The Men’s Final Four took place on April 2, 2021 in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The entirety of March Madness took place in Indianapolis at various arenas. The night began with the Baylor Bears showing their dominance and skill. A team that only lost one regular season game to Kansas after a pause due to COVID-19 protocols, Baylor’s ability to make a run deep into March was questioned all year. Their season included wins over nationally ranked programs like Illinois, Texas Tech, and Texas, but the Bears were always doubted, especially after losing in the Big XII Tournament Semifinals. Led by a world class trio of guards in Jared Butler, Davion Mitchell, and MaCio Teague, the Bears earned themselves a one seed. Scott Drew’s squad silenced the haters in Indy on their way to the Final Four, defeating 16-seed Hartford, nine-seed Wisconsin, five-seed Villanova, and three-seed Arkansas. Facing off with the Midwest Regional Champion Houston Cougars for a spot in the championship, the Bears took control early and never relinquished it.

Houston’s Marcus Sasser opened the game with a 3 point shot that was immediately answered by Baylor’s Jared Butler and Davion Mitchell with 3’s of their own. The game was tight until the under-16 minute timeout of the first half. After play resumed, Baylor quickly opened up their lead, and by halftime the Bears’ advantage was 25 points. Houston never came close to a sniff of the lead again in this game that ended 78-58 in favor of Baylor. The real difference in this game was Baylor’s bench outscoring Houston’s by 21. Baylor also grabbed 13 more rebounds than Houston did. Overall, the Bears proved they were legit and championship-tier.

Baylor’s opponent was determined a couple hours later in what might be one of the best college basketball games of the 21st century. The 11-seed UCLA Bruins barely made the Big Dance after losing their last three regular season games and dropping a game to the eventual PAC-12 champion Oregon State in the PAC-12 Tournament Quarterfinals. But led by Tyger Campell, Jaime Jacquez, and Johnny Juzang, the Bruins mounted a surging run from the First Four In to the Final Four, barely escaping against Michigan State in the play in game to then go on and take down six-seed BYU, 14-seed Abilene Christian, two-seed Alabama, and one-seed Michigan.

The Bruins were met by Mark Few’s undefeated Gonzaga team that has been the talk of college basketball all year. Early in the year they took down a slew of top ranked teams and Virginia before beginning conference play. The Zags won just about every game in the West Coast Conference with ease, though they were challenged by BYU in the WCC Title Game. Still, Gonzaga arrived in Indianapolis undefeated. They opened the Tournament with a 43 point victory over 16-seed Norfolk State and then took down eight-seed Oklahoma, five-seed Creighton, and six-seed USC to win their region.

No one thought UCLA stood a chance. The closest game Gonzaga played all year, the Bruins could not miss, shooting 57% from the field and 47% from three, they were only slightly outmatched by the Zags shooting 58% from the field and 33% from three. This was normal for Gonzaga. UCLA was not far behind, with 14 points from Cody Riley, 19 from Jacquez, 17 from Campbell, and 29 from Juzang.

The difference in this game only seemed to be time. With less than 10 seconds left in overtime, UCLA held the ball for the final shot, a layup kissed off the glass from Juzang. At this point everyone exhaled expecting Gonzaga to let the clock run out so that a second overtime would ensue, but a quick play and heads up pass put the rock in Suggs hands, who got across halfcourt just in time to bank in a three that would leave us with a 93-90 Gonzaga victory. While most of us would call that a prayer, Mark Few told the media afterwards that he “knew when [Jalen] shot it, it was going in.”

So the title game would give America what it had been waiting for all year. COVID-19 took away this matchup in Indianapolis between these squads that was supposed to occur on December 5 in Lucas Oil Stadium. Luckily for us, the chance to see that game.

