The Jackets basketball program hosted two newcomers to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) to solidify their No. 8 standing in the conference. The Stanford University Cardinal and the University of California Berkeley Golden Bears joined the ACC on Aug. 2, 2024, marking these games as their first against the Jackets in conference play. Stanford lies at No. 7, and Berkeley sits at No. 14 in the ACC, although the three teams are far closer when analyzing their record. The Golden Bears’ record is 12-14, just one game worse than the Jackets; the Cardinal hold an 8-7 conference record, just one game over Tech.
The Institute’s basketball team has been shorthanded the past few weeks with injuries to several key seniors in forward Luke O’Brien and guards Javian McCollum, Kowacie Reeves Jr. and Lance Terry, who returned against Berkeley. Sophomore guard Naithan George has put the program on his back in their absence, averaging24 points,5.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game in Tech’s last four games to earn the ACC Player of the Week honor.
The Cardinal took the court at McCamish Pavilion against Tech on Feb. 12 and never held a lead. Sophomore forward Baye Ndongo led the team’s game- high unanswered 10-point scoring push with a pick-and-roll lay-up plus a free -throw alongside an electric assist to freshman guard Jaeden Mustaf for the slam. The Jackets’ defense clamped Stanford:; by the 1:59 mark, the team had increased this lead to 20 points while holding the Cardinal to only 20 points in the half shooting 23.33% from the field.
Tech started the second half with a 15-point advantage and sustained their defensive intensity. The seven-foot Stanford star Maxime Reynaud came into this game as the ACC leader in points and rebounds per game (RPG) at 20.4 PPG and 11.7 RPG. Redshirt freshman forward Ibrahim Souare and redshirt sophomore forward Duncan Powell limited Reynaud to a season- low eight points and six rebounds. In the last ten minutes, the Cardinal began to stitch together a comeback alongside their game-best nine-point run, but behind George’s game-high 22-point performance, the Jackets won 60-52.
“The only thing I’ve been preaching is physicality,” said head coach Damon Stoudamire when asked about the mindset in game-planning for Stanford.
The team’s mentality has been paramount to their recent success in ACC matchups, and this was no different in preparing for Berkeley.
The Jackets displayed their commanding perseverance in the overtime matchup versus the Golden Bears. Although they remained shorthanded, the return of Terry gave Tech much-needed energy. The half began with the teams alternating points before the Jackets strung together an eight-point scoring run to break away from Berkeley, underlined by a saved turnover and consecutive athletic layup by Powell. This lead was capitalized upon near the end of the half after a Mustaf three, assisted by Terry, put Tech up by nine — their largest lead of the night. Berkeley bridged the gap to only five points to close the half 39-34.
Back-and-forth buckets spelled the second half. The Golden Bears’ best player of the night was freshman guard Jeremiah Wilkinson, an Atlanta native who shined in his return to the city. After a slow first half, Wilkinson made three of five attempts from beyond the arc, scoring 18 total points in the second half. Powell matched this eruption, making all three of his long-distance shots in the second half. Amid Berkeley’s comeback, Mustaf plucked a steal and slammed an emphatic poster between two Golden Bears.
As the clock ran down, neither team relented — every calculated drive and smooth assist was seemingly mirrored between Tech and Berkeley. With 42 seconds to go, the Golden Bears tied the game at 79 points. Despite a late three-pointer attempted by Terry and a last- second Wilkinson floater, the game entered overtime.
Berkeley struck a three-pointer within 15 seconds of overtime and increased their lead to five points, their biggest of the game, yet the Jackets were not discouraged. George stepped back for a three in retaliation to score his 26th point of the night, which was followed by a Mustaf steal and assist on a quick Terry layup. The Golden Bears kept fighting as they regained the lead 86-88 before George connected to Ndongo for a fouled turnaround two-pointer. Ndongo missed the free throw to put the Jackets up by one, however, Powell stole possession to give the team 21 seconds for another chance. George drove hard into the paint as time went under five -seconds but his last- second shot fell short; Ndongo reached for a putback with 0.9 seconds on the game clock and the Jackets staved off the Golden Bears 90-88.
“Just gotta keep playing hard,” said Ndongo, whose 26-point performance matched George’s for the game-high.
The Jackets improved their ACC record to 7-8 following last week’s play, one victory short of their total ACC wins last season. Although the team approaches a week of rest, the energy cannot be cut short — Tech looks to build an ACC winning streak ahead of the ACC Tournament as they travel to Chestnut Hill, Mass., on Feb. 22 to take on the Boston College Eagles.