March 22, 2017

Post-Game Notes

March 22, 2017

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MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

Georgia Tech starting lineup: Heath, Heyward, Okogie, Stephens, Lammers
First subs for Georgia Tech: Jackson for Heyward, 16:30-1^st half
On the floor for Georgia Tech at the end: Heath, Heyward, Okogie, Stephens, Lammers
Opening tap won by Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech has won the opening tap in 16 of 35 games this season.
Series record vs. Ole Miss: Georgia Tech is 12-9 overall, 5-3 on the road, 1-0 at The Pavilion, 1-0 in the NIT, 1-0 under Josh Pastner, 1-1 vs. Andy Kennedy
Current series streak: Georgia Tech has won three of the last four meetings
Georgia Tech is 17-4 at McCamish Pavilion this season, 60-30 in its fifth season in the building, 17-4 under Josh Pastner
Georgia Tech’s next game: Tuesday, March 28, 7 or 9 p.m., vs. CSU-Bakersfield or UT-Arlington, semifinal round of the NIT [ESPN], Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y.

TEAM NOTES

Georgia Tech improved its all-time record in the NIT to 13-8 and has advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 1971, when the entire NIT was played at Madison Square Garden.
Tech has reached the 20-win plateau for the second straight year and for the 16^th time in program history. Only six of those have come in the last 20 years. Tech has not had back-to-back 20-win seasons since 2003-04 and 2004-05.
Tech’s 20 wins represent the most for a first-year head coach in Tech history. The previous high was 17 under Paul Hewitt in 2000-01 and Roy Mundorff in 1926-27.
Tech won just its third road game of the season, improving to 3-11. The Jackets’ other wins came at VCU on Dec. 7 and NC State on Jan. 15.
With its first two NIT victories at home, the Yellow Jackets established a new program record for home wins in a season (17-4). The 2006-07 team went 16-1 at home.
Tech led at the half (39-30) for the 18^th time this year and improved to 16-2 when doing so. The Jackets have led at intermission in all three NIT games.
Tech improved to 18-0 this season when leading at the 5-minute mark of the second half.
Tech never trailed against Ole Miss, and has trailed for a total of only 7:01 in its three NIT games.
Tech scored 70 or more points for the 16^th time this season and remained undefeated when doing so. The Yellow Jackets have scored 70-plus for the third straight game in the NIT after averaging just 60.3 points over its previous four games.
Tech shot 51.9 percent from the floor (better than 50 percent in each half) against Ole MIss. The Yellow Jackets have shot 50 percent only five times all season, and this was the first time they had done it against a power conference opponent.
Tech has connected on 48.8 percent of their shots from the floor in its three NIT games, 52.5 percent in the second half of those games. Tech had connected on just 42.4 percent over its previous four games.
Tech managed to hit just 3-of-15 shots from three-point range after connecting on 13-of-34 in its first two NIT games. The Jackets rank last in the ACC in three-point shooting, and had made only 22.4 percent over its four games before the NIT.
Tech had its best shooting performance from the free throw line (17-for-20, 85 percent), percentage-wise, of the season. The Jackets hit 28-of-33 (84.8 percent) in its Dec. 31 win over North Carolina.
Tech outshot Ole Miss and improved to 20-3 this season when it has a higher field goal percentage than its opponent.
Tech held Ole Miss to 39.7 percent shooting from the floor, nearly three percent beneath its season norm of 42.4 percent. Ole Miss was the 19^th opponent Tech has held under 40 percent this season. The Yellow Jackets held Belmont 17 percent below its season norm, and Indiana 10 percentage points beneath its shooting percentage for the season, and have yielded just 37 percent from the floor in the NIT. The Yellow Jackets led the ACC in field goal percentage defense in conference games, and have the third-lowest yield (39.5 percent) against all comers.
Tech held the Rebels 12 points under their season average of 78.3 points per game, held Belmont 20 points under its usual rate of 77.3 (57), and held Indiana 17 under its norm of 80.3 (63). Tech has allowed just 62 points per game in the NIT.
Ole Miss entered Tuesday’s game connecting on 35.2 percent of its threes and hit 21.4 percent (6-of-28) against the Jackets. The Yellow Jackets have held 14 opponents under 30 percent from beyond the arc this season, and have allowed just 27 percent in three NIT games.
Tech snapped its string of three straight single-digit turnover games, committing 15 against Ole Miss, but allowed just 11 points off those miscues.
Tech forced 13 Ole Miss turnovers and scored 20 points off them. The Yellow Jackets have forced 46 turnovers and capitalized on them for 69 points in three NIT games. Tech forced an average of just 12.8 turnovers in the regular season plus ACC Tournament.
Tech has taken 28 steals in three NIT games (9.3 per game), well above its season average of 6.7 per game.
Tech’s assist-to-turnover ratio in the NIT is 61-to-32, almost 2-to-1.
Ole Miss entered the game as the nation’s leading team in getting to the free throw line (26.2 attempts per game, 75.2 percent), but went just 6-for-8 against the Jackets. Tech ranks 30^th nationally in fewest personal fouls per game (13 vs. Ole Miss).
Tech started Josh Heath, Corey Heyward, Ben Lammers, Josh Okogie and Quinton Stephens for the 16th time this season, and for the 15^th time in Tech’s last 16 games. Tadric Jackson started Tech’s game against Pitt in the ACC Tournament in place of Heyward. Three Yellow Jackets – Lammers, Okogie and Stephens – have started every game this season.
Tech has played its last 12 games without backup forward Abdoulaye Gueye (fractured wrist).
Pastner meter 1 (assists to made field goals): Tech assisted on 21 of 27 made field goals (77.8 percent). The Jackets have 61 assists on 80 field goals in its three NIT games combined (76.3 percent). It has improved Tech’s season rate to 62.7 percent, (Tech has a 63.2 percent rate in ACC games).
Pastner meter 2 (free throws made to opponents’ attempts): Tech made 17-of-20 free throws to Ole Miss’ 6-of-8 (goal of making more than opponent tries accomplished). Tech is 44-of-62 (71 percent) in three NIT games, compared to 24-of-31 for its opponents.
Pastner meter 3 (guard rebounding): Tech’s guards combined for 15 of Tech’s 27 defensive rebounds, 85 of 182 in Tech’s last five games.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

