University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Know Your Opponent: Georgia Tech
January 4, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers
By Bobby Hundley
Georgia Tech (RamblinWreck.com)
Location: Atlanta, Ga.
Rankings: No. 94 KenPom, NR AP
NET/SOS: No. 110 NET, No. 18 SOS
Record: 6-7, 1-2 ACC
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): UNC leads 69-25 (UNC 77, Georgia Tech 54, Jan. 29, 2019, McCamish Pavilion)
Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner is very clear-eyed when it comes to assessing his 2019-20 squad. While his roster is somewhat thin on numbers, it features plenty of veteran quality from both returning starters and impact transfers. The problem - which Pastner spoke to at length in his pre-UNC press availability - is a troubling combination of poor outside shooting and poor ball security. It's the same combination that dogged last year's team throughout a 14-18 campaign.
Junior point guard Jose Alvarado and sophomore wing Michael Devoe create an ACC-caliber backcourt with help from VMI transfer and 2019 SoCon scoring champ Bubba Parham. But only Devoe (45.3 percent from 3) has been successful shooting the ball, with no other Yellow Jacket regular making more than Parham's 29.5 precent of perimeter attempts. Combine that with a turnover rate that ranks 331st nationally, and you end up with an offense that ranks outside the top 250 in the country. It should be said that Alvarado has only played in six games due to injury, and Pastner considers those six - which include the last four - a more accurate representation of his club.
Inside, upperclassmen James Banks and Moses Wright are back, with wings Khalid Moore and Jordan Usher (a USC transfer) rounding out what is effectively a seven-man rotation. Pastner recently singled out Banks, his only senior in that rotation, for what he considered sub-standard play in recent weeks. The 6-10 forward is one of the better rebounders and shot blockers in the ACC when he's at his best (20 points, 13 rebounds, five blocks in the season opener at NC State), but he managed just eight points, six rebounds and one block in 32 minutes in a New Year's Eve loss at Florida State.
The overtime victory in Raleigh to open the season is Tech's only win over a top-100 NET opponent, and five of its seven losses have come in Quadrant 1 games. An official strength of schedule of No. 18 combined with the Q1 and Q2 chances available in the ACC mean that Tech still has time to build an NCAA résumé. But with seven losses already on the ledger, the second-half push needs to start quickly, and Saturday is an important opportunity for Pastner's men to get back to .500 in the ACC.
Georgia Tech (RamblinWreck.com)
Location: Atlanta, Ga.
Rankings: No. 94 KenPom, NR AP
NET/SOS: No. 110 NET, No. 18 SOS
Record: 6-7, 1-2 ACC
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): UNC leads 69-25 (UNC 77, Georgia Tech 54, Jan. 29, 2019, McCamish Pavilion)
Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner is very clear-eyed when it comes to assessing his 2019-20 squad. While his roster is somewhat thin on numbers, it features plenty of veteran quality from both returning starters and impact transfers. The problem - which Pastner spoke to at length in his pre-UNC press availability - is a troubling combination of poor outside shooting and poor ball security. It's the same combination that dogged last year's team throughout a 14-18 campaign.
Junior point guard Jose Alvarado and sophomore wing Michael Devoe create an ACC-caliber backcourt with help from VMI transfer and 2019 SoCon scoring champ Bubba Parham. But only Devoe (45.3 percent from 3) has been successful shooting the ball, with no other Yellow Jacket regular making more than Parham's 29.5 precent of perimeter attempts. Combine that with a turnover rate that ranks 331st nationally, and you end up with an offense that ranks outside the top 250 in the country. It should be said that Alvarado has only played in six games due to injury, and Pastner considers those six - which include the last four - a more accurate representation of his club.
Inside, upperclassmen James Banks and Moses Wright are back, with wings Khalid Moore and Jordan Usher (a USC transfer) rounding out what is effectively a seven-man rotation. Pastner recently singled out Banks, his only senior in that rotation, for what he considered sub-standard play in recent weeks. The 6-10 forward is one of the better rebounders and shot blockers in the ACC when he's at his best (20 points, 13 rebounds, five blocks in the season opener at NC State), but he managed just eight points, six rebounds and one block in 32 minutes in a New Year's Eve loss at Florida State.
The overtime victory in Raleigh to open the season is Tech's only win over a top-100 NET opponent, and five of its seven losses have come in Quadrant 1 games. An official strength of schedule of No. 18 combined with the Q1 and Q2 chances available in the ACC mean that Tech still has time to build an NCAA résumé. But with seven losses already on the ledger, the second-half push needs to start quickly, and Saturday is an important opportunity for Pastner's men to get back to .500 in the ACC.
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