Baylor won the tipoff and took it to the Zags early, scoring nine before the Zags would score their first point at the free throw line. The Bulldogs struggled to find touches in the paint for Power Forward of the Year Drew Timme, and Gonzaga Guard Jalen Suggs had to sit out some of the first half after picking up two early fouls. Baylor was not without foul trouble themselves, having three players with two personal fouls and one with three, but their tough defense opened up a lead as large as 19 along with going 7/12 from three despite shooting 5% worse than Gonzaga overall. Gonzaga made eight of their last 11 from the field to close the first half at a 10 point deficit.

After halftime not a whole lot changed. The Bears continued to stifle Gonzaga’s offense, and the Zags defense had no answer for the triple threat of Baylor’s guards. Baylor’s Jared Butler had 22 points on the night to lead the Bears in scoring, followed closely behind by Teague with 19 and Mitchell with 15. Adam Flagler added a fourth prong to Baylor’s guard threat with 13 points off the bench.

Jalen Suggs led the Zags in scoring with 22 and was followed by Timme and Kispert with 12 each, but once again Baylor’s bench made a huge difference, outscoring Gonzaga’s by 14. Baylor also dominated the glass, out rebounding the Zags 38 to 22. Gonzaga was also plagued with 14 turnovers in comparison to Baylor’s nine. Baylor had eight players score in the contest whereas Gonzaga only had seven. It would seem that the undefeated Bulldogs didn’t know how to mount a comeback and were still recovering from a tough fight against UCLA. Ultimately the Bears capped off the title run with an 86-70 victory, handing Gonzaga their first, only and final loss of the season.

After a rough 2020 that saw the worst year in the club’s history, Atlanta United looks to push the reset button as the 2021 MLS season and CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) draw near under new manager Gabriel Heinze and a revamped roster featuring some familiar faces and new blood for the Five Stripes.

Atlanta United in their second year under manager Frank de Boer came out of the gate strong in 2020 in the CCL, which they qualified for by winning the 2019 US Open Cup, defeating CD Motagua of Honduras 4-1 on aggregate. They then traveled to Nashville SC to be the first opponents of the new MLS club and then hosted FC Cincinnati in Atlanta. United won both matches 2-1. Atlanta then traveled to Mexico City to take on Liga MX giants Club America for the second round of CCL on March 11 as COVID-19 shut the world down, a game which they would lose 3-0. On July 8, the season resumed with a world cup style tournament format at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida.

United disastrously crashed out of the tournament during the group stage, losing all three matches 1-0 and failing to gain even a point towards qualifying for the knockout rounds. United fired their then manager Frank de Boer after their final match in Orlando.

After Orlando, teams played games in regional pods to minimize travel and contact between squads. United continued to struggle throughout the shortened regular season with interim head coach Steven Glass, finishing 12th in the Eastern Conference, failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in the club’s history. As the offseason set in, United hired Gabriel Heinze as the new manager.

Heinze was an accomplished player in his own right before he became a manager. The central defender/left back totaled 426 appearances and 23 goals across the top divisions in Argentina, Spain, Portugal, England, France, and Italy. In addition, he tallied 71 appearances and 3 goals for the Argentine National Team.

Heinze’s coaching career began in Argentina with a short stint at Godoy Cruz, a club in the Argentine Primera Division, but a short record of 2-2-6 got him fired only a couple of months into the season. A little less than a year later in 2016 he was signed as the head coach at Argentinos Juniors, where he took the club on a campaign that would finish with their promotion back to the Primera Division of Argentine Football. Heinze resigned following this season and went a few months without work. In December of 2017 he was named the manager of Velez Sarsfield of the Argentine Primera Division. Heinze led Velez to two consecutive Copa Sudamericana qualifications before deciding not to continue coaching after the 2020 season ended. He was then hired by Atlanta United on Dec. 18, 2020.