Josh Okogie scored a game-high 26 points (8-17 FG, 9-10 FT), his 30^th double-digit game this year and his eighth game of 20 or more. Okogie has reached double figures in 14 straight games, last failing to do so vs. Notre Dame on Jan. 28. He is averaging a team-high 16.1 points per game, and is Tech’s highest-scoring freshman since Dion Glover (18.4 ppg) in 2002-03. Only six times in Tech history has a freshman led the Jackets in scoring.
In three NIT games, Okogie is averaging a team-high 21.7 points, 53.7 percent from the floor and 78.3 percent from the foul line. He also has averaged 7.3 rebounds and has 11 assists against three turnovers.
Okogie surpassed 500 points for the season against Indiana, and now has 562. The only other freshmen in Tech history to score 500 or more points were Kenny Anderson (721 in 35 games), Stephon Marbury (679 in 36 games) and Mark Price (568 in 28 games).
Okogie added seven rebounds and two assists with just one turnover in 39 minutes.
Ben Lammers scored 20 points and reached that mark for the seventh time this season. It was his 30^th double-figure scoring game this season. Lammers hit 9-of-11 shots from the floor to improve his season percentage to 52.3, added four assists and matched his career high in steals with four.
Lammers blocked eight shots against Ole Miss, the third time this season he has swatted that many or more. He had eight against Virginia Tech and nine early in the season against Southern. He has 117 blocks for the season, the second-highest season total ever for a Tech player. Alvin Jones holds the Tech season record with 141 in 1997-98. Lammers is averaging 3.34 blocks per game, which ranks No. 3 nationally and leads the ACC. He also holds sixth place at Tech in career blocks with 168.
Lammers played the full 40 minutes for the fifth time this season, all occurring in Tech’s last 15 games. He is the first Tech player to play the full 40 in as many as five games in a season since Matt Harpring logged five 40-minute games in the 1996-97 season. Until Marcus Georges-Hunt played 40 minutes vs. Notre Dame on 2/20/2016, no one had done so since the 1998-99 season. Lammers and Quinton Stephens have combined for nine 40-minute games this season.
Lammers is averaging 15.0 points and 8.3 rebounds in NIT games, and has hit 18-of-28 from the floor (64.3 percent).
Quinton Stephens scored 10 points (4-7 FG) with seven rebounds, two assists and two steals in 34 minutes, limited due to first-half foul trouble. Stephens has averaged 16.3 points in the NIT, connecting on 20-of-33 shots from the floor (60.6 percent), 9-of-19 on threes (47.4 percent), and 8.0 rebounds per game. He has returned to averaging double-figures for the season at 10.5 points per game. It was his 21^st double-digit scoring game of the year. The senior forward added four assists and two steals with no turnovers in 36 minutes.
Stephens played in the 133^rd game of his career, which is a Tech record. He broke the previous mark of 130 when he stepped on the floor for the Indiana game. The previous record was shared by Malcolm Mackey (1990-93), Marvin Lewis (2001-04), Anthony McHenry (2002-05) and Marcus Georges-Hunt (2013-16).
Tadric Jackson scored eight points (3-of-10 from the floor), ending a streak of four straight double-figure games. He has 11 in Tech’s last 15 games. The junior guard is Tech’s third leading scorer (11.9 ppg), and is bidding to finish the season as the fourth reserve in Tech history to average in double figures. Jackson, averaging 13.0 points in the NIT, had four assists against Ole Miss in 29 minutes.
Josh Heath put together his most complete game since Feb. 28 vs. Pittsburgh, scoring five points with seven assists, six rebounds and two steals, limited to 30 minutes with first-half foul trouble.
Corey Heyward has one turnover in 20 minutes, and has committed just five turnovers in 267 minutes over his last 16 games. He has played 23 turnover-free games this season.