Season Opener Storylines: What To Watch For Vs. NC State

The 2019-20 college basketball season is finally here, and it's time for another season of Georgia Tech Basketball! The Yellow Jackets will tipoff their 105th basketball season on the road agains Kevin Keatts' NC State Wolfpack, starting the season with a conference game for the first time in their ACC tenure. Here are a coupe of the more significant storylines to follow ahead of tonight's matchup.

Key Wolfpack Shortage

The Wolfpack will be without one of their key contributors tonight in redshirt-junior forward D.J. Funderburk. During the offseason, Funderburk was issued an indefinite suspension by head coach Kevin Keatts. As a reserve last season, Funderburk lead the Wolfpack in blocked shots and had the highest field goal percentage of this season's returning players. In his place, NC State is expected to go with either redshirt-freshman Manny Bates or grad transfer Pat Andree, who averaged 12.9 points and 6.2 rebounds last season at Lehigh.

Returning Experience

One advantage that Tech has not just tonight, but for the rest of the season is that they are returning a vast majority of some of their most experienced players. Of the seven players that started in double digit games last season, Georgia Tech is returning 5 of them. Those 5 consist of your most likely season opener starting 5: Jose Alvarado (G), Michael Devoe (G), Moses Wright (F), Khalid Moore (F) and James Banks III (F/C). This potential starting lineup alone returns 64.6% of made field goals, 58.2% of rebounds and 66.7% of assists from the 2018-19 season. Defensively, Banks is returning as the ACC's reigning leader in blocked shots per game, averaging 2.56 a game in conference play last season. In the absence of the Wolfpack's Funderburk down in the paint, look for Banks to have a particularly effective game tonight.

James Banks is one of @accmbb's best bigs and he's ready to go to WORK this season! 💪#TogetherWeSwarm | @1jamesbanks @GTMBB pic.twitter.com/MsFVTXJce1
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) November 4, 2019

Where & When To Watch:

The Yellow Jackets' season will tipoff tonight at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC at 8:30pm.

In case you cannot make it to the game, the contest will be televised on the ACC Network and broadcast on 680 AM/93.7 FM.

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