This Saturday, it’s the battle between two of the worst in ACC, who are both good at keeping games tight, but both ultimately lose…although Wake Forest has finally had a min-awakening, taking two in a row. They nailed four of four free throws to seal a three-point win over Virginia Tech last week, yet against NC State they held on despite only hit two field goals in the game’s last 9:49, nearly throwing away a 23-point lead.
Meanwhile, Georgia Tech’s only win is still that “still stunning” 20-point victory over Miami on January 28, but that’s it, as they sit dead last in the ACC. Yet, as we’ve mentioned often, take away that one blowout loss to Virginia on the road, they’ve lost their other seven ACC games by a total of just 33 points. That’s unbelievable.
After sticking with the Blue Devils Sunday, it’s time for the Yellow Jackets, right? This can’t continue, can it? Do I ask too many question? Probably.
Now don’t expect the Yellow Jackets to repeat their 8-11 from deep performance from the other night. That was a fluke, not a resurrection of the league’s worst three-point shooting team. It certainly would be tough against Wake who is pretty damn good at guarding the three-line.
Instead, the fun should be on the glass. Using their oversized front line that features Demarco Cox, Charles Mitchell and Ralph Sampson’s son, Robert, Georgia Tech is 11th in the country in offensive rebound % (Ken Pom). However, Wake Forest is one of the better teams rebounding defensively (12th according Mr. Pom), led by Devin Thomas, who delivers 10 total rebounds per game. He of course does most of his damage on the defensive glass (16th best in the land). This is important because the Yellow Jackets are 300th in Effective FG %, so they need those rebounds to remain the not-so-tragic #148th best offensive team (Adj. Efficiency) in basketball.
Yet, I’m going to put my money down on the Yellow Jackets because not only do I think they’ll do fine on the glass, but I believe Marcus Georges-Hunt has a nice bounce back game. Against Duke, he wasn’t bad, hitting 4-9 from the floor, including both threes, but he was too passive. He’ll be matched up with Wake’s Cornelius Hudson, who likes to go for steals and play passing lanes. A good scorer and can take advantage of that and Georges-Hunt is a good scorer.
WORTHLESS PREDICTION: Georgia Tech, 64-60
