Noting Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech Offense 08-09

Four Factors	Percent	Nat'l Rank
eFG%	46.9	245
Turnover Rate	23.1	288
Off Reb Rate	36.7	52
FTA/FGA	37.5	145

Georgia Tech Defense 08-09

Four Factors	Percent	Nat'l Rank
eFG%	44.5	25
Turnover Rate	20.8	156
Off Reb Rate	30.3	71
FTA/FGA	38.5	223

What's doin' with Georgia Tech since our last meeting? Anything new? No, not really, save for improved accuracy from the stripe:

Georgia Tech has turned into a free throw-making machine. The Jackets drained 17 of 20 shots from the line against Virginia Tech and have shot 77.2 percent in their last seven games, ever since their 7-for-19 night against Duke.

The Jackets are losers of five of six since their visit to Raleigh last month, and that skid has been characterized by the agonizing so-close-but-so-not-really losses to which they've become accustomed: four losses by five points or less, including one in OT.

Tech plays outstanding defense (28th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency), but when it gets to crunch time, their propensity for missed shots and turnovers ultimately provides too many opportunities for their opponents.

When it's all said and done, this Georgia Tech offense is likely to go down as the worst the league has seen in the last five seasons. The ten worst offenses in conference play since 2005:

Team      Off_Eff (Season)
GT          89.0  (2009)
UVA         94.7  (2009)
Wake        95.1  (2007)
UMD         95.4  (2009)
UMD         96.4  (2006)
Clemson     97.8  (2005)
VT          98.0  (2008)
FSU         98.2  (2005)
Clemson     99.3  (2006)
VT          99.5  (2005)

The Tech offense in depth:

                    In Conference Play
Off_Eff (Rk)   eFG% (Rk)   TO% (Rk)    OR% (Rk)    FTR (Rk)
89.0 (12)      44.6 (10)   25.2 (12)   33.9 (11)   33.0 (9)

Be thankful that Blogger does not offer a scratch-and-sniff feature (yet), because you'd need a keg of febreze to get rid of that shit. What does this much terrible smell like, I wonder. A dead hooker rotting in sewage?

They're squandering some very good defense...

                    In Conference Play
Def_Eff (Rk)   eFG% (Rk)   TO% (Rk)    OR% (Rk)    FTR (Rk)
96.5 (3)       44.2 (1)    18.7 (6)    30.5 (1)    41.0 (10)

Essentially, with both Tech and Tech's opponents shooting below 45% on the average, the Jackets have set the game of basketball so far back we're at a point in time where the sport has not even been invented. Had James Naismith seen the Tech/FSU game last week, he'd have concluded that this whole thing isn't worth it and taken up a nobler pursuit, like quilting, instead.

Conference foes are making just 42.3% of their twos and 32% of their threes against the Jackets, so the Pack's effort in the first meeting--45% from two, 37.5% from three--doesn't look so mediocre in retrospect. A similar effort from the field, along with better care of the basketball, should be enough to earn the Wolfpack a win on the road.