Get up, #HokieNation! IT'S GAMEDAY!!
#BeatGT pic.twitter.com/2bc79W2CKb— VT Men's Basketball (@VT_MBBall) January 16, 2016
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#Hokies getting some early morning shooting in before today's noon tip at Georgia Tech. pic.twitter.com/iELSZ6S6Yy— VT Men's Basketball (@VT_MBBall) January 16, 2016
Hokies fans, we have exceeded our ACC win total from last season by beating Wake Forest to take us to 3-1 in the conference. This team played steady consistent basketball in long enough spurts to give themselves the opportunity to win. The best part was that it came from a variety of sources, some very unexpected. The Hokies will need to continue that trend since they face a Yellow Jacket team on the road in another nooner snoozer. Buzz will need to get these guys energized early or we face the same dilemma that we did with Duke, in that Georgia Tech can hit perimeter shots all day long if we let them. We cant afford another 12-0 run to start the game.
Georgia Tech doesn't have many bad losses this year outside of a last second buzzer beater that cost them the game against East Tennessee State. Their other losses have come againt either ranked opponents or other P5 schools. Their only quality win is one we share, in that they beat #13 UVA immediately after we beat the Wahoos. The Yellow Jackets will come out strong today as they desperately will want to avoid a 1-4 start in conference play.
Hokies fans will definitely recognize one of the Yellow Jackets primary contributors this season. Former Hokie Adam Smith (#2) has paced the Yellow Jackets as one of their leading scorers and has reportedly vastly improved his ability on the defensive end. I have not seen it in person yet but in all the game reports I have read it has been a pretty consistent thread throughout. He comes into this game averaging 14.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 1.6 APG. He is currently shooting over 46% from outside so Tech must protect the perimeter or watch him work against us this time with those long distance bombs. Another very surprising change is his ability to maintain control of the ball. So far this season he is only turning the ball over 0.7 times per game.
Georgia Tech is also led in scoring by Marcus Georges-Hunt (#3) 6'5, 214 Lbs Senior Guard, who is contributing 14.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 2.4 APG. The biggest difference between these two is how they get their points. While Smith relies on the outside shot, with 130 attempts so far this season, Georges-Hunt takes the ball to the rim. Shooting almost 50% from inside, he is also Tech's leader in free throw attempts by a wide margin, with 111 attempts so far this year. He knocks down just over 80% of those attempts. The Hokies will need to be aware of him and play stout straight up defense to keep him from getting easy buckets.
The Yellow Jackets third Senior in the starting lineup is Forward Charles Mitchell (#0), 6'8, 269 Lbs. Mitchell provides Georgia Tech with 12.6 PPG and 11.4 RPG. Quite obviously when you have a double double machine inside the lane, there needs to be more consideration on making sure you have proper position to rebound and work to prevent the easy interior pass to Mitchell. Leday and Blackshear will need to keep their hands straight up and when not in position, they need to resist the urge to reach in. Early ticky tack fouls have been a problem for these guys and until I consistently believe we can count on Henry and Pierce to provide solid minutes every time out I want Leday and Blackshear on the court as much as possible. Mitchell should be a familiar face for at least one Hokie since Seth Allen and he were teammates at Maryland together. They transferred out at the same time but Mitchell was able to get a waiver to play right away so this is his second season with the Jackets.
The Georgia Tech starting lineup has a fourth Senior in Forward Nick Jacobs (#32) 6'8, 260 Lbs. Jacobs, like Smith, transferred into Georgia Tech this season. He spent his first three years at Alabama before exercising the graduate transfer option. He gives the Jackets 10.1 PPG and 5.6 RPG.
The last starter is Junior Guard Josh Heath (#11) 6'2, 172 Lbs who is primarily a defensive specialist and offensive facilitator. He averages 3.5 PPG, 1.4 RPG, and 4.3 APG. After Heath there are a handful of Jackets that contribute about 15 minutes per game and average somewhere between 4 and 5 points.
.The Yellow Jackets are a team that is prone to foul trouble, allowing opponents 21 attempts per game right now. Taking that into account and with the Hokies prevalence to get to the line, this could easily shoot up to 30 attempts.
The three things I consider most critical for Tech in this game are:
1) Tech's ability to defend the perimeter, especially against Smith. If we let them get hot from outside it makes us vulnerable defending the lane, which is where our bigs take silly fouls.
2) Energy from the start. Tech has to be in this game mentally right from the start. It's a road game, I am not sure what the student environment will be like, but they have to find a way to keep this game even or build a lead early.
3) Rebounding – considering the big bodies the Jackets can put inside the battle for the boards may decide this game. Tech needs to keep this to an even margin to win this game
It's an away game in a bad time slot but its still ACC college basketball. They have shown a pretty stout resolve in all games not Duke so far in the ACC play. They have the talent to beat this team but it will take a total team effort considering the experience they are going up against on the floor. Buzz needs to start TYRONE and make sure he is awake and we aren't seeing Jalen. Our bigs need to be just that in this one, likely needing to score at least half of our points. Allen and others need to find their way to the rim or the line and if we can get even half as improved performance at the free throw line as we got last game, we should come out of Atlanta with a win. Someone will need to deliver a clutch back breaking shot around the 2 minute mark. Tech wins this one 78-71, without the need for making every free throw at the end.
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