Heinze brings a vast amount of experience in the top leagues around the world, and his track record shows an ability to turn teams around quickly and get results, something Atlanta desperately needs. Tactically, Heinze’s teams usually set up in the 3-4-3 that’s focused on a wide offense that moves in and out of the middle of the pitch to advance the ball with offensive pressing and positioning that draws out defenders and leaves the halfspaces open, creating the ability to move the ball upfield quickly while overloading the opponent. However, this focus on width can often leave the teams vulnerable to counterattacks down the middle. Defensively, Heinze employs a true hybrid between man and zonal marking across the field that doesn’t lend itself to super aggressive counterattacks. The key to what Heinze will employ in Atlanta is his adaptability. The 3-4-3 shape he employs from the outset shifts constantly, and given that United has done a lot to revamp their roster in the offseason, it is anyone’s guess as to how United line-up the first time out, especially considering this is Heinze’s first tangle with MLS of any kind.

Atlanta also made quite a number of roster moves in the offseason.

Machop Chol: A homegrown who was featured in one of the first Atlanta United Academy teams, Machop left the academy to play four years at college soccer powerhouse Wake Forest, where he would appear in 65 games with 13 goals and 17 assists in his career. The attacking midfielder’s ability to find space in the box and height of 6’2” makes him a prime target for crossing balls looking to be headed goalwards.

Ronald Hernandez: A young Venezulan defender who played every match of Venezuela’s 2019 Copa America run alongside Josef Martinez, Hernandez has joined United on loan for the season from partner club Aberdeen FC. His pace should see him slot in well to the quickness of Gabriel Heinze’s system.

Franco Ibarra: The 19 year old midfielder has only begun to show the world what he’s capable of with less than 20 professional appearances, but coming from Argentinos Juniors Gabriel Henize should be well aware of Ibarra’s ability.

The kid is unproven and rough around the edges, but his heart is on his sleeve while he plays as he’s never afraid to make a tackle or take the ball and run. Atlanta United Technical Director Carlos Bocengra says they expect Ibarra to play in the middle of the team as a box-to-box midfielder who will be central to the team in every way.

Santiago Sosa: Another young midfielder, Sosa has a little more experience than Ibarra, having made 16 appearances for Argentine giant River Plate, playing six games in their 2020 Copa Libertadores run. He also appeared 13 times for the Argentine U-20s National Team, some of which were alongside United’s Ezequiel Barco. Sosa will look to slot into the midfield as a facilitator of the game using his ability to make tackles and win balls to overturn the opponent. He also seems to have a good eye to pick out passes that ignite the attack and advance the ball quickly.

Lisandro Lopez: A veteran forward with 244 professional goals in Argentina, Portugal, and France, Lopez has played in the UEFA Champions League and Copa Libertadores on quite a few occasions. Lopez will likely act as a super sup and depth piece for United backing up Josef Martinez.

Alex De John: Coming to Atlanta after two years at Orlando City SC, De John played a number of years in Finland, Norway, and Sweden before moving to MLS. The 29 year old defender has only made 12 appearances in the last two years, so expect him to act as a depth piece primarily.

Notably, striker Josef Martinez is back after blowing out his knee in the first Nashville match. Don’t expect the Josef, who broke the MLS scoring record, to be the guy on the field in the first match. Carlos Bocengra warns that it will take him some time for him to return to true form. But beyond his ability to score goals, Atlanta United need their leader back, as his absence was detrimental to the team in 2020.

Atlanta United begin their season against Alajuelense on April 6 and April 13 in the CONCACAF Champions League.

They then travel to Orlando City SC to open the MLS season on April 17. The Five Stripes make their home debut at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against the Chicago Fire on April 24.

Following a 65-60 victory over Pittsburgh on senior day to close out the regular season, Nell Fortner’s squad headed to Greensboro for the ACC Tournament and made one last attempt to strengthen their resume before Selection Monday on March 15. Finishing third in the ACC this season, the Jackets earned a double bye, putting them in the quarterfinals against Clemson, who was coming off a five point win over Notre Dame the day before.

A tough first quarter saw Clemson holding a lead most of the way, but ended tied at 15. Clemson opened the second quarter with a run that took their lead up to five, but the Jackets rallied quickly and took the lead with 2:13 left in the first half.

