Previewing Georgia Tech

2008 Scouting Report / 2008 Game Plan
2008 Schedule
2008 Roster

Georgia Tech Offense 07-08Four FactorsPercentNat'l RankeFG%52.967Turnover Rate21.8174Off Reb Rate35.392FTM/FGA26.2130
You'd have a hard time finding a better team with a sub-.500 record.

With three very good offensive rebounders among Tech's top four minutes-getters in 2007, the Jackets had one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country. Two of the three--Thaddeus Young and Ra'Sean Dickey--are gone, and although their replacements have rebounded just as well, Paul Hewitt isn't allocating as many minutes to front court, and that has resulted in a significant slide here. But that's hardly a crisis; the Jackets continue to maintain an excellent offense overall.

Starters:

Maurice Miller (6-1, 181) -- Hewitt has done a little tinkering lately, giving the starting nod to Miller rather than Causey. Miller hasn't been as prolific at dealing assists as Causey has, but Miller has taken better care of the basketball. He also does a better job getting to the line

Anthony Morrow (6-5, 210) -- Looks like he's going to shoot better than 40% from beyond the arc for the third consecutive season. In addition to fantastic shooting from outside and from the FT line, he never turns the ball over, which makes him an incredibly efficient (if limited) player.

D'Andre Bell (6-5, 210) -- Bell has also found his way into the starting rotation recently; his insertion here costs the Jackets some offense, but it does allow Morrow to play his more natural position. Bell, the last few seasons:

 eFG% TO%
2006 39.4 27.8
2007 40.5 28.8
2008 52.3 30.7

He's only an occasional factor in the offense, with good reason, clearly.

Gani Lawal (6-8, 216) -- Hasn't been the instant impact player that some may have expected him to be, but who knows, that might actually be something of a relief, as I'm sure Paul Hewitt is growing weary of one-and-done players throwing his program into disarray. The shooting (from the field, anyway; his FT% is not so good) and rebounding are there, but turnovers have been an issue, and that's coupled with a paltry 3.7% assist rate. In this battle of poor passing freshmen big men, Lawal beats Hickson easily.

Jeremis Smith (6-8, 236) -- Continues to do an outstanding job of drawing contact and getting to the line; to go with that, he's finally hitting a decent percentage of his FTs. He's a good defender and an excellent all-around rebounder.

Bench:

Matt Causey (6-0, 186), Lewis Clinch (6-3, 195), Alade Aminu (6-10, 225), Zach Peacock (6-8, 235) round things out.

Causey has given the Jackets exactly what I'd hoped our point guards would give us this season. The turnovers have come with great frequency, but so have the assists: 8.5 per 40 minutes. He's also proven he can knock down the open threes when they come his way.

No one has benefited from Tech's depleted front court more than Aminu, who has seen his playing time increase significantly. He's providing the same things he did in limited action last season; he'll rebound, block some shots, and shoot reasonably well in the post.

Georgia Tech Defense 07-08Four FactorsPercentNat'l RankeFG%51.8251Turnover Rate22.6116Off Reb Rate31.9116FTA/FGA49.8329
Defense has been a serious problem, as opponents are shooting well on them both inside and out. They're also one of the most foul-prone teams in the country.

 PF/40min
Lawal 7.3
Causey 7.0
Peacock 5.6
Aminu 5.0
Bell 4.5
Smith 4.0

Call it a coin flip. Pomeroy has the Wolfpack by one.