Season Preview: #9 Georgia Tech

Games against 2012 NCAA Tournament teams: 8

Games against ACC top 4: 7

Games against ACC bottom 4: 5

Best non-conference game: 11/28 at Illinois


Projected Starting Five:

C - Daniel Miller (Senior)

F - Kammeon Holsey (Junior)

G - Jason Morris (Junior)

G - Brandon Reed (Junior)

G - Mfon Udofia (Senior)


Last year was a transition year for the Yellow Jackets.  Besides having a new coach, they had no true home court.  Alexander Memorial Coliseum (aka the Thrillerdome) was being renovated, so the team played most of its home games at Philips Arena, home of the Atlanta Hawks.  And the team played like it.  They had some games where the offense just looked awful, with multiple conference games under 40 points.  The team also had a big problem when their best player, Glen Rice Jr., was suspended and then kicked off the team.  That led to a 4-12 record and an 11th place finish.

Will we see improvement out of Georgia Tech this year?  It's certainly possible.  They have a lot of veteran players, starting with point guard Mfon Udofia.  Udofia didn't really have the year that most people expected last year, but he was at a steady 9.9 points per game.  He needs to improve his shooting though: 38% from the field and 32% from 3 won't cut it.  I thought Kam Holsey showed a lot of promise at times last year, and is poised for a very good junior season.  He can definitely be the team's best player.  The rest of the team is mostly role players, so some of the five freshmen should get significant playing time this year.

There isn't much to write home about in the non-conference schedule.  Georgia Tech plays in the DirecTV Classic in Anaheim (formerly the 76 Classic), which doesn't have a very strong field.  Their ACC/Big Ten Challenge game is on the road at Illinois, then they have seven straight home games.  The conference schedule is pretty tough.  Their first three road games are at NC State, Duke and UNC.

Coach Brian Gregory has made strides defensively, but it remains to be seen if the Yellow Jackets can put up enough offense to win.  They really need someone who can step up and knock down some threes to give them instant offense.  If they can get that, they can put together some wins.  I think this group will be a little more cohesive and has enough talent to move up a couple notches this year.  Although they will not be good enough to make it on the bubble.