Georgia Tech Basketball: Instant Takeaways From Yellow Jackets Loss to North Florida

Yellow Jackets fall to 1-1 after loss to North Florida Ospreys. Here is what caught my eye

Georgia Tech head coach Damon Stoudamire reacts during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion, Tuesday, January 23, 2024, in Atlanta. Pittsburgh won 72-64 over Georgia Tech. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com) (HYOSUB SHIN / AJC)

Georgia Tech dropped its first game of the season, conceding 105 points to North Florida who picked up its first ACC win in program history. It was a struggle for the Jackets in certain areas on the floor and there will be a lot that head coach Damon Stoudamire will be able to teach when they hit the film room after this game. Here are some key takeaways from the loss. 

1. North Florida goes on a 22-4 run that broke the game open-

The run spanned for a little bit over six minutes and was a key factor in the game that saw the lead balloon to 20 points The Ospreys used a lot of zone defense which was giving the Yellow Jackets issues on offense resulting in turnovers and missed shots. Transition defense was also abysmal for the Yellow Jackets as North Florida pushed the tempo and got easy buckets on the fast break. North Florida forced a third of 10 turnovers the Yellow Jackets committed during the run.  

2. Perimeter defense was not good on Sunday- Constantly throughout the game North Florida was able to beat the Yellow Jackets off the dribble and probe in the lane for easy baskets. The Ospreys shot 53% from the field. Georgia Tech also gave up 100 points for the first time since November 25th 200 when Georgia State scored 123 on the Yellow Jackets. The Ospreys also had six scorers in double-figures with four scorers finishing with 15 or more points. Josh Harris was the leading scorer with 22 points. Jasai Miles posted a double-double finishing with 18 points and 11 rebounds. 

3. Georgia Tech shot well from 3PT-

Although there was a lot of bad on Sunday, the Yellow Jackets did shoot it well from deep. The Yellow Jackets went 13-29 from deep and shot 45% from three. 3 point field goal percentage was an area of concern for Georgia Tech last season and early signs show it is an improved area. Kowacie Reeves has continued to improve in this area and led the team with four three-pointers on Sunday. Reeves finished with 17 points. Javian McCollum finished with 14 points and was 2-4 from deep. 

4. The Yellow Jackets share the basketball- Despite the loss, Georgia Tech continues to move the basketball well and hunt for the best shot available. The Yellow Jackets finished with 22 assists on 37 made baskets on Sunday. They are always looking for the open man and make sure to find them. Baye Ndongo had another quality game finishing with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds. Nait George led the team with seven assists and continues to prove he is one of the best point guards in the ACC. If Georgia Tech can continue to move the ball like that, they can become one of the better offenses in the ACC. 

5. Will the defense slow down the offense this season?- A very good question even though it is early for the Yellow Jackets. The offense looks like they can score with anybody with the way they share the basketball and all the athleticism they have getting to the rim. Georgia Tech had no answers for North Florida on the defensive side of the ball and couldn’t stop the bleeding when North Florida went on its run. Steeper competition is on the way for the Yellow Jackets and they will have to be able to stop opponents from driving past them and be able to defend the rim better. Georgia Tech will have a good test coming up against Texas Southern, Georgia, and Cincinnati all coming to McCamish Pavilion.

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