Atlantic Coast foes will collide when the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (11-7) take on the No. 17 Louisville Cardinals (15-3) at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. The game begins at 4:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 23 and will air on ES2 and ES3.
The Yellow Jackets lost a close one to Virginia Tech 78-77 in their last matchup. Marcus Georges-Hunt was the game’s high scorer with 27 points. The Cardinals, meanwhile, are coming off an 84-65 win against Florida State in their last game. Quentin Snider was the team’s top scorer, recording 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting.
Based on each team’s statistical profile, ball protection could play an integral role in this matchup. Georgia Tech commits the 12th-fewest miscues in the nation (TO% of 15.1%), while the gambling defense of Louisville forces the 29th-most (opponents’ TO% of 22.3%).
Louisville takes on Georgia Tech as a five-point favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 136 points. The Yellow Jackets enter the game with records of 11-7 Straight Up (SU) and 9-6-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Teams have a tough time keeping Georgia Tech off of the offensive glass. They rank 28th in Division I in offensive rebounds. Few teams in the nation have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Georgia Tech, which ranks 32nd at 1.43. Crossing over to the defensive end of the court, the Yellow Jackets prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking 27th in the nation with 102 total three-pointers allowed (5.0 per game).
Over on the other bench, the Cardinals have 15-3 SU and 8-6 ATS records. Offensively, they average 80.7 points per game, which is good for 36th in the country. Shifting to the other side of the court, the Cardinals allow just 58.2 points per game, ranking them second in the nation. The Louisville defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .361 shooting from the field to its opponents.
Georgia Tech and Louisville will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, Louisville came out on top, bumping its SU record to 2-0. At 1-1, they are even ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Lou, ATS Winner – Lou, O/U – Under
Notes
Georgia Tech is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Georgia Tech’s last 5 games.
Georgia Tech is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home.
Louisville holds a 4-1 SU record against the Atlantic Coast Conference this season, while Georgia Tech has a losing 1-4 SU record against the conference.
Louisville averages 80.7 points per game (ranked 36th). Georgia Tech, on the other hand, allows 71.2 points per game (ranked 169th).
In its last game, Louisville won by a margin of 19 points. Georgia Tech is 2-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Louisville has a 13-0 record in blowouts.
Ranked seventh, the Louisville Cardinals have an offensive rating of 120.1. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets rank 199th with a defensive rating of just 103.7.
The Louisville Cardinals have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking 14th in the nation with a FG% of 49.2%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are winless with a 0-2 record.
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Louisville Cardinals both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Georgia Tech is 168th and 117th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Louisville ranks 39th and 14th in these categories.
Georgia Tech ranks 32nd in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.43. Louisville is ranked lower at 128th with an A/TO of 1.14.
Louisville, the 11th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 42.4 rebounds per game. Georgia Tech ranks 35th with 40.7.
When it comes to offensive rebounds, Louisville ranks seventh. Georgia Tech ranks 84th in defensive rebounds.
On average, Georgia Tech forces a turnover rate of 15.2%. When Louisville turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a dazzling 11-3 record.
