Tech Hoops Opens ACC Schedule at No. 20/22 UNC

GEORGIA TECH (4-4, 0-0 ACC) vs. NO. 20/22 NORTH CAROLINA (4-4, 0-0 ACC)

• Saturday, December 7, 2024 | 2 p.m. EST | Chapel Hill, N.C. | Dean E. Smith Center
• Live Stream:  ACC Network (Announcers: Mike Monaco, Randolph Childress)
• Radio: Georgia Tech Sports Network by Legends Sports (In Atlanta: 680 AM/93.7 The Fan)
• Announcers: Andy Demetra, Randy Waters
• Other ways to listen:  SiriusXM Ch. 382  |  SiriusXM app  |  Listen Online | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets App | TuneIn

Turning the page ➡️ @accmbb opener this weekend in Chapel Hill#StingEm 🐝 pic.twitter.com/fsrbtHGSc8

— Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball (@GTMBB) December 5, 2024

THE FLATS – Looking to win its Atlantic Coast Conference opener for the second straight year, Georgia Tech plays its second road game of the week when it visits No. 20/22 North Carolina for a 2 p.m. tip Saturday at the Dean E. Smith Center.

Tech (4-4), looking to improve upon a 14-18 mark in Damon Stoudamire’s first season as head coach on The Flats, looks to rebounds from a 76-61 road loss to No. 21 Oklahoma Tuesday in the SEC/ACC Challenge. The Yellow Jackets had won their two games prior, defeating Central Arkansas, 87-68, Saturday, and Charleston Southern, 91-67, to finish off a seven-game homestand to open the season.

The Tar Heels (4-4) have spent the entire season in the top 25, but have lost three straight games after dropping a 94-79 decision at home Wednesday night to Alabama UNC’s other losses have come to Kansas, Auburn and Michigan State, all away from home.

Saturday’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). The Tech broadcast is also available on Sirius XM channel 382 and the SiriusXM app.

Freshman Jaeden Mustaf (3) has averaged nearly 17 points over Tech’s last three games. (photo by Chad Hamilton)

THE TIP-OFF

• Tech is looking to start 1-0 in the ACC for the second straight year after having defeated Duke last December to begin the conference slate. The Jackets last won their ACC opener when it was on the road in 2019, an 82-81 overtime decision at NC State.
• Saturday marks the third time in the last four years that Tech has started its ACC schedule against North Carolina. The Yellow Jackets lost to the Tar Heels at home in 2021 and in Chapel Hill in 2022.
• Tech is playing its third game of the season against a ranked team. The Jackets dropped an 81-58 contest at home to No. 18 Cincinnati on Nov. 23 and lost 76-61 at No. 21 Oklahoma Tuesday. Tech is 3-4 vs. Top-25 teams under Damon Stoudamire.
• Tech is playing its second straight road game after opening the season with seven consecutive home games. It is the second of three straight games away from home for Tech, which lost at Oklahoma Tuesday and faces Northwestern in a neutral-site game Dec. 15 in Milwaukee.
• Tech and North Carolina have split their last six meetings after the Yellow Jackets upended the No. 3 Tar Heels, 74-73, last Jan 30 at McCamish Pavilion. Naithan George scored the game-winning points on a layup with seven seconds remaining.
• For the second straight game, Tech is facing a team with a former Yellow Jacket on its roster. North Carolina forward Tyzhaun Claude spent the 2023-24 season on The Flats, averaging 4.8 points and 5.2 rebounds.
• Four Tech players are averaging in double-figure points through five games (Lance Terry 14.6, Javian McCollum 12.8, Baye Ndongo 12.8, Naithan George 11.0).
• Tech has used four different starting lineups in eight games this season, all of the changes occurring as a result of injury. Tech has played without Javian McCollum for the last three games and Kowacie Reeves, Jr., for its last two.

