Opportunities Slip Away From Georgia Tech In South Bend

Georgia Tech once again meets defeat in South Bend, as the Yellow Jackets have now dropped 7 in a row on the road vs. Notre Dame.

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Just when it seems that Georgia Tech is moments away from turning the corner and becoming a team that can contend for an NCAA Tournament bid, they find additional ways to shoot themselves in the foot. Or in this case, shoot themselves out of the game. 

Hoping to avoid the season sweep to Notre Dame after losing to them just two and a half weeks ago at McCamish Pavilion, an 80-72 loss to the Fighting Irish secured just that in South Bend. The Jackets have now lost 7 in a row at Purcell Pavilion, with their last victory coming on February 24th, 1990.

It was another close game that Tech (10-12, 4-7 ACC) could not close out, albeit for reasons different from some of their recent close losses. The Jackets out-rebounded the Irish 42-32 and were particularly efficient on the offensive glass (20-7). Combined with turning it over just 5 times, Georgia Tech did a good job at not allowing additional or extended Notre Dame possessions.

However, the problem lied within each team's given opportunities. While Tech had 23 more shot attempts than the Irish (74 to 51), they only shot 40.5% from the field while their defense allowed Notre Dame to shoot 47.1%. Georgia Tech's offensive flow and movement sputtered at times, assisting on just 9 of their 30 made baskets.

The Irish also took heavy advantage of the free throw line. A foul discrepancy of 22 to 9 allowed them to take 28 free throw attempts to just 12 from Georgia Tech. Unfortunately, Notre Dame was just as good from the line as they were from the field, shooting 82.1% to Tech's 66.7%.

Just two games separated from nearly posting a triple-double against NC State, Jose Alvarado was once again the star of the show. With leading scorer shooting guard Michael Devoe still out with a sore foot, the junior point guard once again lead the team in scoring with 25 points on 10-19 shooting and 3-7 from beyond the arc. Fellow starters center James Banks III & forward Moses Wright also contributed with 30 points on 12-25 shooting combined.

Beyond those 3, Tech did not have anyone step up to the plate offensively. Jordan Usher missed ten shots (3-13) and Khalid Moore had zero points. Off the bench, Evan Cole and Bubba Parham combined for just 9 points on 4-11 shooting. On the other side, Notre Dame was lead by another double-double from John Mooney, as the senior forward had 28 points and 10 rebounds.

Next up, Georgia Tech comes back home for a matchup against the Virginia Tech Hokies. Tip is scheduled for 7:00pm EST on Tuesday, February 4th.

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