Three Early Truths About Georgia Tech Basketball Through Their First Three Games

Three early truths that have been unveiled about the Yellow Jackets

Photo Via Georgia Tech Athletic

Georgia Tech has played its first three games of the season and is off to its first 3-0 start since 2012-2013. Let’s take a look at three early truths we have learned about the Yellow Jackets. 

1. Georgia Tech could have an All-ACC/potential NBA prospect on their hands 

It is early, and you never want to exaggerate, but what Tylis Jordan has done in the first couple of games has been fantastic. He ignites this team on both ends of the floor. He has a true motor and someone who is absolutely relentless.  The No. 1 thing that makes him different is his versatility. He can guard 1-5, move laterally well, defend the rim, rebound, and also push in transition. He had one play on the defensive end: he created the steal, passed to a teammate, got it back, crossed up a defender, and finished through contact at the rim. There is not much he can’t go, and his 27-point performance was indicative of that.

A light has certainly switched, and Jordan is looking like the most complete player on the team. He will definitely be a player to watch in ACC play to see what he can do against some elite talent that could be in the NBA the following year. Head Coach Scott Cross is also high on him.

“We have our defensive grading chart that we do. And the first inter-squad scrimmages, he graded out very poorly, just being honest. He saw that it was really important to me and our staff. And all of a sudden, the light switch came on. Once he focuses on defending and rebounding, he is special, I think. You know, he could play at the very, very highest level. You know, he's 6-9, seven plus wingspan. He can defend one through five. He's great in transition. He's got a pretty shot. I mean, there's not much that he can't do. When he focuses on those two things, I think that's when you get the best version of him,” said Corss. 

2. They are bought in defensively 

It doesn’t matter what is going on in the game for the Yellow Jackets; the defensive side of the ball will never suffer and will always have something to say. You can see this at multiple junctures in the game. One was when the Yellow Jackets were down 19-9, and they went on a run to cut the 10-point deficit. Tyrells Jordan's effort on the defensive end and the team generating more steals fueled it. They also defended the perimeter at a high level, which proved to be the difference.

They also held one of the top offenses in college basketball, which was averaging 105 points per game, to just 71 points on 41.3% shooting from the field. They know how to protect the rim and make teams shoot difficult shots. It is still early, but having that ability will be critical in ACC play in late December. They also made some adjustments at halftime which proved to be the difference in the game.

“We had a size advantage, but they were able to drive us and spread us out. And, you know, it hurt, especially when we were going with our bigger lineups. You know, some of their smaller guys were able to drive it. So we just tried to shrink the floor, get in the gaps, make it a little bit tougher for them to drive it. We forced them to take a little bit tougher shots. They did hit some of them. I mean, they hit some really tough shots. And then they did make us pay the open shots that they got. They buried them. And so, you know, credit to them for hitting those shots. But I felt like our guys, like it mattered to them to get stops, which is what you want to see as a coach,” said Cross. 

It is rare we have seen halftime adjustments work for the Yellow Jackets the past few seasons, but we saw just that on Tuesday night. They were down, and then adjusted and was able to turn the game around. 

3. The Team can win in a multitude of ways 

We have seen early on that this team can have anybody get going and play at a high level. We have seen three different nights, a different leading scorer for the Yellow Jackets. So scoring can come from anybody. We have seen nights when they dominate the glass both offensively and defensively. Then you look at the Georgia Southern game, and the Yellow Jackets were outrebounded, but it didn’t matter. They outshot the opposing team, shooting better than 50% from the field, and went 9-18 from beyond the arc.

On Tuesday against Eastern Kentucky, Georgia Tech dominated the paint and was +10 in this area in the win over the Colonels. The unique thing is that Georgia Tech can be dominant anywhere on any given night and still find a way to win. Even if they aren’t shooting well or are struggling to get points, they can find something to hang their hat on. Another thing is their ability to get to the free-throw line. The Yellow Jackets have shot better than 70% from the charity stripe in all three of their wins this season. Their ability to get to the free-throw line and knock down shots has been impressive so far.