SERIES NOTES VS. NORTH CAROLINA

• North Carolina has a 72-28 lead in the all-time series between the two teams, and a 58-26 advantage since Tech joined the ACC (one Tech win in 2016-17 vacated by NCAA Committee on Infractions).
• The Tar Heels have won 12 of the last 16 games in the series, but Tech has managed to split the last six, winning the only regular-season meeting in 2023-24 by a 74-73 score in Atlanta.
• Tech is 14-16 against North Carolina dating back to the 2001-02 season.
• The teams have played 43 times in the city of Atlanta, including eight at McCamish Pavilion, where Tech is 3-5 (on court) against the Tar Heels.
• Tech has lost 14 of the last 16 meetings in the Smith Center and is 5-27 all-time in the building. Counting regular-season games in Greensboro, Tech is 6-34 on the road against UNC.
• In ACC Tournament play, the Yellow Jackets have won five of nine meetings, and Tech has won the last three encounters (2004, 2005, 2010). Two of Tech’s five tournament wins occurred in championship games, the 1985 final in Atlanta and the 1993 final in Charlotte.
• Tech’s greatest success in its series with North Carolina occurred during the middle 1990s when the Jackets won five of seven meetings, including three straight wins over No. 1-ranked Tar Heel teams during the 1993 and 1994 campaigns.

Lance Terry now has 1,009 career points. (photo by Chad Hamilton)

JACKETS LOOK FOR A REBOUND

Down two starters because of injury, Georgia Tech (4-4) battled to lead No. 21 Oklahoma at halftime, but the Sooners (8-0) reeled off nine straight points to open the second half and captured a 76-61 victory over the Yellow Jackets in the SEC/ACC Challenge Tuesday night at the Lloyd Noble Center.

Freshman guard Jaeden Mustaf scored a team-high 16 pints for Tech, which fell to 4-4 on the season and 1-1 in the SEC/ACC Challenge. Lance Terry scored 14 points, including three 3-point field goals to surpass 1,000 points for his career, and Duncan Powell posted his first double-double as a Yellow Jacket with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

TECH BYTES

• Eight players saw the court for the Jackets against Oklahoma and seven of them scored.
• Tech has held each of its last three opponents under 40 percent from the floor (35.1% combined) and done so five times in eight games.
• Tech has 45 assists against 23 turnovers in its last three games, and a 1.96-to-1 ratio (120 assists, 84 turnovers for the season).
• Tech remains ahead of its pace in several offensive categories through eight games compared to the same period a year ago – scoring average (78.1 ppg over 71.0), field goal percentage (43.9 pct. over 39.9), three-point percentage (32.0 over 29.6), free throw percentage (68.7 over 65.3), assist/turnover ratio (120/84 over 105/102).
• Tech also ranks much higher in adjusted tempo, according to KenPom.com – 70.8 possessions per game (56th in the nation), compared to 67.6 possessions (168th nationally) a year ago and the fastest Tech has played since the 2000-01 season.
• Tech ranks 26th nationally in 2-foul participation (47.4%) – that is, percentage of first-half minutes played by players with two fouls.
• Lance Terry surpassed 1,000 points for his career with his 14-point effort against Oklahoma. Tech now has two 1,000-point scorers on its roster (Javian McCollum has 1,054 career points).
• Terry has reached double figures six times in eight games this season and 52 times in his career.
• In Tech’s last 3 games, Terry has averaged nearly 37 minutes, averaged 18 points (20-of-38 FG, 8-of-17 3pt FG) with 10 total rebounds, 5 assists, 2 turnovers and 5 steals.
• Naithan George has 23 assists and 3 turnovers in Tech’s last 3 games, and a 47-to-14 assist/turnover ratio for the season. He ranks among the ACC’s top 10 in assist average (5.9 per game) and assist/turnover ratio (3.4-1).
• Freshman guard Jaeden Mustaf has reached double figures in points in Tech’s last three games, averaging 16.7 points while hitting 16-of-33 shots from the floor, 2-of-4 from three-point range and 16-of-20 from the foul line. He also has 9 rebounds, 6 assists and just 4 turnovers across the 3 games.
• Duncan Powell posted his first double-double as a Yellow Jacket against Oklahoma, scoring 11 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. The fourth-year junior has nine double-doubles in his college career.
• Powell has grabbed a season-high rebounds in each of Tech’s last 3 games, 8 against Charleston Southern, 9 vs. Central Arkansas and 12 against Oklahoma (9.7 average).

Full Steam Ahead

Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL

Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is in its second season under head coach Damon Stoudamire. 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.