December 22, 2020

Tech Visits UAB in Final Non-Conference Tilt

THE FLATS – Looking for its third straight win, Georgia Tech travels away from McCamish Pavilion for the fourth time in six games Wednesday when it visits UAB in its final scheduled non-conference game of 2020-21. Tip is at 8 p.m. Eastern time at Bartow Arena.

The Yellow Jackets (4-3, 0-1 ACC) have won four of their last five games following an 0-2 start, including a pair of homecourt wins last weekend over Florida A&M (74-64) and Delaware State (97-69). The Yellow Jackets also knocked off No. 20 Kentucky (79-62) at State Farm Arena and Nebraska (75-64) on the road before dropping its Atlantic Coast Conference opener Dec. 15 at No. 15 Florida State (74-61).

UAB (7-1, 0-0 Conference USA), under first-year head coach Andy Kennedy, will play its eighth home game of the season Wednesday night against the Jackets, having traveled only to face East Tennessee State on Dec. 12 (a 65-61 win). The Blazers won their first seven games this season before dropping a 69-66 decision Saturday night at home to undefeated Chattanooga.

Wednesday’s game will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network, which can be found on DirecTV (channel 221), Dish Network (channel 158) and Verizon FiOS (channel 594).

Radio coverage is provided by the Georgia Tech Sports Network by LearfieldIMG College, with flagship station WCNN-Radio (680 AM, 93.7 FM) in Atlanta. The Tech broadcast can be heard on SiriusXM Ch. 371 (internet Ch. 371) and the TuneIn app.

Senior forward Jordan usher speaks with the media

THE TIPOFF

Georgia Tech has placed seven members of its team on the fall semester Dean’s List, a high for one semester for the program – seniors Jose Alvarado, Shaheed Medlock and Malachi Rice, and sophomores Niko Broadway, Rodney Howard, Jehloni James and Kyle Sturdivant.
Tech ranks third in the ACC in scoring average (82.71 points per game), much of that a product of its 123-120, four-overtime loss to Georgia State. However, the Jackets scored 77 in regulation of that game, and have scored more than 70 points in six games this season, including 97 Sunday night against Delaware State.
Small ball – Tech moved 6-9 senior Moses Wright, who has played the “4” position most of his career, into the “5” spot and started 5-10 senior Bubba Parham against Kentucky. The re-alignment has worked as the Jackets have shot 48.6 percent from the floor, hit 7.8 three-point field goals per game (35.9 percent), turned the ball over just 46 times and forced 79 in its last five games. Tech also has assisted on 62.5 percent of its field goals in that stretch.
Ball security – Six of Tech’s top seven scorers have positive assist/turnover ratios. The seventh, Michael Devoe, is even (24/24) for the season but is 18/14 over the past five games. The Jackets rank third in the ACC and No. 41 nationally in assist/turnover ratio (1.39).
Tech has four of the top 16 players in the ACC in average minutes played (Jose Alvarado, Moses Wright, Michael Devoe, Bubba Parham).
All five of Tech’s starters are averaging in double figures in scoring for the season. Four or more Yellow Jackets have reached double figures in five of seven games this season, at least three in every game.
Tech’s accuracy from the free throw line is well above its 2019-20 norm. The Jackets have hit 74.4 percent from the charity stripe (22-of-28 vs. Delaware State), compared to 67.7 last season. Tech has scored 17 points per game at the stripe, four points better than last season.

Head coach Josh Pastner speaks with the media

SERIES VS. UAB

Despite the proximity of the two campuses, 130 miles apart, the schools have never met on the hardwood. UAB started its program in 1978.
Tech, however, has met the Blazers’ first-year head coach, Andy Kennedy, twice while he was at the helm of the program at Ole Miss. The teams split two meetings, defeating the Rebels, 74-66, at Oxford in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Postseason NIT, and droppiung a 77-67 decision at the Barclays Center in 2013.
Tech head coach Josh Pastner faced UAB eight times while the head coach at Memphis and won all eight between the 2009-10 and 2012-13 seasons.
Tech is the first ACC team to play at Bartow Arena since North Carolina on Dec. 1, 2013. The Blazers won, 63-59.
Wednesday night marks the first of three scheduled meetings between the two teams. The Blazers will visit McCamish Pavilion each of the next two seasons.
Tech is 25-10 all-time against current members of Conference USA, having most recently defeated North Texas on Nov. 24, 2017.

Moses Wright (5) continues to lead the ACC in scoring ay 19.6 points per game, and ranked third in field goal percentage (57.5). (photo by Danny Karnik)

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 A-T Fund’s Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes, and Athletics Initiative 2020, Georgia Tech athletics’ ongoing $125 million initiative to allow Tech to recruit the nation’s most elite student-athletes, build a better student-athlete once they arrive on The Flats and, ultimately, win! To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL

Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is in its fifth season under head coach Josh Pastner, having finished fifth in the ACC in 2019-20, the program’s highest finish since 2005. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, won three ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993), 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 (@GTMBB) and Instagram. For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com.