Technical Tidbits 1/16: The Irish Escape the Thrillerdome Late

Tech and Notre Dame kept it close all night, but the Irish were able to pull away by the slimmest of margins late. Despite shooting better than Notre Dame on the night, the Jackets could not stop Prentiss Hubb and TJ Gibbs from taking over the second half for the Irish and riding a hot shooting streak to the buzzer. Notre Dame’s John Mooney added a double-double to bolster his teammates’ performances, and with it, he tied the Notre Dame all-time record (at 11 for his career). Michael Devoe led Tech with 22 points, and a surging Moses Wright added 16 of his own. Jordan Usher added eight more to the tally in his 31 minutes, including this thunderous highlight-reel dunk. The Jackets must get better at closing out these close games versus good conference opponents — they did everything else right last night, but just couldn’t seal the deal at the end. Tech hosts a struggling Virginia team on Saturday (8:00pm ET, ACCN) in a match-up of two ACC teams that would really appreciate a conference win to help get their seasons back on track.

It’s always fun to hear the big news about scheduling a new opponent...and then realizing that you don’t actually play that opponent for another 10 years. Could the tables have turned on the two teams, with Georgia Tech being the national powerhouse and Alabama having a rough coaching transition? Possibly. All I know is that Tech better not lose either of the two games that they scheduled with Georgia State in 2024 and 2026. We shouldn’t worry about Alabama until after that goes down.

Honestly, I hope that Clemson is scheduled to play Tech to open the season again. It not only gets what will most likely be a loss out of the way, but also draws attention and hypes up a fan base coming off a very, very bad 2019 season. Besides, who wants to start the season in the Carrier Dome? I prefer Bobby Dodd Stadium under the lights.

The Tech Women’s Basketball team can add another win for the season tonight, as they face off against the Syracuse Orange in New York. Syracuse has been alright this season, holding a record of 8-7, with losses to highly ranked teams including Oregon, Louisville, and West Virginia. However, like the Jackets, Syracuse knocked off Florida State, so this match-up might be closer than the two teams’ records show. Come out to McCamish Pavilion tonight at 7:30, or tune in on the ACCNX.

Francesca Pan has been one of the best players on Tech’s Women’s Basketball team this season, and has received an accolade from the NCAA. She was named as having the Top Play of the Week for an off-balance three-pointer she shot to end the third quarter against Florida State. Just watching the video now, I’m shocked that it went in. Congratulations, Francesca!

Here are some fun age-related facts for your Thursday.

Question of the Day: What are your thoughts on Tech’s basketball game last night vs. Notre Dame?