Jan. 24, 2014
Complete Game Notes | Coach Gregory video | ACC Network affiliates | Watch live online
THE FLATS – Looking for its second straight road win in Atlantic Coast Conference play, Georgia Tech visits NC State in a regionally televised game at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C.
The game can be seen up and down the Atlantic coast on the ACC Network (WATL-TV in Atlanta). 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 NC State radio broadcast can be heard nationally on satellite radio (Sirius ch. 85, XM ch. 85).
Tech (11-8, 2-4 ACC), in the midst of a stretch in which it plays four road games out of five, picked up its first ACC road win and third overall this season with a 68-60 victory at Boston College Tuesday night. The Yellow Jackets are 1-2 on the road in the ACC and 3-3 overall this 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, including two-year starting forward Robert Carter, Jr. Senior forward Jason Morris, who missed two games due to a concussion, returned to play at Boston College. Despite its shorthandedness, Tech has played well offensively in stretches, matching its scoring output against the conference from a year ago and shooting better than it ever has under Gregory. Defensively, Tech ranks 82nd nationally in scoring yield (66.7 ppg) and 77th in field goal percentage defense (40.9 pct.).
NC State (12-7, 2-4 ACC) picked up a big 65-56 win over Maryland Monday night despite playing without ACC leading scorer T.J. Warren. The victory snapped a three-game skid and improved the Wolfpack to 1-2 at home in conference play. NC State also has beaten Notre Dame on the road.
After Sunday’s game, Tech returns home to face North Carolina Wednesday night before playing consecutive road games at Wake Forest and Clemson.
Fast Break Points
• Georgia Tech has split its last eight 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.
• NC State has won the last three meetings against Tech after the Yellow Jackets pulled off an 82-71 win over the Wolfpack on Jan. 11, 2012, which was the first encounter between Brian Gregory and Mark Gottfried as the teams’ head coaches.
• In the last two meetings in Raleigh, the two teams have combined for 306 points (153 in each game). In the last two meetings in Atlanta, the teams combined for 240 points.
• 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. Morris returned to play at Boston College after missing two games with a concussion.
• 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 three times in the six games the ACC’s leading rebounder has missed. Tech had won the rebound battle against all 13 non-conference opponents this season.
• The absences of Poole (missed last four games) and Jorgenson (knee injury on Nov. 20) have led to increased playing time for red-shirt freshman Corey Heyward, who missed last season with a knee injury of his own.
Series Notes vs. NC State
• NC State swept the season series with Tech for the first time since 2008-09, capturing an 83-70 Wolfpack victory at the PNC Arena in Raleigh and a 70-57 win at McCamish Pavilion.
• The teams have split the last 12 meetings following a seven-game Tech skid. The Yellow Jackets have won twice at PNC Arena during that stretch, while the Wolfpack have won three times in Atlanta.
• Tech is 22-16 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.
• Since it joined the ACC, Tech is 29-40 against NC State, including regular-season and tournament.
• The Jackets are 9-30 against NC State in Raleigh, including a 2-10 mark at PNC Arena.
• 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).
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.
