Georgia Tech @ Clemson preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 25, 2020 ) Clemson 59, Georgia Tech 68

Clemson steadily had built momentum while moving up the ACC standings the past two weeks until an ugly performance Wednesday, and the Tigers host Georgia Tech on Friday in the regular-season finale looking to rebound before the ACC tournament. The Tigers had won four of their previous five games before falling 70-58 at Virginia Tech, shooting 35.1 percent from the field, taking one free throw in the first half and trailing by as many as 17 points after halftime.

Senior guard/forward Tevin Mack was the lone Clemson player to score in double figures (12 points), as the Tigers shot 9-for-35 from 3-point range in a damaging defeat to their NCAA Tournament at-large hopes. “For whatever reason, mentally, we weren’t in the game and we didn’t recover,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell told the media afterward. “I thought we played soft on both ends.” Georgia Tech – which dropped its NCAA appeal earlier this week and therefore is not eligible for any postseason play – enters its season finale after beating Pittsburgh 73-57 on Wednesday. “It’s not easy to get the news that we got on Monday, but to be able to come out and play like we did with the edge and energy, the compete and the fight, that’s really who we’ve been this year,” coach Josh Pastner told reporters after the Yellow Jackets won for the fifth time in six games.

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN2

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH (16-14, 10-9 ACC): Junior guard Jose Alvarado shot 8-for-16 from the field Wednesday, finishing with 23 points (including his 1,000th career point), and is averaging 17.8 points across his past nine games. Sophomore guard Michael Devoe added 13 points against Pitt and has averaged 15.8 points on 51.1 percent shooting in his past nine contests. Wednesday’s victory gives Georgia Tech 10 ACC wins for the first time since 1995-96.

ABOUT CLEMSON (15-14, 9-10): Mack is averaging 12.1 points in his first season since transferring from Alabama, shooting 5-for-12 from the field against Virginia Tech while the rest of the team combined to shoot 15-for-45. Junior forward Aamir Simms leads the Tigers in scoring (13 points) and rebounding (7.1), but finished with five points and five rebounds Wednesday. Clemson saw Virginia Tech shoot 54.2 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from 3-point range.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. A victory Friday would give Georgia Tech its first above .500 season in conference play since 2003-04.

2. Clemson freshman G Alex Hemenway scored nine points, his second-highest output this season, on 3-for-6 shooting from 3-point range Wednesday.

3. Alvarado scored 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field with three steals to lead Georgia Tech past Clemson 68-59 on Feb. 25 in Atlanta, while Simms led Clemson with 23 points.

PREDICTION: Georgia Tech 72, Clemson 67