November 28, 2017

Post-Game Notes (Game 5)

Nov. 28, 2017

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MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

Georgia Tech starting lineup: Alvarado, Alston, Haywood II, Lammers, Gueye
First subs for Georgia Tech: Jackson for Alston at 17:09 – 1^st half
On the floor for Georgia Tech at the end: Alston, Alvarado, Gueye, Haywood II, Lammers
Opening tap won by Northwestern. Georgia Tech has won the opening tap once in five games this season.
Series record vs. Northwestern: Georgia Tech is 2-2 overall, 1-1 at home, 1-0 under Josh Pastner, 2-0 vs. Chris Collins
Current series streak: Georgia Tech won the last two meetings
Georgia Tech is 4-0 at McCamish Pavilion this season, 64-30 in its sixth season in the building, 21-4 under Josh Pastner
Georgia Tech’s next game: December 1, 7:30 p.m., vs. Grambling State, McCamish Pavilion

TEAM NOTES

Head coach Josh Pastner has started the same lineup each of the last four games – center Ben Lammers, forward Abdoulaye Gueye and guards Jose Alvarado, Brandon Alston and Curtis Haywood II.
Georgia Tech led at the half for the fourth consecutive game and improved to 20-2 under Josh Pastner when leading at the half, 4-0 this season.
Two freshmen have started each game for the Yellow Jackets, with Alvarado starting all five. Curtis Haywood II has started four games, Moses Wright one.
Tech has scored fewer than 70 points in three of its four wins this season (Bethune-Cookman, 65-62; North Texas, 63-49; Northwestern, 52-51), improving to 7-17 under Josh Pastner when scoring less than 70.
Tech’s 52 points represents the Yellow Jackets’ fewest scored in a victory under Josh Pastner, and the fewest in a game since the Jackets got by Boston College, 51-47, on Feb. 4, 2012 at Philips Arena.
Tadric Jackson’s buzzer-beater kept alive Georgia Tech’s undefeated mark in games in which it has led at the 5-minute mark of the second half (23-0) under Josh Pastner.
Tech has held its last four opponents under 40 percent from the floor (UCLA shot 40.7 percent) and has yielded 38.1 percent from the floor this season.
Tech’s defense limited Northwestern to 36.2 percent from the floor (45.2 percent coming in), 5-for-23 from three-point range (36.8 percent coming in) and 4-of-5 from the free throw line (17 points per game coming in). Tech improved to 19-5 under Josh Pastner when limiting an opponent under 40 percent.
Northwestern entered Tuesday night’s game averaging 75.7 points per game, and the Yellow Jackets held the Wildcats to 51, continuing a trend that has seen the Jackets hold every opponent significantly below its season average for points. The Jackets held North Texas, which averaged 85.6 points in its first five games, to just 49 points, the low yield for Tech in 41 games under head coach Josh Pastner, and gave up 63 points to UCLA (90.8 ppg since), 62 points to Bethune-Cookman (86.7 ppg coming in), and 68 points to Texas-Rio Grande Valley (82.0 ppg coming in).
Tech continued to shoot well from the free throw line (16-for-20) and improved to 74.4 percent for the season. The Yellow Jackets are averaging 17.4 points from the charity stripe this season, compared to 13.6 last season.
Tech entered the game No. 25 nationally in scoring defense at 60.5 points per game, and No. 54 in field goal percentage defense (38.6 percent). The Jackets are No. 28 in defensive efficiency according to KenPom.com.
Tech entered the game 15th nationally according to KenPom.com in lowest two-point field goal percentage yield (40 percent), and No. 6 in block percentage (19.3).
Two Georgia Tech players rank among the ACC’s top seven in average minutes played – Ben Lammers (2nd at 34.6) and Jose Alvarado (T5th at 33.8). Curtis Haywood II has averaged 34.0 in Tech’s last three games.
Tech outrebounded Northwestern 35-29, the second opponent the Jackets have outrebounded this season (one tie vs. Texas-Rio Grande Valley). The Jackets have a slim +1.0 rebound margin.
Tech has hit 16 three-point field goals in 44 attempts in its last two games (36.3 percent). The Yellow Jackets went 5-for-23 in their first two games.
Pastner meter 1 (assists to made field goals): Tech assisted on 14 of 16 made field goals (87.5 percent), exceeding its nightly goal of 60 percent. The Jackets have assisted on 70.4 percent of their made field goals in five games (ranked No. 7 in the nation according to KenPom.com coming in), after finishing last season at 62.7 percent (63.2 percent rate in ACC games).
Pastner meter 2 (free throws made to opponents’ attempts): Tech made 16-of-20 free throws to Northwestern’s 4-of-5 (goal of making more than opponent tries accomplished). For the season, Tech has converted 87 free throws, while opponents have attempted 80.
Pastner meter 3 (guard rebounding): Tech’s guards combined for 14 of Tech’s 28 defensive rebounds, six of those by Curtis Haywood II and five from Tadric Jackson.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

Tadric Jackson’s buzzer-beating layup against Northwestern put him into double digits for the game, giving him 20 double-digit games off the bench since the beginning of last season and 29 for his career. He made his 2017-18 debut against North Texas and scored 14. The senior guard has reached double figures 11 times in his last 13 games and for the 24 times since the beginning of last season.
Jackson also had four assists, seven rebounds and two steals in 30 minutes off the bench.
Curtis Haywood II has scored in double digits in each of Georgia Tech’s last three games, scoring 11 against Northwestern without missing a shot of any kind (3-3 FG, 2-2 on threes, 3-3 FT). The freshman guard also had six rebounds, two assists and just one steal in 32 minutes.
Haywood II has played 37, 33 and 32 minutes in Tech’s last three games, averaging just over 12 points while hitting 11-of-20 shots from the floor, 8-of-12 from three-point range, and 7-of-9 from the free throw line. He also has averaged 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.3 steals.
Ben Lammers has scored in double figures in all five games this season, getting 13 points (3-6 FG) with six rebounds in 31 minutes against Northwestern. The 6-10 senior has hit 62.7 percent of his shots from the floor and 89.5 percent (17-of-19) from the foul line this season. He also leads the Jackets with 10 steals.
Lammers blocked one shot against Northwestern and has 16 through four games, ranking No. 4 in the nation and No. 1 in the ACC. Lammers has 192 blocks in his career, which ranks No. 5 in Tech history, and he needs seven to catch Malcolm Mackey (199 from 1990-93) for fourth place.
Jose Alvarado has 22 assists to just nine turnovers over five games and has nine steals to rank second on the team. He also has hit 52.3 percent of his shots from the floor and 78.9 percent (15-of-19) from the free throw line.
Alvarado played 35 minutes against Northwestern, and is averaging 33.8 minutes per game.
Jackson (5.5 rpg) and Alvarado (5.2) are both averaging more than five rebounds per game from the backcourt.
Jackson needs seven points to reach 800 for his career. Lammers needs 39 to reach 800.