On Wednesday, Virginia Tech (15-10, 5-9 ACC) ventures to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech (9-16, 2-13). The Hokies have won four of their last six games, including a 93-87 victory at Notre Dame on Saturday.
Prior to the trip to South Bend, the Hokies were 0-7 on the road this year. Grant Basile’s 33 points led the way past the Irish, even though defense was lacking.
It’s another matchup with one of the league’s cellar dwellers for Virginia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are currently tied with Notre Dame for 13th in the conference. VT faces Louisville, who is 1-13 in the ACC and sits in 15th, on Feb. 28.
Josh Pastner is in his seventh year with Georgia Tech and only advanced to the NCAA tournament once in his first six seasons. That was in 2021 when Moses Wright and Jose Alvarado helped GT win the ACC Tournament title (though it should be noted that UVa forfeited in the semifinal due to COVID).
That was the only GT team in Pastner’s tenure that ranked above 170 in adjusted offensive efficiency. He’s a defensive-minded guy, and almost all of his teams are good on that end of the floor; his 2017 and 2020 teams ranked sixth and 16th in adjusted efficiency, respectively.
Virginia Tech is 2-2 against Georgia Tech under Mike Young and won both meetings last season. The one in Atlanta (62-58) was much closer than the one in Blacksburg (81-66). VT leads the all-time series 22-8 and has won eight of the last 10 games.
On paper, this is another game the Hokies should win. GT is close to the opposite of Notre Dame, though. While the Irish are really good on the offensive end (70th in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom), the Yellow Jackets are not (255th). Defensively, though, Georgia Tech is solid (140th); ironically, that’s where ND struggles (306th).
The Yellow Jackets are 1-10 in their last 11 games; the one win was a buzzer-beater vs. Notre Dame. Their other ACC win is impressive, however: Miami. Georgia Tech gave the Hurricanes fits on Jan. 4 in Atlanta and won by six, 76-70.
In both games, Lance Terry (6-2, 200, Sr.) played a huge role for GT. One of four transfers in the rotation, the Gardner-Webb product is crafty, often drives into the lane and can create his own shot. He’s also solid off the ball and is the team’s best 3-point shooter at 36%. Terry was the game’s leading scorer in both of Georgia Tech’s wins, dropping 24 vs. Miami and 19 vs. Notre Dame.
Pastner’s nine-man rotation features four seniors, two juniors and three sophomores. Here’s the breakdown according to points per game:
Miles Kelly (6-6, 175, So.): 12.7 points per game
Dallan Coleman (6-6, 218, So.): 9.3
Lance Terry (6-2, 200, Sr.): 8.8
Ja’von Franklin (6-7, Sr.): 8.3
Jalon Moore (6-7, 209, So.): 8.0
Deivon Smith (6-1, 176, Jr.): 8.0
Kyle Sturdivant (6-3, 196, Sr.): 7.2
Rodney Howard 6-11, 256, Sr.): 4.7
Tristian Maxwell (6-3, 205, Jr.): 3.3
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“Number four [Ja’von Franklin] has been a great addition for Josh [Pastner],” VT head coach Mike Young said on Monday. “The Gardner-Webb transfer, who missed some time because of injury, Lance Terry, is a good basketball player. Myles Kelly is a much improved young man averaging 12-and-a-half in league play. We’ve always really liked Deivon Smith and his ability to get in to the 15, 14, 12-foot range. He’s a great athlete. I mean, he does some things athletically that really jump out at you, as does Franklin.”
While the sophomores are the scorers, Franklin, Smith and Moore lead the team in rebounding and each average better than 5.2 boards per game. Smith is the team’s assist leader (3.6 per game) while Franklin and Howard, the two big men, both shoot above 50%.
It’s an interesting matchup from a defensive standpoint for Virginia Tech. Kelly and Terry can create off the dribble while Coleman and Sturdivant are comfortable from mid-range and behind the arc. Georgia Tech doesn’t use a very big lineup either; Howard is the only player taller than 6-7. Franklin can cause problems, though. Against Notre Dame, he gave Nate Laszewski fits, hitting 6-of-10 field goals and scoring 16 points inside.
The Yellow Jackets rank 328th in effective field goal percentage offensively. Moreover, 54.3% of their points come from 2-point shots, which ranks 75th in D-I. They like to run at the rim, and they’re very athletic and quick. They’re very similar to a Miami or NC State team with a bunch of talent, though they aren’t as skilled as Nijel Pack or Terquavion Smith.
The Hokies have struggled on the defensive end as of late. Their opponents shot above 45% from the floor in five of the last six outings, including 55% by Notre Dame and 59% by Miami. But they’ve got an opportunity against the ACC’s worst offense to turn things around.
Defensively, Georgia Tech shows multiple looks. Pastner likes a 1-3-1 zone, but he also plays some man and mixes different zones.
“You know what you’re going to see from Coach Pastner’s team,” Young said. “He’s going to play man, he’s going to play a little 1-3-1, he’s going to play a little tandem zone that you’ve got to be ready to attack. We’ve been really good at that at times versus Josh’s teams; we’ve not been very good at times versus Josh’s team.”
Last year’s game in Atlanta was brutal for Virginia Tech, who struggled out of the gate. After trailing at halftime, the Hokies rallied, using a 13-2 run to regain control and run away with the game. Darius Maddox, whose status (away from team, family emergency) remains unchanged, had 10 straight points in that meeting.
One of the places GT is susceptible is in transition. Against the Irish, it allowed sharpshooter Dane Goodwin to get multiple open looks from deep in those windows, and he was 3-of-5. That’s a potential area where Hunter Cattoor, or even Basile, could operate.
Scoring points in the paint will be crucial, too. GT’s 3-point defense ranks 47th in the nation. In South Bend, the Hokies got 42 points from that area. They won’t be able to rely on threes all evening in Atlanta, so getting Basile, Justyn Mutts, Lynn Kidd and Mylyjael Poteat involved is important.
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This is going to be a tougher game than people think and not just because it is on the road. Georgia Tech has talent but they just have not been able to put it together consistently.
Agreed. Expecting it to go down to the wire.
My OPT is well under other TSL posters. Your article reinforced a lower scoring game.
Ergo, you are down with OPT?
Yeah you know T