Georgia Tech @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 20, 2019 ) Pittsburgh 65, Georgia Tech 73

Georgia Tech has its leading scorer back from injury, and last season’s leading scorer is playing his best basketball of the season entering Saturday’s ACC game at Pittsburgh. The Yellow Jackets have won three of their past four games, dominating Virginia Tech 76-57 on Tuesday as sophomore guard Michael Devoe scored 12 points after missing the past three games with a foot injury, and junior guard Jose Alvarado finished with 20 points and six assists.

“He’s playing real well and he’s got to continue playing that way,” Devoe told reporters postgame in describing Alvarado, who is averaging 18.8 points, five rebounds and 2.7 steals in his past six contests. The Panthers are going in the opposite direction of late, losing three of their past four following Wednesday’s 80-72 setback at Notre Dame. Freshman swingman Justin Champagnie scored 20 points and matched a career-high with 11 rebounds, giving him a team-best five double-doubles and his first 20-point, 10-rebound output of the season. “We have to do a better job minimizing our mistakes, especially on the road,” Pittsburgh coach Jeff Capel told the media after the Panthers committed seven turnovers in the first half and allowed Notre Dame to shoot 50 percent from the field in trailing by nine points at intermission.

TIME: 2 p.m. ET. TV: RSN

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH (11-12, 5-7 ACC): Devoe, who averages 16 points but was sidelined with a bruised left foot, shot 5-for-9 from the field and 2-for-5 from 3-point range in his return - one of four Yellow Jackets to score in double figures Tuesday. Junior forward Moses Wright scored 14 points with seven rebounds for his fourth double-figure scoring game in his past six contests. The Yellow Jackets shot 52.7 percent from the field Tuesday, their second-highest total of the season.

ABOUT PITTSBURGH (14-9, 5-7): Sophomore guard Trey McGowens registered his team-leading 17th game with 10-plus points Wednesday, and leads the Panthers in scoring at 12.8 points. Champagnie averages 11.8 points, but has surpassed that in four of his past five contests - averaging 14.6 points and 9.2 rebounds in that span. Pittsburgh is one of the lower scoring teams in the conference (averaging 66.5 points), and two scoring droughts totaling 7:34 was too much to overcome in the Notre Dame loss.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Pittsburgh sophomore G Xavier Johnson scored 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the field Wednesday, and recorded 30 points in his past two games after managing 27 in his previous three contests.

2. Alvarado is shooting 54.5 percent from the field (60 percent on two-point attempts) in his past two games.

3. Georgia Tech has won four of the past five meetings in the series.

PREDICTION: Georgia Tech 68, Pittsburgh 63