2023-24 UC Basketball Preview Paw Prints: Georgia Tech

Cincinnati is 7-3 against Georgia Tech since 1949.

CINCINNATI — The 2023 UC men's basketball season continues on Wednesday with Aziz Bandaogo joining the fold for the rest of the season as Georgia Tech comes to town.

The daunting rim presence (11.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game last season) should be just what the doctor ordered against a high-volume Yellow Jackets offense. Cincinnati is looking for the second 5-0 start of the Wes Miller era.

ESPN's Matchup Predictor gives UC an 81.4% chance to win as they look to move the all-time series to 8-3 in their favor.

When UC Has The Ball

The rim running just got more accessible at Fifth Third Arena. Bandaogo is the latest weapon Cincinnati's guards can utilize as the offense gets more dynamic.

It's a pick-your-poison scenario for a defense right in the middle of the country (GT is 179th in adjusted defensive efficiency). Lobs to Bandaogo could play a bigger factor than normal, given GT's strong jump-shooting defense.

The Yellow Jackets are 24th nationally in average three-pointers allowed (4.7), running teams off the line with tight perimeter coverage. Something's got to give as UC ranks 38th nationally in made threes per game (9.8).

Inside the arc, Cincinnati can do serious damage in Bandaogo's debut. GT allows teams to shoot 53.2% inside the arc (292nd nationally) as UC faces another relatively small opponent with most of the rotation checking in at 6-foot-6 or shorter.

Opposing teams are making 22.3 two-point shots per game as Cincinnati gets a nice opportunity to attack the hoop against a smaller defense. GT's top defender is probably forward Kowacie Reeves (11.3 points, 1.3 steals, 1.3 blocks).

He's the only Yellow Jacket averaging over two stocks per game as a long rangy wing defender at 6-foot-6, 182 pounds. With how versatile UC's offense has looked they should be able to post another 75-plus point outing with sound ball movement inside the arc to find high-percentage looks.

It's okay to lack on the outside shot attempts against this defense (73.7 PPG allowed, 242nd nationally). One last note, 6-foot-9 GT freshman forward Baye Ndongo is returning from a hand injury in this game, although it's unclear how much run he'll get in his college debut.

When Georgia Tech Has The Ball

The Myle Kelly Show, plus plenty of balance.

That may sound weird, but GT has done a great job featuring its best player while distributing scoring duties throughout the rotation. Kelly (21 PPG, 6.3 rebounds, two assists) stirs the drink as a spark plug volume scorer at the point of attack (81 points per game as a team, 96th nationally.

He's not very efficient (41.3% effective FG rate), but the attacking mentality oozes into his teammate's games as well. GT puts up the 16th-most shots in the country and may be the top nemesis for what seems to be Wes Miller's favorite stat to check: offensive rebounds.

GT is a bad defensive rebounding team (301st nationally), but they snag a whopping 18.3 offensive boards per game. Cincinnati must start there to limit the volume that's driven two wins this season.

Outside Kelly, four other players are averaging at least 10 points, and two more average over four rebounds. Forward Tyzhaun Claude (12.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists) sticks out the most as the top problem for UC's frontcourt. Keeping him away from the basket with clean box outs and communication.

He and Kelly combine for seven offensive rebounds per game. Cincinnati cannot offer up a ton of extra chances like that on Wednesday.

Prediction: 82-70 Cincinnati

Bandaogo double-double time? His most recent averages suggest that as a strong possibility as UC feeds him easy looks and funnels the balanced GT scoring attack into his paint area during a comfortable win.

It'll be interesting to see how many minutes he gets after practicing normally with the team all year. Regardless, UC stays efficient inside the arc and wins the rebounding battle at both ends to expose an inefficient Yellow Jackets' offense without those extra looks.

The game tips off at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+

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