Feb. 27, 2016
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– MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
• Georgia Tech starting lineup: Georges-Hunt, Smith, Stephens, Jacobs, Mitchell
• First subs for Georgia Tech: White for Mitchell at the 16:58 mark of the first half
• On the floor for Georgia Tech at the end: Georges-Hunt, Heath, Smith, Stephens, White
• Opening tap won by Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech has won the opening tap 17 times in 29 games this season.
• Series record vs. Boston College: Georgia Tech is 11-12 overall, 5-5 on the road, 3-5 at Conte Forum, 5-4 under Brian Gregory, 1-2 vs. Jim Christian
• Current series streak: Georgia Tech won the last meeting, four of the last six
• Georgia Tech is 12-5 at McCamish Pavilion this season, 41-26 in its fourth season in the building, 41-26 under Brian Gregory
• Georgia Tech’s next game: March 1, 2016, at #11 Louisville, 7 p.m. ET [ACC Network], KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Ky.
TEAM NOTES
• Georgia Tech has won four straight regular-season ACC games for the first time since the 2001-02 season, when the Yellow Jackets defeated NC State, Virginia, Wake Forest and Florida State to close the regular season. Tech erased an 0-7 start by winning seven of its last nine to finish 7-9. The last time the Yellow Jackets beat five straight ACC teams in the regular-season was 1995-96, winning the last seven games of the regular season to finish 13-3, which was the last regular-season ACC title for Tech.
• Tech utilized the same starting lineup it put on the floor against Florida State, Notre Dame and Clemson – Marcus Georges-Hunt, Adam Smith and Quinton Stephens on the perimeter, Nick Jacobs and Charles Mitchell in the post – and have won all four games it has played with that lineup. The Yellow Jackets have utilized seven different starting fives this season. Marcus Georges-Hunt is the only Yellow Jacket to start every game this season.
• With two regular season games remaining, Tech has achieved its highest win total, both overall and in the ACC, under Brian Gregory, and has its most wins overall and in the ACC since the 2009-10 season (23-13 overall, 7-9 ACC and the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament). The last Tech team with more ACC wins and the last one to finished .500 in the league was 2006-07 (8-8).
• In Tech’s first 36 years in the ACC (this is the 37th), seventeen teams won seven or more ACC games in the regular season, 13 won eight or more, four won nine or more. Fourteen teams finished .500 or better in conference play.
• The Yellow Jackets have assured themselves of finishing the season with a winning record for the first time since 2012-13 (16-15).
• Tech is alone in 10th place in the ACC standings with Virginia Tech a half-game ahead at 7-8. The Jackets need only to hold their position to avoid playing on Tuesday at the ACC Tournament. They hold a tiebreaker over FSU, but lose a potential tiebreaker with Virginia Tech.
• Tech improved to 4-6 on the road this season and 3-5 in ACC road games. The Jackets last won three ACC road games in the 2012-13 season.
• In Tech’s four-game winning streak, The Yellow Jackets have connected on 50.5 percent of their field goal tries, 40.3 percent of their three-point tries and 76.3 percent of their free throws. The margin of victory, however, has been just 3.5 points on average.
• Also in Tech’s four-game winning streak, Marcus Georges-Hunt has averaged 38.8 minutes, Adam Smith 34.5 and Quinton Stephens 33.0. They have scored, respectively, 23.5, 18.0 and 8.5 points per game. Collectively they have hit 26-of-63 (41.3 pct.) from three-point range.
• Tech shot 72.7 percent in the first half and 55.0 percent for the game, finished better than 50 percent for the second straight game, for the third time in the last four, and for the seventh time this season. The Jackets are 6-1 in those games. Tech has connected on 54.5 percent (48-of-88) from the floor in the last two games.
• Tech went 5-for-11 from three-point range and is 14-for-31 (45.1 percent in its last two games.
• Tech went 27-for-33 from the free throw line while Boston College was 5-for-7, the largest disparity from the charity stripe in the Yellow Jackets’ favor this season. The total of free throws made and attempted were the most for Tech since going 29-for-34 at NC State on Jan. 27.
• Tech improved its season conversion rates from the charity stripe to 71.5 percent in all games, 72.0 percent in ACC games. No Tech team since 1972-73 finished the season with a better percentage from the line (73.1). The 2002-03 team with freshmen Chris Bosh and Jarrett Jack was the last to shoot better against the ACC (73.5).
• Tech was outscored from the line in 10 of its first 12 ACC games this season (222-155), but during its current four-game winning streak that trend has reversed to the tune of 71-38 in the Jackets’ favor. • Tech led 48-35 at the half, the 48 points the most for the Jackets in any half of an ACC game this season. Tech is 13-6 when leading at the half this season, 5-4 in ACC games.
