Georgia Tech Basketball: Five Takeaways As The Yellow Jackets Fall To Clemson For Their Third Consecutive Loss
It was another ugly start for the Yellow Jackets but credit them for staying in the fight and not letting the game get out of reach and battling to stay in it throughout the game. Nonetheless, Georgia Tech dropped to 8-10 (2-5 ACC) on the season and is currently on a three-game losing streak. Here are some takeaways from the third consecutive loss.
The Abysmal Shooting Continues- Georgia Tech was 0-10 to start the game, but their defense kept them in the game as they trailed by just 11 points at the half. The Yellow Jackets shot 7-23 from the field in the first half and 2-10 from three-point range. The second half was marginally better from the field as Georgia Tech shot 38.7%. The improvement was from three-point range as the Yellow Jackets shot 5-10 from deep in the second half. Nait George was the most efficient, shooting 2-2 from 3. The Yellow Jackets were held to season lows in points (59) and shooting percentage (35%). During this three-game skid, Georgia Tech is shooting just 39% from the field and is being outscored by an average of 13.3 points per game.
Clemson dominated points in the paint in the 1st half- While Clemson struggled shooting the ball from the outside, they did a good job of continuing to attack the rim. Clemson began the game on a 10-2 run. The Tigers led 28-20 in points in the past and at the end of the first half led 20-8 in that category. Clemson continuously probed in the lane and got out in transition to get easy buckets at the rim. The Tigers went on several runs in the first half and used turnovers forced against Georgia Tech to increase their lead.
Clemson shares the basketball at a high level- It probably wasn’t the most efficient night shooting for Clemson but they did a good job of sharing the ball. The Tigers finished with 16 assists and continued to move the ball around until they found the best option. It led to four players hitting double-figures including Jaeden Zackery, Ian Schieffelin, Viktor Lakhin, and Chase Hunter. Zackery hit a season-high 21 points to lead all scorers on Tuesday night. Do-it-all forward Schieffelin led the way with six assists and four steals.
Georgia Tech has to get healthy- Injuries aren’t an excuse but you can tell Georgia Tech is sorely missing some of their top players. Lance Terry was another name added to the injury list and he missed the game due to a hand injury. Terry is the leading scorer for the Yellow Jackets averaging 15.4 PPG. Kowacie Reeves has missed 12 games this season with an ankle injury. Luke O’Brien has been out for the past seven games with a foot injury. Their two big men Ryan Mutombo and Ibrahim Souare combined for 0 points and eight rebounds. The Yellow Jackets need more production out of this position besides Baye Ndongo who led the team with 14 points. It is hard to gauge how good the team could potentially be due to so many injuries and the Yellow Jackets are beginning to run out of time with the season with less than two months left in the regular season.
Georgia Tech has an over dribbling problem- Don’t get me wrong, Georgia Tech has plenty of guards who can put the ball on the floor and create for themselves. Far too often they dribble the shot clock down and have to force and heave a shot as the clock dwindles down leading to a wasted possession. The Yellow Jackets have to do a better job of getting their shooters involved and setting up easier chances for their big men on the inside. Georgia Tech has guards who can probe and collapse the defense but usually, the ball sticks and a bad shot is put up. Injuries have played a factor, but if Georgia Tech wants to finish the season strong, the Yellow Jackets will need to find better looks and shots that can help a struggling offense.
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