Three Things To Watch For On Friday Night As Georgia Tech Hosts Bryant

Georgia Tech is back in action today as they hosts Bryant, a really good basketball team from a year ago. The Yellow Jackets finished with a close victory over MD Eastern, coming up with a 56-52 victory on Monday night. The game didn’t go how they wanted, but they get another chance to improve and advance to be 2-0 on the season. Here are a couple of key things to watch for on Friday night.

1. Can Georgia Tech Improve Their Free Throw Shooting?

Latest — Feb 12, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Damon Stoudamire on the sideline against the Stanford Cardinal in the first half at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech is not going to win many games shooting 9-18 from the free-throw line. This is an area they must improve to be competitive this season. The last few years, the free-throw line has been tough sledding. The Yellow Jackets shot just 68.6% from the charity stripe in 2024. Their best free-throw shooter last year was Javian McCollum, who shot 87% from the free-throw line. Nobody else hit 80% all year. The best free-throw shooter early in the season right now is Peyton Marshall, who hit clutch free throws to send the game to overtime against MD Eastern. He shot 5-6 from the charity stripe and showed how good he can be in that area, one he has improved drastically compared to a season ago. Don’t just take my word for it. Head Coach Stoudamire talked him up postgame.

“Peyton really played well. I was happy for him. He did a lot of good things. He fought through fatigue, you know, he fought through the he's a big old boy now, you know, so he fought through fatigue and did a lot of good things, and you know, he got a nice touch at the free throw line. I was actually surprised he missed that free throw. He makes all his free throws. That wasn't that nothing about that was a fluke. He makes his free throws. He's always done that.”

They will need Marshall to continue to do what he is doing, and for the other players to perform better in this area.

2. Will Baye Ndongo Return?

Georgia Tech is supposed to get back its star big man on Friday. Head coach Damon Stoudamire talked about it on Monday night that Ndongo should be good to go.

“We look to get him back on Friday. So, you know, it's one of those things as a coach, you know, you cringe when you don't have a guy like that out there on the floor. Because with Baye and Wacie, they give me a comfort zone. But the depth was really good,” said Stoudamire

However Jon Rothestein reported he is a game-time decision.

Georgia Tech's Baye Ndongo (undisclosed) is a game-time decision for tonight's game against Bryant, per Damon Stoudamire.

DNP in the opener.

Averaged 13.4 PPG and 8.9 RPG last season.

Lamar Washington (undisclosed) is OUT for the second straight game.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) November 7, 2025

It will be interesting to see if he plays.

Ndongo is a double-double machine, and coming into the year, he was a preseason All-ACC selection. Last season, Ndongo averaged 13.4 points and 8.9 rebounds on 53.6% shooting from the field. We know he can dominate a game, and most importantly, this year, he will be playing his more natural position at the four spot. An early thing to watch is the pairing of Ndongo and Mouhamed Sylla. Both are excellent players, but how well will they work together this season? With both of them in the lineup, along with Peyton Marshall and Cole Kirouac, the Yellow Jackets have a chance to have one of the best front courts.

3. Can the guards get going?

We saw Chas Kelley III be the primary ball handler on Monday night against MD Eastern. He struggled for a good portion of the game and couldn’t get it going from the field. Kelley was 0-4 from the field with two turnovers. They will indeed get more out of him moving forward. Jaeden Mustaf played better as he game wore on and started to find his rhythm. He finished with nine points on 3-7 shooting but was just 2-5 from the charity stripe. Eric Chatfield showed some promise in the 12 minutes he played for the Yellow Jackets despite only scoring three points. His on-ball defense was impressive on Monday night. The name to watch is former four-star prospect Akai Fleming. Fleming didn’t have his best performance on Friday night and shot 1-7 from the field and only scored two points. I expect him to be better and get his jumper going as the season goes on. They are going to need his scoring prowess. It feels like the bigs will be a big part of the success for the Yellow Jackets this season, but if their guards can match and play at a high level, then the sky is the limit for this season. Monday is another opportunity for them to show how much better the position has become.

More Georgia Tech Basketball News:

•Why Mouhamed Sylla Could Be A Game Changer For The Yellow Jackets

•Everything From Mouhamed Sylla and Kowacie Reeves After Win Over MD Eastern Shore

•Everything From Head Coach Damon Stoudamire After A 56-52 Win Over MD Eastern

•Biggest Takeaways From Georgia Tech's 56-52 Win Over MD Eastern Shore

•Georgia Tech vs MD Eastern Live Updates | NCAA Basketball