Eight games into the 2024 season, Georgia Tech has split results in the win-loss column. But what may be a tad alarming for Damon Stoudamire’s squad, his second at Tech, is that the Yellow Jackets have lost four games by an average margin of 14.5 points.
But Stoudamire said Friday he’s not ready to panic over his team’s four defeats, all against teams who are a combined 28-5.
“I’m more concerned about us. When I say concerned, I’m more focusing on us and what we’re doing,” Stoudamire said. “Although, against Oklahoma, we didn’t play the 40 minutes, (but) there was a lot of things to be happy about, and I feel like over the course of the last couple weeks, since that (Cincinnati) game (an 81-58 loss Nov. 23), we have improved. We just have to keep improving right now as we get through this month of December.”
Tech (4-4) lost at Oklahoma, its first road game of the season, after trailing by only five points with 5:24 to play. But the Sooners ended the night on a 14-4 run to secure the 76-61 victory. Still, the Jackets held Oklahoma to a 38.5% shooting clip and scored 30 points in the paint. Stoudamire chose Friday to focus on the positives of his team’s visit to the Sooner State.
“Our trajectory is going in the right direction, that’s why I’m excited about it, to see if we can build on what we did against Oklahoma,” he added. “We gotta put a 40-minute game together.”
The Jackets were without starting guards Javian McCollum (concussion protocol) and Kowacie Reeves (foot) at Oklahoma. Stoudamire said McCollum will be out when Tech begins ACC play at No. 20 North Carolina at 2 p.m. Saturday.
The Tar Heels (4-4) began the week ranked 20th by the Associated Press, but may not be in the national rankings come next week. North Carolina has lost three consecutive games, including a 94-79 defeat at home to No. 10 Alabama on Wednesday.
Coach Hubert Davis’ side is coming off a 29-win season and trip to the third round of the NCAA Tournament, where it also lost to Alabama. The Heels were picked in the preseason to finish second in the ACC, and guard RJ Davis was named the league’s preseason player of the year after winning ACC player-of-the-year honors in 2023.
Davis is scoring 18.4 points per game through eight outings and is dishing out four assists per contest. The senior is one of four UNC players averaging double figures.
North Carolina as a team, however, is one of the ACC’s worst in shooting defense, rebounding margin, offensive rebounding and 3-point defense. And only 14 Division I teams — and no teams from a major conference — have allowed more than UNC’s 81.9 points per game.
“Fortunately for us, as I watch Carolina, they’re trying to find themselves as well, and we’re catching them at the same time as we’re trying to find ourselves,” Stoudamire said. “It makes for an interesting dynamic as we play on Saturday.”
Tech will be making its 41st trip to Chapel Hill, where it has won only six previous times, the last instance coming in 2020.
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