Georgia Tech Pulls Massive Upset Against No. 3 North Carolina, Ending Tar Heels 10-Game Winning Streak

Georgia Tech's next game will be on the road against NC State on Saturday

Just when you think you can count Georgia Tech out, they beat the hottest team in the country on their home floor. 

Georgia Tech had lost three games in a row and eight out of their last nine coming into tonight's game vs No. 3 North Carolina. The Tar Heels were the exact opposite of the Yellow Jackets. They had won 10 in a row coming into this game, with nine of those wins coming by double-digits. They looked like a legit national title contender and even with the game being at home and a whiteout for the fans, this was going to be the biggest test of the season for Damon Stoudamire and the Yellow Jackets. 

They passed the test and showed that while this season has been frustrating for them and Yellow Jackets fans, Stoudamire can get this team ready to play in a big game. It was a great performance from Georgia Tech and the big difference in this game was free throw shooting and three-point shooting. North Carolina could not match Georgia Tech in those areas and were handed their first ACC loss as a result. 

Stoudamire went with a lineup that has worked for him some this year. Nait George, Miles Kelly, Kowacie Reeves, Baye Ndongo, and Ebenezer Dowuona were the starters for the Yellow Jackets. 

This was an up-and-down first half that perfectly encapsulated most of Georgia Tech's season. They had good moments, bad moments, and moments you wonder how their record is not better than it is. 

Georgia Tech vs North Carolina / Georgia Tech Athletics

At the first timeout with 15:28 left in the first half, Georgia Tech led No. 3 North Carolina 11-10 and Kelly had scored seven of those 11 points. Kelly has had an uneven season, but he was the best version of himself in the first half. 

However, the bad moments for Georgia Tech followed after the good start. The Tar Heels went on a run that gave them a 19-11 lead and it was starting to look like most North Carolina games. The duo of RJ Davis and Armando Bacot was leading the way for the top team in the ACC and Georgia Tech was in the midst of a scoring drought that lasted 2:23. At the 10:51 timeout, UNC led 23-15 and maintained an eight-point lead for the next few minutes. 

Then the Georgia Tech run came. 

Trailing 36-25, Georgia Tech went on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 36-32 and they turned that 7-0 run into a 12-1 run. North Carolina did not score in the final five and a half minutes of the first half and just like that, the game was tied between Georgia Tech and North Carolina. 

The Yellow Jackets shot 42% from the field in the first half and 38% from three. Kelly had 15 for the Yellow Jackets and was playing as well as he had in quite some time. 

North Carolina was shooting 40% from the field and 43% from three. Davis had 11 points and Bacot had eight points and six rebounds.

The second half started as a back and forth between both teams. North Carolina led 45-42 at the first timeout of the second half with 15:58 left, but Georgia Tech would keep responding. 

Fantastic feed and finish 🤩

🎥 @GTMBB | ESPNpic.twitter.com/jBmAyc3Ql2

— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) January 31, 2024

Trailing 52-48, Georgia Tech was able to spark a 6-0 run to take the lead with 11:56 left. From then on, it was starting to feel like Georgia Tech had a real shot to pull this off. 

They pushed the lead to eight points with under three minutes remaining, but North Carolina was not going to go away quietly. They went on an 8-1 run to cut the lead to 69-68. The Tar Heels had hit their last three shots. 

With less than a minute left, Georgia Tech lost the lead after a made basket from North Carolina. There was only 34 seconds left and the Yellow Jackets trailed 73-72 and Stoudamire called a timeout. Georgia Tech needed a clutch basket and they turned to the young freshman who has been in this position before. 

Nait George hit some massive shots against Clemson earlier this month and he came through again. George hit a shot with four seconds remaining and Georgia Tech took a 74-73 lead.

NAIT THE GREAT

📺 @espn pic.twitter.com/5jXJj6aJHy

— Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball (@GTMBB) January 31, 2024

North Carolina missed the jumper at the buzzer and that was it. Georgia Tech pulled one of the biggest upsets of the season and beat the No. 3 Tar Heels. It snapped a three-game losing streak for Georgia Tech and a 10-game winning streak for Georgia Tech. 

For the game, Georgia Tech shot 41% from the floor and 45% from three. North Carolina shot 36% from the floor and 29% from three. 

The biggest difference in the game though? Free throw shooting. Georgia Tech was 15-17 while UNC was 9-17. 

Kyle Sturdivant led the way for Georgia Tech with 18 points and George had 16. Those guys stepped up in a big way. Kelly, who had 15 points in the first half, did not score in the second half. 

What is also impressive is how Georgia Tech pulled this upset without Baye Ndongo. The freshman was injured in the first half and did not return and he has arguably been Georgia Tech's best player this season. 

In his first season at Georgia Tech, Stoudamire is now 2-1 against Duke and North Carolina. 

Georgia Tech is back in action this Saturday on the road at NC State. 

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