Tech took a lead of five into halftime. Through the third quarter the Jackets opened up a lead that grew as large as nine with 0:47 left in the 3rd quarter.

Clemson started the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run that brought the game to within one, but the Jackets rallied behind their seniors Kierra Fletcher and Lorela Cubaj, scoring four points each in the last five minutes of the game, to escape with a three point win and advance to the semifinals. Fletcher led the team in scoring with 21 points, followed closely by freshman guard Loyal McQueen with 14 and Cubaj’s double-double of 12 points and 18 rebounds.

The semifinal matchup saw a rematch for Tech against the third ranked North Carolina State Wolfpack, who defeated the Jackets 84-75 on New Year’s Eve in Atlanta. A tight contest most of the way, the first quarter was close until the Wolfpack opened up a six point lead with 2:14 remaining in the quarter. Tech would rally in the second quarter to tie it twice within a minute and a half stretch on a Fletcher three and a jumper from Cubaj. Fletcher would assist Cubaj on the next basket of the game that gave Tech a lead they would hold the entire third quarter and until 2:30 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Led by junior center Elissa Cunane, who scored the last seven points of the game, the Wolfpack would stave off Tech’s attempts to regain their lead. As the clock expired, the scoreboard read NC State 66, Tech 61, which sent the Wolfpack to the ACC Championship against the fifth ranked Louisville Cardinals.

The Wolfpack won the ACC Tournament in a tight contest with a 68-66 victory over the Cardinals. Junior Lotta-Maj Lahtinen and Cubaj led Tech with 17 points each, with Fletcher contributing 10 of her own. This was not enough to outdo four of the five Wolfpack starters scoring double digits.

Fortner’s team now sits in waiting for the next few days to see where they will fall in the NCAA women’s tournament bracket. Like the men’s tournament, which will be played in a controlled environment around Indianapolis, the women’s tournament will be set up around San Antonio with the Final Four on April 2 and the National Championship on April 4 in the Alamodome. The Jackets are projected by ESPN to be a six seed in the RiverWalk Region, which would pit them against the likes of UCLA, Maryland, Michigan, Arkansas, and SEC champions Texas A&M. The current 1 seeds in the Women’s bracket look to be UConn, South Carolina, Stanford, and Texas A&M.

The Jackets have struggled with NC State and Louisville, who are both expected to be 2 seeds, so it’s hard to say exactly how far this team will go, but it will be determined by their defense rather than their offense.

Tech finished the season fourth in the ACC in overall defense, allowing their opponents an average of 61.8 points per game and were 11th in overall offense at 66.1 points per game. However, with ACC Coach of the Year Nell Fortner at the helm, the Jackets might make a deeper run in the bracket than the experts are currently predicting.

The Jackets continued the struggle to stay on the bubble and gain recognition from the NCAA Tournament Committee entering the final month of the regular season in games against Virginia, Clemson, Pittsburgh, and Miami. Tech finds themselves within the top 68 teams in the country by most rankings, but most predictions still have them missing March Madness. They continue to struggle with getting productivity on the floor from more than seven guys in one game. As they enter the final stretch it seems that making big noise in the ACC Tournament might be their last hope to get an invite to the big dance.

On February 10 inside the Thrillerdome against the then 9th ranked Virginia Cavaliers, the Jackets held their own against Jay Huff and Sam Hauser, but it would be Kihei Clark and Trey Murphy III with a combined 32 of UVA’s 57 points that led the Wahoos to victory. Kihei Clark was quiet deep into the game until a Tech classic “Air Ball” chant broke out. But instead of antagonizing him into further frustration, it motivated him to go on a rampage that gave UVA control over the game in the last five minutes and ultimately the victory.

Two days later on February 12 the Jackets visited Little John Coliseum to take on the Clemson Tigers. Unlike previous games of quick turnarounds, Tech held their own, maintaining the lead throughout most of the first half, playing a tight contest in the second. However fortune was not Tech’s side as senior Jose Alvarado went to the free throw line near the very end of the game and missed both shots. The second miss was rebounded by Clemson’s Jonathon Baehre who found Nick Honor up the court for a game winning three point shot to win 74-72.

