Yellow Jacked Up
Fansided

Georgia Tech Basketball: Three keys to a Jackets victory over No.9 UNC

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 07: Head coach Josh Pastner of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets coaches his team during a time out during the Yellow Jackets' game against the Louisville Cardinals at Hank McCamish Pavilion on January 7, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 07: Head coach Josh Pastner of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets coaches his team during a time out during the Yellow Jackets' game against the Louisville Cardinals at Hank McCamish Pavilion on January 7, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Georgia Tech will need to capitalize on these three keys if they hope to upset No.9 UNC on Tuesday.

Win the rebounding battle or at least keep it close

The biggest key to a victory over UNC on Saturday will be for the Jackets to either win the rebounding battle against the Tar Heels outright or at the very least keep the rebounding totals close. The Jackets this season are ranked 265th in total rebounds with 686 on the season, the Tar Heels on the other hand are ranked 22nd in the country with 834, a sizeable difference between the two teams.

Overall, the Tar Heels have three players averaging five or more rebounds per game while the Jackets enter Tuesday night with just one player, that being James Banks. The next closest is Abdoulaye Gueye who’s averaging just a tick about four rebounds a game entering the game. If the Jackets are not able to keep the rebounding battle close, it could get ugly real quick for the Jackets.

Limit the turnovers

When the Jackets find themselves in trouble late in a game, it’s usually because of turnovers. After all, the Jackets are averaging nearly 15.5 turnovers per game. A mark that you just can’t sustain if you are hoping to play winning basketball. Luckily for the Jackets, the Tar Heels aren’t the best at forcing turnovers but they when they do, they will make opposing teams pay for their mistakes.

Strong three-point shooting

This may seem a little obvious but when the Yellow Jackets are able to convert from beyond the arch, they an become a dangerous team. Against the Tar Heels, the Jackets will need to convert some timely three-pointers to give themselves a strong chance at a victory. The Tar Heels are not the best three-point shooters overall but they’re efficient enough for their ability to shoot from beyond the perimeter. If the Jackets can keep up with the Tar Heels when it comes to shooting from beyond the arch, they’ll give themselves a good shot at victory.