What To Watch For Vs. Notre Dame
After playing 6 of their last 7 games away from McCamish Pavilion, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-8, 3-3 ACC) are back home for the week starting this Wednesday. Continuing ACC conference play, next up the Yellow Jackets will face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-6, 1-4 ACC). Tip is set for 8:30pm EST and can be viewed on the ACC Network.
Here are a couple of the more significant storylines to follow ahead of Tech's 23rd all-time matchup with the Fighting Irish:
"They're Well Coached"
Whether it is true or not, Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner has almost always called every team he faces "well coached" during pregame and postgame interviews. While the Notre Dame Fighting Irish might not be the most talented team that Tech will have faced all season, the job that ND head coach Mike Brey has done so far this season more than merits the praise of being well coached.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish lead the nation in:
- Assist/Turnover Ratio (1.83)
- Fewest Fouls Per Game (11.7)
They are also top 10 in the nation in:
- Assists Per Game (18.2)
- Fewest Turnovers Per Game (9.9)
According to KenPom.com, on offense they are #2 in the nation in both Turnover % and non-steal turnover %. Being a team that both takes care of the ball and does not commit ill-timed fouls, they are not someone who will beat themselves. Georgia Tech will have to do the same if they expect to comet with a win against the Irish.
It's Raining Threes
The Yellow Jackets have faced their fair share of teams that like to shoot the three ball this season. While there are better teams in Division I and in the ACC as it pertains to actually connecting on said shots, there are few teams in the land that jack up as many three point shots as Notre Dame.
They rank in the top 25 nationally in both made and attempted three pointers, with 45.3% of their total shots from the field coming from beyond the arc (26th in nation, 3rd in ACC).
Three Notre Dame players are shooting over 35% on threes, with 2 of them shooting over 40%. Regular starters senior forward John Mooney & sophomore guard Prentiss Hubb are 33.3% and 40.2% on their three point attempts respectively, with sophomore guard Dane Goodwin coming off the bench to shoot 40.8%.
Even aside from these three players, the Fighting Irish are still shooting at a 32.0% clip on three point attempts, so everyone on Notre Dame's squad should be viewed as a threat from deep.
Another Physical Challenge
Georgia Tech's play down low in the paint has been much improved as of late, as they at times looked like the more physically imposing team against Duke and absolutely man-handled Boston College. The Fighting Irish might favor the long ball, but it will still be another battle down low for the Jackets.
Senior forward John Mooney might be a threat from downtown, but he's also not afraid to get down in the paint and battle it out. In fact, he leads the nation rebounds per game (13.9), defensive rebounds per game (10.47), is second in double doubles (13), and leads the conference in offensive rebounds per game (3.47).
Not to be outdone, senior center Juwan Durham is also a force to be reckoned with. While not the prolific scorer that Mooney is, he more ethane makes up for it on the defensive end of the floor. His 2.69 blocks per game is 3rd in the ACC and 22nd in the nation, and his block percentage of 14.3% ranks 12th in the nation and 2nd in the ACC.
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