Georgia Tech Basketball: ESPN's BPI Has The Yellow Jackets As A Heavy Underdog On The Road Against Pittsburgh

Can Georgia Tech rebound against a top eight ACC opponent on Tuesday night?

Feb 15, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets forward Baye Ndongo (11) shoots a free throw against the California Golden Bears in the second half at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech is coming off a tough 69-54 loss on the road to an inferior opponent in Boston College who were on a four-game losing streak. The Yellow Jackets had little answers for the Boston College defense that made them shoot a measly 32.1% from the field and forced 13 turnovers. Georgia Tech couldn’t get their offense going and allowed Boston College to go on a 10-0 run to open the second half, a deficit they were unable to overcome. Currently, the Yellow Jackets are eighth in the ACC with four games left to go. Pittsburgh is also tied for eighth in the ACC with Florida State and Virginia Tech. A win could go a long way to getting the Yellow Jackets some much-needed separation. 

The reigning ACC Player of the Week Nait George struggled against the Eagles shooting 3-13, finishing with nine points, six turnovers, and five turnovers. He will look to bounce back on Tuesday night. A bright spot for the Yellow Jackets has continued to be the growth of Baye Ndongo, who has been playing at a high level for Georgia Tech. He put together another strong effort finishing with 17 points, 15 rebounds, and two blocks. He was 7-11 from the field and also hit a three-pointer against the Eagles. 

A key statistic to look at for the Yellow Jackets is that they are 7-6 against the spread and 11-2 overall when scoring 75.5 points on the board. Once again, they will go against the spread against the Panthers. It is hard to even think about this but for some reason, Georgia Tech thrives when they are not favored or playing in a tough game. Look at the wins against Clemson and Louisville as examples.  

Pittsburgh is currently being given an 84.3% chance of defeating the Yellow Jackets on Tuesday night. The Panthers lead Georgia Tech in points per game, field goal percentage, blocks per game, and steals per game. The areas where the Yellow Jackets have the advantage are on the glass averaging 37 rebounds per game and in assists averaging 15 per game. 

The backcourt will be one to watch in this one for the Yellow Jackets, especially with the scoring prowess Pittsburgh has. Jaland Lowe leads the team in scoring with 16.4 PPG, 5.2 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. An area he has been superb at is his ability to get to the free throw line and shoot it at an efficient clip at 87.4%. Ishmael Leggett is also averaging 16.4 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game. Leggett has been on a heater lately and has scored 19 points in each of the last three games for the Panthers. It will be imperative that Georgia Tech slows down this point-guard tandem. 

As we mentioned earlier, Ndongo will be one to watch for the Yellow Jackets in this game. His ability on the glass to keep possessions alive and create second-chance opportunities is invaluable. Defensively, he cleans the glass and allows the Yellow Jackets to push the pace in transition and get easy buckets that can lead to a rhythm for Georgia Tech’s shooters. Ndongo proved last game with the guards struggling that he can carry the mantle and be a go-to player offensively. Will he get more touches on Tuesday night and be a more featured part of the offense? He will be key if the Yellow Jackets are going to pull off this upset. 

But what is BPI? Here is how ESPN describes it:

"The Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward. BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Strength of Record (SOR) is a measure of team accomplishment based on how difficult a team's W-L record is to achieve. Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day's rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections. Numbers update daily." 

Additional Links

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