Pitt vs Georgia Tech in ACC Tournament: Game Info, Odds, Three Storylines

The Pitt Panthers will face Georgia Tech for a third time this season.

GREENSBORO -- After Georgia Tech rallied from down double digits at halftime to pull off a thrilling win over Florida State, it will move on to face the Pitt Panthers for a third time in the second round of the ACC Tournament. 

The Panthers, well rested after avoiding the first day of the tournament for the first time during head coach Jeff Capel's tenure, are eager to prove their 2-3 end to the regular season was nothing more than a blip on the map in pursuit of bigger things. 

Game Info

Opponent: Georgia Tech (14-17 overall, 6-14 ACC)
Time: 2:30 PM EST
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Broadcast: ESPN and 93.7 The Fan

Odds

Pitt is a seven-point favorite over the Yellow Jackets. They're +237 on the moneyline while the Panthers are -307. The point total line has been set at 143.5. 

Three Storylines

Familiar Faces

Georgia Tech was one of the teams Pitt played twice during the regular season. The Panthers beat them both times by margins of 11 and eight points. It's difficult to beat a team three times in the same year but Capel is unfazed. In fact, he believes it should help the Panthers to have seen this opponent so frequently. 

"I don't know of any challenges [in seeing an opponent a third time," Capel said. “You should be pretty familiar with them the third time.”

Panthers Won't Panic

To put it mildly, the end of the regular season was bleak for Pitt. They lost three of their final five games and each of the two played during the final week of the regular season. They suffered an ugly loss on the road to lowly Notre Dame, then dropped a two-point contest at Miami, fumbling a share of the ACC regular season title. There is an urge to change things up after enduring such a slump but Jeff Capel says his team is staying the course and not panicking. 

“I thought Virginia Tech was desperate and they played their butts off, I thought it was the first time in a while that Notre Dame played with purpose and we played against a heck of a team in Miami and had a chance to win," Capel said. "I think we’ll stick with what we’ve been doing.”

Jackets Running on Fumes

The Yellow Jackets played Florida State to a 61-60 barn burner in the opening round of the tournament yesterday afternoon. They won, but it was a phyric victory for Josh Pastner's squad. Tech's starters played 193:14 of a possible 200 minutes in their game against the Seminoles. Just one reserve - Jalen Moore - saw action and he played less than seven minutes. 

Meanwhile, the Panthers have enjoyed three days of rest in between their heartbreaking loss to Miami and their own opening game of the ACC Tournament. It's a good feeling for Pitt, who tied their highest finish in the league standings to earn the right not to play on the first day of the postseason and give their banged-up, high-minute starters some much-needed extra rest. 

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