Another two day turnaround had the Jackets back in Atlanta to host a makeup game against Pittsburgh. The Panthers took control early, but a three by junior Khalid Moore with 8:34 remaining in the first half tied the contest and two made free throws by senior Moses Wright almost three minutes later gave the Jackets a lead they would not surrender the rest of the night. Pitt would tie the game with 4:36 remaining, but junior Michael Devoe went on to score nine points and assist senior Bubba Parham on a three pointer to lock in the win. Four of Pitt’s five starters did muster double digit points, but Wright’s 24 points as well as 13, 12, and 11 from Devoe, Alvarado, and Parham alongside five fewer turnovers as a team combined to give Tech a 71-65 victory.

The Jackets were slated to play a makeup game on February 17 against Boston College, but the Eagles were forced in the ACC’s COVID-19 protocols once again and the game was postponed for a second time this season.

Tech rounded out this stretch of play with a trip to the Watsco Center on February 20 to take on the Miami Hurricanes. Tech dominated from the tip-off, scoring 12 unanswered before Miami got on the board. The Jackets had a lead as large as 36, which was early in the second half before Miami was able to go on some short runs and change the narrative from a blowout to a solid loss. Devoe was the star of the show with 29 points. Alvarado gave the Jackets 16 points and Moses Wright billed himself a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Jordan Usher only had 8 points, but his 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals combined to round out the Jackets night, highlighted by his flexing dunk in the image of The Mailman Karl Malone.

Josh Pastner’s ball club continues to fight with other bubble teams across the country to make the NCAA Tournament. If they want to prove they belong with the best 64 teams in the country, they’ll need to find ways to win on the road and on short rest, a common occurrence this season due to rescheduling games when teams enter the ACC’s COVID-19 protocols.

The frequency of games has opened up Tech’s rotation to often include an 8th man in Rodney Howard, but his play has had little impact thus far. If Tech is to make a run to March Madness, Howard will need to find a way to be productive on the court in order to alleviate the necessity of a starter playing the entirety of a game, which happened in all four of the contests included in this week’s recap. The Jackets can ill afford to lose many more games this season if they want an invite to the big dance.

The Jackets have a chance to be a top four team in the conference and advance straight to the third round of the ACC Tournament if they can muster up the energy for this onslaught of games that will take them into March, but the lack of depth in the squad makes that quite a tall task.

The Jackets continued their road struggles in the ACC as they traveled to Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on the Blue Devils. The game was chippy from the tipoff and the Blue Devils took an early six point lead, but the Jackets kept it close and rallied to take the lead off a three from Bubba Parham with 8:25 remaining in the first half. Duke would quickly retake the lead and extended it to eight by halftime. The second half showed Tech’s ability to go on a run and keep games close, but the Jackets would only take the lead once more off a Jose Alvarado three with 3:25 remaining. The game stayed tight until the very end when Duke’s Jordan Goldwire stole the ball and was fouled. Goldwire’s free throws put Duke up three, and with a couple of rebounds the Blue Devils sealed the game, pulling away for a 75-68 win.

Jose Alvarado and Moses Wright both played the entire 40 minutes with 26 and 12 points respectively, but not much scoring was produced elsewhere for Tech. Michael Devoe and Jordan Usher, who have shown us their ability to score in a hurry this season, were only 2-9 and 4-9 from the field respectively. Only 11 points came off the bench from Kyle Sturdivant and Khalid Moore. Tech also sent Duke to the free throw line for 22 shots, whereas the Jackets only got five on the night.

After a heartbreaker on the road to the Blue Devils, the Jackets returned to McCamish Pavilion. They had to face a 16th ranked Florida State team that had already handed them one loss this year, but the magic of the Thrillerdome was alive and well, even with the limited capacity. The Jackets would play this game without Bubba Parham who was absent due to a death in his family.

