What To Watch For Vs. Louisville

Georgia Tech came within moments away of upsetting Louisville in their last outing, and are now set to host the Cards at McCamish.

Despite having won 3 of their last 4, Georgia Tech could not capitalize on the momentum against the Panthers, and they won't have an easier time finding redemption in their next outing. Next up for the Jackets, they will be taking on the Louisville Cardinals (21-3, 12-1 ACC) in a rematch from a 68-64 loss back on January 22nd. Tip is scheduled for Wednesday, February 12th at 8:00pm EST, and can be viewed on the ACC Network.

Here are a couple of the more significant storylines to follow ahead of Tech's 36th all-time matchup with the Cardinals:

Still Streaking

Heading into their previous matchup with the Yellow Jackets, Louisville was already on noteworthy run as of late. They had just completed a 3 game road trip sweep, including defeating the then #3 Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and beating both Notre Dame & Pitt.

Things are not any different this time around for the Cardinals. While Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner has stated many times that his team is moments away from "turning a corner", it seems Louisville has already done so. Since last defeating Tech, Louisville has secured 5 more victories with an average margin of victory go 14.4 points during that 5 game stretch. It extends their current winning streak to 10, good for 7th best in the nation.

Shooting The Lights Out

A key part of Louisville's run since defeating Tech has been their three point shooting. The Cards were already a solid perimeter team prior to their last encounter with the Jackets, as they possessed the 12th best three point shooting percentage in the nation heading into that game.

However, Louisville has taken it to another level since then. In the 5 games afterwards, the Cards have gone an astounding 56-118 (47.5%) from the perimeter. Each game has also featured at least 1 Cardinal with at 4 outside shots or more, with preseason ACC Player of the Year Jordan Nwora doing it 3 times.

Georgia Tech has played solid defense on the perimeter all season (30.2% opposing 3PT%), but there are few games where it will be as important as it will be come Wednesday.

Blueprint For Success:

While Tech did ultimately lose the game against the Cardinals in Louisville, they have proven that they can hang with them. They outshot and out-rebounded the Cards, while barely getting edged in three point shooting and assists.

But to the surprise of no one, the main factor separating the teams were turnovers. Despite being a team that only forces 11.4 per game (330th in D1), Louisville was able to make Georgia Tech cough it up 17 times. If Tech can tune down this number even by a fraction, they have a real chance of success.

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