• Tech out-rebounded Boston College, 27-23, for the game. The Yellow Jackets have out-rebounded 24 of their 29 opponents, with two ties, this season; and 13 of 16 ACC foes. Tech remains fourth in the ACC and came into the game 26th in the nation in rebound margin (+6.9 per game, +4.0 in ACC games).
• Owing to its good shooting performance, the Yellow Jackets took only seven offensive rebounds and cashed them in for eight second-chance points. BC has 10 offensive rebounds and 13 second-chance points.
• Tech’s starting perimeter trio of Marcus Georges-Hunt, Adam Smith and Quinton Stephens combined for 56 of Tech’s 75 points against Clemson, 66 of Tech’s 86 at Florida State, and 50 of Tech’s 76 points at Boston College.
• Tech has had only two double-figures scoring games from a post player during the four-game winning streak – 14 by Charles Mitchell against Notre Dame and 12 by Nick Jacobs at Boston College.
• Tech blocked seven shots, the most since swatting 10 on Jan. 16 against Virginia Tech. Reserve posts Ben Lammers (3) and James White (2), while Quinton Stephens and Marcus Georges-Hunt had the other two.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• Marcus Georges-Hunt led Tech with 23 points(7-of-7 FG, 8-of-10 FT), reaching double figures for the 24th time in 29 games this season, 87th time in 123 career games. He is averaging 19.2 points and shooting 51.6 percent from the floor in ACC games; and is averaging 23.5 points and shooting 63.6 percent during Tech’s winning streak.
• Last six games for Georges-Hunt: 22.3 points per game, 4.2 assists per game, 41-for-66 (62.1 pct.) from the floor, 7-for-15 (46.7 pct.) on threes, 45-for-57 (78.9 pct.) from the free throw line.
• Georges-Hunt went over 20 points for the 11th time this season and for the eighth time in ACC play. He did it for the 20th time in his career.
• Georges-Hunt surpassed B.J. Elder (1,616 points, 2001-05) for 13h place on Tech’s all-time scoring list with his 23 points at Boston Colege. Georges-Hunt has 1,623 points in his career, needing five to catch Roger Kaiser (1,628 from 1958-61) for 12th place.
• Georges-Hunt had three more assists against Boston College. He is Tech’s leader in assist average (3.7) for ACC games. Georges-Hunt also had three steals and grabbed five rebounds in 38 minutes.
• Georges-Hunt played 38 minutes against Boston College. Georges-Hunt has played 36, 38, 38, 40, 39 and 38 minutes in his last six games and is averaging 35.4 in ACC games. His 40-minute effort against Notre Dame was the first time any Tech player had gone the full 40 minutes since 1999.
• Adam Smith scored in double figures for the 23rd time this season and for the 13th time in ACC play. He is averaging 15.6 points in conference play, 18.0 points during Tech’s current winning streak.
• Smith made four threes in eight attempts, improving his season success rate to 40.8 percent in all games, 38.7 percent in ACC games. He has made at least one in 97 of 107 games in his career for a total of 249. His career total would rank fifth all-time Georgia Tech had he played his entire career here.
• Smith has gone 8-for-15 from three-point range in Tech’s last two games, 13-for-32 during Tech’s winning streak.
• In 29 games, Smith has made more three-pointers (86) than Tech’s leader in each of the last 13 seasons. They are the most since Tony Akins accumulated 98 (in 31 games) in the 2001-02 season.
• Smith went 4-for-4 from the free throw line and is 23-for-26 in Tech’s last five games. He has made his last 11 in a row dating back to his last two tries at Florida State.
• Quinton Stephens did not hit a three and scored nine points, but he went 5-for-5 from the free throw line, including the last pair with 10 seconds left to keep Boston College from having a three-point try to tie the game. Stephens has averaged 8.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in his last five games, hitting 15 of 34 shots from the floor, 8 of 24 from three-point range.
• Tech has won all six games in which Stephens has scored in double figures this year, and is 5-2 in the seven games he has started.
• Nick Jacobs scored 12 points (5-7 FG), his first double-digit game since scoring 11 against Wake Forest and his 16th of the season. Nine of those have come in ACC games. Ten of his points against Boston College came in the first half, the other two off a missed shot to restore an eight-point lead for Tech with 2:26 left in the game.
• Jacobs got within 10 points of 1,000 for his career, scoring 12 to improve his career total to 990.
• James White scored eight points (3-4 FG, 2-2 FT) and grabbed six rebounds with two blocks and two steals in 22 minutes for his best overall effort since getting six points and six boards at Florida State.
• Charles Mitchell had just two points and three rebounds in 15 minutes, and fell below 10 rebounds per game for the first time this season (9.8). He is bidding to become the first player since Alvin Jones to average in double figures in points and rebounds for a full season.