GT vs. Georgia St.

[ScGold]

My observations
1. We are not terrible offensively and Ga State despite missing FT's was amazing on their 3's - they played well
2. We miss Banks and very worried about inside defense and board play - a little foul or injury trouble for Wright and I don't know who we go to from there
3. Frustrated with Devoe but he will play better - hurt the team last night with turnovers and wild 3's
4. Alvarado is a stud and great player
5. Pastner is the coach like it or not so we will live with him but he has shown a tendency to not know his team early in the year and it results in bad losses. Been true for 2 or 3 years. For example, our zone play last night was horrible yet he begun the game with it - he doesn't know how to get his big guys a role - Howard and the G man are going to have to play yet he was afraid to play them last night - Pastner seems to figure things out during the season but it takes awhile and this team to make the tourney has to win OOC. Last year he thought we could play fast pace and had to pull back the reigns and we played better once he did.

Jose is no stud. He and Devoe played like someone owes them something. They are still immature basketball players. Not worried about Devoe going pro next year.

 

[yjfan]

Alvarado is a competitor- which is different from a stud. Devoe has enough craftiness in his game to be really good offenensively- but it feels like he knows that ,and doesn't gave maximum effort

 

[YlJacket]

Two stats from the box score told me why we lost. FG%, which is perennially terrible, and lack of production from the bench.

Add in the lack of production from the C position, and I'm surprised it took 4 OT to lose.

As Moses played center most of the game I would not agree we didn't get much from the center position. Our issue was a lot more we didn't get anything from the wing - especially in terms of 3 pt shooting

 

[Oakland]

Ugg...what if Pastner loses to Mercer tomorrow night.

 

[GTsports1819]

Jose is no stud. He and Devoe played like someone owes them something. They are still immature basketball players. Not worried about Devoe going pro next year.

Are you joking? Jose and Moses basically carried the team to 4OTs. Without those two it would’ve been over in regulation. Not sure how you got the idea that Jose plays like “someone owes them something.”

 

[SOWEGA Jacket]

The refs carried us to overtime. We shot 21 more free throws than they did. If the refs called a clean game we would have lost by double digits in regulation. That game was terrible. College basketball is a guard oriented game and we haven‘t had a good guard in a long time.

 

[slugboy]

The refs carried us to overtime. We shot 21 more free throws than they did. If the refs called a clean game we would have lost by double digits in regulation. That game was terrible. College basketball is a guard oriented game and we haven‘t had a good guard in a long time.

Throughout the game, I thought the refs did a fantastic job. If anything, they didn’t call push offs until the end

 

[jacketup]

As Moses played center most of the game I would not agree we didn't get much from the center position. Our issue was a lot more we didn't get anything from the wing - especially in terms of 3 pt shooting

And I will disagree with you. Most of the game, no one played center. Moses is a PF, and he played a decent game. But our guys are used to having a true center who is a basket defender. Going with a PF and what amounts to 4 guys on the perimeter didn't translate well--especially on defense. Coach Rev had better work his magic or it will be another disappointing year.

The FG percentage from 3 wasn't good, but the FG percentage from both 2 and 3 was poor. We don't have a center presently who has the offensive game to make high percetage shots. We got 0 points in 15 minutes from our two true centers. If as you say, Moses was the center--- he only shot 44%. But he's not a center.

 

[SOWEGA Jacket]

Throughout the game, I thought the refs did a fantastic job. If anything, they didn’t call push offs until the end

Just remember that when we lose by 5 to Duke and everyone is up in arms because they got 20 more free throws and accusing the refs. The point is the refs called A LOT of fouls against Ga State that gave us free points.

 

[Treb1982]

Well apparently we still suck at basketball... guess I’ll tune in next year

 

[CLM]

I am concerned about Mercer tomorrow.

Do we win the GSU game with fans in the stands?

I have tried to not be negative when I watch but I had a lot of hope we could make the tourney. Last night was scary. Josh has to play other players. Nobody mentioned in the games OT’s the subs that the coach for GSU was doing. He was taking out his best guards for possessions at a time and still staying in the game. Super smart by him.

Devoe to me seems bothered. He was walking up the court and just not wanting to be there. He seems laid back as it is but man I am just not sure. How could he possibly go pro after that game? I mean even if he scored 30 he doesn’t have the speed, athleticism, shot mechanics, attitude and overall skill to be a NBA player yet. Okogie was super athletic. Okogie is a complimentary player in the NBA today. He may not make it either after his rookie contract is up. Okogie was just fantastic for GT in every way. I am sure Devoe is a nice guy but there is a lot to be desired for him to jump to the NBA( after this season) no matter what he does after this point. I could see him transferring out if our season goes poorly. I don’t see the loyalty to the coach or to the program. Again could be wrong and think he is our best player but just judging by his on court actions. I do think he will be a lot better but guys like Usher(has to play smarter) and Moore( has to finish and make free throws or just get him out), Bubba(get his shoulders square to the hoop). Kyle I felt should have had more time. Howard didn’t play for UGA, why does anyone think he will play here and be good right now? Meka must not be good enough. Maxwell is hurt right? Saba is slow and super raw. We needed another big transfer that was legit. Assuming we just struck out on finding one and we settled for Howard.

