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Georgia Tech Basketball: Jackets face Cal State Bakersfield in NIT semifinals

By Blake Silvers

Jan 25, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Josh Okogie (5) reacts after a basket in the second half of their game against the Florida State Seminoles at McCamish Pavilion. The Yellow Jackets won 78-56. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 25, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Josh Okogie (5) reacts after a basket in the second half of their game against the Florida State Seminoles at McCamish Pavilion. The Yellow Jackets won 78-56. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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For the first time since 1971 the Yellow Jackets will play at in the National Invitation Tournament semifinals in New York City Tuesday.

Georgia Tech (20-15) will face a hot-shooting Cal State Bakersfield (25-9) team in the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET (See the full NIT bracket HERE).

Josh Pastner, in his first year as head coach of the Jackets, managed to lead Tech to a record 17 home wins, and an NIT bid. Georgia Tech has never won the tournament.

The Yellow Jackets beat some quality opponents on their way to the big apple, taking down Indiana and Belmont at home, and Ole Miss in Oxford.

Last Time Out:

Georgia Tech, a team that only had two road wins in the regular season, went into Oxford, Mississippi last week and beat No. 5 seed Ole Miss in front of a full house.

Tech’s efficient defense led the Rebels wire-to-wire, earning their trip to New York with a 74-66 quarterfinal win.

The Jackets, led by 26 points from freshman Josh Okogie, shot 51.9 percent on field goals, and hit 17-of-20 free throws.

Big man Ben Lammers posted 20 points, eight blocks and four steals on the night, going 9-of-11 on field goals, and he hit both of his free throws.

Know the Opponent:

CSU Bakersfield won the Western Athletic Conference regular season championship, which comes with an automatic NIT berth.

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The No. 8 seed Roadrunners are the first-ever team seeded that low to make the NIT semifinal round and did so by beating some stiff competition in California, Colorado State, and Texas-Arlington.

Bakersfield, led by forwarding Jaylin Airington, are averaging 71.8 points-per-game and giving up only 63.5 this season.

The Roadrunners haven’t faced an ACC slate like the Yellow Jackets this season, but played SMU and BYU close on the road, and didn’t get blown out at Arizona, which is a positive this season for a mid-major.

Last season, Bakersfield made an appearance in the big dance as the WAC conference tournament champions but fell in the first round to Oklahoma.

Players to Watch:

Georgia Tech: C Ben Lammers

One of the big keys to beating a hot three-point shooting Belmont team was Ben Lammers keeping the Bruins honest inside, and his domination of the boards throughout NIT play has been a major park of Tech’s success. Lammers will need to continue his dominance inside to free up Tech’s defense to focus on controlling Bakersfield outside the arc.

Bakersfield: G Derick Basile

If Georgia Tech can keep senior guard Derick Basile’s damage from the three point line to a minimum, and make the easy shots on the other end, the Jackets should win. If Basile and teammate Damiyne Durham are able to cut loose from long range, it could get away from Tech in a hurry.

Prediction:

The Roadrunners are a great basketball team, and have beat some quality teams this season, but Georgia Tech has only gotten better this postseason, and seems to be unafraid in just about any situation. The way Tech intimidated Belmont on defense, and was unshaken by rallies at Ole Miss makes it hard to pick against the Yellow Jackets.