Yellow Jacked Up
Fansided

Men’s Basketball: Yellow Jackets Hope to Rebound Against Wofford

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

Dec 20, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Josh Pastner talks with guard Josh Okogie (5, left) and forward Abdoulaye Gueye (34) in the first half of their game against the Georgia Bulldogs at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Josh Pastner talks with guard Josh Okogie (5, left) and forward Abdoulaye Gueye (34) in the first half of their game against the Georgia Bulldogs at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Last Time Out:

Last time out for Georgia Tech was not a game to remember. The Yellow Jackets could not get on a roll all night consistently struggling from shooting from the floor.

Turnovers were also a big part of Tuesday’s loss to Georgia when the Yellow Jackets committed more turnovers (9) than field goals (8). By the end of the night, Tech committed 16 total turnovers to go along with 16 personal fouls.

Their shooting struggles on Tuesday night held no hostages, with Justin Moore leading all shooters with a 50% shooting percentage on 3-of-6 shots. Ben Lammers who has been a saving grace for the program throughout the early part of the season saw his fair share of struggles shooting 4-for-10 and only brought down eight rebounds. One of the few occurrences he failed to record a double-double this season.

If the Yellow Jackets are going to win on Thursday they’re going to have to be better at the routine plays that they failed to make on Tuesday. That includes making easy layups, making free throws, and making the routine passes that they often failed to make on Tuesday.

Know the Opponent:

Wofford enters Thursday night’s game with a 5-7 record while also being winners of their last two over Coastal Carolina and Austin Peay. The Terriers are also looking for their third win over a Division 1 school as three of their five wins are against non-D1 schools.

More from Basketball

Wofford enters Thursday night as winners of two of their last three. That being said, the Terriers have struggled mightily against teams from power conferences. The Terriers have faced one other ACC opponent this season, that being against Miami back on December 3rd, a 74-57 loss.

Wofford’s struggles haven’t been when it comes to scoring this season, averaging 76 points per game and shooting 48.2% on the season. A well coached team, it seems Wofford’s biggest struggle this year comes down to having a lack of talent at times when facing bigger and stronger programs.

Wofford Team Leaders:

PPG: 16.7 – G #3 Fletcher Magee

APG: 5.2 – G  #5 Ryan Garcia

RPG: 5.8 – F #35 Ryan Savwell

Players to Watch:

Wofford Terriers: #3 G Fletcher Magee

Magee has been Wofford’s leading scorer throughout the season averaging 16.7 points per game in just under 30 minutes on average. In the Terriers last match-up against Coastal Carolina, Magee scored 27 points, a season high while adding six rebounds and four assists as well.

Yellow Jackets: #5 G Josh Okogie

Outside of Ben Lammers on Tuesday night, the one bright spot for the Yellow Jackets was freshman guard Josh Okogie. While he only shot 30% from the floor on Tuesday, he was able to score eight points and bring down eight rebounds. Outside of just three games, Okogie has been one of Tech’s most consistent scorers, averaging 14.4 points per game.

Prediction: 

Unlike on Tuesday night, the Yellow Jackets use a strong first half against Wofford to get a bit of a comfortable lead before Josh Okogie and Quinton Stephens take over in the second half for the Georgia Tech, leading them to a comfortable 10-point victory.