I hate it for Josh. He seems to work so hard at trying to build a winner. I am sadly starting to feel like GT might just be to hard to win consistently like we did back in the day. It’s been 10 years and we can’t make one tourney. I just am starting to lose hope. And yes I donate money but it’s more than that now a days. It’s just the facts. We don’t have any money to get a 3 million yr coach who has the prestige so we just gotta hope like hell Josh can develop these guys but we are at the tell end here guys. Next year if all our seniors leave we are back to square one. There is no way around it. You can write up whatever you want but we got really nothing.

Might be better just to have Covid rock this season with cancellations and hope that these guys come back to run it again( would have to be super lucky to get them all to do that).

 

[Connell62]

It didn’t take long for the crazies to come out.

Sucks to lose that one and we are apparently going to be undersized this year.

Howard and Saba both gotta learn to play with more aggression. Khalid played tougher than both.

Those of you beating on Jose need your damn heads examined.

 

[Connell62]

Win or lose this game, I think the biggest concern I would have when questioning if this is a tourney team is the lack of post defense. We knew Moses couldn't do it alone, but the young guys (Howard and Saba) have to be better than that. They do not look ready for ACC play at all.

Not worried about Devoe, he just had an off night.

Spot on...they showed no toughness or aggression on D, on the boards, or fighting for lose balls.

Thats not going to get the job done against a quality team like Georgia State or in the ACC.

 

[Connell62]

The end of the 3rd ot killed us. Up 4 with the ball and the exchange between devoe and Alvarado got stolen for 2 right after an inbounds pass. We should’ve ran some clock and made it almost impossible for them to win.

More like Devoe immediately turned over trying to go behind his back.

That was one of the areas in which I was hoping to see improvement but it’s still an issue.

Turnovers and bad free throw shooting are not hallmarks of older teams - we gotta clean that up FAST.

 

[Deleted member 2897]

I only watched what were probably the worst 5 minutes of the game, as we let a 13-5 lead when I tuned in evaporate into a deficit. I couldn’t stand watching anymore and turned it off.

All I know is the Pastner era has full of losses to teams we should not lose to in “preseason”. That continues, much to my disappointment.

That’s the same here! I only was able to watch several minutes. It was during their 19-2 run. That was the game right there.

 

[Deleted member 2897]

Two stats from the box score told me why we lost. FG%, which is perennially terrible, and lack of production from the bench.

Add in the lack of production from the C position, and I'm surprised it took 4 OT to lose.

Well we didn’t lose by 30 to Gardner-Webb, so look how far we’ve come!

 

[YlJacket]

And I will disagree with you. Most of the game, no one played center. Moses is a PF, and he played a decent game. But our guys are used to having a true center who is a basket defender. Going with a PF and what amounts to 4 guys on the perimeter didn't translate well--especially on defense. Coach Rev had better work his magic or it will be another disappointing year.

The FG percentage from 3 wasn't good, but the FG percentage from both 2 and 3 was poor. We don't have a center presently who has the offensive game to make high percetage shots. We got 0 points in 15 minutes from our two true centers. If as you say, Moses was the center--- he only shot 44%. But he's not a center.

OK - understand your disagreement but I certainly don't think the outcome of our season is solely based on either Howard or Saba becoming Bill Russell in the next couple of weeks. Though teams like UNC still use a true double post set up to great effect, it isn't the "modern" game and most teams have a 4 out system with a 5 more able to switch or hedge on the perimeter than worry about cleaning up drives to the basket. With 2 senior and a junior guard playing the majority of minutes we should be able to play very legit perimeter defense and reduce the need for mistakes to be erased. That is where I would start on defense - plus reducing turnovers that led to run outs.

I am sorry but I will really disagree with calling Mose's performance "decent". 31 and 20 is better than decent even given the 4OT timeframe. In the second half he played the 5 slot on a 4 our arrangement and defended the GSU centers whose production went down after a really strong first half. Yes he shot 44% but that was higher than almost anyone else on the team (Moore I think was higher). He was 10% higher than either Alvarado or Devoe. However, I would be the first to say that all those percentages were bad primarily due to the fact we got almost no easy baskets and that our approach to an offensive set was suboptimal to put it politely.

