Ball St. @ Georgia Tech preview

Georgia Tech prides itself on playing strong defense, but offensive continuity continues to hurt the Yellow Jackets entering Wednesday’s home contest against Ball State. The Yellow Jackets pushed sixth-ranked Kentucky but just couldn’t sustain enough offense in Saturday’s 67-53 road loss, a game in which Georgia Tech pulled within three points with less than 14 minutes to play before missing seven shots in a row and 10 out of 11 as the deficit grew to 12 points.

“You just don’t have any margin for error not to score in those type of situations when you get those type of looks,” Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner told reporters afterward. “We put ourselves in the position to win the game defensively.” With junior point guard Jose Alvarado sidelined until at least the end of the month with a sprained right ankle, sophomore guard Michael Devoe has become the go-to option offensively. Devoe, third in the ACC in scoring at 19.4 points, finished with just five points against Kentucky on 2-for-11 shooting from the field. The Cardinals play their first game Wednesday since routing IUPUI 102-54 on Dec. 7, then face No. 22 Washington in the Diamond Head Classic opener Sunday.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN

ABOUT BALL STATE (5-4): The Cardinals rely heavily on their 3-point shooting, averaging 10.3 made 3s per game (13th nationally through Monday). Junior guard Ishmael El-Amin leads Ball State in scoring at 15.4 points and is 25-for-50 from 3-point range, while senior forward Kyle Mallers is 24-for-50 from long range and freshman guard Luke Bumbalough is 20-for-52. El-Amin is 12-for-20 from 3-point range and is averaging 21 points across his past three games.

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH (4-4): Junior forward Moses Wright has emerged on both ends of the floor, averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds on 56 percent shooting from the field across his past four games (including 13 points and 10 rebounds at Kentucky). Senior forward/center James Banks III ranks third nationally in blocked shots per game (3.9) while averaging 10.6 points and 7.6 rebounds. Devoe scored 20-plus points five times in his first six games, but in his past two contests has scored just 12 points total on 4-for-23 shooting from the field and 1-for-10 from 3-point range.

TIP-INS

1. Ball State is holding opponents to 38 percent shooting from the field and five opponents have failed to shoot 40 percent or better.

2. Georgia Tech transfer G Jordan Usher, who transferred from USC last winter, will make his debut Wednesday.

3. The Yellow Jackets also are playing in the Diamond Head Classic, opening play Sunday against Boise State.

PREDICTION: Ball State 68, Georgia Tech 63