March 29, 2017

Post-Game Notes

March 29, 2017

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MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

Georgia Tech starting lineup: Heath, Heyward, Okogie, Stephens, Lammers
First subs for Georgia Tech: Jackson, Moore for Heyward, Okogie – 14:22 – 1^st half
On the floor for Georgia Tech at the end: Harris, McCormick, Ogbonda, Price, Rowland
Opening tap won by Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech has won the opening tap in 17 of 36 games this season.
Series record vs. CSU Bakersfield: Georgia Tech is 1-0 overall, 1-0 on neutral courts, 1-0 in the NIT, 1-0 under Josh Pastner, 3-0 vs. Rod Barnes
Current series streak: Tech won the last meeting
Georgia Tech’s next game: Thursday, March 30, 8 p.m., vs. TCU (NIT Championship game), Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y. [ESPN, 680 AM, 93.7 FM, Sirius ch. 84, XM ch. 84]

TEAM NOTES

Georgia Tech improved its all-time record in the NIT to 14-8 and has advanced to the finals for the first time since 1971, when the entire NIT was played at Madison Square Garden. That year, the Yellow Jackets lost to North Carolina, 84-64, in the championship game.
Georgia Tech improved its all-time record in Madison Square Garden to 15-7.
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 in the NIT quarterfinals at Ole Miss, 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 (36-26) for the 19^th time this year and improved to 17-2 when doing so. The Jackets have led at intermission in all four NIT games.
Tech improved to 19-0 this season when leading at the 5-minute mark of the second half.
Tech never trailed against CSU Bakersfield, and has trailed for a total of only 7:01 in its three NIT games.
Tech scored 70 or more points for the 17^th time this season and remained undefeated when doing so. The Yellow Jackets have scored 70-plus for the fourth straight game in the NIT after averaging just 60.3 points over its previous four games. It is the first time this season Tech has scored 70 or more in three or more straight games.
Tech has connected on 47.3 percent of its shots from the floor in its four NIT games. Tech had connected on just 42.4 percent over its previous four games.
Tech’s 76 points was nearly 14 above what the Roadrunners have yielded per game this year, and its 43.3 percent from the floor was six percent above CSUB’s average yield. The Roadrunners came into the game ranked 18^th nationally in scoring defense and No. 3 in field goal percentage defense.
Tech has hit just 8-of-31 shots from three-point range against Ole Miss and CSU Bakersfield combined 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 made 19-of-26 from the free throw line and is 36-for-46 (78.3 percent) over its last two games. Tech has connected on 71.6 percent from the stripe in the NIT.
Tech outshot CSU Bakersfield and improved to 21-3 this season when it has a higher field goal percentage than its opponent.
Tech held CSU Bakersfield to 35-percent shooting from the floor, more than nine percent beneath its season norm of 44.2 percent. CSUB was the 20^th opponent Tech has held under 40 percent this season. The Yellow Jackets have yielded just 36.5 percent from the floor in the NIT. The Yellow Jackets lead the ACC in field goal percentage defense, in all games and against conference foes.
Tech held the Roadrunners 10 points under their season average of 71.8 points per game, held Ole Miss 12 points under its season norm of 75, 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 61.8 points per game in the NIT.
CSU Bakersfield entered Tuesday’s game connecting on 50.8 percent (30-of-59) percent of its threes in the NIT, but hit 34.8 percent (8-of-23) against the Jackets. The Yellow Jackets have held 14 opponents under 30 percent from beyond the arc this season, and have allowed just 29.1 percent in four NIT games.
Tech matched its season low for turnovers with seven, and has stayed under 10 in four of its last five games. The Jackets have committed just 9.8 turnovers on average in four NIT games, compared to its season norm of 13.3.
Tech forced 15 Bakersfield turnovers and scored 18 points off them. The Yellow Jackets have forced 61 turnovers (15.3 per game) in the NIT and capitalized on them for 87 points. Tech forced an average of just 12.8 turnovers in the regular season plus ACC Tournament.
Tech has taken 34 steals in three NIT games (8.5 per game), well above its season average of 6.7 per game.
Tech’s assist-to-turnover ratio in the NIT is 77-to-39, almost 2-to-1.
Tech started Josh Heath, Corey Heyward, Ben Lammers, Josh Okogie and Quinton Stephens for the 17th time this season, and for the 16^th time in Tech’s last 17 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 13 games without backup forward Abdoulaye Gueye (fractured wrist).
Pastner meter 1 (assists to made field goals): Tech assisted on 16 of 26 made field goals (61.5 percent). The Jackets have 77 assists on 106 field goals in their four NIT games combined (72.6 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 19-of-26 free throws to CSU Bakersfield’s 11-of-14 (goal of making more than opponent tries accomplished). Tech is 63-of-88 (71.6 percent) in four NIT games, compared to 35-of-45 for its opponents.
Pastner meter 3 (guard rebounding): Tech’s guards combined for 10 of Tech’s 28 defensive rebounds, 95 of 210 in Tech’s last six games.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

