Jan. 31, 2014
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THE FLATS – Georgia Tech faces another pair of road games as it attempts to end a two-game skid, first visiting Wake Forest in a Saturday afternoon contest at 12 noon at the Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The ACC’s Regional Sports Network (Fox Sports South in Atlanta) will air television coverage of the game. Radio coverage of the game will be provided by the Georgia Tech IMG Sports Network and can be heard in Atlanta on WYAY-FM (106.7). The Wake Forest radio broadcast can be heard nationally on satellite radio (Sirius ch. 85, XM ch. 85).
Tech (11-10, 2-6 ACC), in the midst of a stretch in which it plays four road games out of five. The Yellow Jackets, 3-4 on the road this season (and 1-3 in ACC games), are coming off a 78-65 loss to North Carolina at McCamish Pavilion Wednesday night. They have won three straight games in the series with Wake Forest, including a sweep of both regular-season games last season.
In its third season under head coach Brian Gregory, Tech has played its entire conference schedule to date with no more than nine scholarship players, sometimes just eight. Despite its shorthandedness, Tech has played well offensively, outpacing its scoring output against the conference from a year ago and shooting better than it ever has under Gregory. Tech has suffered, however, on the boards and on the defensive end.
Wake Forest (14-7, 4-4 ACC) is coming off a 67-57 loss to No. 2 Syracuse Wednesday night in Winston-Salem, which snapped a 13-game home winning streak for the Demon Deacons. Wake has defeated North Carolina, NC State and Notre Dame at home.
Tech visits Clemson next, Tuesday at 8 p.m., before returning home next Saturday to face surging Virginia.
Fast Break Points
• Saturday’s game is the only meeting between the two teams this season, the first time the teams will not play twice in Tech’s ACC history. Tech and Wake have been annual home-and-away partners since the conference expanded, along with Clemson. Tech’s annual partners are now Clemson and Notre Dame.
• Georgia Tech has won four of its last nine ACC road games, winning at Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Miami and Boston College in that stretch. The Yellow Jackets won only three times in 36 ACC road games before that dating back to the 2008-09 season.
• Tech has one of its better records on the road among ACC opponents at Wake Forest, compiling an 11-24 record in Winston-Salem/Greensboro in its ACC history. Tech is 10-19 in Tallahassee, 11-24 in College Park, 11-20 in Charlottesville.
• Tech has played its ACC games this season with as few as eight scholarship players, competing without four members of the team who had combined for 22 starts and were key parts of the rotation at the start of pre-season practice – forward Robert Carter, Jr., swingman Jason Morris, and guards Travis Jorgenson and Solomon Poole. They have missed a total of 43 games this season (Carter, Jr., 8, Jorgenson 17, Morris 12, Poole 6).
• The absence of Carter, Jr., has hurt Tech in several ways, most notably on the glass, where the Yellow Jackets have been beaten on the boards four times in the eight games the ACC’s leading rebounder has missed. Tech had won the rebound battle against all 13 non-conference opponents this season.
• Their absences have given rise to bigger impact performances from senior Daniel Miller in the post, and freshmen Corey Heyward (19.1 minutes last 6 games) and Quinton Stephens (19.3 minutes in last nine games).
Series Notes vs. Wake Forest
• The Yellow Jackets have won nine of the last 12 meetings, including a season sweep of the Demon Deacons in 2012-13. Tech defeated Wake Forest, 82-62, in Atlanta, and 57-56 in Winston-Salem.
• The sweep gave Tech a 38-37 lead in the all-time series and a 37-35 lead in games played since it became a member of the ACC.
• Tech made a sweep of the season series in 2010-11, setting school records in each game for margin of victory in an ACC game (74-39 at home on Jan. 19) and for margin of victory in an ACC road game (80-54 on Mar. 3).
• Tech was 24-9 against Wake Forest in games played at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, winning the last seven meetings in the building, and is 26-9 against the Demon Deacons in Atlanta.
• The home team has won 31 of the last 41 regular-season games in the series, with Wake Forest winning four times in Atlanta during that span, and Tech winning six times in Winston-Salem.
• Tech has lost 11 of the last 15 meetings at the Joel Coliseum, but has one of its better records in an opponent’s building at 7-17. Tech is 11-24 against Wake Forest on the road, including a 2-3 mark in regular-season games played in Greensboro and a 2-4 mark in games played in Winston-Salem prior to the opening of Joel Coliseum.
• Tech is 35-26 against Wake Forest since 1985, including 12 straight victories from 1985-91.
• Wake Forest has won all four of its meetings with Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament, including a 75-74 triumph in the 1996 championship game in Greensboro. Wake Forest took the 2007 first round meeting, winning 114-112 in double-overtime, the highest-scoring game in ACC Tournament history and the highest-scoring game for Tech involving an ACC opponent in its history.
About Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is in its third year under head coach Brian Gregory. The Yellow Jackets have been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, won three ACC Championships, played in the NCAA Tournament 16 times and played in two Final Fours (1990, 2004).
Connect with Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball on social media by liking their Facebook Page, or following on Twitter (@GTMBK). For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
