Behind Enemy Lines: Talking Georgia Tech Basketball with Jackets Maven
To prepare for tomorrow's game against Georgia Tech, we spoke with Matt McGavic of SI's Jacket Maven. Make sure to check out his site for all things GT, and follow Matt and his site on Twitter.
AJ Black: It certainly has been an up and down year for the Yellow Jackets with wins over NC State and UNC, but they still sit under .500. How has the year gone, and what is the perception around this team?
Matt McGavic: Of course when you have a sub .500 record, more often than not there will be a negative perception that comes with it. In this case, I'm not sure that is entirely fair. For most of the beginning of the season, Georgia Tech was missing two of their now current starters. Point guard Jose Alvarado missed 7 games due to an ankle injury and forward Jordan Usher could not make his debut until Ball State due to NCAA transfer rules. They've only recently had their full complement of players, so they don't have as much chemistry as every other team they have played against. They might be just 3-3 since having a full roster available at their disposal, but that does include the dominating win in Chapel Hill and coming close to upsetting Duke.
Black: Josh Pastner is in his 4th season with Georgia Tech, and only has one winning record. Is he on the coaches hot seat yet?
McGavic: The heat of the hot seat has been at varying degrees as the season unfolds, but there's no doubt that he remains on it. It was especially high after their loss to Ball State where they had absolutely no rhythm on offense and Ball State looked like the mid-2000's San Antonio Spurs. However barring an all-out players' revolt (which I don't foresee happening), there's no chance of GT canning Pastner. At least not in the middle of the season. Even by season's end, it would be hard to envision them making a move as the athletics department currently does not have a ton of flexible funds to get rid of him. Unless, the Yellow Jackets completely bomb from here on out.
Black: GT has a dynamic duo in scorers win Michael Devoe and Jose Alvarado. What makes this tandem so dangerous on offense?
McGavic: Pastner has said multiple times that Jose Alvarado has been the best player on the floor for them, and it's not hard to see why. Not only is he skilled individually as a point guard, he is the very definition of a floor general. He helps guys get into position whether he is directly involved in the play or not. As for Devoe, he has cooled a bit in recent weeks but he is still an elite ACC guard. He led the ACC in three point shooting to begin the year, and in the offseason he worked to become more physical and not rely so much on outside shots. As a result, he is much better at finishing through contact and making contested layups.
Black: What is an area of weakness for the Yellow Jackets this year?
McGavic: There are various deficiencies on this team, but undoubtedly the biggest is turnovers. Between sloppy fast break transition play, not being as careful with the ball as they should, and quite frankly just some bone-headed passes, the commit an ACC-worst 17.1 turnovers a game. Whenever they have kept the turnovers low, they are a completely different team on offense (for example, they had 2 vs. UNC). But that has been few and far between, and turning the ball over due to any number of factors has remained a constant problem
Black: Who is an X factor for this Georgia Tech team?
McGavic: Junior forward Moses Wright. When the season started, he struggled with putting together consistent games. He would be lethargic and inconsistent in first halves of games, only to be a completely different player once the teams returned to the floor after halftime. Once he became more involved and energy out of the gates, his presence in the post and occasionally on the perimeter has been felt. Not only that, but his increased play has helped senior center James Banks III emerge from a slump he was experiencing. If you watch the tape against Duke, for most of the game Wright and Banks were by far the most physical players on the court.
Black: Georgia Tech will win if__________
McGavic: They keep turnovers to a minimum. There have been a number of factors that play into why they have lost the games they have lost, but the common denominator has been turning the ball over at an alarming rate. If they take care of the ball, everything else should fall into play for them.
Black: Boston College will win if ______________
McGavic: They take an early command of the game. By all accounts, Tech outplayed Duke. But they spent so much time and effort playing from behind to get back in the game, that when the game was finally competitive in the closing minutes, there was nothing left in the tank. The same can be said for their game against Houston in Hawai'i. Depth isn't a *huge* issue for Georgia Tech, but if BC establishes themselves as the dominant team in the first half, it'll be tough to over come it int he second half.
