Georgia Tech’s game against N.C. State on Thursday night gave coach Brian Gregory reason to review the Yellow Jackets’ first game against the Wolfpack, an 82-71 upset win in Raleigh.
Given that Tech lost the next six games after that win, the replay left Gregory encouraged for an unexpected reason.
“We’re a much better team [now] than we were in that particular game,” Gregory said. “We do a lot of things much better.”
The Jackets’ Jan. 11 win over N.C. State was probably the most unlikely of the season. Tech played with superior effort, out-rebounded the Wolfpack 34-29 and made 31 trips to the free-throw line, the third most this season. The Jackets shot 9-for-15 from 3-point range, their only game this season higher than 50 percent, with Glen Rice Jr. scoring 22 points off the bench.
The weeks since that game have made clear that Tech played over its head and N.C. State played unusually poor, allowing the Jackets to cover up flaws. Gregory said that his players are creating better shots for their teammates and function better on defense, particularly in the half-court game.
At 7 p.m. Thursday at Philips Arena, the Jackets will have an opportunity to build momentum after defeating Boston College 51-47 on Saturday at Philips Arena to end their six-game losing streak. As has been the case, Tech played an aggressive and effective half-court defense, but against probably the weakest offense in the ACC.
Against Boston College, point guard Mfon Udofia had a career- and season-high six assists, with no turnovers, despite being held scoreless. Freshman forward Julian Royal has been Tech’s most improved player, showing more assertiveness on offense, defending better in the post and earning more of Gregory’s trust. Gregory has given him 20-plus minutes in each of the past six games after four such games in Tech’s first 16.
“He’s a different player than he was back then,” Gregory said.
However, as Gregory put it Monday, the Jackets are still in the “infant stage of development” in his first season. The Jackets don’t create offense out of the post as much as Gregory would like, and their turnovers and misses on offense have blessed opponents with plentiful opportunities at easy baskets in transition. Tech also doesn’t get to the free-throw line often (16.3 times per game in ACC play) and doesn’t make shots when it gets there (66.0 percent, 11th in the league in ACC play).
These are all reasons for the Jackets to better steward their opportunities against N.C. State. In ACC games, the Wolfpack lead the league in assists at 15.8 and have recorded assists on 60.9 percent of their field goals, by far the highest rate in the league. Point guard Lorenzo Brown, a sophomore from Centennial High, is one of the more dangerous point guards in the league.
N.C. State was alone in fourth place in the ACC entering Wednesday night’s games and has an outside shot at making the NCAA tournament. The Wolfpack have won five of seven, including their past two, since their loss to the Jackets.
“I think we’re better than we were then,” coach Mark Gottfried said Monday. “But I think they are, too.”
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