March 19, 2021

Tech's Magical Season Comes to an End

INDIANAPOLIS – Playing without Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year Moses Wright, ninth-seeded Georgia Tech men’s basketball’s magical season came to an end with a 71-60 loss to No. 8 seed Loyola Chicago on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

The defeat snapped Georgia Tech’s eight-game winning streak and brought the Yellow Jackets’ season to a close with a 17-9 record.

Tech shot an outstanding 57 percent from the field (27-for-47), but without Wright, who averaged 17.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game this season, the Yellow Jackets were out-rebounded by a 30-17 margin. Loyola’s 13-1 edge in offensive rebounds and 15-0 advantage in second-chance points proved to be the difference.

It was a game of spurts, both teams had 11-0 runs during the course of the contest. Georgia Tech raced out to a 13-3 lead but Loyola battled back to take a 30-25 halftime advantage.

Loyola (25-4) stretched its lead to seven points early in the second half, but sparked by five points from Jose Alvarado, four from Jordan Usher and four from Khalid Moore, the Jackets used a 13-3 run to retake a 43-40 lead with 11:55 to go in the ballgame. However, the Ramblers scored the next 10 points of the game to take a 50-43 advantage with less than 10 minutes and Tech was never able to get closer than three the rest of the way.

Usher led three Yellow Jackets in double-figures with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Michael Devoe added 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting and Alvarado chipped in with 13.

Despite not having the 6-foot-9 Wright available, Georgia Tech did yeoman’s work in limiting the production of Loyola’s own 6-foot-9 star, Cameron Krutwig. The Jackets held the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and All-American to just 10 points and five rebounds. Guard Lucas Williamson led the Ramblers with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, and six rebounds.

Jordan Usher led Georgia Tech with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Friday at Hinkle Fieldhouse (NCAA Photos/Getty Images).

Post-Game Notes

TEAM NOTES

Georgia Tech’s 34 wins over the past two seasons are the most for the program over two seasons since 2009-10 and 2010-11 (36). Tech’s 17-9 record marks its highest winning percentage for a season since the 2004 Final Four team (28-10).
The Yellow Jackets lost their first-round game in the NCAA Tournament for just the sixth time in 17 appearances. Ironically, Tech lost its first-round game following its last ACC Tournament championship in 1993, as a No. 4 seed to Southern University in the West regional in Tucson, Ariz.
Tech is now 23-17 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
Tech committed just 12 turnovers against Loyola, one above its season average, but was able to force only 11, nearly five below its season norm. Tech lost the turnover battle for just the fifth time this season. The Jackets finished the season with an ACC-best (and top 10 in the nation) turnover margin of plus-4.6, and lead the ACC in turnovers forced in conference games (15.7).
Tech shot 57.2 percent from the floor (62.5 percent in the second half) to Loyola’s 47.2, yet were unable to win. It was Tech’s third-highest mark of the season behind its 58.3-percent clip Feb. 6 against Notre Dame and its 57.4-percent mark Jan. 20 against Clemson.
After intermission during its last nine games, the Yellow Jackets shot 55.7 percent from the floor (141-of-253),
Tech scored over a point per possession for the 10^th straight game and for the 22^nd time in 26 games. The Jackets rank 25^th in KenPom.com’s offensive efficiency rating (113.5).
Some of other staples of Tech’s success this season trended in the wrong direction against Loyola. Only 10 of the Jackets’ 27 field goals were assisted, and Tech collected only six steals. Though Tech outscored the Ramblers 42-26 in the paint, Loyola outscored Tech (one offensive rebound), 15-0 in second-chance points.
Tech fell to 13-2 overall this season, 11-0 in ACC games, when Jose Alvarado and Michael Devoe reach double figures in points.

INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS

ACC Tournament MVP Michael Devoe scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor with four assists and two steals against Loyola. Over the last four games, the 6-5 junior averaged 16.8 points and hit 26 of 40 shots from the floor (65 percent).
Jordan Usher hit 7-of-9 shots from the floor and led Tech with 15 points against the Ramblers. The 6-7 senior averaged 15.4 points across his last six games, hitting 38-of-69 shots from the floor (55.1 percent) with 27 rebounds, 17 assists and 13 steals combined in the six games
Jose Alvarado and Michael Devoe combined for 27 points and seven assists, having a hand in 18 of the Yellow Jackets’ 27 baskets against Loyola and 56 of 82 (68.3 percent) in three post-season games. During the regular season, they scored or assisted on 66.4 percent of Tech’s baskets during the regular season.
Jose Alvarado was not credited with a steal for only the third time this season, leaving him in third place all-time at Tech with 226. He remains the ACC leader with 2.85 per game and is bidding to become the first Tech player to lead the ACC in steals twice and the first ACC player to do so since Chris Paul in 2004 and 2005. Alvarado recorded 3.12 steals in ACC games. Alvarado also stands 24^th in the ACC’s career annals.

Michael Devoe scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting against Loyola in Friday’s NCAA Tournament game at Hinkle Fieldhouse (NCAA Photos/Getty Images).

Game Highlights

Jose Alvarado is wearing Moses Wright's No. 5 jersey against Loyola Chicago. ❤️@GTMBB #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/xSirpYgnwK
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 19, 2021