Georgia Tech @ North Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 29, 2019 ) North Carolina 77, Georgia Tech 54

North Carolina has lost another guard to a knee injury, but enters Saturday’s home contest against Georgia Tech looking for Brandon Robinson to continue leading the way. The senior guard played a career-high 36 minutes in Monday’s 70-67 victory over Yale, finishing with a career-best 20 points and making 5-of-12 attempts from 3-point range as the Tar Heels won their second in a row following a four-game losing streak.

Robinson, who averages 10.3 points per game, likely will play a big role in settling North Carolina’s backcourt considering freshman guard Cole Anthony is out for at least another month following December knee surgery and freshman guard Anthony Harris is sidelined for the season after hurting his knee against Yale. “Credit to my teammates because they stayed in my ear the whole night and just told me to keep shooting,” Robinson told reporters after scoring 14 points in the second half. The Yellow Jackets got 19 points and a career-best six 3-pointers from sophomore guard Michael Devoe at Florida State on Tuesday, but struggled defensively in the second half of a 70-58 defeat. “We are getting better these last four games,” Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner told reporters, referencing the Yellow Jackets current 2-2 stretch. “I like the progress we are making.”

TIME: 6 p.m. ET. TV: ACC Network

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH (5-8, 1-2 ACC): Devoe ranks third in the ACC in scoring at 17.9 points and is shooting 45.8 percent from 3-point range after going 10-for-16 from behind the arc in the past three games. Junior forward Moses Wright is averaging 16.5 points on 58.7 percent shooting from the field and eight rebounds in his past four games with two double-doubles, including 13 points and 10 rebounds against Florida State. The Yellow Jackets are limiting opponents to 39.8 percent shooting from the field but allowed 53.3 percent shooting in the second half Tuesday.

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA (8-5, 1-1): Robinson has scored 32 points across his past two games on 8-for-21 shooting from 3-point range after scoring 27 points total in his four previous contests. Junior forward Garrison Brooks averages 12.3 points on 53.4 percent shooting from the field and 8.5 rebounds, tops on the roster (not counting Anthony’s 19.1 points), and freshman forward Armando Bacot adds 9.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. North Carolina entered the weekend leading the nation in rebounds per game (44.8) and ranked sixth in offensive rebounding (14.4).

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Georgia Tech junior G Jordan Usher is averaging 10.2 points in five games since becoming eligible after transferring from USC.

2. North Carolina has not shot better than 50 percent from the field in 2019-20, the program’s longest streak to start a season since 1959-60.

3. The Tar Heels have won nine of the past 10 matchups against Georgia Tech, including five in a row at home.

PREDICTION: North Carolina 74, Georgia Tech 62