Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Javian McCollum made his return to the court Sunday night in the Yellow Jackets game against the Northwestern Wildcats. However, things wouldn’t go as planned for the senior, and the Yellow Jackets as a whole, as the team lost the game 71-60.
McCollum had missed the last four games after suffering a concussion during the Yellow Jackets 81-58 loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats on Nov. 23. McCollum had scored in double digits in each of the team’s first four games of the season before the injury, so Yellow Jacket fans were excited to have one of the team’s top producers back in action.
However, McCollum’s performance was anything but that. While he was limited to 23 minutes instead of his usual 30+, McCollum still didn’t produce enough to make up the difference, as he finished the game with three points, going 1-5 from the field. He was able to add in two assists, two rebounds, and a steal.
McCollum should have a great opportunity to rebound from the underwhelming performance on Wednesday, as the Yellow Jackets will host the UMBC Retrievers at McCamish Pavilion, a contest in which the Yellow Jackets are huge favorites, with ESPN analytics giving the Yellow Jackets a 90.4% chance to win. The game should serve as a good “rehab start” where McCollum can get playing time and jump back into the swing of things before the Yellow Jackets play the No.5 ranked Duke Blue Devils on Saturday at noon Eastern time.