Georgia Tech Preview: The Sting of a New Year

Georgia Tech is 9-2 having only lost to California and Illinois this year. They have a solid win over St. Mary's to legitimize their record.

The Yellow Jackets have not been playing great competition. In fact, their strength of schedule according to Pomeroy ranks 332nd in the country. Ouch.

The problem? The Mocs don't particularly help their strength of schedule. But the Yellow Jackets will be tested in the ACC. They start conference play on Saturday at home against Miami. It's time for the Yellow Jackets to get everything in gear.

Georgia Tech has been a very mediocre offensive team this year. However, they do two things very well. They rebound the ball well and rank as the ninth best defensive team in the country according to Pomeroy. The are third in the country in eFG%, at stunning 39.8%.

So, needless to say, the Mocs offense will be challenged in this game. The Mocs have struggled offensively for much of the year. However, in the last three games, the offense has started to look more fluid. In the two Dr Pepper Classic games last week, Farad Cobb was inserted into the starting lineup at point guard, and he did not commit a turnover in the two games. It also enabled Rico White to play more off the ball, and the sophomore scored 32 points. Alex Bran came in off the bench and provided a little offensive spark. Plus, Z Mason continued to look dominating, winning the MVP Award. Gee McGhee made his free throws and continued to make an impact as a freshman. The Mocs were hardly a dominant offensive team, but they looked like there was flow on offense, something that was missing earlier in the year. They will be hard pressed to keep that up in this game against this stellar defense, led by Daniel Miller who has 27 blocks on the season. Miller also averages 5.3 rebounds per contest, and is good on the offensive glass.

The Yellow Jackets offense has been mediocre. Only one player averages in double figures. Marcus Georges-Hunt is a 6-5 freshman that averages 11.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He is 34% from three point range on the year and 44.8% from the floor. Georges-Hunt is the Yellow Jackets most consistent scorer. He scored between 9 and 18 in every game except for one this year, and that was the most recent contest against Fordham, when he was held to seven points.

Three Jackets average between nine and ten points per contest. Robert Carter Jr. is a 6-8 freshman, averaging 9.7 points per game, and leads the team with 6.4 rebounds per game. He also has come up with eight blocks, so he more than capable of blocking a shot or two.

Kammeon Holsey is averaging 9.5 points per game off the bench, shooting over 59% from the floor. The 6-8 junior also averages 5.3 rebounds per game. Mfon Udofia is averaging 9.3 points per game, and is shooting 52% from the floor and 42.4% from three point range. Brandon Reed is the other starter, and he averages 6.3 points per contest.

Georgia Tech likes to slow the game down and pound the ball inside.  The Mocs like to go a little faster. Will the Mocs be able to continue to show improvement in turning over the ball? Will the Mocs be able to rebound with the Yellow Jackets? Will the Mocs be able to find any offensive production against the stingy Yellow Jackets? Those are the questions that plague the Mocs in this one.

LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG

--The Mocs will struggle to contain Miller on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor.
--The offensive cohesiveness that the Mocs have been showing will not be as solid as they have been because of the Yellow Jackets defense.
--The Mocs will hang around as they did against both LSU and Kansas on the road. They will not be intimidated by the environment. If anything, they will respond to it.
--Udofia will make the shots to end any runs by the Mocs.
--Georgia Tech 68, Mocs 52. The Yellow Jackets are just too good on defense to expect the Mocs to do much on that end of the floor. The Mocs will make several runs at the Yellow Jackets and will have Moc fans believing in the second half that they have a real chance, but just won't be able to close deal, much like both Kansas and LSU earlier in the year.

GO MOCS!