Dinged-Up Jackets Back On The Road Against #6 Louisville
Josh Pastner and Georgia Tech (8-10) (3-5 ACC) are looking to get back in the winning column after close losses to Notre Dame and Virginia, but the opportunity will not get easier as the banged up Jackets are set to travel to Kentucky for a game against the sixth ranked team in the country, the Louisville Cardinals (15-3) (6-1 ACC).
Georgia Tech looked to be trending up in ACC play after winning two of three games against North Carolina, Duke and Boston College, but have since struggled to win games that they really need to win to take the next step as a program.
A win against Louisville would create much needed momentum for Tech, but recent history is not on their side as the Jackets have lost their last 19 road games against top 25 opponents (last W: January 5th, 2015 @ Miami). Despite having an underwhelming record at 8-10 and 3-5 in conference play, Pastner believes that the Jackets are much better than those numbers portray.
"We have gotten better," Pastner said. "We have improved, we are a better team than what we have been. Offensively, it is the best we have been in our four years here. Pace of play, we have been the best, we are shooting the ball the best we have been, we are scoring the best we have been.
Everyone here knows that I am a guy that looks at things with the glass overflowing, so I am always going to look at it as an optimist. I do know our record hasn't showed to what it is."
Despite playing better offensively and continuing to be a very good defensive team, turnovers and rebounds have costed the Jackets wins. Ahead of Louisville, Pastner knows that those lost opportunities to score the ball are costing the team and is locking in on improving in those areas.
"The two areas we have to clean up are our turnovers and defensive rebounding," said Pastner. "That is what we are now locking in on, and if we can lock in and get those things cleaned up, we just have to get over that hump."
The hump only continues to get more steep in the ACC, and the Jackets will have a very small margin of error against the Cards who have improved drastically in year two under Chris Mack.
"We have a very good team we play Wednesday," Pastner said. "Chris Mack is one of the best coaches in the country, and they have great players. I said in the preseason that they are a surefire lock to play in Atlanta, that is how good I thought Louisville is. They will give us a great challenge and test, and we will have to be ready to go."
Unfortunately for Georgia Tech, some major contributors are dealing with minor injuries. Mike Devoe (lower body-questionable), Evan Cole (arm-probable) and Jose Alvarado (back-probable) are all dinged up prior to the game.
It will take a lot, but Georgia Tech truly is playing better ball since Jose Alvarado's return and the start of the new year. The Jackets have been able to pull off wins that no one saw coming in seasons past, and a win at Louisville would arguably be the best for the team under Pastner.
Tip time is set for 7:00 p.m. at the KFC Yum! Center, and the game will be televised on the ACC's Regional Sports Network.