At the midseason point, many fans, including myself, chalked up this season for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men’s basketball team, thinking that we may get lucky enough to barely make the NIT tournament. However, what happened over the second half of the season shocked us all, as the Yellow Jackets would go on a tear, winning seven of their last ten games, making a statement to the ACC.
Then, in the ACC Tournament, the Yellow Jackets would win in the second round against the Virginia Cavaliers, before losing to the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils 78-70, but the Yellow Jackets would lead that game by as much as 14 points in the game, catching the eyes of some of the viewers.
Performances by sophomore forward Baye Ndongo, junior forward Duncan Powell, and sophomore guard Naithan George would propel the Yellow Jackets in the second half of the season. Powell would prove to be one of the best bench players in the ACC, Ndongo would become a double-double machine, putting up seven in the Yellow Jackets last nine games, and George would find his scoring ability, as he would have a four-game streak of scoring 20 or more points.
Alast, while they did not make the NCAA National Tournament, the Yellow Jackets will be one of two ACC schools to be invited to participate in the NIT Tournament, where they will face the Jacksonville State Gamecocks tomorrow at 7pm Eastern time.
While they did not make the national tournament, they did give myself and Yellow Jackets fans something to look forward to for next season.