What UVA Basketball fans need to know about Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech has wins at N.C. State and North Carolina, and a close-call loss last week to Duke. Which is to say, don’t let that 8-9 record fool you.

Josh Pastner has his Yellow Jackets playing with tempo – 70.3 possessions per game, 100th nationally, according to KenPom.com.

They put up 82 in the win at N.C. State to open the season back in November, then 96 in the win over Carolina in Chapel Hill on Jan. 4, in which the Jackets shot 59 percent from the field.

The win at UNC was remarkable in its efficiency. Per Hoop-Math.com, Georgia Tech had 38 shots at the rim, and made 27, while also shooting 6-of-14 from three.

What you like about that one also, if you’re a stats geek: only nine two-point jumpers.

Now, yes, that game was an outlier for the Ramblin’ Wreck, which on the season is averaging 0.996 points per possession, according to KenPom.com, 193rd nationally, but it speaks to the ceiling for this group, which will go with an eight-man rotation, though the top six get the bulk of the minutes.

The point guard, 6’0” junior Jose Alvarado, averages 10.4 points and 5.3 assists per game, shooting 39.3 percent from the floor and 31.1 percent from three-point range.

The leading scorer is the two-guard, 6’5” sophomore Michael Devoe (16.5 ppg, 45.0% FG, 41.2% 3FG), who gets an impressive 38.6 percent of his shots at the rim.

Moses Wright, a 6’9” junior, is the go-to guy inside (13.8 ppg, 8.0 rebs/g, 55.1% FG), part of a 1-2 punch with 6’10” senior James Banks (10.4 ppg, 7.5 rebs/g, 50.4% FG).

The other two key guys are 6’7” three Jordan Usher (8.8 ppg, 39.5% FG) and Bubba Parham, a 5’10” transfer from VMI (6.5 ppg, 40.2% FG, 34.0% 3FG).

Usher has been getting the starts at the three of late, but Pastner has been going with a three-man backcourt of Alvarado, Parham and Devoe for long stretches over the past five games.

The most interesting lineup that he can throw out there has Alvarado and Parham as a small, quick backcourt, and then Wright and Banks as one of the bigger frontcourts you’ll see in college basketball, with Devoe attacking from three.

Story by Chris Graham