BLACKSBURG, Va. (HokieSports.com) – Playing its first game in over two weeks, the No. 16/15 Virginia Tech men's basketball team will play host to Georgia Tech on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET at Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum.
SERIES HISTORY
The Hokies (14-4, 8-3 ACC) lead the all-time series 20-7 and have won six of the last seven games against the Yellow Jackets (11-8, 7-6) dating back to 2015. Virginia Tech is 9-1 in Cassell versus Georgia Tech and has won three straight at home.
The last time these two faced off, the Yellow Jackets got out to a huge halftime lead, 38-18, thanks to shooting 55 percent the first 20 minutes, and cruised to a 76-57 win in Atlanta.
YOUNG'S TRACK RECORD
Virginia Tech coach Mike Young is 1-3 all-time versus Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner, with his lone win being on Dec. 6, 2017 in Spartanburg, South Carolina at Wofford, 63-60.
ON THE CALL
The matchup will be broadcast on RSN (more info here), with Tom Werme (play-by-play) and Mike Gminski (analyst) on the call, while Jon Laaser (play-by-play) and Mike Burnop (analyst) will broadcast on Virginia Tech Sports Network.
LAST TIME OUT
Down three points with two seconds left in regulation, Hunter Cattoor hit a 3 to tie it and the Hokies would end up winning in overtime over Miami (Fla.), 80-76, on Feb 6 in Coral Gables. Tech racked up 25 assists and its bench outscored the Hurricanes 27-6.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Almost turning in a triple-double at Miami (Fla.), Justyn Mutts tallied his best game yet as a Hokie with 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. The forward also chipped in two steals in 39 minutes of action.
Hitting the game-tying 3 to send the Miami (Fla.) game into overtime and then making two clutch free throws down the stretch to put the game away, Hunter Cattoor showed up when it mattered most, finishing with 15 points and three boards.
SCOUTING GEORGIA TECH
• Georgia Tech is coming off a convincing 27-point victory on the road versus Miami (Fla.) this past Saturday, winning 87-60 behind Michael Devoe racking up a game-high 29 points thanks to knocking down seven 3-pointers.
• Pastner is in his fifth season in Atlanta, following a seven-year run at Memphis where he led the Tigers to four NCAA Tournament appearances. With the Jackets, he earned the 2017 ACC Coach of the Year.
• Georgia Tech is paced by preseason All-ACC selection Jose Alvarado, who is averaging a team-high 16.7 points and team-best 4.2 assists per game. The point guard also averages the 22nd-most minutes nationally (36:41), which ranks third in the ACC.
• One of the better teams at sharing the rock and limiting miscues, the Jackets rank 21st in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4). They also cause havoc regularly on the defensive end, ranking 13th overall and second in the league in steals per game (9.0).
