Game 23: Georgia Tech

The third and final game of this week may be the toughest. Duke was a game we had circled all season. Virginia was a road game followed by a 3-hour bus ride home and now we play Georgia Tech with North Carolina looming on the horizon.

Georgia Tech is 16-2 on the year and 3-1 in the ACC. Their two losses have been to Georgia and North Carolina. They beat Temple and Wake both by 10.

Georgia Tech is known for their defense, primarily their press. They will play full-court defense for 40 minutes with pressure on the inbounder and the guard receiving the ball then they will try and trap. When the ball crosses half-court they will go into a 1-3-1 type of zone to confound the shooters. Offensively, they run everything off a pick at the top of the three-point arc. It could be a three, drive to the paint or a pass down low. We have to fight through the screen and disrupt their offense.

They average 70.9 ppg while allowing 57.6. They are second in the league in steals. They outrebound opponents nearly 6 per game. GT shoots 41.9 from the floor and 30.6 from three, while opponents shoot 40.0 from the floor and 28.8 from three.

Georgia Tech is led by forward Janie Mitchell, who average 16.9 ppg and grabs 6.8 reboubds. She is lean and quick to the hoop, but has only shot 9 threes all year (making 2). She is turnover prone and not really seen as a shot blocker. Chioma Nnamaka is their scoring threat from outside. She averages 16.1 ppg and has taken 127 three-pointers this year and shoots 42.7 % from there. She will help rebound as well. Alex Montgomery is third on the team in scoring with 10.2 ppg. She also grabs 6.0 rebounds per game and acts as the team's point-forward as she is second on the team in assists. Montgomery will shoot the three and shoots 30 percent from there. She is also the team's leading shot blocker. Iasia Hemingway is one of the starters at guard. She is the fourth option on the team is not really a three-point threat. Hemingway will help on the glass and isn't a great free throw shooter. Jacqua Williams rounds out the starting five for GT and is in there primarily for her defense. She leads the team in steals with 68 and is not much of a scoring threat. Jill Ingram is the team's spark off the bench as she leads the team in assists and is second in steals. Ingram is third on the team in three-point attempts and has taken the fourth most shots on the team. Brigitte Ardossi, Deja Foster and Daphne Mitchell are the post subs and none are a real threat.

We need to break the press quickly and not allow GT to set traps or their defense. We need to be smart with the ball and make the right passes. Lastly, we need to rebound the ball effectively.

On defense, if we play man we have several match up issues as they are athletic at all five spots. I would say Crystal guards Mitchell, Harper on Montgomery, Coleman on Nnamaka, Strickalnd on Hemingway and Toliver on Williams. I can see us playing more of a triangle and two like we did on Friday to keep Mitchell and Nnamaka in check, but I am sure we will come up with something.