The Hokies travel to Atlanta Tuesday evening for their third game in six days, this time against ACC foe Georgia Tech. Virginia Tech will be looking to grab another all-important conference road win, while the Yellow Jackets are trying to keep their head above water by defending their home court. Despite their 9-9 overall record, Georgia Tech is a tough team to beat at home, and the Hokies will need another exceptional performance on the road to keep pace with Duke and Florida State in the ACC standings.
| Starting Lineups | ||||||||||
| Virginia Tech | Georgia Tech | |||||||||
| Pos. | Player | Ht. | Cl. | PPG | RPG | Player | Ht. | Cl. | PPG | RPG |
| G | Green | 6’4” | So. | 10.6 | 2.2 | Miller, M | 6’2” | Sr. | 5.7 | 2.5 |
| G | Delaney | 6’3” | Sr. | 18.9 | 3.3 | Shumpert | 6’5” | Jr. | 16.4 | 5.5 |
| G/F | Bell | 6’7” | Sr. | 6.2 | 5.9 | Rice | 6’5” | So. | 13.4 | 5.1 |
| F | Allen | 6’7” | Sr. | 11.9 | 9.3 | Oliver | 6’6” | So. | 10.4 | 4.5 |
| F | Davila | 6’8” | Jr. | 7.4 | 5.0 | Miller, D | 6’11” | Fr. | 4.3 | 5.4 |
Game notes:
| Team | VT | GT |
|---|---|---|
| Conf. Record | 3-2 | 2-3 |
| PPG | 71.7 | 70.9 |
| Opp. PPG | 59.7 | 67.1 |
| Reb. Margin | +1.5 | +2.4 |
| Turn. Margin | +2.8 | +3.3 |
| FG% | 47.3% | 41.9% |
| Def. FG% | 39.4% | 43.2% |
| 3PT% | 33.6% | 30.5% |
- Georgia Tech is 7-2 at home, including a 20 point victory over UNC.
- Opponents are shooting nearly 40% from the 3-point line against the Yellow Jackets.
- The Hokies are 12-0 when scoring 62 points or more. Tech is averaging 77.6 points over the last 10 games.
- Georgia Tech is giving up an average of 64 points per game in their last 5 home contests.
This year’s Georgia Tech team is substantially different from last year’s squad that leaned heavily on NBA draftees Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors. The Yellow Jackets are led by junior guard Iman Shumpert, who leads the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. As the team’s top defender, Shumpert will likely be guarding Delaney the majority of the time. Fellow wing Glen Rice, Jr. is the team’s second biggest threat, and is shooting 48.6% on the season. Sophomore Brian Oliver is the team’s leading three-point shooter from the 4 position.
Greenberg is 3-1 versus Georgia Tech in Atlanta and 6-2 versus the Yellow Jackets overall. Last season the Hokies came into Atlanta badly needing a win and got a huge 32 point performance from Malcolm Delaney in an 88-82 victory. Manny Atkins filled in for an injured Dorenzo Hudson and performed admirably, grabbing 7 rebounds. The difference in the game was while the Jackets took 22 more shots, the Hokies converted more often, outshooting the home team 51%-38%.
The Hokies have won 9 out of their last 10 and are certainly on a roll. Statistically, the Hokies are playing some of their best ball ever under Seth Greenberg, but to stay on the good side of .500 in the ACC, Virginia Tech will have to keep up the defensive intensity, especially on the road. I don’t think the Hokies would win another game in the 80s like last season because I have a feeling Shumpert will hold Delaney in check more so than the last matchup. However, Virginia Tech has a significant advantage on the coaching front and I expect the Hokies to play smart and not give the Jackets anything easy. In their 2 ACC wins, Georgia Tech forced 36 turnovers; Virginia Tech has committed only 12.2 per game since Green entered the starting lineup. I’m looing for a big game from Jeff Allen, who will be working against a freshman or an undersized sophomore in the post.
Prediction: Hokies 74 Georgia Tech 69
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