Men's Hoops Continues Homestand vs. NC State

Georgia Tech (8-9, 1-6 ACC) vs. NC State (14-4, 4-3 ACC)

• Tuesday, January 17, 2023 | 7 p.m. ET | Atlanta, Ga. | McCamish Pavilion
• Television:  ACC Network
• Play-by-Play:  Cory Alexander  |  Analyst: Debbie Antonelli
• Radio:  Georgia Tech Sports Network by Legends Sports (In Atlanta: 680 AM/93.7 FM | SiriusXM ch. 383, SXM app 973 | Listen Online | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets App | TuneIn
• Play-by-Play: Andy Demetra  |  Analyst: Randy Waters
• Promotions:  Xpogo stunt team halftime performance

THE FLATS – Looking to snap a three-game slide in Atlantic Coast Conference play, Georgia Tech continues its three-game homestand Tuesday night with a 7 p.m. contest against NC State at McCamish Pavilion.

Tech (8-9, 1-6 ACC) has lost its last three games to Florida State (75-64) and Notre Dame (73-72, OT) on the road and Pittsburgh (71-60) at home to fall a game out of last place in the ACC standings. All three of the Yellow Jackets home losses this season have come to conference foes, Clemson, Virginia and Pitt, all by double digits, while Tech’s only win came over No. 12 Miami, 76-70, on Jan. 4.

After finishing in last place in the ACC in 2012-22, NC State (14-4, 4-3 ACC) has rebounded this season, currently occupying seventh place in the standings. The Wolfpack have won their last three games over Duke, Virginia Tech and Miami, the latter coming in overtime Saturday. NC State, 1-2 on the road this season, lost at Miami and Clemson prior to defeating the Hokies.

Tuesday’s game will be televised live on the ACC Network, with a live stream available on the ESPN app. Radio coverage is on the Georgia Tech Sports Network by Legends Sports and flagship station 680 the Fan (680 AM/93.7 FM), and also on satellite radio (SiriusXM channel 383, SXM app 973.

THE TIP-OFF

• Georgia Tech is on the midst of a three-game homestand at McCamish Pavilion, where it is 7-3 this season. The Yellow Jackets conclude by entertaining Syracuse Saturday.
• The Wolfpack have won four of six games against Tech at McCamish Pavilion, including last year’s 76-61 victory.
• Tech is 6-2 against NC State under Josh Pastner, and has won four of five games against Wolfpack teams coached by Kevin Keatts.
• Tech is the No. 2 team in the ACC in three-point defense, allowing 28.5 percent from distance this season in all games.
• Tech leads the ACC in bench scoring, its reserves contributing 23,2 points per game this season. The bench has provided 30 or more points six times this season, and has outscored its opponents’ reserves in 11 of 17 games.
• Tech has used seven different starting lineups this season. Nine Yellow Jackets have started at least two games, and eight of them have started a minimum of seven times.

Deivon Smith has posted a double-double in each of Tech’s last two games, scoring 31 points with 21 rebounds. (photo by Danny Karnik)

SERIES VS. NC STATE

• NC State has a 58-44 lead in the overall series which dates back to 1925. Georgia Tech has won six of the last eight meetings, although the Wolfpack defeated Tech, 76-61, in the teams’ only scheduled meeting of the 2021-22 season. The teams did not play during the 2020-21 season due to COVID issues.
• Twenty-three of the last 28 meetings in the series have been decided by 10 points or less, with four of those decided in overtime.
• Tech is 24-19 against the Wolfpack in Atlanta, including one home-court meeting that was played at the Omni in 1986 and one at Philips Arena in 2012. NC State is 4-2 against the Yellow Jackets at McCamish Pavilion.
• Since it joined the ACC, Tech is 36-44 against NC State, including regular-season and tournament.
• Tech has won six of eight games (one win was vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions) against the Pack under head coach Josh Pastner, and is 4-1 vs. NC State coach Kevin Keatts.

