Tech’s basketball schedules have been released for both the men’s and women’s teams with over 33 home games for Jacket’s fans to enjoy. The men’s team will play 16 games in McCamish Pavilion with 10 of them being against ACC opponents. The women’s team has one more home contest than the men with 17 for the season with nine being against ACC opponents. The competitive home openers for the Jackets are on Nov. 6, as there is a double header with the women’s team playing at 11 a.m. against Coastal Carolina and the men playing at 7:30 p.m. against Georgia Southern to complete a full opening slate for both Tech basketball programs.
The men’s team is undergoing a big change as they are moving on from former Head Coach Josh Pastner to former Celtics assistant and now Head Coach Damon Stoudamire. The coaching changes have brought a lot of interest to the Jackets. Alongside Coach Stoudamire, junior guard Miles Kelly returns after being last year’s leading scorer and looks to elevate his level of play. With all the buzz around the men’s program, the games are sure to give Jacket fans something to keep an eye on.
The men’s program will have many intriguing match ups throughout the season, but some of the most exciting come when Tech tips off against a few of the nation’s top programs. After the home opener, Tech will take on Duke on Dec. 2 which should be an intriguing game as Duke is projected to be one of the top teams in all of college basketball. Tech is also due to take on Virginia, who
is coming off a first round knock out in the NCAA Tournament last year and have long been perennial powerhouses in the ACC, on Jan. 20. One more exciting match up will be the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels, who are off the back of missing the NCAA tournament last year and are projected to bounce back
and return to being a top 10 team in the country. The Tar Heels will come to McCamish Pavilion to face the Jackets on Jan. 30. Tech’s match up against Florida State on March 2 is also sure to be a thriller as Tech managed to overcome the Seminoles in the ACC tournament last year and looks to win over a familiar ACC rival. After a disappointing 13-17 record overall and 4-14 conference record, the Jacket women are looking to bounce back this season. The Jackets will be boosted by the addition of two fifth year transfer guards, Sydney Johnson and Caitlyn Wilson, who were prominent scorers on their previous teams.
There are prominent games throughout the year for the women’s team with the most important coming in conference play. The first home game of large interest will be the contest against North Carolina. The Tar Heels are projected to be one of the top teams in the country and will be a good test for the Jackets on Jan. 18. In the very next game, Tech will take on is Boston College who knocked them out of the ACC tournament last season, and the Jackets will look to exact revenge. Tech taking on Louisville on Feb. 25 will be another important test for the team, and the game will be fascinating to see how an unproven Louisville squad performs without last year’s star players.
The upcoming basketball season will be fascinating to follow on both the men’s and women’s side. For the men, the season will open Coach Stoudamire’s tenure and show fans the program is trending upward. For the women, the team needs to show that last season was a fluke and that they are able to bounce back to the winning ways of previous seasons.