Yellow Jacked Up
Fansided

Georgia Tech Basketball: What we’ve learned through five games this season

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 07: A general view of the tipoff of the Louisville Cardinals' basketball game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the game at Hank McCamish Pavilion on January 7, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 07: A general view of the tipoff of the Louisville Cardinals' basketball game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the game at Hank McCamish Pavilion on January 7, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images) /
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KNOXVILLE, TN – NOVEMBER 13: Jordan Bone #0 of the Tennessee Volunteers yells out during the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Thompson-Boling Arena on November 13, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 66-53. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN – NOVEMBER 13: Jordan Bone #0 of the Tennessee Volunteers yells out during the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Thompson-Boling Arena on November 13, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 66-53. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /

2) The defense will once again be a strength in 2018-19

The Yellow Jackets under Josh Pastner have been known for having strong defensive performances. Through five games this season, it appears that it will once again be a storyline for the 2018-19 season. The Jackets have allowed on average 57.4 points per game which ranks 16th best in the country and keeping opponents to just a 34.7% shooting percentage, strong enough for 8th in the country. So far this season, no Jacket has a defensive rating above 95 (Shaheed Medlock) while no regular for the Jackets have a rating above 88.7 (Brando Alston). Stats like that are a testament to the defensive system that Josh Pastner and the Jackets run. There are simply not many better defensive teams in the country.

The Yellow Jackets certainly smother opponents when it comes to shooting but they would probably like to see a spike in their steals with just 45 through five games, but that could come with more time. While they lost Ben Lammers, the Jackets still are able to get plenty of blocks, with 25 so far this season. It’s a strong start for the Jackets defense but there’s still room for improvement.