Georgia Tech vs Florida State Tactical Breakdown: 3 Ways The Yellow Jackets Can Beat The Seminoles

If you look at the ACC Preseason Poll and the actual results, Georgia Tech has overachieved in Karen Blair's first season as the head coach. The Yellow Jackets were picked to finish 15th in the conference in the preseason, and they finished 11th. Given all of the roster turnover and how late Blair was hired, this has to be looked at as a success, especially so if they can beat Florida State in the first round of the ACC Tournament.

The ACC Women's Basketball Tournament starts tomorrow and Georgia Tech enters the conference tournament as the No. 11 seed and Florida State is the No. 15 seed. The winner of this game will get to face Virginia Tech in the second round on Thursday. If they win that game, they will face No. 3 North Carolina on Friday.

In their only matchup this season, Georgia Tech defeated Florida State 80-69.

How can they beat Florida State?

1. Stay hot shooting

While Miami is not an ACC juggernaut by any means, if Georgia Tech can shoot the ball the way they did on Sunday against the Hurricanes, I like their chances to beat the Seminoles.

The Yellow Jackets (13-17, 8-10 ACC) shot 46.7% from the floor and doubled the Hurricanes (16-13, 8-10 ACC) in made threes (8 to 4) Sunday. Tech led 26-12 after one, 45-24 at the half and outscored the Canes 25-9 in the third to roll to its 10th home victory in year one under head coach Karen Blair.

Talayah Walker led the Jackets with 33 points on 12-for-17 shooting, including a career-high five made threes. She became just one of three in the ACC this season to have at least three games scoring 30 points or more – and set a new Georgia Tech single-season record for 30-point games (3). She also finished with six rebounds and three steals.

2. Brianna Turnage has another strong all-around game against her former team

Brianna Turnage has made an immediate impact after transferring from Florida State in the offseason. She leads Tech in rebounds (328), blocks (45), and steals (45) this season. She is the only player in the country to have that stat line or better in all three categories. On top of that, her RPG average of 10.9 is second in the ACC and 13th in the country while leading the nation in the category amongst
guards. For defensive boards per game (8.7), she is first in the conference and eighth nationally.

Her 20-point, 21-rebound game at Pitt was the first in the ACC since Nov. 15, 2018.

3. Win the rebounding battle

Rebounding has been a consistent bright spot for the Yellow Jackets this season. Tech averages the 28th-most rebounds per game in the country (41.10) and fifth-most in the ACC. Georgia Tech has 14 games of at least 40 rebounds this season, tied for 10th-most in the nation and third-most in the ACC.

Defensive rebounding specifically has helped Tech maintain a high rebounding average. The Jackets average the eighth-most defensive boards in the country (30.3) and second-most in the conference. Tech has 13 games this season with at least 30 defensive rebounds, tied for fourth-most in the country and tied for the ACC lead with NC State.