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Georgia Tech Basketball: Jackets set for tough challenge in Virginia

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

CHAPEL HILL, NC - JANUARY 04: Jordan Usher #4 of Georgia Tech signals to a teammate during a game between Georgia Tech and North Carolina at Dean E. Smith Center on January 4, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images).
CHAPEL HILL, NC - JANUARY 04: Jordan Usher #4 of Georgia Tech signals to a teammate during a game between Georgia Tech and North Carolina at Dean E. Smith Center on January 4, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images). /
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The Georgia Tech men’s basketball team will be looking for their fifth-straight win on Saturday night the road against the always tough Virginia Cavaliers.

The Jackets are coming off a big victory over No.20 Clemson on Wednesday night by a final score of 83-65. The Jackets were led by the trio of Michael Devoe, Jordan Usher, and Moses Wright who scored 20+ points each in the victory.

Saturday night’s opponents, the Virginia Cavaliers enter the game as the nation’s No.13 ranked team and the top team in the ACC with a 9-2 record overall and a 5-0 record in conference play. Their last game was an 85-50 thumping of Clemson last weekend.

With a victory on Saturday, it would be the Jackets’ first victory against the Cavaliers under Josh Pastner. Their last win over Virginia was in 2016 during the Brian Gregory era. That being said, they have failed to win in Charlottesville since 2008.

When Virginia has the ball: 

The Cavaliers offensively are not a juggernaut by any stretch which shouldn’t be a surprise. They’ve always been a defensive first team and won’t worry about how many points they can put up as they rarely get into shootouts. That being said, this season, they’ve averaging73.5 points per game which ranks 164th in the country.

Offensively they’re led by senior forward Sam Hauser offensively, the 6-foot-8 Wisconsin native is averaging 13.8 points, 7.5 points, and 1.9 assists per game this season. They’re also receiving double-digit efforts on average senior froward Jay Huff (12.8), junior guard Trey Murphy III (11.1), and fellow junior guard Kihei Clark (10.9)

As a team, the Cavaliers are shooting a solid 50.7% from the floor this season including 38.5% from beyond the arch. Their best three-point shooter is Trey Murphy who is shooting at a 52% clip, Sam Hauser will also take his fair share of three-pointers, he’s hitting 37.5% of his attempts this season.

When Georgia Tech has the ball:

When the Jackets are on offense, they’ll be facing a very tough Virginia defense (as you probably already know). The Cavaliers are only allowing 59.4 points per game this season and opponents are shooting just 40.6%.

Tony Bennett’s program has always been dominant defensively, finishing either first or second every year in scoring defense since the 2012-13 season. That season, they finished all the way down at No.5 in the country.

Now, back to this year’s Cavaliers team. The Jackets are coming off one of their best three-point shooting nights ever, sinking 16 of 26 shots. The Jackets on the season has made 36.9% of their three-point attempts which ranks 63rd in the country. Over their last five games, the Jackets are shooting an outstanding 44.5% from a deep.

The Jackets if they hope to win will have to keep their hot shooting up in general. They’ve shot 50% or above in each of their last five games. The Cavaliers are more susceptible within the perimeter, allowing opponents to make 46.1% of their shots.

Prediction:

This will be the Jackets’ biggest test of the season to date. The Cavaliers’ defense will challenge the Jackets greatly and force the Jackets to make some tough shots if they hope to win this game. The Jackets’ defense will need to be on top of their game as well. Their performance against Clemson was a great start after the 17-day hiatus but they’ll need to be even better against the Jackets. The Jackets will also need big games out of their starts especially Jose Alvarado and Michael Devoe.