Previewing Georgia Tech

2009 Scouting Report/Schedule
2009 Game Plan
2009 Stats
2009 Roster

Georgia Tech Offense 07-08

Four Factors	Percent	Nat'l Rank
eFG%	52.8	52
Turnover Rate	21.0	179
Off Reb Rate	34.4	107
FTA/FGA	38.2	125

Georgia Tech Offense 08-09

Four Factors	Percent	Nat'l Rank
eFG%	48.4	174
Turnover Rate	22.1	236
Off Reb Rate	37.1	54
FTA/FGA	40.2	81

        2008    2009
2FG%    51.5    49.1
3FG%    37.2    30.6
FT%     70.1    57.8

Led by their strong shooting, the 2008 Jackets finished the year ranked 33rd in adjusted offensive efficiency. They were the third-best shooting team in ACC play, behind Maryland and Duke. Whether by way of graduation or regression, however, they've lost their ability to score efficiently and are in the process of coming to terms with a grim new reality full of clanks and thuds.

2FG%

Here at least, Tech's been able to stave off the precipitous decline they've seen elsewhere thanks largely to Gani Lawal and Alade Aminu. Both have stepped up their involvement considerably while also carrying over their efficient scoring.

Graduated: Jeremis Smith, who made 56.1% of his 205 two-point attempts in 2008, and D'Andre Bell, who shot 51.8%.

Oh, Great Timing: Zach Peacock didn't play a lot last season but was a significant part of the offense when he was on the court, taking 24.3% of the shots while maintaining a 55.4 2FG%. He's still that involved this season, and getting more minutes to boot, but his effectiveness is way down: he's made just 48.9% of his twos.

3FG%

Graduated: Anthony Morrow: 81-181 (44.8%); Matt Causey: 36-85 (42.4%).

Style Crisis: Maurice Miller shot well from outside as a freshman in 2008, but he started 2009 in a terrible slump and then got hurt, basically leaving the Jackets without their three most reliable outside shooters from a year ago. Miller is back now and, encouragingly, hit all three of his three-point attempts against Duke.

Hewitt's club needs the additional threat, because at this point, it's about the most one-dimensional team in the country; not only do the Jackets shoot poorly from three, they hardly ever bother to attempt them--21.5% of their field goal attempts come from beyond the arc, a proportion that ranks 339th. That sure simplifies the opponent's defensive game plan.

Which brings me to Lewis Clinch:

       3FGA/40   3FG%
FR/SO    6.7     43.9
JR/SR    7.3     31.4

As someone who has been a good three-point shooter in the past but is admittedly hurting the team of late, can you afford to ask him to scale it back a bit? Someone has to try to keep the defense honest.

FT%

"You have got to be kidding me. That's three airballed free throws this half."

*sheds single tear; urge to kill rises exponentially*

"No, you know what, no, Gani, go to the goddamn locker room. You see this?
You see what you've done? That was so fucking awful, I'm eating my own
goddamn tie just to get the bad taste out of my mouth."

Georgia Tech Defense 07-08

Four Factors	Percent	Nat'l Rank
eFG%	51.2	238
Turnover Rate	21.8	124
Off Reb Rate	35.2	265
FTA/FGA	48.7	330

Georgia Tech Defense 08-09

Four Factors	Percent	Nat'l Rank
eFG%	44.5	43
Turnover Rate	21.3	150
Off Reb Rate	29.7	58
FTA/FGA	36.3	175

Like Florida State, they're big. Time to find out if we learned anything.

I'm curious to see what happens when two teams that "don't know how to win" play each other. I hope the universe doesn't implode.