Georgia Tech vs. Stetson
Friday, November 12, 2021 | 7:30 p.m. ET | Atlanta, Ga. | McCamish Pavilion
Live Stream: ACC Network Extra | ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Bryce Koon | Analyst: Jon Babul
Radio: Georgia Tech Sports Network by Legends Sports (In Atlanta: 680 AM/93.7 The Fan | SiriusXM app 968 | Listen Online | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets App | TuneIn
Play-by-Play: Andy Demetra | Analyst: Randy Waters
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech continues its season-opening three-game homestand Friday night when it hosts Stetson for a 7:30 p.m. tip at McCamish Pavilion. This is the second of three straight home games to open the 2021-22 season.
Tech (17-9, 11-6 ACC last season) is coming off its first ACC championship season since 1993 and its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011. The Yellow Jackets welcome back five of their top seven scorers, including ACC Tournament MVP Michael Devoe (Orlando, Fla.), senior forward Jordan Usher (Canton, Ga.), senior guard Bubba Parham (Snellville, Ga.), senior forward Khalid Moore (Briarwood, N.Y.) and junior guard Kyle Sturdivant (Norcross, Ga.). Those returnees are bolstered by the transfer of guard Deivon Smith (Loganville, Ga.) from Mississippi State and a freshman class ranked No. 28 in the nation.
The Jackets opened their 107th season of basketball Tuesday night with a 72-69 loss to Miami of Ohio at McCamish Pavilion. Tech does not leave the state of Georgia to play until Dec. 18, when it travels to Phoenix, Ariz., to play Southern California.
The Hatters from Deland, Fla., members of the Atlantic Sun Conference, went 12-15 overall last season and finished 7-9 in the conference. Similar to Miami, Stetson returns its top eight scorers from that team, including four players who started at least 23 of the teams’ 27 games.
The Hatters downed Florida Memorial, 74-67, Tuesday at home in their season opener.
Friday’s game will be streamed live online via ACC Network Extra, available on the ESPN app. Radio coverage will be on the Georgia Tech Sports Network by Legends Sports and flagship station WCNN (680/93.7 the Fan), as well as on satellite radio (SiriusXM app 968).
Coach Pastner Thursday Press Conference
Miles Kelly/Deebo Coleman Thursday Press Conference
SERIES VS. STETSON
Georgia Tech and Stetson are meeting for the third time in men’s basketball, and for the first time since 1973, when the Hatters defeated the Yellow Jackets 81-70, at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, Tech’s former on-campus home.
The first meeting took place during the 1919-20 season, a 44-33 Tech win that took place at the Luckie Street YMCA, which served as the Jackets’ home court that season.
The Yellow Jackets are 10-7 all-time against members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. This is Tech’s first game against an A-Sun team since December of 2018, an 87-57 win over Kennesaw State.
The Tech-Stetson game is part of a “multi-team event,” a four-team round-robin that included Friday’s game against Miami and next Monday’s game against Lamar. Miami, Stetson and Lamar will all play each other as part of the event.
LAST TIME OUT
Georgia Tech went on a 16-3 second-half run to take a seemingly comfortable seven-point lead, but an experienced Miami (Ohio) squad scored the game’s final nine points and came away with a 72-69 win over the Yellow Jackets in the season opener for both teams on Tuesday night at McCamish Pavilion.
Georgia Tech trailed by as many as six points early in the second half, but used a 16-3 run to take a 55-48 lead midway through the closing period.
The Yellow Jackets maintained the advantage throughout the final 10 minutes and led 69-63 with less than two minutes to go. However, Miami made three-straight shots over the next minute to cut the Jackets’ advantage to a point at 69-68. After Tech missed pair of shots on the other end, Miami’s Dae Dae Grant missed a jumper in the lane but Mekhi Lairy grabbed the rebound and hit the put-back to give the RedHawks a 70-69 lead with 12 seconds remaining.
Tech’s Michael Devoe led all scorers with 26 points on 8-of-18 shooting, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Jordan Usher scored 14 points and Rodney Howard added 10 to round out three Yellow Jackets in double-figures. Howard added a game-high 13 rebounds for his first-career double-double, while Usher came up just one rebound short of a double-double with nine boards.
3 players in double figures, including a double double by @RodneyHoward24 #TogetherWeSwarm pic.twitter.com/NO1ZBPwq1c
— Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball (@GTMBB) November 10, 2021
Khalid Moore puts the spin moves on ’em 🌪🏀 @GTMBB @Kaptin02 @accmbb | #TogetherWeSwarm pic.twitter.com/jcM503RttV
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) November 10, 2021
Just shy of 1 a.m., Jalon Moore getting work in after Georgia Tech’s season opener against Miami (Ohio). pic.twitter.com/eXP7OlvyGE
— Ken Sugiura (@ksugiuraajc) November 10, 2021
LEFTOVERS FROM THE MIAMI GAME
- The Yellow Jackets are 3-3 in season openers under head coach Josh Pastner, dropping the last two in a row.
- Tech used nine players and had a 12-10 edge in bench points. The Jackets’ reserves outscored their opponents last year only six times, but won all six.
- Tech scored 17 fast break points to Miami’s 11. The Jackets scored more on fast breaks than its opponent in 18 of 26 games last season.
- Michael Devoe hit a 3 in his 11th straight game dating back to last Feb. 10 vs. Virginia, draining his first attempts against Miami. The 2021 ACC Tournament MVP made at least one in 23 of 26 games last season, including the final 10 in a row.
- Devoe made his first three 3-point attempts in the game and finished 4-of-6 for a game-high 26 points. His season high last season was 29 at Miami (Feb. 20), and his career high is 34 as a sophomore at Georgia (Nov. 20, 2019). It was his 21st career game with 20 or more points.
- Rodney Howard established career-high in points (10) and rebounds (13) for his first career double-double. His previous highs were 8 points at Miami last Feb. 20, 6 rebounds vs. South Carolina on Feb. 12, 2020 while a freshman at Georgia.
- Jordan Usher was Tech’s only other player in double figures with 12, missing a double-double by one rebound (9).
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team won the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship in 2021 after finishing fourth in the regular season. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, winning four ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993, 2021), playing in the NCAA Tournament 17 times and playing 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 (@GTMBB) and Instagram. For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