We are going to play a few UNC type teams that force us to play 2 bigs or get crushed. The majority of the teams we are going to play are much more the modern setup with one mobile big and a smaller 4 who can shoot. Moses at the 5 fits well with that setup as long as our perimeter defense is what should be expected from what is supposed to be a top of the ACC backcourt.
FWIW I think the key to our success this year is going to be much more our guard play than our center play. Our guards have to be a lot more efficient and better defensively. And CJP has to structure things a lot better to help them - hope that starts tonight.

 

[slugboy]

You can find the box score at https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/2020-11-25-21-georgia-tech.html. (really great free resource)

�

▲	Pace	eFG%	TOV%	ORB%	FT/FGA	ORtg
	Four Factors
Georgia State	76.7	.537	14.5	35.7	.221	107.0
Georgia Tech	76.7	.403	14.5	45.3	.418	104.3

Overall, it looks like our field goal percentage was the killer (both on 2's and 3's). Despite the feel of the game, we outrebounded them.

Saba and Howard were only in for 7 minutes each in a 4OT game. I'm not surprised to see that with Saba, as a freshman.

Looking at Minutes Played: Jose, Devoe, Moses, Bubba Parham, and Usher were the go-to 5 (in that order), followed by Khalid Moore. There is a sharp drop off in time played after Khalid.

	Basi	Basi	Basi	Basi	Basi	Basi	Basi	Basi	Basi	Basi	Basi	Basi	Basi	Basi	Basi	Basi	Basi	Basi
Starters	MP	FG	FG%	2P	2P%	3P	3P%	FT	FT%	ORB	DRB	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
Jose Alvarado	58	8	.333	6	.353	2	.286	11	.917	5	5	10	4	6	0	5	6	29
Michael Devoe	57	9	.346	6	.462	3	.231	3	.750	4	8	12	3	0	0	8	3	24
Moses Wright	53	8	.444	7	.467	1	.333	14	.636	12	8	20	2	2	0	2	5	31
Jordan Usher	39	5	.455	5	.625	0	.000	5	.625	4	5	9	1	1	1	3	4	15
Rodney Howard	7	0	.000	0	.000	0		0		0	1	1	0	0	1	0	3	0
Bubba Parham	47	6	.462	5	.714	1	.167	3	.600	1	4	5	2	1	0	1	3	16
Khalid Moore	30	0	.000	0	.000	0	.000	5	.625	2	4	6	0	2	2	2	3	5
Saba Gigiberia	7	0		0		0		0		1	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	0
Kyle Sturdivant	2	0		0		0		0		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

[thead] [/thead]


Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 11/27/2020.

Here are some advanced stats, sorted by Defensive Rating (Sturdivant was only in for 2 minutes, and Howard and Saba were only in for 7), but it's food for thought:

	Adva
Starters	MP	TS%	eFG%	3PAr	FTr	ORB%	DRB%	TRB%	AST%	STL%	BLK%	TOV%	USG%	ORtg	DRtg	BPM
Kyle Sturdivant	2					0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0		0.0		121
Michael Devoe	57	.432	.404	.500	.154	6.6	15.0	10.5	11.9	0.0	0.0	22.4	26.0	86	115
Bubba Parham	47	.526	.500	.462	.385	2.0	9.1	5.3	9.0	1.1	0.0	6.2	14.3	123	114
Saba Gigiberia	7					13.4	15.3	14.3	0.0	0.0	0.0		0.0	209	113
Jordan Usher	39	.517	.455	.273	.727	9.6	13.7	11.5	5.4	1.3	2.4	17.1	18.6	105	110
Moses Wright	53	.560	.472	.167	1.222	21.2	16.2	18.9	8.4	2.0	0.0	6.7	23.2	132	109
Jose Alvarado	58	.495	.375	.292	.500	8.1	9.2	8.6	14.9	5.4	0.0	14.6	24.5	111	104
Khalid Moore	30	.293	.000	.200	1.600	6.3	14.3	10.0	0.0	3.5	6.2	19.0	14.5	67	104
Rodney Howard	7	.000	.000	.000	.000	0.0	15.3	7.1	0.0	0.0	13.2	0.0	5.9	0	103
School Totals	300	.476	.403	.337	.602	45.3	64.3	54.2	33.3	10.4	6.2	14.5	100.0	104.3	107.0

[thead] [/thead]

For what it’s worth, even though he wasn’t fleet of foot, I thought Saba was OK for what he was defensively. Not quick, but positioned correctly and blocking out space defensively. He was looking at the threats instead of at the basket. He was only in briefly, but I don’t recall any easy offensive rebound tip-ins against him.

Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 11/27/2020.

 

[alagold]

Not only was this a loss but there could be a "hangover" for Mercer.Will see.

 

[Peacone36]

Jose is no stud. He and Devoe played like someone owes them something. They are still immature basketball players. Not worried about Devoe going pro next year.

This is silly