Georgia Tech Basketball Faces TCU for NIT Championship
Yellow Jackets and Horned Frogs tip off at 8 p.m. ET Thursday night at Madison Square Garden
New York, N.Y. – Georgia Tech (21-15) will face TCU (23-15) in its first National Invitation Tournament championship game in 46 years Thursday night, March 30, at 8 p.m. at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Game notes | Watch live online | Above the rim cameras
The Yellow Jackets, the No. 6 seed in the Syracuse bracket, last reached the finals in 1971, when the entire NIT was staged at Madison Square Garden. Georgia Tech fell to North Carolina, 84-64, in the championship game. Tech advanced to the final by defeating Indiana (75-63) and Belmont (71-57) at home before eliminating Ole Miss, 74-66, on the road on March 21, and then downed CSU Bakersfield, 76-61, Tuesday night in New York. The Jackets went 8-10 in the ACC this season, finishing 11th.
TCU, the No. 4 seed in the Iowa bracket, has reached the NIT finals for the first time in seven appearances, having advanced by beating Fresno State at home, 66-59, the Hawkeyes on the road, 94-92, and Richmond at home, 86-68, before eliminating UCF, 68-53, at the Garden on Tuesday night. The Horned Frogs went 6-12 this season in the Big 12, tying for seventh place.
The championship game will be televised nationally on ESPN. Live streaming is available on the WatchESPN app. Radio coverage of Tech’s games is provided by Tech’s flagship station, 680 the Fan (680 AM/93.7 FM), and can be heard nationally on the Westwood One Radio Network, available on SiriusXM channel 84.
THE STARTING LINEUP
• Georgia Tech is playing in the NIT for the ninth time, and has made it to the finals for the first time since 1971, when the Yellow Jackets lost to North Carolina in the championship game. This is the 25th post-season appearance overall in program history.
• Tech’s last trip to play in Madison Square Garden occurred in November of 2003. That season, the Yellow Jackets knocked off top-ranked Connecticut and No. 25 Texas Tech to win the Pre-Season NIT at the Garden, helping propel Tech to a 12-0 start and an eventual berth in the national championship game against UConn.
• Tech has defeated four top-100 RPI teams in the NIT - Indiana (79), Belmont (60), Ole Miss (77) and CSU Bakersfield (76). TCU is No. 67, and Tech, at No. 106, is the lowest-ranked team in the NIT final four.
• Tech has won 20 games for the second straight year and for the 16th time in program history. Only six of those have come in the last 20 years. Tech has not had back-to-back 20-win seasons since 2003-04 and 2004-05.
• Tech’s 21 wins with head coach Josh Pastner represent the most for a first-year head coach in Tech history. The previous high was 17 under Paul Hewitt in 2000-01 and Roy Mundorff in 1926-27.
• Tech has the sixth most efficient defense in the country according to KenPom.com, giving up 90.4 points per 100 possessions. The Yellow Jackets are the highest-ranked team in the nation in that category not playing in the NCAA Tournament. Tech ranks 13th nationally in field goal percentage defense, 47th in scoring defense and No. 5 in blocked shots per game. The Jackets rank No. 1 in the ACC in field goal percentage defense (39.4 pct.), and No. 4 in scoring defense (66.2 ppg).
• Tech set a new season record for blocked shots in a season Tuesday night with eight against CSU Bakersfield. The Jackets now have 216, led by Ben Lammers’ 122, beats the mark of 209 set by the 1997-98 team, which was led by Alvin Jones’ school-record 141.
• Tech managed to win eight ACC games this year and reach the post-season despite ranking 14th in the ACC in scoring, 15th in field goal percentage and three-point percentage, and 14th in free throw percentage. The Jackets rank No. 267 in adjusted offensive efficiency according to KenPom.com.
• Tech has averaged 74.0 points, is shooting 47.3 percent from the floor and 32.3 percent from three-point range in its four NIT games. The Jackets also have a 77-to-39 assist/turnover ratio and have held their three opponents to 36.5-percent shooting from the floor.
• Freshman Josh Okogie is pacing the Yellow Jackets in the NIT, averaging 21.8 points per game (26 vs. Ole Miss, 22 vs. CSU Bakersfield) while hitting 49.2 percent of his shots from the floor and 25-of-32 from the free throw line.
• Ben Lammers’ +10.8 per game scoring average increase over the 2015-16 season is the third-best in the ACC, behind John Collins of Wake Forest and Matt Farrell of Notre Dame. But Tadric Jackson (+7.2), Quinton Stephens (+5.5) and Josh Heath (+2.9) have more than doubled their scoring outputs over last season.
