Matchup: #15 North Carolina (18-8, 8-5 ACC)
vs
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (12-14, 3-11 ACC)
Date/Time: Saturday, February 21, 2015 @ 12:00pm EST
Location: Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC
TV/Radio: ACC Network or ESPN3 / Tar Heel Sports Network
After nearly three weeks away from the friendly confines of the Dean E. Smith Center, Carolina returns to Chapel Hill on Saturday afternoon in search of some home cooking and a much-needed conference win against Georgia Tech. Coming off a two-point loss to Duke in an Overtime classic earlier this week, the Tar Heels have dropped back-to-back and four of its last five games. Getting back in the win column is paramount to UNC's season at this point and would pump a bit more confidence into the team which is definitely essential to the team's success. Carolina (18-8, 8-5) comes into this matchup tied for fourth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference with Louisville and Syracuse, so there is no room for slip-ups if the Heels want to secure a top-four spot and double-bye in the ACC Tournament. The Yellow Jackets (12-14, 3-11) have had their struggles this season, starting 0-7 in league play, but have turned things around a smidgen by going 3-4 in the last seven games and moving up from cellar-dweller in the ACC. Georgia Tech hopes to ride the momentum of a double-digit victory over Clemson at home on Monday and pull off a huge win against a Top-15 squad.
The Tar Heels were extremely disappointed and upset with the way they handled the final four minutes of the Duke game during regulation. A number of mental mistakes and free throw jitters led to the 10-point collapse so it is imperative that Carolina bounce back in a positive manner versus the Yellow Jackets. Confidence can be fragile in the world of sports and the Heels have had their share of confidence killers so far this season. We all remember these last four losses; the sting of the 18-point lead that vanished into thin air in the second half on the road at Louisville, the lackluster effort at home in a loss to Virginia, another uninspired 40 minutes of defensive play against Pitt, and then the exhilarating yet heart-breaking loss to the Blue Devils in Overtime. What is most important now, and vital to the future advancement of UNC this year, is the ability for the coaches and players to learn from these wounds and attack each and every minute of preparation with the ferocity of a lion. Developing a killer instinct and just being doggone fed-up with losing can go a long way in redirecting Carolina's fate.
It all starts with Marcus Paige.
Yes, Paige has been dealing with plantar fasciitis all season long and, Lord knows, this injury can be one of the most annoying and painful ones an athlete will deal with. However, the Preseason All-American and ACC Player of the Year is the leader of this squad and he and the team must find a way to get him back into the flow as the regular season winds down. Paige still leads the Heels in scoring (13.6 ppg) but, after two straight games with single-digit scoring outputs, Carolina desperately needs an offensive spark from the perimeter. His recent shooting woes (and, truthfully, the whole season hasn't been completely Paige-esque) have been covered and critiqued throughout the media and sports nation. Now is a perfect time for Paige to find his rhythm and once again stake his claim as the best shooter in the league. Marcus carries a 37.4% 3-pt field goal percentage and leads the team in assists with 4.2 apg (just barely beating out J.P. Tokoto by percentage points) but, by becoming a consistent perimeter threat once again, the Marion, Iowa native could accomplish so much more for himself and his team.
One thing the Heels are doing well consistently is scoring in the paint. Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks have, for the most part, powered the Carolina engine all season long. The dynamic duo both average 12.7 ppg and rack up a combined 15.6 rebounds per game. Tokoto has been very successful when he puts his mind to it at slashing to the basket and finishing strong around the rim (just ask the Dookies) and Isaiah Hicks has shown spells of being a break-out superstar for UNC. In order to continue its effectiveness on the offensive end, Carolina will have to pound the ball inside against Georgia Tech and be exceptionally physical with the Yellow Jackets downlow. As long as the Heels can continue to dominate the paint, it leaves the opportunity for Paige, Nate Britt, and Joel Berry to knock down shots from the outside. Given the perimeter guys must do their part to make those shots, the offense is going to flow from the inside-out for the Heels and that means Georgia Tech should see strong doses of Johnson and Meeks aggressively attacking the painted area.
