The Georgia Tech men’s basketball team topped Florida State 80-75 in the ACC Tournament title game March 14, 2021, and a lot has changed since then.
The one-two punch of Raleigh native Moses Wright and point guard Jose Alvarado helped lead the way for the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech finished the season 17-9 overall and 11-6 in the ACC, but was able to defeat Miami and FSU in the tourney, and Virginia had to forfeit due to COVID.
Three starters return from last year, but Georgia Tech is 10-14 overall and 3-10 in the ACC this season. The Yellow Jackets have lost four of their last five years.
NC State plays at Georgia Tech at 8 p.m. tonight on ACC Network.
Overview
Shooting guard Michael Devoe and forwards Jordan Usher and Khalid Moore are returning starters from last year.
Usher and shooting guard Kyle Sturdivant are both Georgia natives, who attended USC, but came back home for college. Sophomore center Jordan Meka started against Virginia to round out the starting lineup.
Georgia Tech was able to defeat Georgia, Georgia Southern and Georgia State in non-conference action. The Yellow Jackets three ACC wins have come against Boston College, Florida State and Clemson.
Rankings
Georgia Tech is No. 151 in the NET rankings this season, and NC State is No. 137.
ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has the Yellow Jackets currently ranked No. 135 overall, and NC State is No. 116.
KenPom.com has Georgia Tech at No. 155, and NCSU checks in at No. 129.
RealtimeRPI.com has NC State ranked No. 200 in the country, and Georgia Tech is No. 185.
Shooting
Georgia Tech is averaging 69.1 points per game and shooting 44.4 percent form the field, 36.4 percent on three-pointers and 69.4 percent at the free-throw line.
Five players have made at least 13 three-pointers this season, but Devoe, Usher and freshman Dallan Coleman have taken the majority of them. Coleman is shooting a team-best 45 percent.
Rebounding
The Yellow Jackets are averaging 34.2 rebounds per game, with Usher leading the way with 6.6 a contest. GT has grabbed 219 offensive rebounds with four players with at least 25.
Backup center Rodney Howard, a Georgia transfer, chips in 4.5 boards per game in 22.5 minutes. He has started 17 of 19 games this season.
Defense
Georgia Tech is allowing 69.6 points per game and will play a variety of defenses, including different zones. Opponents are shooting 43.4 percent from the field and 30.3 percent on three-pointers.
Howard has 15 blocks and Meka has added 10. Six different players have at least 22 steals, with Devoe and Usher leading the way with 35.
Depth
Georgia Tech played five players off the bench in the loss at Virginia. Howard had 10 points and five rebounds in 30 minutes. Shooting guard Dallan Coleman and Mississippi State sophomore point guard Deivon Smith bolster the perimeter. Coleman is averaging 6.7 points in 23.2 minutes per game, and Smith is adding 6.2 points and 2.0 assists in 20.2 minutes per game.
Former Huntersville (N.C.) North Mecklenburg High shooting guard Tristan Maxwell has been injured since Jan. 19, and senior guard Bubba Parham is out for the season. Both Maxwell and Smith are former NC State recruiting targets.
Star Watch
Recruiting has been a real struggle at Georgia Tech the last several years, but landing guard Michael Devoe was a coup.
The 6-foot-5, 191-pounder was ranked No. 45 overall nationally by Rivals.com in the class of 2018, and he’s more than lived up to the ranking. The former Montverde (Fla.) Academy star picked Georgia Tech over Wake Forest, Ohio State, USC and Florida, among others.
The smooth Devoe is averaging 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game this season. He is shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 39.0 percent on three-pointers.
Devoe has scored in double digits in all but three games this season. He poured in 37 points and had four three-pointers in the win over Georgia on Nov. 19. He also had 33 points and five three-pointers against Wisconsin in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 1. Devoe and an ACC-best 30 points and went 5 of 9 on three-pointers in a 81-66 loss at Virginia Tech on Feb. 2.
NC State and Georgia Tech didn’t play last year, but Devoe and the Yellow Jackets opened up the 2019-20 season in Raleigh. He had 22 points and went 3 of 4 on three-pointers in a 82-81 overtime win Nov. 5, 2019.
Devoe is within 12 points of surpassing former Georgia Tech stars John Salley (1,587 from 1982-86) and Bruce Dalrymple (1,588 from 1983-87). He ranks No. 17 all-time in scoring at GT with 1,577 points.
Likely starters
NC State
PG — 1 Dereon Seabron (6-7, 180, R-Soph., 18.2 jpg, 8.7 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.5 spg)
SG — 0 Terquavion Smith (6-4, 160, Fr., 15.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.5 spg)
G — 14 Casey Morsell (6-3, 200, Jr., 7.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.8 apg)
PF — 4 Jericole Hellems (6-7, 200, Sr., 13.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.1 spg)
C — 11 Jaylon Gibson (6-10, 220, Soph., 2.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.3 apg)
Georgia Tech
PG — 1 Kyle Sturdivant (6-2, 197, Jr., 7.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.1 apg)
SG — 0 Michael Devoe (6-5, 191, Sr., 18.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.5 spg)
SF — 4 Jordan Usher (6-7, 220, Sr., 14.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg)
F — 12 Khalid Moore (6-7, 208, Sr., 5.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.7 apg, 1.1 spg)
C — 23 Jordan Meka (6-8, 225, Soph., 1.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.6 apg)
Numbers Of Note
4: Wins for Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner in four meetings against NC State coach Kevin Keatts. NCSU holds a 57-43 series lead over GT.
8: Different starting lineups for Georgia Tech this season, with only Jordan Usher and Khalid Moore starting all 24 games.
14.08 Turnovers forced per game by Georgia Tech, which ranks second in the ACC.
Game Within The Game: Georgia Tech’s Jordan Usher vs. NC State’s Jericole Hellems
Georgia Tech forward Jordan Usher is in his fifth year of college basketball, spending two years at USC and then coming back home for his final three years.
The 6-7, 220-pounder was the No. 114 overall player in the country by Rivals.com in the class of 2017. He played at Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler, which is the alma mater of former NC State post players J.J. Hickson and Richard Howell.
Usher is averaging a career-best 14.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, and is shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from beyond the arc. He has 1,120 career points and 483 rebounds. Usher has five double-doubles this season for points and rebounds, including two in ACC action.
Usher poured in 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while shooting 5 of 6 on three-pointers in the 72-62 overtime win over Georgia State on Dec. 21. He has cored in double figures in all but one ACC game. He had an ACC-best 22 points in the 88-65 loss at North Carolina on Jan. 15.
NC State senior forward Jericole Hellems has been hampered by foul trouble at times. He’s averaging 13.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, and is shooting 40.9 percent from the field and 40.1 percent on three-pointers. Hellems has just 22 points over the last four games, and has shot 7 of 31 from the field.
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