Georgia Tech’s ACC Tournament first-round (and potential second-round) pairings have been set. The Yellow Jackets will be the No. 14 seed and will play No. 11-seed Louisville at 7 p.m. Tuesday in New York.
The winner will play No. 6-seed Virginia at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Barclays Center. Tech finished 14th after defeating Boston College on Saturday for a 5-15 league record. N.C. State lost to Florida State to finish at 4-16 to be the last-place team and No. 15 seed. (By staying out of last, Tech avoided becoming the first team since 1977 to win the ACC Tournament and finish in last place in the following year.)
Of all six teams playing on the first day of the tournament, the Cardinals arguably are the most advantageous draw for Tech. Louisville lost 14 of its final 16 regular-season games, including the last three by an average of 21.3 points per game.
Louisville fired coach Chris Mack on Jan. 26 amid what was described as a toxic environment. Interim coach Mike Pegues has led the team since then. Tech played Louisville on Jan. 2 as the Jackets were coming off their COVID-19 pause and lost 67-64.
Should Tech advance, the Cavaliers would await them in the second round. Virginia defeated the Jackets 63-53 on Feb. 12 in Charlottesville, Va. In the game, Tech fell behind by 17 points in the first half but closed the gap to two points in the second half before succumbing.
Virginia is the only ACC team that coach Josh Pastner has yet to defeat; he is 0-8 against Cavaliers counterpart Tony Bennett while at Tech.
Ever optimistic, Pastner was not discounting the possibility of successfully defending the Jackets’ ACC title by winning five games in a row. (If you’re wondering, if the Jackets were to get past Virginia, they would play the No. 3 seed North Carolina in the quarterfinals Thursday.)
“I understand it’s a tall task,” he said. “It’s not easy to go win five games, but here’s what I would tell you. Basketball is a weird game. It’s an incredible game, it’s awesome, but it’s a weird game.”
He noted that the teams that win Tuesday face opponents Wednesday that won’t have had the opportunity to practice in the Barclays Center, so players’ first time on the court will be in pregame warmups, and likewise the top four seeds who play for the first time Thursday.
“And the team you’re probably playing Wednesday, if you can get through Tuesday, they’re on the bubble for the (NCAA) Tournament and there could be some tightness,” Pastner said. “We saw that last year with us with Miami.”
He referenced Tech’s quarterfinals game last year, when the No. 4-seed Jackets were nearly upset by No. 13-seed Miami as Tech advanced by a 70-66 score.
“So you just don’t know,” he said.
After Saturday’s game, forward Jordan Usher told his teammates to pack for a long trip, and that he won’t allow anyone who doesn’t to travel with the team to New York.
“Pack the big bag, two of them,” Usher said at the postgame news conference. “Get all of your underwears. And if I see you with a small bag, you’re not coming.”
Said Pastner, “And he meant it, so God bless Jordan Usher. And it was better for him to say it than me. It was more impactful. And he’s right.”
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