In the words of famed college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein, college basketball is the epitome of brutality. Those words rang especially true when Tech invited North Florida to McCamish on a cold, rainy Sunday. In retrospect, it was presumptive to think this game would be easy for Tech. The Ospreys came into the contest 2-0 highlighted by a win in Columbia, S.C., knocking off the University of South Carolina. If their performance against Tech is any indication, that win was not a fluke.
The game began as many Tech fans expected — the Jackets jumped out to an early nine-point lead to begin the contest. Much of that was fueled by an aggressive gameplan from head coach Damon Stoudamire that saw the Jackets put up plenty of threes in an effort to ground the Ospreys early. However, their marginal lead would only last for a few minutes before the Ospreys quickly fought back into the game. North Florida, led by freshman forward Josh Harris and sophomore guard Jasai Miles, quickly asserted their will upon the Jackets’ defense and forced a scoring run. Tech senior forward Luke O’Brien and senior guard Javian McCollum led the team with 11 and 12 points respectively, but even that could not keep up with the Ospreys’ offense. North Florida shot a whopping 56% from the field and made eight of nine free throws, leaving the Jackets stunned as they left the court for halftime. In a game where they were double-digit favorites, the Jackets found themselves trailing, 53-49.
Tech basketball could have used some of the winning energy around Bobby Dodd because they sorely lacked it in the second half. Much to the dissatisfaction of Stoudamire and the loyal fans in McCamish, the Jackers turned a first half where they shot 42% from three into a completely flat second half. Tech simply could not buy a bucket, and the Osprey lead widened to an unfathomable 21-point deficit. Even though they did beat the Gamecocks earlier this year, North Florida was not even picked to finish in the top three in the Atlantic Sun Preseason Poll. Tech’s defense, along with their poor rebounding, sagged along with the offense in the second half. Ultimately, it all added to a pitiful performance.
Despite allowing 105 points against the Ospreys and losing by 12, there were some bright spots for the Jackets offense from the game as a whole. Sophomore forward Baye Ndongo ended with 20 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double while four other Jackets finished with double-digit point totals. One of the best stories of the year for Jackets basketball also got off to an encouraging start as redshirt senior guard Lance Terry scored 14 points in his first competitive action in over a year in his return from a medical redshirt last season.
Tech didn’t have much time to dwell on the loss; they got back to work against the Texas Southern Tigers on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Fortunately, they tamed the Tigers quite easily in a 81-62 win that looked much better on both sides of the ball. Yet again, five Jackets hit double-digits on the scoreboard. Ndongo collected another double-double (19 points, 11 rebounds) and sophomore guard Naithan George dished out six assists while collecting 16 points of his own. Freshman center Doryan Onwuchekwa, who came to Tech as a three-star recruit, brought the energy on defense with seven defensive boards and two emphatic blocks.
George got things going by forcing a foul and sinking both of his free throws. However, the Tigers did a good job of staying with the Jackets. Texas Southern forward Grayson Carter was particularly effective as a two-way player, scoring the first eight points and getting a block very early into the game. Both teams remained in lockstep until the Jackets went on a 10-0 run fueled by a scoring flurry from senior guard McCollum. It gave them a 30-17 lead that they never relinquished. At the end of half, the Jackets built that gap up to a comfortable 49-24 lead. Their aggressive brand of offense really showed against Texas Southern — they forced 18 free throws and made 14 of them. The Jackets also shot well from three by hitting on 36.84% of their 19 attempts from deep, which stands in stark contrast to the Tigers attempting four.
Even though their shooting took a step back in the second half, Tech continued to play aggressive and get to the line, shooting 16 free throws. The three-point shooting took a dip (23.5% in the second half), but the trio of Reeves, Ndongo and George continued to shoot well in the half’s early minutes to build the lead up to 30. Reeves and George particularly stood out as floor spacers, hitting multiple threes to punctuate offensive possessions. With six minutes left in the half, the Tigers went on a small 10-3 run to cut the lead to 18, but Ndongo got fouled and sunk both his free throws to quell the momentum. From there, Reeves functionally ended any hope the Tigers were clutching onto with a deep three-pointer.
Throughout the early games of the season, Tech’s offense has stood out as multi-faceted. George, McCollum and Reeves are all capable shooters from deep while Ndongo’s ability as an interior scorer serves as an effective complement. This is also one of the better passing teams in the conference, and Tech is now third in the ACC in assists per game. Their next opportunity to showcase their offensive talent comes against u[sic]GA on Friday, Nov. 15 at home.