In head coach Damon Stoudamire’s second year at the helm of the program, Tech basketball expected to take a step forward. Simply put, things haven’t gone according to expectations.
They made significant additions in the transfer portal with senior guard Javian McCollum from Oklahoma, senior forward Luke O’Brien from Colorado and redshirt junior Duncan Powell from Sacramento State. Premier prospect Jaeden Mustaf, a four-star recruit from Overtime Elite, joined Tech’s roster as a true freshman guard. Senior Kowacie Reeves Jr. and the exciting sophomore duo of Naithan George and Baye Ndongo formed a solid trifecta of existing talent for those additions to play off.
However, the Jackets currently have the third-worst record in the ACC at 8-11. They have a 2-6 record within the conference and the 152nd-best net rating in the country. Their recent stretch suggests that things aren’t going to get better soon. In their game against a solid Clemson Tigers team on Jan. 17th, the Jackets were down three starters in O’Brien, Reeves and senior Lance Terry. Still, it became quickly apparent this game would be difficult for Tech to seize from the Tigers. Clemson opened the game on an 8-0 run where the Jackets could not score for approximately the first seven minutes. Powell finally broke through with a layup, which sparked an excellent quarter for McCollum. He forced Clemson’s defense to foul him twice and found George for Tech’s first three-pointer of the game. Tech got within two at multiple points throughout the half, but Clemson’s defense stifled Tech before they could mount major scoring runs. The Jackets ended the half down 25-36 after shooting a dismal 20% from beyond the arc. Three-point shooting has been a problem for Tech all year — their deficiencies in this area have left them struggling to keep up with opposing offenses.
Fortunately, Tech’s offense looked much better in the second half. They shot 50% from three-point range and George opened up the half with a big three-pointer. George hit another jumper to keep Tech within seven points, but Clemson’s Jaeden Zackery answered with a massive three-pointer of his own. Zackery tore Tech’s defense apart with 21 points on 7-12 shooting, and the Jackets’ inability to stop him played a massive role in their loss. Ultimately, their defense as a whole was not good enough. They let Clemson shoot 44% from the field throughout the game and got out-muscled in the paint, giving up 28 points. The Tigers took a strong first half into a solid enough second half to seal a 70-59 win.
While the Jackets could not get the win, they were able to find some success on offense and looked to take those into a game against an excellent Florida State University (FSU) Seminoles team. The Seminoles are a tough test, but this was an opportunity for the Jackets to get their first ACC road win of the year. Fortunately, Tech got Terry back for this game and he scored the Jackets’ first points of the game. Once again though, their defense struggled and allowed a 12-4 run for the Seminoles. A three-pointer from sophomore forward Jerry Deng forced Stoudamire to call a timeout and regroup. However, FSU’s defense used the time to further key in on Tech’s guards and keep them from taking over the game. They held George and McCollum to a combined five points in the first half and took Tech’s main offensive options out of the game. Ultimately, the Jackets’ first half bore eerie similarities to the one they put up against Clemson — they shot 14.3% from three-point range and could not get anything going on offense.
Once again, Stoudamire and the team appeared to figure some things out at halftime. Tech dropped 54 points in the second half and shot a blistering 57.6% from the field. They finally started to connect on their threes and hit 46.7% of them. Unfortunately, the Seminoles elevated their game in the second half as well. They went from shooting 29.4% from deep in the first half to 40% to close out the game. George opened up the half with a jumper before Terry capitalized on a nice pass from McCollum to hit another one. The Terry-McCollum duo tore Florida State’s defense to shreds as they accounted for 35 points in the second half. McCollum hit his first three-pointer of the game with 14:30 left in the half to make it an eight-point game before Powell got fouled and hit both his free throws. Now down six, Tech had an opportunity to get back into this game.
Unfortunately, FSU’s Taylor Bol Bowen put a stop to that with a massive three-pointer. Still, the Jackets refused to quit. McCollum cut the deficit to single-digits at multiple points and had one of his strongest performances of the year as he kept Tech in the game. His efforts, along with timely shots from Powell and George, powered Tech’s offense while Ndongo showed up on the boards. The young forward finished the game with 12 rebounds, leading all players. Their efforts allowed Tech to make it a four-point game with five minutes left. However, the Seminoles immediately went on a 7-0 run that Tech couldn’t overcome. McCollum made another three to cut the lead to eight, but the offense ran out of gas, and Florida State finished with a 91-78 victory.
Although the final score does not illustrate the way Tech competed, they showed they have the talent to survive on offense if they can hold up on defense. Fortunately, the Jackets will have an opportunity to rectify their mistakes against Notre Dame on Tuesday, Jan. 28 in South Bend, Ind.