With just a couple days until the start of the season, today is the day we get crazy and the staff gives their bold predictions for the upcoming year.
Countdown to Tipoff: 2 Days
Rob
This year will see two Tech freshmen make the ACC All-Freshman team. The Jackets will match last year’s record for home wins. Tech will not play on #TuesdayInGreensboro (in large part because the ACC tournament is in Brooklyn this year, but also because Tech will get a first round bye). The Jackets will not only make the NCAA tournament, but will get a top six seed. Ben Lammers will have a monster senior year in which he leads the nation in blocks, averages one three per game, and ends up becoming a first round draft pick.
Conner
Georgia Tech goes to the NCAA Tournament. Some fresh faces step up in the absence of Okogie and Jackson to get Tech through the non-conference slate and Ben Lammers returns to form in ACC play and propels the Jackets to their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2010.
Danny
Led by a pair of Honorable Mention All-Americans in Ben Lammers and Josh Okogie, the Yellow Jackets are once again the most surprising team in the ACC, this time by jumping into the conference's upper class. Tech ends up 5th, just missing a double bye in the ACC Tournament by one game. The duo catch fire in the tournament, bringing home Tech's first ACC Tournament crown since 1993. Tech's good fortunes continue into the NCAA Tournament, where they bow out in the Sweet 16. Josh Pastner wins his second consecutive ACC Coach of the Year. Moses Wright makes the All-ACC Freshman team.
Jake
The Yellow Jackets make the NCAA tournament and win into the Sweet Sixteen powered by stellar freshman Moses Wright. He's going to have, maybe not an Okogie-esque season, but a solid one, and that'll help take the scoring load off of Ben Lammers, and, once they come back from injury and suspension, Tadric Jackson and Josh Okogie.
Drew
Moses Wright has a big year and is in talks for ACC rookie of the year. We have 2 walk-ons put in decent minutes early in the season. Ben Lammers repeats as ACC defensive player of the year. Georgia Tech beats UGA and Tech beats at least one top-10 team.
Cade
I’ll give a couple: Ben Lammers regresses while Josh Okogie and Tadric Jackson end up missing much more time than we expect. As far as the Lammers pick goes, I just can’t find it in myself to expect him to be as good this season as he was a year ago. He came out of nowhere and became phenomenal in 2016, but hopefully the emergence of some other options this season will give him a shot at resting regularly and not having to carry the team on both ends of the court. I made the second prediction because I have no faith in the NCAA or the consistency of punishments that they hand out because they suck at everything they do.