Georgia Tech were the surprise team in 2020-21, and finished 17-9 overall and 11-6 in the ACC.

Former Raleigh Enloe High post player Moses Wright was named the ACC player of the year, and point guard Jose Alvarado and wing Michael Devoe formed a quality backcourt. Wright and Alvarado moved on and GT crashed to 12-20 overall and 5-15 last year. NC State won the lone meeting 76-61 on Feb. 15, 2202.

Georgia Tech’s struggles have continued this season. The Yellow Jackets are 8-9 overall and 1-6 in the ACC. Georgia Tech hosts NC State at 7 p.m. Tuesday on the ACC Network.

Sophomore wing Miles Kelly leads the way and he’s made a big jump from his freshman year. However, scoring is not easy for the Yellow Jackets.

Sophomores Jason Moore and Dallan Coleman join Kelly in the youth movement. Former Georgia transfer Rodney Howard, a senior center, and Gardner-Webb senior shooting guard Lance Terry round out the current starting five. Eight different Georgia Tech players have earned at least seven starts.

Rankings

Georgia Tech is No. 155 in the NET rankings, and NC State is No. 29.

ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has the Yellow Jackets ranked No. 153 overall, and the Wolfpack are No. 41.

KenPom.com has Georgia Tech at No. 140, and NCSU checks in at No. 36.

RealtimeRPI.com has Georgia Tech ranked No. 181 in the country, and NC State is No. 29.

Shooting

Georgia Tech is averaging 70.5 points per game and are shooting 42.7 percent from the field, 33.7 percent on three-pointers and 71.5 percent at the free-throw line.

Kelly is shooting an impressive 40.4 percent on three-pointers, and has made 32-of-36 at the free-throw line. Terry is second at 35.7 percent.

Rebounding

GT is averaging 37.0 rebounds per game and have 190 offensive rebounds. The rebounding margin is a slim minus-0.1.

Forward Ja’von Franklin has started seven of 16 games and shares the team lead with 5.8 rebounds per game, plus he has a team-high 41 offensive rebounds. Backup point guard Deivon Smith, is also averaging 5.8 rebounds per game.

Defense

The Yellow Jackets are allowing 69.5 points per game, with opposing teams shooting 42.0 percent from the field and 28.5 percent on three-pointers.

Franklin has a team-high 26 blocks, with Moore behind him with 18. Smith has a team-high 17 steals.

Depth

Georgia Tech played four players off the bench, two of whom NC State offered out of high school. Former Huntersville (N.C.) North Mecklenburg shooting guard Tristan Maxwell and the aforementioned Smith combines with USC transfer Kyle Sturdivant to provide depth on the perimeter.

The speedy Smith is averaging 8.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He is a Mississippi State transfer.

Franklin, who has played at Auburn and South Alabama, is chipping in 7.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 22.1 minutes per game as the third post player.

Georgia Tech sophomore guard Miles Kelly had flashes late last year, but is one of the most improved players in the ACC this season.

Kelly averaged 4.5 points per game year, but had 19 points in the ACC Tournament against Louisville, and added 16 points in the regular season finale vs. Boston College.

Kelly has jumped to 13.9 points a contest, and is shooting an impressive 40.4 percent from three-point land. He also has proven he can do it against some of the top teams on Georgia Tech’s schedule.

Kelly had 20 points apiece and a combined eight three-pointers in back-to-back games against Miami (Fla.) and Virginia, who were both ranked in the top 15 at the time. He also had a season-high 21 points and four three-pointers in the 81-65 loss at Iowa on Nov. 29.

Rivals.com ranked the late-blooming Kelly at No. 96 overall in the class of 2021. The lanky 6-foot-6, 175-pounder attended Parkview High in Lilburn, Ga., and then finished out at Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy, which is where NC State coach Kevin Keatts had coached at. He helped Hargrave go 27-0 and he averaged 17.3 points per game and shot 46.1 percent from three-point land at Hargrave.

Kelly picked Georgia Tech over offers from NC State, Miami (Fla.), Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Texas A&M, VCU and Wake Forest, among others.

NC State

PG — 1 Jarkel Joiner (6-1, 180, R-Sr., 16.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.2 spg)

SG — 0 Terquavion Smith (6-4, 165, Soph., 18.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.9 spg)

G — 14 Casey Morsell (6-3, 200, R-Jr., 12.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.3 spg)

PF — 23 Greg Gantt (6-8, 215, R-Jr., 2.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 0.5 apg)

C — 21 Ebenezer Dowuona (6-11, 225, Jr., 1.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.1 apg)

Georgia Tech

PG — 13 Miles Kelly (6-6, 175, Soph., 13.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.2 apg)

SG — 0 Lance Terry (6-2, 200, Sr., 8.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.9 apg)

G — Dallan Coleman (6-6, 218, Soph., 9.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.1 apg)

PF — 14 Jalon Moore (6-7, 209, Soph., 8.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 0.8 apg, 1.1 bpg)

C — 24 Rodney Howard (6-11, 256, Sr., 5.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.3 apg)

7 Lineups used this season by Georgia Tech this season, with nine different players getting at least two starts.

23.2 Points off the bench by Georgia Tech’s reserves, which is one of the by-products of having different lineups.

37.5 Percentage from three-point land by Georgia Tech over its last five games — 45-of-120.

Georgia Tech sophomore Dallan “Deebo” Coleman has filled a variety of roles on the perimeter for the Yellow Jackets.

The 6-6, 218-pounder is originally from Memphis, Tenn., but finished up at West Nassau High in Callahan, Fla., with his father as the coach.

Coleman was ranked No. 74 overall in the country in the class of 2021 by Rivals.com. He picked GT over Ole Miss and Texas Tech, among others.

Like Kelly, Coleman came off the bench last year and averaged 6.2 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in 23.5 minutes of action. He shot an impressive 41.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Coleman has jumped this season to 9.8 points and 2.9 rebounds a contest, and is shooting 31.3 percent on three-pointers. Coleman has scored at least 11 points in three of his last four games, including an ACC-high 14 points, six rebounds and three assists in the Miami win.

Coleman might match up against a variety of NC State players, but at 218 pounds, redshirt wing Casey Morsell might be best to handle him. The 6-3, 200-pound Morsell is averaging a career-best 12.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and he’s shooting 45 percent on three-pointers.

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