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Georgia Tech Basketball: Three Takeaways from Jackets 82-78 loss to Georgia

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

MIAMI, FL - DECEMBER 01: Head coach Josh Pastner of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets reacts against the St. John's Red Storm during the HoopHall Miami Invitational at American Airlines Arena on December 1, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - DECEMBER 01: Head coach Josh Pastner of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets reacts against the St. John's Red Storm during the HoopHall Miami Invitational at American Airlines Arena on December 1, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets fell to the Georgia Bulldogs on Wednesday night 82-78 and here are three takeaways from that loss.

1) Michael Devoe continues to be amazing

After scoring 22-points in each of the first two games of the season, sophomore guard Michael Devoe followed up with the best game of his career on Wednesday. The Orlando, Florida native was by far the best player on the court for the Yellow Jackets as he recorded a double-double scoring 34 points and bringing down 10 rebounds. He also recorded two steals while not having a single turnover during his 37 minutes on the court. With his game on Wednesday night, Devoe is now shooting 60.5% on the season including 73.3% from beyond the arch.

2) Lack of depth scoring strikes again

When it’s all said and done, one of the major reasons the Jackets lost on Saturday was the fact they simply didn’t have the scoring depth that the Bulldogs had. Four different Bulldogs in Wednesday’s game had double-digit points while the Jackets had three. Joining Michael Devoe in the double-digit point club was forward Moses Wright who had 18 points and eight rebounds in the game. Additionally, VMI transfer Bubba Parham also scored double-digits for the first time in his Tech career, totaling 10 points.

Now, the major problem for the Jackets was outside of those three above, the next highest scoring player was four points, shared by James Banks III and Evan Cole. The Jackets simply need more out of their lineup on a consistent basis, not necessarily double-digit points but they just need more as silly and simple that sounds.

3) Free throw struggles

At this point, the Yellow Jackets problems at the free-throw line are baffling. Josh Pastner has had plenty of time to solve this issue and the Jacket simply have not been able to fix their struggles. Missing free throws is one of the worst sins in basketball you could commit especially considering their “free points”. With that, the Jackets struggles at the lines on Saturday was a huge reason for their loss. At the free-throw line, they went 12-for-23, a 52.2 shooting percentage. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, went 22-for-31, a shooting percentage of 71.0%. Michael Devoe did his part, hitting 5-of-7 shots but the missed opportunities proved to be way too much.

Overall for the Yellow Jackets, Wednesday night was a valiant effort but as heard many times in the Josh Pastner era, missed opportunities was the story of the game. The Jackets struggled mightily in the first half when it came to shooting (outside of Devoe) and ultimately that first half cost the Jackets as they outscored the Bulldogs in the second half, 51-47. The Yellow Jackets will have to rebound from their loss rather quickly as they will have to prepare to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks o Monday.