was 2-19 against former UVA coach Tony Bennett.
  • Tech failed to score 50 points in six of the 21 meetings against Bennett’s Virginia teams. Tech’s high of 75 came in the very first meeting in 2010.
gtmbb-at-clemson-020525_DSC04902_spearman - Georgia Tech men's basketball at Clemson, February 4, 2025, Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, S.C.

Duncan Powell (31) is Tech’s second-leading scorer in ACC games. (photo by Brandon Spearman)

 

TECH BYTES

  • Three Tech players logged more than 52 minutes vs. Clemson, including Naithan George, who played all 55. Baye Ndongo played 52:30, and Lance Terry played 52:16. Tech did not substitute after the 10:17 mark of the second half.
  • Three Yellow Jackets had double-digit rebounds – Ndongo with 13, Ibrahim Souare 12 and Terry 10. That last happened last March 2 vs. Florida State (Ndongo 14, Tyzhaun Claude 10, Tafara Gapare 10).
  • Tech grabbed a season-high 24 offensive rebounds against Clemson – 10 more than any other game this season – and turned them into 29 second-chance points, double any previous ACC game this season.
  • Tech has shot 46% from the floor in its last 4 games (47.1% vs. Virginia Tech, 49.1% at Notre Dame, 47.6 vs. Louisville, 42.2% at Clemson). The Jackets had connected on an aggregate 40.2% during their 4-game losing streak before the win over Virginia Tech.
  • Tech has played 6 or 7 players in its last six 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. The Jackets had played 8 or more in every game prior to the first Clemson meeting, 9 or more in 11 games.
  • Tech has exceeded a point per possession in each of its last five games (1.080 vs. Florida State, 1.067 vs. Virginia Tech, 1.090 at Notre Dame, 1.076 vs. Louisville, 104.8 at Clemson) after falling below that standard in three straight games. Tech’s efficiency ratings at FSU, Notre Dame at Clemson are its highest in road games this season. The Jackets have scored over a point per possession in all 11 of their wins this season, and in 3 of their 12 losses.
  • 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 16. Ndongo has started 52 consecutive games, George 51, dating back to last season.

PLAYER NOTES

  • Sophomore guard Naithan George has scored in double digits in 10 straight games after tallying a career-high 28 points in the win at Clemson. His 12 field goals and 19 attempts also were career highs. George was the hero of last year’s double-OT victory at Clemson with 20 points.
  • George played every minute (55) of the triple-overtime game at Clemson, something that hasn’t been done by a Tech player since Kenny Anderson played all 55 minutes (and scored 40 points) in the Yellow Jackets’ 112-105 3-OT victory over Georgia on 12/19/1990. George has played the most average minutes per game in the ACC this season (37:56).
  • George leads the ACC in assist average with 6.3 per game (11th in the nation, and ranks No. 5 in assist/turnover ratio at 2.39 per game. He has posted 12 games of 7 or more assists this season.
  • Sophomore forward Baye Ndongo has six double-doubles this season (12 for his career) and three in his last six games after scoring 18 points with 13 rebounds in the win at Clemson. He had 12 points with 11 rebounds against Louisville. He has four double-doubles in ACC games (12 points/11 rebounds vs. Louisville, 19 points/12 rebounds at North Carolina; 14 points/12 rebounds vs. Clemson on 1/14).
  • In Tech’s last 6 games, Ndongo has averaged 11.8 points (5 double-digit games) and 10.7 rebounds (4 double-digit games). He has shot exactly 50 percent from the floor and 16-of-23 from the foul line, while recording 8 assists, 5 blocked shots and 13 steals.
  • Junior forward Duncan Powell has averaged 14.7 points and 5.7 rebounds over his last 10 games, including three games of 20 points or more. The Sacramento State transfer has hit 44.4% (52-of-117) from the floor, 38.9% (21-of-54) from three-point range and 70% (35-of-50) from the foul line in that stretch.
  • Powell has shot a team-high 36.4% on 55 3-point attempts in ACC play, and has been to the foul line a team-high 60 times (68.3%).
  • In ACC games, Lance Terry leads the Jackets at 15.6 points per game, while four other Yellow Jackets also average in double figures in conference games – Duncan Powell (13.6), Naithan George (13.2), Javian McCollum (12.9) and Baye Ndongo (11.7).

 

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.