TEAM TRENDS

• Georgia Tech’s 12 three-point field goals against Pitt were three more than it had made in an ACC game previously this season (previous – 9 vs. North Carolina, Miami, Florida State) and one off its season high of 13 vs. Alabama State. The last time the Yellow Jackets made more threes in ACC game was Jan. 20, 2021 against Clemson (16).
• Tech was 12-of-29 from three-point range (41.4 pct.) against the Panthers, its second-highest percentage of the season after the 43.8 percent (7-of-16) is logged against Virginia.
• Tech is 45-of-120 (37.5 percent) from three-point range over its last five games, and are at 33.7 percent for all games this season, 34.9 percent in ACC games.
• Conversely, Tech’s 47.3-percent rate on two-point field goals ranks No. 283 nationally
• Tech has averaged 24.1 three-point attempts in ACC games, trying at least 20 in every game except Virginia (16).
• Despite the high percentage from distance, the Yellow Jackets posted their third-lowest overall field goal percentage (36.4) of the season against Pitt. Only against Utah (34.8) and Marquette (33.8) did they miss a higher percentage.
• Tech is 1-9 this season when the opponent makes a higher percentage of its field goal attempts, 7-0 when it has a better percentage.
• Tech is 6-1 this season when scoring 70 or more points (1-0 in the ACC), 2-8 when failing to reach 70.
• Tech’s bench has outscored that of its opponent 11 times in 17 games this season, getting 30 points from its reserves to Pitt’s 21. It was the sixth time this season Tech’s bench has provided 30 or more points. The Jackets entered this weekend’s games No. 1 in the ACC in bench scoring (22.8 ppg).
• Nine or more Yellow Jackets have taken the court in 13 of 17 games. Tech ranks No. 138 in the nation this season in bench minutes (32.5 pct. entering the game), and only one other Josh Pastner Tech team has seen its reserves play more.
• Tech ranks No. 2 in the ACC and in the top 20 in the nation in three-point defense (28.5 pct.) – Pitt hit 6-of-20 (30 pct.) against the Jackets. Notre Dame, Virginia and FSU combined to hit 29-of-71 (40.8 pct.) against the Jackets, while North Carolina, Clemson, Miami and Pitt were 19-for-83 combined (22.8 pct.).

PLAYER UPDATES

• Tech’s sophomore trio of Deebo Coleman, Miles Kelly and Jalon Moore have accounted for 45.5 percent of the Yellow Jackets’ total points this season and have taken 42.5 percent of the shots from the floor.
• Tech’s starting guard trio of Kelly, Coleman and Lance Terry have taken two thirds of the Yellow Jackets’ three-point attempts and collectively have made 36.2 percent of them.
• Deivon Smith has posted point-rebound double-doubles in two consecutive games, and recorded his third double-digit rebound game as a Yellow Jacket with his 15 points and 11 rebounds against Pitt. The 11 rebounds matched his career-best of 11 last season against Wisconsin.
• Smith has scored 31 points in Tech’s last two games after tallying just 17 in the six games before that.
• Over his last four games, Smith has 35 rebounds (8.75 per game).
• Deebo Coleman has reached double-figure points in three of his last four games (11.0 ppg), and has 14 rebounds and nine assists over that stretch.
• Coleman’s three 3-point field goals against Pitt matched his season high (3-5 Dec. 10 at North Carolina, 3-6 on Nov. 17 vs. NIU).
• Tristan Maxwell’s eight points against Pitt were his most in an ACC game since his career-high 22-point effort last Jan. 12 at Boston College.
• Miles Kelly (6 points vs. Pitt) snapped an 11-game streak of scoring in double digits. Entering the weekend, he held the second highest scoring average improvement over last year (9.4 points-per-game) behind Virginia Tech’s Sean Pedulla (plus-11.4 ppg).
• Kelly hit 2-of-5 from three-point range against the Panthers and is 36-of-81 (44.4 percent) over his last 12 games.
• Kelly has hit his last 23 free throw attempts dating back to the Iowa game on Nov. 28, when he made the second of his two attempts. He did not attempt a free throw against Pitt and is 16-for-16 in ACC games.
• Rodney Howard played a season-high 33:38 against Pitt and collected 10 rebounds for the third time this season.
• Howard has connected on 30-of-45 shots from the floor (66.7 pct.) dating back to Nov. 23 vs. Marquette, covering 12 games. That includes a streak of 13 consecutive makes from his last two attempts of the Northeastern game through his first four of the Alabama State game. For the season he has connected on 610.3 percent of his field goal tries, 57.7 percent in ACC games.

Head coach Josh Pastner on Monday’s ACC Coaches Zoom call.

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 has completed six seasons under head coach Josh Pastner, winning the Atlantic Coast Conference championship in 2021 and making its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 11 years. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, won four ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993, 2021), played in the NCAA Tournament 17 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 (@GTMBB) and Instagram. For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com.