Following a disappointing outing against in-state rival Duke, the Wolfpack hopes its recent luck will change as it hosts the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at PNC Arena Wednesday night.
The Wolfpack (11-9, 1-6 ACC) has been all over the place since ACC play began at the beginning of the month. The Yellow Jackets (11-8, 1-5 ACC), much like State, have struggled mightily in ACC play. However, their one conference win this season was a big one, as they defeated No. 4 Virginia 68-64 in Atlanta.
State failed to capitalize in key games against a reeling Duke team and a North Carolina team that wasn’t its best at the time. It has also failed to take advantage of winnable games at home against Louisville and on the road against Virginia Tech. Wednesday’s game is a must-win for the Pack if it wants any shot at an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The 0-5 start to ACC play put the Pack in a hole it may not be able to dig itself out of. And with the ACC’s level of competition this season, wins will be far and few between as the Pack faces several teams ranked in the AP Top 25 this season.
The Yellow Jackets are led by senior guard Marcus Georges-Hunt and graduate student Adam Smith, who played integral parts in nonconference wins over quality teams Virginia Commonwealth, Arkansas and Tennessee. The veteran backcourt duo averages 29.9 combined points per game for Georgia Tech, who also boasts one of the nation’s top frontcourt performers in senior Charles Mitchell. Mitchell averages 11.7 points per game and 10.9 rebounds per game and has posted 11 double-doubles in 19 games this season, tied for ninth in the country.
Junior Anthony “Cat” Barber had a terrific game against the Blue Devils Saturday, scoring 19 points before injuring his knee during a collision with a Duke player. Barber is averaging 22.1 points per game along with 4.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game on the season. Sophomore Abdul-Malik Abu will have his hands full down in the low post when he matches up with Mitchell. Abu scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds against the Blue Devils, but Duke’s frontcourt presence is almost nonexistent.
One issue State’s faced this season is depth, especially with the injury of junior Terry Henderson. Opting to go with a seven-man rotation, rest has been hard to come by for the Pack, specifically for Barber, who’s averaging 38.5 minutes per game on the season. The Yellow Jackets are able to roll out nine different guys, and in some cases 10, giving them the ability to constantly bring in fresh legs whenever necessary.
With several missed opportunities already this season, the Pack cannot fail to capitalize on opportunities like the one it has Wednesday. The team has shown flashes of greatness throughout the season, mainly in a win over Pittsburgh earlier this season. But for now, State needs to figure out how to get by until Henderson can return to play. However, a Georgia Tech team that’s seen better days might just be a golden opportunity for State to gain some momentum heading into February.
Following Wednesday’s game against Georgia Tech, the Wolfpack hosts No. 15 Miami (FL) Saturday before road games at Florida State and No. 24 Duke.