The Yellow Jackets have had their share of tough times this year but there have been a few bright spots to the season. The star that has burned the brightest for Georgia Tech is junior forward Marcus Georges-Hunt who is one of only two Jacket players averaging double figures. Georges-Hunt tops his team with 13.8 ppg and he pulls down 5.7 boards per contest. The College Park, Ga. native has been on a roll lately in the conference by scoring an average 16.6 points and 53.4% field goal shooting over the last eight games. Carolina must concentrate on slowing down Georges-Hunt's offensive production because if the Heels can contain him there has not been many other options when it comes to offense for the Yellow Jackets.
Georgia Tech ranks next to last in the ACC in scoring average (64.4 points per game) but they attempt the fourth-most field goal attempts in the conference. That all adds up to a 41.5% shooting percentage which is close to the bottom of the league (14th). Besides Georges-Hunt, only Charles Mitchell averages double-figures, and just barely with an average of 10.0. Look for Carolina to speed up the Yellow Jackets and find a way to get out on the fast break for easy buckets on the offensive end. The Tar Heels did a great job of turning over Duke Wednesday night and it will be interesting to see if the Heels can continue that effort. Duke drained 10 3's on Carolina this week, but don't expect the Yellow Jackets to follow suit (unless they decide to shoot lights out like Pitt did on Valentine's Day). Georgia Tech is the worst three-point shooting team in the ACC, connecting on only 27.7% of their long-range attempts. The Heels may be able to once again play their zone and pack the middle on Georges-Hunt and Mitchell which could shut down any offensive attack the Jackets have planned.
Both teams rebound the ball extraordinarily well. Carolina comes into the game, leading the ACC, boasting a +9.2 rebounding margin (42.6 to 33.4) while Georgia Tech is third behind Virginia with a +7.9 rebounding margin (38.4 to 30.5). Offensive rebounding is a strength of both team. In fact, the Yellow Jackets rank 10th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage (38.9%) and pull down 14.1 offensive boards a game. Carolina trumps that by ripping down 15.2 offensive boards per contest, so whichever team can keep the opponent from corralling its own misses will have a definite advantage in this one. Limiting team's to one shot per possession has been a difficult task for the Heels this season (opponents average 12.4 offensive rebounds per game) and the Yellow Jackets will be no slouch in this category. Look for offensive rebounds to be a crucial statistic in deciding a victor in Saturday's matchup.
Justin Jackson seemed lost during the game at Duke, only scoring two points and having the "deer in the headlights" look about him. The freshman from Texas must bounce back from such a performance with a decent showing against the Yellow Jackets. Getting right back into the flow of the offense and seeing the ball go through the net will only enhance and improve his confidence. Jackson, as Coach Roy Williams has long said, could be that extra perimeter spark plug that leads the team to bigger and better things. He hasn't quite risen to the occasion yet, but he is only a freshman and figuring the game out more and more as the season progresses. I look for Jackson to rebound from his lackluster performance and deliver a much better showing against Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets, even in its losses, have found a way to keep their games close. 10 of their 11 losses within the conference have come by a combined 38 points (that's only losing by an average of 3.8 pts per game). In victories, Georgia Tech has won its three conference games by a total of 45 points (all wins in conference were by double figures). So, for having a sub-.500 record, this team does not get blown out and usually stays in the game until the end. Hopefully, Carolina can hit a hot streak and blow that statistic out of the water like Virginia did when it defeated the Jackets by 29 points earlier this season.
Saturday's game will be the first of two between the two squads within a 10-day period. The teams are scheduled to meet in Atlanta on March 3rd. The Tar Heels lead the all-time series with the Yellow Jackets, 64-24. Carolina is 27-6 against Georgia Tech in Chapel Hill (22-4 in the Dean Dome). Over the last 16 games against the Jackets in Chapel Hill, since 1997, UNC owns a 14-2 record with its only two losses at home in that time span coming in 2010 and 2011.
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