• Three keys for Tech to win - The Jackets are 21-3 this season when they shoot a better percentage from the floor than their opponent, are 17-0 when scoring 70 points and 20-3 when attempting more free throws than the opponent.
• Georgia Tech is 4-4 against teams in the top 25 of CBSSports.com’s RPI rankings as of Monday, and have beaten 10 top-100 teams this season.
• With its first two NIT victories at home, the Yellow Jackets established a new program record for home wins in a season (17-4). The 2006-07 team went 16-1 at home.
• Georgia Tech has defeated three AP top-25 teams this season (No. 9 North Carolina, No. 6 Florida State, No. 14 Notre Dame), the most in one season for the program since the Yellow Jackets went 4-3 vs. top-25 teams in 2003-04. Tech has beaten as many as three top-25 teams in one season six times prior to this season.
• Tech has beaten two AP top-10 teams this season – No. 9 North Carolina and No. 6 Florida State – the first time the Yellow Jackets have beaten multiple top-10 teams in the same season since 2004-05 (No. 5 Wake Forest in the regular season and No. 2 North Carolina in the ACC Tournament). It is the first time since 2003-04 that the Jackets have beaten multiple top-10 teams in the regular season (No. 1 Connecticut, No. 10 Wake Forest, No. 3 Duke). It is the 18th time in program history that Tech has defeated multiple top-10 teams in the same season.
• Tech was one of two teams to finish the regular season with a winning record (3-2) against the top four seeds in the ACC Tournament (Virginia is the other).
TECH’S NIT HISTORY
Georgia Tech has an 14-8 record all-time in nine appearances in the National Invitation Tournament, reaching the finals once (1971) and the quarterfinals four other times. The Yellow Jackets are 6-1 in post-season NIT games at home, 2-6 on the road, 5-2 at Madison Square Garden.
• Tech last reached the final four of the NIT in 1971 behind its all-time leading scorer, Rich Yunkus, defeating LaSalle, Michigan and St. Bonaventure in double-overtime) before losing to North Carolina in the championship game. The entire tournament was played at Madison Square Garden in those days, and only conference champions made the NCAA Tournament field.
• Tech reached the quarterfinals three times in its last four NIT appearances before this season, coming up one win short of playing in New York. Last season, the Yellow Jackets reached the quarterfinals by defeating Houston at home, 81-62, and South Carolina on the road, 83-66, before falling to San Diego State on the road, 72-56.
• The Jackets’ 2002-03 team, when current NBA stars Chris Bosh and Jarrett Jack were freshmen on a team that also included B.J. Elder, Tech’s 12th all-time leading scorer and Marvin Lewis, No. 21 on the all-time scoring list, defeated Ohio State at home and Iowa on the road before an 80-72 loss to a Bob Knight-coached Texas Tech team in Lubbock.
• Tech also made the quarterfinals in 1998 with a team led by No. 2 all-time leading scorer Matt Harpring, defeating Seton Hall and Georgetown before losing to Penn State, 75-70. All three games were played at home.
TECH AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
Georgia Tech is making its 11th trip to Madison Square Garden, which includes two previous appearances in the (post-season) National Invitation Tournament in 1970 and 1971. The Yellow Jackets are 15-7 all-time in the “World’s Most Famous Arena.”
Tech has also played in three Pre-Season NIT tournaments (1991, 1995, 2003), four Holiday Festivals (1986, 1993, 1996, 1998), and a single game against Iona in 1989.
On Tech’s last trip to the Garden in November of 2003, the Yellow Jackets knocked off top-ranked Connecticut and No. 25 Texas Tech to win the Pre-Season NIT, helping propel Tech to a 12-0 start and an eventual berth in the national championship game against UConn.
SERIES NOTES VS. TCU
• Georgia Tech and TCU are playing for the first time since the mid-1960s, when the Yellow Jackets and Horned Frogs played twice in the space of three seasons, both games at Alexander Memorial Coliseum in Atlanta.
• Tech defeated TCU, 112-87, on Dec. 1, 1965, and 70-67 two years later on Dec. 21, 1967.
• Tech coach Josh Pastner has never faced Jamie Dixon as opposing head coaches, and never faced TCU while the head coach at Memphis. The Yellow Jackets, however, went 1-3 against Pittsburgh with Dixon as the head man.
• Tech and TCU have one common opponent in the 2016-17 season - Wofford. The Yellow Jackets defeated the Terriers at home, 76-72, on Dec. 22. The Horned Frogs downed Wofford, 72-63, also at home, on Dec. 10.
