Opportunity is at the door for Josh Pastner's Yellow Jackets

The Georgia Tech men’s basketball team has looked brand new since the beginning of January. A four-game win streak featuring two wins over top-25 teams has boosted the Yellow Jackets to 3-1 in the ACC, the Jackets first time being two games over .500 in the ACC since 2006, with some huge tests still left in front of them.

Ahead of Georgia Tech’s massive ACC test, Pastner reminded the media of the improvements the team has made since the New Year. “I’ve said it many, many times: If we could somehow petition the NCAA to not count the games pre-Christmas and only count post-Christmas games, I would. We’ve just been able to get healthy, practice, and what you’ve seen as the product on the floor is that we’ve gotten better.”

Their post-Christmas resume leads coach Josh Pastner to believe that this year’s team has potential to be a tournament team. What the Jackets have been able to accomplish when they’re healthy surely proves him right, but unfortunately, what happened before they were healthy cannot be erased. That being said, even with losses to Grambling, Wofford and Wright State, not all hope is lost for Pastner’s team. In fact, the best opportunity is knocking at the Yellow Jacket’s door.

Georgia Tech will seemingly be facing the giants when they square off against the second ranked Virginia Cavaliers on Thursday night, but a big game is exactly what this team needs and exactly what Josh Pastner needs. Big wins erase big losses, so while the early season losses will still be there, they will be leveled out with a win over the Cavs.

The Jackets are fighting to keep their tournament hopes alive. If they continue to play at a high level and keep their energy high in front of a sold-out crowd, there is no doubt that fans will be in for a classic in the Thrillerdome on Thursday.