Three Things Georgia Tech Needs To Do To Pull Off The Upset Against Miami On Saturday

Georgia Tech will be back in action on Saturday, looking to add its second ACC win to its resume when it travels on the road to face the Miami Hurricanes. The Hurricanes come in at 13-2 on the season. It is a great chance for the Yellow Jackets to add a Quad 1 win to their resume with the Hurricanes being ranked as the No.33 team in the net rankings. It won’t be easy, but if they can do these three things, they have a good chance of coming out on top.

1. Have to Stop Malik Reneau

latest — Jan 7, 2026; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Miami (FL) Hurricanes forward Malik Reneau (5) goes to the basket against Wake Forest Demon Deacons forward Cooper Schwieger (13) during the second half at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Malik Reneau has been dynamite this year for the Hurricanes, averaging 20.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on 58.5% shooting from the field. He is the leading scorer for the Hurricanes this season. The likely matchup for Reneau will be Baye Ndongo. Last time out against Syracuse, forward Donnie Freeman went off for a game-high 27 points. Georgia Tech has to find a way to neutralize Reneau on Saturday. A good sign for the Yellow Jackets is that Mouhamed Sylla is supposed to be back on Saturday, which could help to have an extra body to defend. Will he play limited minutes, or will a big part of the rotation be something to monitor? If Georgia Tech can limit Reneau to under 10 points, then they have a chance to pull off the upset. Again, easier said than done, but the Yellow Jackets have shown the ability to defend and play at a high level when they are locked in.

2. Have to shoot the ball better at the free-throw line

When the offense is struggling, Georgia Tech has shown an ability to get to the cup and draw fouls, which is something they haven’t done consistently in the Damon Stoudamire era. It’s a double-edged sword for the Yellow Jackets because they do it at a high rate, but aren’t knocking down nearly enough free throws. Georgia Tech is shooting 69% from the free throw line, which ranks No.276 in the nation. That is simply not going to get it done, especially in ACC play with so many elite teams. The big men and the guards have to shoot it better for them to have a chance. Akai Fleming is one of the best on the team at getting to the cup and getting buckets. He will be one to watch in this game.

3. Use their defense to fuel their offense

Coach Stoudamire said it best last time out against Syracuse that he saw his players let the offense affect their defense.

“The biggest takeaway for me in this game, was just, it's the first time all season. The offense affected our defense because you know, you can see it in the guys. We just played a game on Saturday, but we didn't shoot the ball that well. We guarded and then the game came back to us, But tonight, you can just see it in guys' faces. I don't think that in those moments, it's a lack of not trying to do the right thing, but I just think that winning is hard, number one. And so I always say this and people think I'm crazy, but again, I think about stuff different. When you win games or the more success you have, the harder it is to not feel yourself, right? And so even on those bad nights, now to your point, if you don't have it, if you don't have it offensively, hey man, just let me be a connector tonight. If he got it going over here, let me make sure he's doing so. Let me do the right thing until the game come back to me. I think that's just being a little more savvy and understanding the assignment each and every game. Hopefully, we get better at that,” said Stoudamire.

Georgia Tech can’t let that happen against Miami, or it could be a long game. They must defend at a high level and allow it to fuel their offense. Against Boston College, we saw the Yellow Jackets have 23 fastbreak points in the win. In their near comeback against Syracuse, Georgia Tech had 15 fastbreak points in the second half. One of the better things they do is get transition buckets. It allows the team to get into a rhythm offensively, which in turn helps their half-court offense. If they can get blocks, steals, and fast-break points, they are more than capable of pulling off the upset.

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