Josh Okogie scored a game-high 22 points (7-18 FG, 7-9 FT), his 31^st double-digit game this year and his ninth game of 20 or more. Okogie has reached double figures in 15 straight games, last failing to do so vs. Notre Dame on Jan. 28. He is averaging a team-high 16.2 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.
Okogie missed a double-double by one rebound (he has three this season). He also went 7-for-9 from the free throw line and ranks third in the ACC this season in free throw attempts per game (6.6).
In four NIT games, Okogie is averaging a team-high 21.8 points, 49.2 percent from the floor and 78.1 percent from the foul line. He also has averaged 7.8 rebounds and has 13 assists against four turnovers.
Okogie surpassed 500 points for the season against Indiana, and now has 584. The only other freshmen in Tech history to score more points were Kenny Anderson (721 in 35 games) and Stephon Marbury (679 in 36 games).
Ben Lammers posted his 16^th double-double this season with 15 points and 11 rebounds against CSU Bakersfield. It was his 31^st double-figure scoring game this season. Lammers hit 6-of-8 shots from the floor, improving his season percentage to 52.7, and has made 66.7 percent in the NIT.
Lammers blocked five shots against CSU Bakersfield, the ninth time this season he has swatted five or more. He has 122 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 3.39 blocks per game, which ranks No. 3 nationally and leads the ACC. He also holds sixth place at Tech in career blocks with 173.
Lammers is averaging 15.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in NIT games, and has hit 24-of-36 from the floor (66.7 percent).
Quinton Stephens scored 13 points with nine rebounds, just missing his eight double-double of the season, He added three assists and a pair of threes in 36 minutes. It was his 22^nd scoring game of the year. Stephens has averaged 15.5 points in the NIT, connecting on 24-of-45 shots from the floor (53.3 percent), 11-of-26 on threes (42.3 percent), and 8.3 rebounds per game. He has returned to averaging double-figures for the season at 10.5 points per game.
Stephens played in the 134^th game of his career, which is a Tech record, and further distanced himself from the previous mark of 130, shared by Malcolm Mackey (1990-93), Marvin Lewis (2001-04), Anthony McHenry (2002-05) and Marcus Georges-Hunt (2013-16). Stephens broke the mark when he set foot on the floor for the Indiana game.
Tadric Jackson scored 12 points (4-of-8 from the floor) against Bakersfield, his 12^th double-digit games in Tech’s last 16 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 12.8 points in the NIT, had three assists with no turnovers in 22 minutes.
For the second time this year, Jackson canned a three-point shot from deep range at the halftime buzzer. He also did it on Feb. 19 against Syracuse at McCamish Pavilion. Corey Heyward drained a three from three-quarters court at the halftime horn at VCU on Dec. 7.
Corey Heyward played 23 turnover-free minutes, and has committed just five turnovers in 290 minutes over his last 17 games. He has played 24 turnover-free games this season.