Marcus Georges-Hunt: ‘Keep believing’

“As long as you keep staying positive and you keep grinding and you keep pushing it out, I feel like good things are going to happen,” he said. “I just don’t believe that doubt that we’re not going to win. I believe and have faith that we’re right where we need to be.”

A week of reckoning and faith testing may have arrived for the Jackets, who take to the road to play N.C. State Wednesday and Syracuse Saturday. Of Tech’s first six league games, three were against teams in the RPI’s top 20 (as of Tuesday) and five were inside the top 35. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Jackets are 1-5 in the league, with an upset win over Virginia offsetting a giveaway home loss to Virginia Tech.

The Wolfpack were No. 99 as of Tuesday and the Orange were No. 55, closer to Tech’s neighborhood, which is No. 68. While on the road, Tech would appear far better positioned to beat both teams. For Tech to reach 20 wins by the end of the regular season, which likely would put them in consideration for an NCAA tournament berth, the two games are critical. The Jackets are 11-8 with 12 games remaining.

“We’re at a point right now, again, where we’re proving our competitiveness and now we need to win those games,” Gregory said. “That’s the final push. Sometimes it just takes one thing for it to click in for it to happen.”

The season carries the added weight that Gregory’s job may be on the line. Gregory said Monday that he doesn’t think about it and that it doesn’t have any bearing on his players, applauding them for the resilience and urgency they have shown this season. But he recognized that they carry that weight, for him and for themselves. Tech’s roster includes five seniors, three of whom transferred to Tech for their senior seasons with hopes that they could reach the NCAA tournament.

“It’s hard on the guys, especially when you talk about some guys that this is their last go-round,” Gregory said.

Better defense will help. Boosted by transfers such as forward Nick Jacobs and guard Adam Smith, Tech has become one of the more proficient offensive teams in the country. Through Monday’s games, the Jackets were ranked No. 47 by kenpom.com in adjusted offensive efficiency. In Gregory’s first four season, Tech’s best finish was No. 184, in 2014.

However, Tech’s defense, though, was hovering at No. 102. Tech was rated No. 105 in Gregory’s first season, but improved to 39th, 70th and 29th in the past three seasons. Against Louisville, the Jackets allowed Louisville to shoot 60 percent in the second half, enabling the Cardinals to overcome deficits of seven points at halftime and eight with 13:43 remaining in the second half.

The Jackets don’t have the same size as they’ve had in the past, have been particularly affected by the rules stressing offensive freedom of movement and seem to have trouble communicating on switches and rotations. Excessive fouling on defense has frequently been debilitating.

“We’re making progress, but at the same time, we’ve got to figure out a couple different things that we need to tighten up,” Gregory said. “And if we can do that, it’ll make a big difference in games.”

N.C. State (11-9 overall, 1-6 ACC) has lost four of its league games by seven points or fewer. The Wolfpack do have one of the league’s premier guards, Anthony “Cat” Barber, who was the ACC’s leading scorer going into Tuesday’s games at 22.1 points per game and fourth in assists at 4.65 per game. Last season, he scored 23 points with seven assists with four 3-pointers in the Wolfpack’s overtime win at McCamish Pavilion.

Ironically, it’s a game that gives Georges-Hunt hope about the Jackets’ season turning around and culminating in an NCAA tournament run, which he still believes his team can achieve.

“I have a lot of belief in my teammates and coaches, and we’re right where we want to be,” he said. “I mean, it doesn’t look like it, but playing N.C. State last year around this time, they were 13-9 (prior to the Tech game) and they made it to the Sweet 16. So you can’t tell me it can’t be done.”