Virginia Meets Georgia Tech in ACC Tournament
The Virginia Cavaliers and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets square off Wednesday in the ACC Tournament. It’ll be the first game of the day in Charlotte, scheduled for noon and televised on ESPN.
The Cavaliers are the 9-seed of the tournament, finishing at 8-12 in conference play. While Georgia Tech comes in as the 8-seed with a 10-10 ACC record.
About Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech is led by second-year head coach Damon Stoudamire. The former Arizona star played 13 seasons in the NBA. He had a previous head coaching stint at Pacific, followed by a few years as an assistant with the Boston Celtics before taking on the Georgia Tech job. His overall record as a college head coach is 101-110.
Stoudamire’s team enters with a 16-15 overall record, finishing at 10-10 in conference play. He seems to have the program trending up, just the third time in the last 18 years they’ve finished with a .500 or above ACC mark. They accomplished that despite dealing with a rash of injuries. The NCAA’s NET rankings slot them at 116, eleven spots behind Virginia. Adjusted efficiency metrics show them to be pretty good defensively, just average on the offensive end.
Georgia Tech’s Personnel
As mentioned, Georgia Tech has dealt with a rash of injuries this season. They’ll stick with a seven or eight man rotation for the most part, depending on who’s available. Stoudamire went with the following starters last time out.
G - Naithan George (6’3” Sophomore, 12.4 points and 6.5 assists per game)
G - Lance Terry (6’3” Senior, 15.0 points per game, 36% from 3)
F - Duncan Powell (6’8” Senior, Sacramento State transfer, 11.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game)
F - Baye Ndongo (6’9” Sophomore, 13.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game)
F - Ibrahim Souare (6’9” Freshman, 2.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game)
Back from injury, freshman guard Jaeden Mustaf (8.4 PPG) has become a key part of the rotation. Senior guard Javian McCollum (12.2 PPG) has been out of action for the last month after suffering a concussion. His status is still considered game-to-game.
Rematch
Virginia won the only regular season meeting between these teams, 75-61 in Charlottesville. It was part of a good stretch for the Wahoos from late January through early February when they won four out of five. Isaac McKneely (20 points) and Dai Dai Ames (18 points) led the way, as Virginia had one of their best offensive performances of the year.
The Yellow Jackets were missing several key pieces, however. That was the first game Javian McCollum missed after suffering a concussion. As mentioned, his status is still game-to-game. Jaeden Mustaf was also out with an injury. And leading scorer Lance Terry was clearly hampered by a hand injury in that game, held scoreless.
So it will be a different challenge for Virginia this time, against a more intact Yellow Jackets squad.
Up Next
Both teams are playing to keep their season alive. The winner advances to Thursday’s ACC Tournament quarterfinal round to face #1 seed Duke at noon.
Be sure to tune in for the pregame show, starting 30 minutes before tipoff. Available on the Locker Room Access Facebook page and YouTube channel.
(Featured Image Credit: Josie Drumheller/UVA Athletics)