Yellow Jackets and Horned Frogs tip off at 8 p.m. ET Thursday night at Madison Square Garden
New York, N.Y. – Georgia Tech (21-15) will face TCU (23-15) in its first National Invitation Tournament championship game in 46 years Thursday night, March 30, at 8 p.m. at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Game notes | Watch live online | Above the rim cameras
The Yellow Jackets, the No. 6 seed in the Syracuse bracket, last reached the finals in 1971, when the entire NIT was staged at Madison Square Garden. Georgia Tech fell to North Carolina, 84-64, in the championship game. Tech advanced to the final by defeating Indiana (75-63) and Belmont (71-57) at home before eliminating Ole Miss, 74-66, on the road on March 21, and then downed CSU Bakersfield, 76-61, Tuesday night in New York. The Jackets went 8-10 in the ACC this season, finishing 11th.
TCU, the No. 4 seed in the Iowa bracket, has reached the NIT finals for the first time in seven appearances, having advanced by beating Fresno State at home, 66-59, the Hawkeyes on the road, 94-92, and Richmond at home, 86-68, before eliminating UCF, 68-53, at the Garden on Tuesday night. The Horned Frogs went 6-12 this season in the Big 12, tying for seventh place.
The championship game will be televised nationally on ESPN. Live streaming is available on the WatchESPN app. Radio coverage of Tech’s games is provided by Tech’s flagship station, 680 the Fan (680 AM/93.7 FM), and can be heard nationally on the Westwood One Radio Network, available on SiriusXM channel 84.
THE STARTING LINEUP
• Georgia Tech is playing in the NIT for the ninth time, and has made it to the finals for the first time since 1971, when the Yellow Jackets lost to North Carolina in the championship game. This is the 25th post-season appearance overall in program history.
• Tech’s last trip to play in Madison Square Garden occurred in November of 2003. That season, the Yellow Jackets knocked off top-ranked Connecticut and No. 25 Texas Tech to win the Pre-Season NIT at the Garden, helping propel Tech to a 12-0 start and an eventual berth in the national championship game against UConn.
• Tech has defeated four top-100 RPI teams in the NIT - Indiana (79), Belmont (60), Ole Miss (77) and CSU Bakersfield (76). TCU is No. 67, and Tech, at No. 106, is the lowest-ranked team in the NIT final four.
• Tech has won 20 games for the second straight year and for the 16th time in program history. Only six of those have come in the last 20 years. Tech has not had back-to-back 20-win seasons since 2003-04 and 2004-05.
• Tech’s 21 wins with head coach Josh Pastner represent the most for a first-year head coach in Tech history. The previous high was 17 under Paul Hewitt in 2000-01 and Roy Mundorff in 1926-27.
• Tech has the sixth most efficient defense in the country according to KenPom.com, giving up 90.4 points per 100 possessions. The Yellow Jackets are the highest-ranked team in the nation in that category not playing in the NCAA Tournament. Tech ranks 13th nationally in field goal percentage defense, 47th in scoring defense and No. 5 in blocked shots per game. The Jackets rank No. 1 in the ACC in field goal percentage defense (39.4 pct.), and No. 4 in scoring defense (66.2 ppg).
• Tech set a new season record for blocked shots in a season Tuesday night with eight against CSU Bakersfield. The Jackets now have 216, led by Ben Lammers’ 122, beats the mark of 209 set by the 1997-98 team, which was led by Alvin Jones’ school-record 141.
• Tech managed to win eight ACC games this year and reach the post-season despite ranking 14th in the ACC in scoring, 15th in field goal percentage and three-point percentage, and 14th in free throw percentage. The Jackets rank No. 267 in adjusted offensive efficiency according to KenPom.com.
• Tech has averaged 74.0 points, is shooting 47.3 percent from the floor and 32.3 percent from three-point range in its four NIT games. The Jackets also have a 77-to-39 assist/turnover ratio and have held their three opponents to 36.5-percent shooting from the floor.
• Freshman Josh Okogie is pacing the Yellow Jackets in the NIT, averaging 21.8 points per game (26 vs. Ole Miss, 22 vs. CSU Bakersfield) while hitting 49.2 percent of his shots from the floor and 25-of-32 from the free throw line.
• Ben Lammers’ +10.8 per game scoring average increase over the 2015-16 season is the third-best in the ACC, behind John Collins of Wake Forest and Matt Farrell of Notre Dame. But Tadric Jackson (+7.2), Quinton Stephens (+5.5) and Josh Heath (+2.9) have more than doubled their scoring outputs over last season.
