NC State Basketball
Getting to Know Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech looks to gain their third conference win on Sunday as they face NC State. The Yellow Jackets started the ACC schedule with a win over UNC and are coming off a win over Clemson. What do you need to know about the Yellow Jackets before Sunday’s game?
Ben Lammers anchors Georgia Tech both defensively as well as offensively.
The 6-10 center is excellent at protecting the rim and covering lots of space with his length. Georgia Tech does a great job at funneling players into Lammers who is averaging 3.19 BPG. Lammers moves well for a big man which he uses to block shots from help-side as well as playing straight up.
Offensively Ben Lammers has improved becoming more of a focal point in Georgia Tech’s attack. In GT’s last game Lammers scored 23 points in their win over the Tigers. In addition to Lammers post skills, he is also a good free-throw shooter connecting on 80% of his attempts. On the season Lammers is averaging 15.4 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 3.19 BPG which makes the big man a tough matchup.
Georgia Tech likes to play in the 60s.
Josh Pastner has openly talked about how his team struggles to score consistently. He has not gotten his players into the program yet which has forced him to play slower than his teams at Memphis. Georgia Tech averages 67.1 PPG while allowing opponents to score 67.6 PPG. Their limitations offensively really handcuff them by not allowing them to play up-tempo. Josh Pastner has decided to tailor his scheme to fit his team’s limitations by trying to control tempo to give his team a chance to stay in each game.
The Yellow Jackets mix it up defensively.
Georgia Tech played well on the defensive end in their win over Clemson. The main thing for the Yellow Jackets is their defensive rebounds to guard against easy put backs. Giving up offensive rebounds have tormented the Jackets consequently they have only out-rebounded two teams on the offensive glass on the season. Georgia Tech finally put together a complete game by controlling the glass in both man-to-man and zone defensive sets. Pastner is not afraid to change things to keep offenses off-balance to prevent them from getting into a rhythm. The Jackets have had some excellent defensive efforts this season because they have the mentality of a fighter where they do not give up.
Georgia Tech looks to stifle NC State this Sunday by mixing up their defenses. Offensively they will give Lammers plenty of touches and look to freshman Josh Okogie to provide scoring from the perimeter. If they can control pace they have a good shot at winning; however, if NC State gets up and down they will struggle to keep pace.
This game could honestly go either way. Georgia tech is similar to State in the sense that they lack consistency. Both have been good at home but struggled on the road. Georgia tech coming in at 1-3 on the road is definitely a good sign so it’s really up to state to be prepared and try to build some confidence back at home.
They are getting “better tonight”. I sure wouldn’t want to see them when they turn bad again. Probably a 52 point beat down by Duke or Florida State. Getting real ugly fast again.