Article Jackets Head to Evanston for ACC/B1G Challenge

Jackets Head to Evanston for ACC/B1G Challenge

Sophomore Guard Curtis Haywood (photo courtesy of ramblinwreck.com)

Josh Pastner and the Yellow Jackets hit the road for the second time this season on Wednesday, heading to Evanston, Illinois to take on the Northwestern Wildcats. The game is part of the annual ACC/B1G challenge and will tip at 9:15 pm on ESPNU.

The Yellow Jackets are competing in the challenge for the 18th time and have a record of 7-10. You might be thinking that Northwestern is a familiar foe. You would be correct. This will be the fifth time that Georgia Tech and Northwestern face off in the challenge. The two met in 2010, 2011, 2014, 2017 and again this year. In the four previous match ups the Jackets are 3-1, including two wins at Welsh-Ryan Arena and each of the last three games. The average margin of victory is 8.8 points in those four games, the largest being 20 (Northwestern) and the slimmest being 1 (Tech last season).

Currently, according to KenPom, Northwestern is a 68-61 favorite. Georgia Tech is currently 77th in the Pomeroy rankings, while Northwestern is 46th.

While Georgia Tech is mostly led by freshman and sophomores, Northwestern has a lot of veteran leadership. Seniors Vic Law and Derek Pardon have a combined 187 collegiate contests under their belt at the Big 10 level. Two very talented transfers, Ryan Taylor (Evansville) and A.J. Turner (Boston College), bookend the Wildcat staples with 158 more games played. All four players average double figures on the season. The leader of the group is Law, who after a somewhat underwhelming career, has seemingly come into his own as a senior. He currently leads Northwestern in points (18.5), assists (3.0) and blocks (1.5).

Northwestern’s strength this season is their defense. While some of the numbers are currently skewed by their offensive tempo, they are currently surrendering 61 ppg (27th in the nation) and allowing 31% from behind the arc. Of course, their strength of schedule is also currently 254th in the country.

Northwestern is led by Chris Collins, who is currently in his sixth season in Evanston. He has compiled a record of 93-78 overall and a 36-54 in the Big 10. The Wildcats are still seemingly cruising after a 2016-17 season that saw them go 24-12 with an invitation to the prom for the first time in program history. That season was highlighted by a last second shot by Derek Pardon versus Michigan. They ended up losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament to Gonzaga. They parlayed that success into a preseason top 25 ranking last year but ultimately under-performed. They were out of the rankings by week 3 and have yet to return.

If this game was in Atlanta I would be tempted to take the Jackets. Though Georgia Tech performed well in Knoxville, I still can’t get behind such a young team on the road. I expect the good guys to cover but the Wildcats to win. They have the star power in Law and a quality big man in Pardon that could ultimately negate James Banks, who is still rounding into form. Taylor and Turner have the length and experience to handle players like Brandon Alston, Curtis Haywood and Mike Devoe.

Then again, Northwestern doesn’t have a point guard. Georgia Tech has one with an attitude. One that really hates to lose. One that just recently willed his team to victory in a game in which they struggled a great deal. Can you really bet against Jose Alvarado when he plays with a chip on his shoulder? Will Haywood and Devoe combine to go 1-7 from deep two games in a row? Smart money says, emphatically, no.

I have no idea who is going to win, but I think it is going to be extremely tight wire to wire.

 

[AUFC]

Also, Devoe's skills are incredible and he + Alvarado in the backcourt could become the best we've had here in decades.

What do you guys see in Devoe? My first thoughts are that he’s a wide eyed freshman prone to giveaways. I don’t doubt he can drain the open look at quite a clip but he isn’t really getting any open looks in our offensive sets.

 

[H-Wade]

Also, Devoe's skills are incredible and he + Alvarado in the backcourt could become the best we've had here in decades.

I know he's our highest rated recruit in years but what have you seen so far that makes you think his skills are "incredible?" I know he's only a freshman so he will continue to improve, just not sure what type of player he is supposed to be yet, maybe you have more insight.

 

[Connell62]

Despite the loss, I think Gt probably feels better about that game than Northwestern. I'm hoping we witnessed a team's nads dropping in the second half.

Love it - As only you could put it!! I definitely agree though, I think that second half will prove very beneficial as the season progresses.

Hopefully starting this weekend against the Razorbacks!!

Moore is our most important developmental piece imo. He is the exact kind of player that the NBA is looking for, and if he can have confidence in his shot, his length, hustle, and defensive skill could be massive moving forward

Also agree about Khalid! You could almost see him developing his confidence right in front of your eyes. By far his best game from an impact perspective while the game was in question. It's one for Shembari not to score the ball, but he overdribbles, and when he gets to the rim, he doesn't finish. Last night, he was also playing matador defense. If that is what we get from him, PLEASE play Khalid in his minutes.

