Damon Stoudamire’s Yellow Jackets have earned a longer season after finishing the ACC strong. (photo by Danny Karnik)
They surpassed preseason expectations despite losing two starters to injuries, succeeding with a lineup that consisted of eight scholarship players.
Georgia Tech and JSU may as well be staring into the mirror when they square off on Tuesday. After getting picked eighth in the preseason Conference USA poll, the Gamecocks finished 12-6 in league play, including an eight-game win streak from mid-January to mid-February, before falling to Liberty in the C-USA Tournament championship game. For a second straight game, the Yellow Jackets will face a conference player of the year in 6-6 redshirt senior Jaron Pierre Jr., who ranks fourth in the nation in scoring (21.5 ppg) and has made Jacksonville, Ala., a consistent stop for NBA scouts. His shot rate trails only Notre Dame’s Markus Burton and Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud for the highest among Tech’s opponents this year.
| Jaron Pierre Jr. vs. Markus Burton |
|
|
Pierre |
Burton |
| PPG |
21.5 |
21.3 |
| % of Shots Taken |
32.30% |
36.00% |
The New Orleans native is a multifaceted scorer who can lace threes – he buried a school-record 10 against Middle Tennessee – but can also get downhill and post up smaller guards. He’s joined in the backcourt by Freshman All-Conference USA point guard Quel’Ron House (8.4 ppg), a slippery, undersized player with solid touch from the mid-range. Wake Forest transfer Jao Ituka (8.7 ppg) was limited in the C-USA Tournament but is a streak shooter, while 6-10, 280-pound Mason Nicholson (7.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg), an honorable mention All-Conference USA selection, gives them a bruiser and drop-off target down low.
The Gamecocks run an isolation-heavy offense as their low assist rate suggests (#348 NCAA). The Jackets have allowed 39.6% field goal shooting over their last six games. Can they force a steady diet on non-rim twos and make Jax State’s guards earn their points inefficiently?
Records can sometimes ring hollow in defeat, but Duncan Powell quietly tied a school record in Georgia Tech’s ACC Tournament quarterfinal against Duke.
Playing with a host of family members in attendance – he has relatives on his Dad’s side who live in North Carolina – Powell’s six three-pointers against Duke tied a school record for most in an ACC Tournament game. Charlotte native Anthony Morrow, who attended Tech’s second-round game against Virginia (while wearing a vintage Kenny Anderson jersey, no less), drained six against the Cavaliers in 2008.
To put those threes into perspective: Powell didn’t make his sixth three-pointer of the season until Dec. 28.
It’s tempting not to mess with a storybook sendoff. But Georgia Tech’s NIT bid ensures one more home game for Lance Terry, who scored a career-high 31 points on Senior Night against Miami.
He’ll face a Jax State team that allows 37% of its opponents’ points to come off three-pointers, among the highest rates among Tech’s opponents this season. The Gamecocks tend to favor drop coverage on pick-and-rolls, and they also don’t force a gratuitous number of turnovers:
Jacksonville State Defense – NCAA Ranks
- 3pt.-Point %: 37.1% (#22 NCAA)
- Turnover Rate: 3% (#352 NCAA)
The Gamecocks play big in gaps, which can sometimes coerce teams into settling for threes. Can Tech run patient offense and get second- and third-side touches in the half-court, something that eluded them at times against Duke?
