As for Georgia Tech, they enter Wednesday night’s game at 2-1. They’re led by first-year head coach Damon Stoudamire. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because he has enjoyed a solid career both as a player and a coach. Stoudamire arrived to Georgia Tech after serving as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics, helping lead them to the 2022 NBA Finals. Stoudamire previously served as the head coach at Pacific for five seasons, which followed assistant coaching stints at Memphis and his alma mater, Arizona. While with Arizona as a player in the early to mid-90s, Stoudamire achieved first-team All-America honors and finished as the school’s all-time leader in three-pointers. He was the seventh overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft by the Raptors and was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 1996, beginning a solid 13-year career that included stints with four teams.
The Yellowjackets have wins over Georgia Southern and Howard but are coming off a home loss to UMass Lowell. But beware: they have five players averaging double figures, led by Kelly Miles’s 21 points per game. Dallan “Deebo” Coleman averages 16 points per game, and the Yellowjackets have four of their top five scorers shooting at least 43.8 percent.
The Yellow Jackets are a solid shooting team, but not from deep where they average just a tick under 30 percent. They’re also not very good from the line, where they shoot just 59.7 percent from the line. They pull down 41.7 rebounds a game, so this could be a good battle on the class. That’s where having Bandaogo now is huge for the Bearcats.
Notable alumni from Georgia Tech: Jeff Foxworthy, Calvin Johnson, Keith Brooking, Thaddeus Young, Stephon Marbury, Iman Shumpert, Chris Bosh, Mark Teixiera, Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Varitek, Matt Kuchar
Frankie’s Game plan to Victory
1. Win the battle on the boards: The Yellow Jackets can rebound, but the Bearcats are averaging 43 per game. The Bearcats are really good both offensively and defensively on the glass, so they should be able to handle Georgia Tech’s rebounding prowess.
2. Three-point defense: This is right up the Bearcats alley. They are a really good three-point defensive team, and Georgia Tech is not a good three-point shooting team. This could be where this game is decided.
3. Whether the storm, utilize depth: The Yellow Jackets can score, but the Bearcats have the depth to keep up and eventually wear Georgia Tech down. The Yellow Jackets have only played nine players this season, while the Bearcats have played nine players in every game this season.
Game pick: Bearcats 84 Georgia Tech 74
