Jan. 10, 2012
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Gregory ACC Teleconference Transcript | Jordan Helps Build Tech Program
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech continues its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule this week with a pair of road games, first visiting NC State Wednesday night in a regionally-televised game at 9 p.m. at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C.
The game can be seen on several regional cable outlets through the East Coast (see link above), including FS South in Georgia, and the Tech radio broadcast can be heard in Atlanta on flagship station 790 the Zone (790 AM) and True Oldies 106.7 FM. The NC State broadcast can be heard nationally on Sirius satellite radio channel 93.
Tech (7-8, 0-1 ACC), in its first year under head coach Brian Gregory, is looking to end a four-game losing streak, including an 81-74 loss to 5th-ranked Duke in its first ACC game last Saturday. The Yellow Jackets, who trailed the Blue Devils by 18 points in the first half, rallied to get within two points with the ball twice in the closing minutes.
Tech, 3-4 away from home this season, is 2-2 on opponents’ home courts, including a 68-56 win at Georgia and a 65-45 win at Savannah State in early December.
NC State (12-4, 1-0 ACC) has a six-game winning streak following its 79-74 victory over Maryland Sunday in its conference opener. The Wolfpack has a 10-2 record at home, having lost only to top-ranked Syracuse and No. 7 Indiana.
Following Wednesday’s game, Tech visits Maryland Sunday afternoon before hosting Virginia (Jan, 19) and Miami (Jan. 24).
Tech’s primary goals this season have been to play solid team defense, win the rebounding battle, and be efficient on offense. The Yellow Jackets have allowed only four teams to score as many as 70 points and two to shoot 50 percent from the floor. Tech has a +6.7 edge in rebounding for the season and has won that battle in 11 of 15 games, including a 38-26 edge on the boards against Duke.
The Yellow Jackets rank fourth in the ACC in field goal percentage defense (38.3 pct.) and in scoring defense (61.3 ppg). Tech has held 10 of its 15 opponents under 40 percent from the field, and have held eight teams under 60 points.
Offensively, Tech is averaging 64.5 points a game, 11th in the ACC, and hitting 45.5 percent of its field goal tries (5th). The Yellow Jackets have shot 50 percent or better from the floor six times, and came close Saturday against Duke (49.1 pct.).
The Wolfpack rank third in the ACC in scoring (77.4 ppg) and field goal percentage (48.0 pct.), and are ranked 11th in scoring defense (69.3 ppg) and seventh in field goal percentage yield (41.8 pct.).
Whom to Watch
Two Yellow Jackets are averaging double figures in scoring, led by 6-5 junior Glen Rice, Jr., of Marietta, Ga., who is scoring 13.8 points per game (11th in the ACC) grabbing 6.9 rebounds per game (9th). Mfon Udofia, a 6-2 junior from Stone Mountain, Ga., averages 10.8 points per game. Both players enjoyed their best outings of the season against Duke, Rice scoring a game-high 28 points (10-17 FG) to match his career high, and Udofia adding 19 (6-9 FG), his career best for an ACC game.
• 6-11 sophomore center Daniel Miller has started 46 straight games for Tech, ranks 8th in the ACC in rebounding (7.0 pg) and 2nd in blocked shots (2.7 pg).
• 6-8 sophomore forward Kammeon Holsey is hitting 68.1 percent of his shots from the floor, but has not taken enough shots to be listed in the ACC rankings.
• 6-5 sophomore Jason Morris scored 11 points against Duke, including a couple of high-flying dunks, one off a lob pass from Pierre Jordan that was No. 6 in ESPN’s Plays of the Week.
Tech and NC State History
• The Wolfpack won the only regular-season meeting between the two teams in 2010-11, a 79-74 decision in Raleigh, and lead the overall series, 51-36.
• The Wolfpack have won 10 of the last 15 and 20 of the last 28 meetings in the series, but Tech has won two of the last three.
• Thirteen of the last 14 meetings in the series have been decided by 10 points or less.
• Tech is 22-14 against the Wolfpack in Atlanta, including one home-court meeting that was played at the Omni in 1986. The Jackets are 8-29 in games played in Raleigh, and 1-9 at the RBC Center.
• Tech was 8-12 against NC State under Paul Hewitt, and was 4-3 against former Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe.
• Since it joined the ACC, Tech is 28-38 against NC State, including regular-season and tournament.
• Tech’s 77-74 win in 2008 is the Yellow Jackets’ only triumph at NC State’s RBC Center in 10 tries. Tech had lost 10 straight games to the Wolfpack on their home court, dating back to Jan. 24, 1996, and has lost 12 of the last 13. The Jackets are 8-29 against NC State in Raleigh, including a 1-9 mark at the RBC Center.
• Tech is 3-3 against NC State in ACC Tournament games, the last meeting occurring in 2003 in a 71-65 Wolfpack victory in Greensboro. The Jackets won first-round games in 1996 in Greensboro (88-73) and 1990 in Charlotte (76-67).
