.Georgia Tech (11-15, 3-10) lost its seventh straight ACC game with another offensive struggle.Tech guard Jose Alvarado broke out of a lengthy slump with 17 points, but the Yellow Jackets made just 8 of 36 shots from inside the 3-point arc and shot 34.8 percent overall. They've averaged 53.1 points in the streak. On Saturday, they put up their seventh and eighth halves in the streak scoring 25 or fewer points.The teams were tied at 10 early before the Jackets fell into the first of multiple shooting freezes, and the Seminoles stretched their lead to 31-15 on a layup by Terance Mann with 4:27 left.To that point, Tech had made just 6 of 26 shots, and center James Banks III - the Jackets' leading scorer in ACC action - was off the mark on his first six.Phil Cofer, David Nichols and Vassell each a pair of 3-pointers before Alvarado and Abdoulaye Gueye hit back-to-back shots from beyond the arc for the Jackets, and Banks finally got loose for a dunk shortly before the buzzer to pull Tech within 34-23 at halftime.BIG PICTUREFlorida State: The first time the Seminoles put together a seven-game ACC winning streak, in the 2011-'12 season, they went on to win the ACC Tournament. This also cemented a fourth consecutive season with 20 or more wins overall, matching a run from 2009-'12 that also was under head coach Leonard Hamilton.Georgia Tech: The Jackets keep churning their lineup, as freshman forward Kristian Sjolund made his first start and sophomore Moses Wright returned to the lineup for the first time in more than a month. Sjolund scored 19 points in Tech's previous two games after scoring just nine combined all season before that, and he can shoot. They were replaced to start the second half by Gueye and Brandon Alston. Sjolund had 11 points, including 3 of 7 3-pointers, and Wright scored two.UP NEXTFlorida State: Will play Tuesday at Clemson.Georgia Tech: Will be at home Wednesday against Pitt.)
Feb 15, 2019Two teams going in opposite directions meet for the second time this season when No. 17 Florida State visits Georgia Tech on Saturday in Atlanta.Florida State (19-5, 7-4) has won six straight and become one of the hottest teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The last time the Seminoles won six straight ACC games was 2011-12 when they won the ACC Tournament and won their opening-round game in the NCAA Tournament.Georgia Tech (11-14, 3-9) has lost six straight and eight of its last nine. The Yellow Jackets have had offensive woes all season and rank last in the ACC in scoring with 65.6 pointsThe teams met on Feb. 2 at Tallahassee, with Florida State taking a 59-49 victory. Georgia Tech was with six points with six minutes left before the Seminoles put the game away.Florid State has been sparked by the play of Mfiondu Kabengele, who is averaging 17 points and shot 58 percent from the floor over the last six games. He led the team with 12 points in the last previous meeting with Georgia Tech."I think he's only scratched the surface of his potential," Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said. "He's really doing a nice job of being more and more confident. We're putting him in a position where he has a chance to have some success." Kabengele remains the team's sixth man but continues to lead the Seminoles in scoring (13.4 points) and is third in rebounds (5.3) in only 20.1 minutes per game.In Wednesday's 88-66 drubbing of Wake Forest, it was senior Christ Koumadje who made the biggest difference. The 7-foot-4 center produced 20 points and 12 rebounds for his first career double-double.Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner changed the focus and tempo of the offense on Wednesday and the Yellow Jackets came close in a 76-68 loss to No. 22 Virginia Tech.Pastner abandoned the previous game plan of pounding the ball inside to big men James Banks and Abdoulaye Gueye. He put Gueye on the bench after only four minutes and went with a smaller, quicker lineup.The ploy had some advantages - at least for one night. The Yellow Jackets used a 14-0 spurt before halftime to take a 30-27 lead at the break, and refused to go away in the second half, even when the Hokies stretched their lead to double-digits on a couple of occasions."We had to size down, get more fluidity on offense," Pastner said. "We had more opportunities. We played a little faster and got more possessions." One player who benefited from the change of strategy was freshman guard Michael Devoe, who scored a career-high 22 points and made four 3-pointers. Devoe had 18 points in the previous game against Notre Dame. Banks carried the load in the paint with 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks."Michael Devoe is playing at a high level," Pastner said. "And James Banks is playing at a high level." But the troubles continue for guard Jose Alvarado, the team's leading scorer at 11.4 points. The sophomore was 2-for-10 from the field and scored four points against Virginia Tech. Over the last four games he is 5-for-40 from the floor."Jose had some nice looks," Pastner said. "He's got to play better for us. I love Jose, but it's going to be hard for us until he starts making some shots." --Field Level Media
Looking for More Picks?
You can browse all the individual handicapper picks below.
Florida State
Georgia Tech
Pick Center
NCAAB
FINAL (2/16/2019)
ProfessorsPicks
