Georgia Tech Basketball vs Pitt: Preview and Score Prediction
Don't look now, but Georgia Tech has put together a winning streak for the first time since December.
Sure it is just a two-game winning streak and one of the wins was against Division II Florida Tech, but the Yellow Jackets have been playing solid basketball in the last five games.
Pitt has been near the top of the ACC Standings all season but dipped to third place after losing to Virginia Tech on Saturday. Georgia Tech just recently beat the Hokies, so that should be a confidence boost ahead of the matchup with the Panthers.
Prior to the loss to Virginia Tech, the Panthers had won eight of nine games to ascend to a share of first place in the ACC, one of those wins by a 71-60 score against the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta on Jan. 14. Pitt begins the week in third place in the conference, one game behind first-place Virginia.
Georgia Tech has utilized the same starting lineup (Lance Terry, Kyle Sturdivant, Deebo Coleman, Miles Kelly, Ja’von Franklin) for its last five games, only the second time this season that head coach Josh Pastner has sent out the same starting five for the opening tip for as many as five straight games. The other occurrence happened for the five-game stretch from North Alabama (Nov. 26) and North Carolina (Dec. 10), in which the starting five were Coleman, Kelly, Franklin, Deivon Smith, and Jalon Moore (Per Georgia Tech PR).
It is not a coincidence that Georgia Tech has stuck with this lineup given how this team has been playing well in the last five games. Tech played NC State close, defeated Notre Dame, lost by one at Wake Forest, and beat Virginia Tech and Florida Tech.
Georgia Tech Basketball is on its first winning streak since December
The two players that have been playing the best for Georgia Tech during this recent five-game stretch are Terry and Franklin. They have averaged 14.0 and 13.8 points, respectively, over the last five games.
Franklin has averaged a double-double over the Yellow Jackets’ last five games (13.8 points and 11.2 rebounds). He has hit 57.7 percent of his shots from the floor (30-of-52) in that span, and also has totaled a team-high 17 assists, 13 blocked shots, and eight steals. He has posted double-doubles in each of Tech’s last three games (14 pts/15 rebs at Wake Forest, 10 pts/10 rebs vs. Virginia Tech, 13/14 vs. Florida Tech), and has six for the season, three in conference games (Per Georgia Tech PR).
Pittsburgh won the first scheduled meeting between the two teams in 2022-23, a 71-60 decision in Atlanta that snapped a three-game Georgia Tech winning streak in the series. Tech still leads the series 12-6, including a 7-6 mark since Pitt became an ACC member (Per Georgia Tech PR).
Georgia Tech has not been a strong rebounding team for much of this season, but they have found a way to win the rebounding battle lately. Tech has outrebounded each of its last five opponents, doing so by an average of 3.4 per game. Rebounding better and more efficient output on offense has been the catalyst for this team lately. The Yellow Jackets have been above 100 points per 100 possessions in each of its last four games (Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Florida Tech), three of which the Jackets won and the other they lost by one point (Per Georgia Tech PR).
Pitt is 6th in the ACC in field goal percentage and 4th in field goal percentage allowed. The Panthers are ranked 5th in the ACC in offensive rebounding and 3rd in defensive rebounding and that could be a big problem for Georgia Tech.
Jamarius Burton is the 11th leading scorer in the ACC and the top scorer for the Panthers at 15.7 PPG. Blake Hinson is the top rebounder for Pitt at 6.2 rebounds per game.
Pitt is 58th in the latest KenPom rankings, while Georgia Tech is 201st.
How To Watch Georgia Tech vs Florida Tech
Who: Georgia Tech at Pitt
When: 7:00 p.m., Tuesday
Where: Petersen Events Center
TV: ACC Network
Live Stream: FuboTV (Start your free trial)
Radio: Georgia Tech Sports Network by Legends Sports (In Atlanta: 680 AM/93.7 FM | SiriusXM ch. 383, SXM app 973 | Listen Online | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets App | TuneIn
Play-by-Play: Andy Demetra | Analyst: Randy Waters
Score Prediction
Can Georgia Tech upset Pitt on the road Tuesday night?
The Yellow Jackets have been playing well recently since a disastrous stretch of basketball and they are confident heading into this game. Pitt just lost to a team that Georgia Tech has recently beaten, but those kinds of things rarely matter in college basketball.
The Panther's ability to rebound could prove to be the most pivotal aspect of this game and I think that is where Georgia Tech could be hurt the most. I think the game is closer than most anticipate, but Pitt finds a way to win on their home floor.
Final score: Pitt 78, Georgia Tech 71
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