Post-Game Notes (Game 26)

Feb. 15, 2018

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MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

• Georgia Tech starting lineup: Jackson, Okogie, Cole, Gueye, Lammers
• First subs for Georgia Tech: Wright for Gueye – 14:18, 1^st half
• On the floor for Georgia Tech at the end: Alston, Ogbonda, Rice, Schafer, Wright
• Opening tap won by Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech has won the opening tap 10 times in 26 games this season
• Series record vs. Wake Forest: Georgia Tech is 41-40 overall, 12-27 on the road, 40-38 as ACC members, 0-2 under Josh Pastner, 2-3 vs. Danny Manning
• Current series streak: Wake Forest won the last two meetings
• Georgia Tech is 10-6 at McCamish Pavilion this season, 70-36 in its sixth season in the building, 27-10 under Josh Pastner
• Georgia Tech is 1-8 on the road this season, 1-9 away from McCamish Pavilion
• Georgia Tech’s next game: Feb. 17 vs. Virginia Tech, 12 p.m. [ESPN2]

TEAM NOTES

• Georgia Tech started its seventh different lineup this season with point guard Jose Alvarado out for the season and missing his first game. Head coach Josh Pastner had started the same lineup for the past 13 games. Senior guard Tadric Jackson was tapped to replace Alvarado in the lineup, making his first start since Dec. 22 vs. Wright State and his seventh of the season. Freshman Evan Cole made his first start of the season, replacing Brandon Alston.
• Tech has had its full roster to practice only for seven games and played a solid 7-man rotation for the first time in ACC play against Notre Dame Jan. 10. Injuries or other absences have forced Tech players to miss 40 games cumulatively this season. Tech does not have its full rotation for the rest of the season with freshman Curtis Haywood II sidelined for the remainder of the season with a stress reaction in his right leg.
• Ben Lammers is the only Tech player to start every game this season, and has started Tech’s last 63 consecutive games.
• Tech’s playing rotation this season features four freshmen and a first-year graduate transfer who have combined to start 57 games and log 44 percent of the Yellow Jackets’ total minutes.
• Pastner needs one victory to reach 200 for his head coaching career (199-103).
• Tech shot 50 percent or better from the floor (51.2 percent vs. Wake Forest) for the fifth time this season but lost for the fourth time when doing so (Wofford, Wright State, Boston College, Wake Forest).
• Tech hit just one three-point field goal in nine attempts against Wake Forest, matching a season low of one three against Bethune-Cookman and Miami, both of whom the Yellow Jackets defeated.
• Tech’s last four opponents have connected on 51.3 percent of their three-point field goal tries. Wake Forest was 9-of-17.
• Tech set a season high for bench points against Duke with 26, but could muster just two against Wake Forest, its low against an ACC team.

PASTNER’S KEY METRICS

• Assists to made field goals: Tech assisted on 10 of 22 made field goals (45.5 percent) against Duke, below its nightly goal of 60 percent. The Jackets have assisted on 54.0 percent of their made field goals for the season (52.6 percent vs. the ACC), after finishing last season at 62.7 percent (63.2 percent rate in ACC games).
• Free throws made to opponents’ attempts: Tech made 17-of-24 free throws to Wake Forest’s 12-of-17 (nightly goal of making more than opponent tries not accomplished). For the season, Tech has converted 371 free throws, while opponents have attempted 436. Tech is 29-9 under Josh Pastner when attempting more free throws than the opponent.
• Turnovers: Tech has committed 12.9 turnovers per game this season, down slightly from last season (13.4), and 12.8 in ACC games, down from 13.3 last season. Pastner’s threshold to win is nine or fewer, which the Jackets have accomplished five times this season, three times in conference play.
• Guard rebounding: Tech’s guards combined for seven of Tech’s 22 defensive rebounds against Clemson. Tadric Jackson, Jose Alvarado and Josh Okogie are all averaging 3.7 rebounds per game or higher this season.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Ben Lammers reached double figures for the first time since Feb. 4 at Boston College, hitting 5-of-9 shots from the floor for 14 points. Lammers has 19 double-digit scoring games this season, 40 over the last two seasons.
• Abdoulaye Gueye also reached double figures for the first time since Feb. 4 at Boston College, going 5-of-8 from the floor for 12 points. The junior forward has seven double-digit games since ACC play began.
• Gueye is averaging 8.5 points (51.1 percent from the floor) and 5.9 rebounds against the ACC with 20 blocked shots. He averaged 4.8 points (36.7 pct. FG) and 4.0 rebounds in the non-conference season.
• Gueye has scored 121 points in the 14 games since sitting out Coppin State on Dec. 27. He had scored 70 points in 39 career games prior to Coppin State.
• Josh Okogie has scored in double figures in his last eight games (20.9 ppg) after having a 25-game streak of double-digit games snapped against Virginia (nine points). It was his third straight game with 20 or more points, fifth in his last six games and ninth this season.
• The sophomore guard has scored in double figures 49 times in 55 career games. He has scored 30 or more three times (two vs. ACC), 20 or more 18 times (11 times in an ACC game).
• Okogie has averaged 19.1 points per game after missing the first eight games of the season, including 19.2 in ACC games so far (fourth-best in league rankings). He averaged 16.1 points as a freshman, 17.1 against the ACC.
• Okogie has scored more points in his first two seasons at Tech (940) since Matt Harpring accumulated 1,021 by the end of his sophomore season (1996-98). At his present rate, Okogie can become the sixth Tech player to reach 1,000 career points by the end of his sophomore season.
• Despite missing eight games, Okogie leads the Jackets in free throw attempts with 131, an average of 7.3 per game that leads the ACC. He is also one of the ACC’s top free throw shooters by percentage at 82.4 percent. He averaged 6.5 as a freshman, which ranked third in the ACC, and connected on 74.7 percent.
• Okogie is averaging 7.0 rebounds per game in ACC play, third best among league guards, and 6.4 for the season. Okogie has snared 63 rebounds in his last eight games (7.9).
• Okogie has 34 assists in his last 11 games, a 3.1 average, and has matched his career high of five twice (second meeting vs. Notre Dame and at Florida State) in that stretch.
• Ben Lammers surpassed 700 career rebounds against Syracuse and now has 738, moving into 13^th place on Georgia Tech’s all-time list with eight boards against Duke. He needs two to catch Jim Wood (740 from 1974-77) for 12^th place.
• Lammers blocked one shot against Duke, giving him 241 blocks for his career, good for sole possession of fourth place in Tech history and needing two to catch John Salley (243 from 1982-86) for third place.
• Lammers also is drifting ever closer to 1,000 points for his career. With 974 career points, and needs three games at his current 11.3 per game rate to reach 1,000.
• Lammers is averaging 36.3 minutes this season, sixth-most in the ACC (37.5 mpg vs. the ACC), and ranks No. 1 among centers nationally in average minutes played and percentage of possible minutes. Okogie is averaging 36.7 minutes in ACC games. Both players rank among the ACC;s top 10 in minutes per conference game.
• Freshman forward Evan Cole made good on his first career start at Wake Forest by scoring eight points and snaring a season-best seven rebounds in a career-best 35 minutes. He hit 3-of-4 shots from the floor, which includes a three-pointer, had two assists, a blocked shot and two steals.