Yellow Jackets final non-conference game

It seems like a scene from Groundhog's Day. These past few games have not been the most exciting, but very necessary. The young Jacket team need games together, and many of them in order to grow together and develop as a team before they begin ACC play.

Freshmen have been a surprising contribution to the team so far this year, with three making significant contribution on both sides of the court. The Jackets leading scorer is Marcus Georges-Hunt and the leading rebounder is Robert Carter Jr. Georges-Hunt has won ACC rookie of the week twice already this week, and Carter Jr. has had a few career games over these past few home games. Look for these two players to play well tonight, as well as in the future. One other strong player worth recognizing is Daniel Miller, who ranks 1st in the ACC for blocks per game, with 2.5. Tech also has three players in the top 25 in rebounders in the ACC.

The Jackets defense is something worth recognizing. While they have one of the weakest strength of schedules lately(335 out of 347), their adjusted defensive efficiency is ranked 9th overall in the NCAA, with their defensive FG% 2nd (39.8%) and their defensive 2P% 3rd (37.9%). The national average is 48.2% and 47.3% respectively. The question now is, did the Jackets cause this poor performance from the teams they played, or were these teams such poor shooting teams that they did this on their own? While fans might argue one or the other, only time will tell if these defensive statistics translate to strong defensive play or not. The Jackets have been able to win by over 25 points during their last three games, and hope for another strong performance tonight against the 5-8 Chattanooga Mocs.

Tip off is a 7pm at home in McCamish Pavilion. The game can be heard on 790AM or 106.7FM, as well as on ESPN3. Follow the game live here for updates and answers to any questions y'all might have.

*Statistics and national rankings used from kenpom.com