Georgia Tech Basketball: Boston College Preview

In what has largely been a forgettable season, the Jackets have finally found their rhythm late in the year and won five of their last seven games, with the two losses coming in close games against Wake Forest and Pitt. Over the seven-game stretch, the Jackets have outscored their opponents by 59 points, highlighted by a 20-point victory on the road against Syracuse in their last game.

On Saturday afternoon, the Yellow Jackets are set to take on Boston College (15-15, 9-10 ACC) on the road in the season finale. Boston College has also been playing well recently, having won three in a row and seven of their last eleven games. The defining moment of their three-game winning streak was a 15-point victory over then #13 ranked Virginia. Boston College has relied on their defense for much of the season, and it was no different in the Virginia game, where they held the Cavaliers to just 32% shooting from the field.

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Saturday’s matchup between the Yellow Jackets and Eagles will be the first of the season. Both teams have similar profiles: they are stronger defensively than offensively and play at a slower tempo. Both teams shoot the ball poorly and struggle to get to the free-throw line, while Georgia Tech is much better at taking care of the basketball.

The Eagles like to score in the paint, with over 57% of their points coming on 2-point attempts (good for 23rd in the country), and just 25% coming from beyond the arc (319th in the country). A large reason for that is 7-footer Quentin Post, who is playing his second season with the Eagles after transferring from Mississippi State. After missing the first 13 games of the season with a foot injury, Post has really come on strong for the Eagles. He averaged just under three points per game at Mississippi State but saw his scoring shoot up to 9.4 points per game last year. This season, he’s taken an even bigger leap, and his scoring is up to 16.1 points per game.

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Another player to look out for is Makai Ashton-Langford. The 6’3” senior is second on the team in scoring and leads the team in assists. He is also a great defender, leading the team in steals. Jaeden Zackery leads the team in minutes and is also averaging double figures in scoring. The Eagles utilize a deep bench, with ten players averaging over 15 minutes per game. Head coach Earl Grant is not afraid to ride the hot hand, so the Jackets will need to gameplan for a lot of different players.

There is no doubt the Jackets are playing their best basketball of the season right now, and it is coming at the right time. With the ACC tournament starting on Tuesday, Georgia Tech can hopefully pick up one more win and build on that momentum. Barring a crazy run in the ACC tournament, it’s extremely unlikely this team will be playing any postseason basketball, so us fans should enjoy the few games we have remaining and take pride that this team decided not to quit when they so easily could have.