• Three keys for Tech to win - The Jackets are 21-3 this season when they shoot a better percentage from the floor than their opponent, are 17-0 when scoring 70 points and 20-3 when attempting more free throws than the opponent.
• Georgia Tech is 4-4 against teams in the top 25 of CBSSports.com’s RPI rankings as of Monday, and have beaten 10 top-100 teams this season.
• With its first two NIT victories at home, the Yellow Jackets established a new program record for home wins in a season (17-4). The 2006-07 team went 16-1 at home.
• Georgia Tech has defeated three AP top-25 teams this season (No. 9 North Carolina, No. 6 Florida State, No. 14 Notre Dame), the most in one season for the program since the Yellow Jackets went 4-3 vs. top-25 teams in 2003-04. Tech has beaten as many as three top-25 teams in one season six times prior to this season.
• Tech has beaten two AP top-10 teams this season – No. 9 North Carolina and No. 6 Florida State – the first time the Yellow Jackets have beaten multiple top-10 teams in the same season since 2004-05 (No. 5 Wake Forest in the regular season and No. 2 North Carolina in the ACC Tournament). It is the first time since 2003-04 that the Jackets have beaten multiple top-10 teams in the regular season (No. 1 Connecticut, No. 10 Wake Forest, No. 3 Duke). It is the 18th time in program history that Tech has defeated multiple top-10 teams in the same season.
• Tech was one of two teams to finish the regular season with a winning record (3-2) against the top four seeds in the ACC Tournament (Virginia is the other).
TECH’S NIT HISTORY
Georgia Tech has an 14-8 record all-time in nine appearances in the National Invitation Tournament, reaching the finals once (1971) and the quarterfinals four other times. The Yellow Jackets are 6-1 in post-season NIT games at home, 2-6 on the road, 5-2 at Madison Square Garden.
• Tech last reached the final four of the NIT in 1971 behind its all-time leading scorer, Rich Yunkus, defeating LaSalle, Michigan and St. Bonaventure in double-overtime) before losing to North Carolina in the championship game. The entire tournament was played at Madison Square Garden in those days, and only conference champions made the NCAA Tournament field.
• Tech reached the quarterfinals three times in its last four NIT appearances before this season, coming up one win short of playing in New York. Last season, the Yellow Jackets reached the quarterfinals by defeating Houston at home, 81-62, and South Carolina on the road, 83-66, before falling to San Diego State on the road, 72-56.
• The Jackets’ 2002-03 team, when current NBA stars Chris Bosh and Jarrett Jack were freshmen on a team that also included B.J. Elder, Tech’s 12th all-time leading scorer and Marvin Lewis, No. 21 on the all-time scoring list, defeated Ohio State at home and Iowa on the road before an 80-72 loss to a Bob Knight-coached Texas Tech team in Lubbock.
• Tech also made the quarterfinals in 1998 with a team led by No. 2 all-time leading scorer Matt Harpring, defeating Seton Hall and Georgetown before losing to Penn State, 75-70. All three games were played at home.
TECH AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
Georgia Tech is making its 11th trip to Madison Square Garden, which includes two previous appearances in the (post-season) National Invitation Tournament in 1970 and 1971. The Yellow Jackets are 15-7 all-time in the “World’s Most Famous Arena.”
Tech has also played in three Pre-Season NIT tournaments (1991, 1995, 2003), four Holiday Festivals (1986, 1993, 1996, 1998), and a single game against Iona in 1989.
On Tech’s last trip to the Garden in November of 2003, the Yellow Jackets knocked off top-ranked Connecticut and No. 25 Texas Tech to win the Pre-Season NIT, helping propel Tech to a 12-0 start and an eventual berth in the national championship game against UConn.
SERIES NOTES VS. TCU
• Georgia Tech and TCU are playing for the first time since the mid-1960s, when the Yellow Jackets and Horned Frogs played twice in the space of three seasons, both games at Alexander Memorial Coliseum in Atlanta.
• Tech defeated TCU, 112-87, on Dec. 1, 1965, and 70-67 two years later on Dec. 21, 1967.
• Tech coach Josh Pastner has never faced Jamie Dixon as opposing head coaches, and never faced TCU while the head coach at Memphis. The Yellow Jackets, however, went 1-3 against Pittsburgh with Dixon as the head man.
• Tech and TCU have one common opponent in the 2016-17 season - Wofford. The Yellow Jackets defeated the Terriers at home, 76-72, on Dec. 22. The Horned Frogs downed Wofford, 72-63, also at home, on Dec. 10.
