Key Takeaways From Georgia Tech 89-66 Loss To Pittsburgh At Home

Georgia Tech has lost its third consecutive game and fell to 1-4 in ACC play. It was a tough game for the Yellow Jackets, who couldn’t get stops or enough going offensively in the game to make it a game. Let’s take a look at some key takeaways from the game on Wednesday night.

1. Georgia Tech digs itself another first-half hole

After making their first basket, the Yellow Jackets trailed 10-2 early in the game. After that, Pittsburgh had full control of the game. They were down at one point, 37-15 in the first half of the game after a hot shooting effort from the Panthers, who opened the game 4-6 from three-point range. Pittsburgh went on to shoot 17-32 from the field and 6-10 from beyond the arc in the first half and cruised to a 45-26 lead at the break. They had two players in double figures, Barry Dunning Jr and Nojus Indrusaitis. For the Yellow Jackets, it was a lot of bad offense that included turnovers, bad shots, and no rhythm offensively for the team. They started the game about as badly as you could.

2. The Yellow Jackets had no answers defensively

Head coach Damon Stoudamire even went to a different lineup and brought in a true freshman, Davi Remage,n to switch things up. Remagen did provide some good minutes and effort defensively, but it wasn’t enough on Wednesday night as Pittsburgh got everything they wanted. Pittsburgh had 10 second-chance points off eight offensive rebounds. More importantly, their bench came to play with 39 points and provided the Panthers a spark. The paint defense for Georgia Tech also struggled as the Panthers scored 38 points in the paint and got to the rim with ease throughout the night. The Yellow Jackets nearly gave up 100 points on the night, and their defense got exploited.

3. The Yellow Jackets have no interior enforcer

Coming into the season, a lot of the praise was heaped on the frontcourt and how good it would be in 2025. However, injuries have played a factor in Mouhamed Sylla missing some time with an ankle injury. Baye Ndongo has been inconsistent since the injury he suffered that sidelined him. Peyton Marshall has been getting steady minutes but is still figuring it out. Cole Kirouac is a young freshman who is still getting his feet wet in ACC ball. Most teams you look around in the ACC that are at the top have an enforcer or a presence on the interior that can send back shots and make it tough. Georgia Tech has struggled with that lately and hasn’t been able to stop teams in the paint in its last few outings.

4. Kam Craft carries the load offensively

Perhaps one of the only positives was that the Yellow Jackets finally got Kam Craft going from the outside. He had it going in the second half of the game as he scored nine points and was 3-4 from beyond the arc. He finished with 14 points on 5-8 shooting and went 4-6 from beyond the arc. Coming into the portal last year, Craft was one of the best shooters available and shot the best percentage in the NCAA in 2024. His minutes have been sparse, but he is beginning to see more time on the floor in the last few outings and is providing a spark offensively when he does.

5. The Yellow Jackets are too inconsistent as a team

One night, they are playing elite basketball against the class of the conference in the Duke Blue Devils and giving them all they can handle. The other day, they gave Miami a tough fight on the road in Coral Gables, but couldn’t pull out the victory. Then you have a night like this where the team looks flat and is not playing at a high level on either end of the floor. The inconsistency on a night-in and night-out basis plagues this team and has made it struggle. Georgia Tech hasn’t had a consistent game on both ends of the floor all season, and now sits at 10-8 and 1-4 in ACC play. It is getting late fast for the Yellow Jackets, who need to find some answers and quickly to get back competitive.

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