 

[Connell62]

I know he's our highest rated recruit in years but what have you seen so far that makes you think his skills are "incredible?" I know he's only a freshman so he will continue to improve, just not sure what type of player he is supposed to be yet, maybe you have more insight.

I think that you saw it last night.. He was playing more of the PG role and Jose was playing more off the ball. That's really when we started to get some offensive production.

He's still learning and pulled up his dribble too soon a couple of times, but he can get to the rim at will. He's just got to finish at a higher rate.

 

[GT_EE78]

What do you guys see in Devoe? My first thoughts are that he’s a wide eyed freshman prone to giveaways. I don’t doubt he can drain the open look at quite a clip but he isn’t really getting any open looks in our offensive sets.

a thing i like about devoe is that ability to drive with a good looking floater, even when the shots aren't falling his effort on D,passing and rebounding are still there.. I still expect that he will be our leading scorer in acc play this year.

 

[MiracleWhips]

I know I'm bout to get a lot of flack for this but.... Alvardo is NOT a point guard.

 

[lv20gt]

I know he's our highest rated recruit in years but what have you seen so far that makes you think his skills are "incredible?" I know he's only a freshman so he will continue to improve, just not sure what type of player he is supposed to be yet, maybe you have more insight.

To me he just looks so much smoother than most of our other players and confident in his movement. Still looks like he is finding out his role on the team though.

 

[kg01]

I kinda think Moore may end up a better player than Devoe.

And I'm a huge fan of Devoe.

 

[kg01]

I know I'm bout to get a lot of flack for this but.... Alvardo is NOT a point guard.

There's nothing controversial about saying that. He's more of a lead guard which is perfectly fine. You almost need that nowadays. Give me that over some non-scoring pass guy any day.

 

[GT_EE78]

Has anyone tried to determine who our best defensive lineup is?? I'd think Jose,Devoe,Banks and Moore may be top four.. Everyone seems decent on D except sjolund and Og

 

[lauraee]

I want to see more of Alvarado, devoe, banks, Moore, & Haywood.

 

[GT_EE78]

I want to see more of Alvarado, devoe, banks, Moore, & Haywood.

that would be a good starting lineup

 

[shakim3]

Echo what everyone is saying about Devoe. RJ Barrett absolutely loved playing with Devoe because he's incredibly intelligent on the court. It won't show up as much until he gets used to his new role (in HS he was the starting PG, but often immediately gave the ball up to Barrett and cut away to the 3pt line). Also, this may sound odd, but there is a noticeable difference about how he dribbles, attacks defenders, and runs on the court. He knows what he's doing out there, and you can tell he's holding back just a little bit. He is an excellent 3PT shooter, has great hands, and should be our leading scorer for a long time. His defensive is also excellent and fits well next to Alvarado.

I know it's not obvious yet, but trust me on this one. Devoe will be one that's remembered here for a long time. (And I agree on Khalid. He can be better than Devoe if he works at it).

 

[Peacone36]

Echo what everyone is saying about Devoe. RJ Barrett absolutely loved playing with Devoe because he's incredibly intelligent on the court. It won't show up as much until he gets used to his new role (in HS he was the starting PG, but often immediately gave the ball up to Barrett and cut away to the 3pt line). Also, this may sound odd, but there is a noticeable difference about how he dribbles, attacks defenders, and runs on the court. He knows what he's doing out there, and you can tell he's holding back just a little bit. He is an excellent 3PT shooter, has great hands, and should be our leading scorer for a long time. His defensive is also excellent and fits well next to Alvarado.

I know it's not obvious yet, but trust me on this one. Devoe will be one that's remembered here for a long time. (And I agree on Khalid. He can be better than Devoe if he works at it).

This team also had Andrew Nembhard who was one of the purest point guards in the country.

 

[MtnWasp]

I want to see more of Alvarado, devoe, banks, Moore, & Haywood.

When Haywood packs his suitcase for a road game, he needs to remember to pack his game. He hasn't shown the ability to play well away from home yet (at least not this season. I don't remember about last season).

 

[Peacone36]

When Haywood packs his suitcase for a road game, he needs to remember to pack his game. He hasn't shown the ability to play well away from home yet (at least not this season. I don't remember about last season).

That happens. Depth perception in the home gym, different types of rims, background. The craziest stuff effects shooters

 

[YlJacket]

Hard to call him a shooter when puts up 4 shots in a game

 

[Peacone36]

Hard to call him a shooter when puts up 4 shots in a game

IMHO you gotta start Jose, Devoe and CGB and let e run wild. I’m nervous about Devoe. We need to show him love and make him and Jose the face of the program