Three Keys To Georgia Tech Upsetting Stanford On The Road

What can the Yellow Jackets do to pull off the upset?

Jan 6, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Chas Kelley III (7) shoots against the Syracuse Orange in the second half at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech is back in action again tomorrow night and will face Stanford, which is currently a bubble team for the NCAA tournament. The Cardinals need a win badly and to end a five-game skid. The Yellow Jackets are in a similar boat after enduring a four-game losing streak and looking to add wins quickly to avoid being a bottom-tier ACC team and missing out on the ACC tourney. Let’s take a look at three keys to upsetting Stanford on the road. 

1. Better Starts 

Jan 17, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Kam Craft (12) shoots a three pointer during the first half of the game against the NC State Wolfpack at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

It is almost like beating the dead horse when we bring up this point, but the Yellow Jackets must get off to a better start to have better chances in ACC play. It took a 20-2 run in the second half just for the Yellow Jackets to get back in the game against California. Yes, there were some good signs, but often it is too sporadic and takes too long for Georgia Tech to get started in games. Against California, they fell behind 10-2 in the opening minutes of the game. They trailed at halftime 43-29 and allowed the Golden Bears to shoot 57.1% from beyond the arc. They have to be better both offensively and defensively to get better starts. It begins with getting turnovers and pushing out in transition to set up a rhythm. The Ramblin Wreck was ice cold from the field, especially beyond the arc, shooting a measly 2-17 in the first half. If they can shore those things up, they should be able to emerge in a big way on the road. 

2. The Bench Stepping Up Big Again 

Jan 17, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Akai Fleming (0) dribbles with the ball during the first half of the game against the NC State Wolfpack at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

The Yellow Jackets got 38 points from the bench in the game, and it was massive for Georgia Tech in nearly pulling off a road upset. Leading the bench was Akai Fleming with 19 points on 8-17 shooting. It was his 11th game in double-figures. Joining him was Chas Kelley III with 15 points on 6-10 shooting. Both were vital in the Yellow Jackets staying in the game and making a push to get back in it. They both combined for five three pointers, which was half of what the team made on Wednesday night. Georgia Tech needs more of this moving forward from the bench, especially if the starters are struggling. If they have another performance like that on Saturday, they should emerge victorious. 

3. Must win the margins 

Feb 4, 2026; Berkeley, California, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Damon Stoudamire instructs his players during the second half against the California Golden Bears at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

There are a plethora of things you can look at here, whether it is the free throw line, rebounding, turnovers, three-point field goal, or even transition buckets as places they need to win the margins. They have been the Achilles heel for the Yellow Jackets this season, and far too often they can’t win these areas, which has contributed to them being under .500 and now 2-8 in the ACC. It is a tough spot for the Yellow Jackets to be 10 games in. Head coach Damon Stoudamire put it best when talking about what they need to fix after the game against California. 

We didn't win the margins to win the game, and they were different than today than what they usually were. You know, Cal gets him credit. They really shot the ball well from three. We didn't do a great job in the first half. I thought of closing out, especially on (John) Camden. You know, he only took five shots, but you know, he made some big threes in the runs that they had. So that hurt us. I thought (Chris) Bell hit a couple of big shots in the runs that they had, but you know, rarely would I say a guy scores 29 points, but you know, I felt like it didn't impact the game. I thought, you know, we did a good job. You know, I know it doesn't look like it, 9-13, but he had five turnovers. I thought we did some good things on them. We all know there are some points that, you know, impact the game totally, and then sometimes they don't. Not to take anything away from him because he's a really good player, but I just didn't think that 29 impacted why we lost the game.” 

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