A gritty first half that forced the Jackets into some long possessions and battling the length of Florida State in the post, Alvarado went and got the buckets himself to get the team going. He would play the entire 40 minutes again alongside Michael Devoe, the guards getting 21 and 19 points on the night, respectively.

Moses Wright had something to say too. His 23 points and six steals included the bucket that gave Tech a lead with 2:04 left in the first half that the Jackets wouldn’t surrender for the rest of the game. Adding Jose’s five steals to the mix, the Jackets forced the Seminoles into 21 turnovers overall, paving the way for a 12 point Tech victory. In the locker room video following the game, the team made it very clear that this win was for Bubba.

Less than 48 hours after grinding out a win in Atlanta over the Seminoles, the Jackets hit the road again for a Monday afternoon matchup in the KFC Yum! Center against the Louisville Cardinals, a makeup game from the Jackets’ time in COVID-19 Protocols. It was very clear that Tech was tired, and the Cardinals took full advantage of being on four days rest as opposed to Tech’s one.

Tech kept the game close through the first half and went into halftime only down six. Louisville went on a run to extend the lead to 18 in the first five minutes of the second half and the Jackets were left in the dust trying to keep up, lacking creativity and energy to generate offense or get a stop on defense.

Michael Devoe, Moses Wright, and Jordan Usher would score in double figures on the afternoon, but Alvarado only managed seven points and the bench gave Tech only eight. Louisville guards David Johnson and Carlik Jones would go for 24 and 12 points each, and center Samuell Williamson would come off the bench for 20 more points for the Cardinals. The Jackets ultimately took a 16 point loss and fell again on the road in the ACC.

Tech would go 4 days without playing again before returning to McCamish for a matchup with the Fighting Irish. The Irish haven’t made a lot of noise on the national stage this season, but they came into Atlanta having won four of their previous five games, and that hot streak got them out in front early.

They went up by as many as 17 in the first half and took a 15 point lead into halftime. The Jackets would rally in the second half, taking their first lead with 9:24 to play.

Down the stretch in a tight contest, Michael Devoe heated up and was given the freedom to shoot with his hot hand, giving Tech the lead with 2:08 to play and scoring back-to-back buckets to ice the game. Notre Dame had the chance to tie it up at the end, but miscues led to a failed attempt to force overtime.

Devoe and Alvarado each scored 19, Usher 16, and Wright 12. Four of Notre Dame’s starters scored in double figures, but starting guard Trey Wertz did not score. That combined with the fact that Tech’s bench outscored the Irish bench by one and Bubba Parham rounded out Tech’s starting five with eight points was the very small difference that led to victory.

As the spring semester gets underway and students return to campus, Josh Pastner’s club looks to continue a good run of form as the thick of their conference schedule quickly approaches.

Pastner made headlines before the season began by announcing that his team would not participate in full contact practice. This was done in an effort to minimize delays and postponements to games should the team be forced to enter the ACC’s COVID-19 protocols. However, after losing to Georgia State on Nov. 26 in quadruple overtime and by double figures to Mercer, Pastner reversed this decision and brought his team back into full contact practice. Georgia State continued to be no pushover, as they most likely would’ve made their third NCAA Tourney in a row at the end of last season if not for the tourney being cancelled. Mercer, however, currently sits at the bottom of their conference, and Tech held the lead against them for a mere 30 seconds throughout the course of the game.

Since returning to full contact practice, the Jackets have only lost once, which was on the road to open conference play in Tallahassee to defending ACC champions Florida State. Florida State was ranked 15th in the nation at the time, and their length posed big problems for a Tech team that was on average over an inch shorter than the Seminoles. FSU has since lost to Central Florida and a surging Clemson team, but they’re still regarded as a tournament level team and are four spots away from the AP Top 25.

The Jackets have won some tough games in this time frame as well. A trip downtown to State Farm Arena featured a matchup against the then 20th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats, but the Jackets made easy work of John Calipari’s struggling team. Senior Moses Wright gave Tech the lead with about four minutes left in the first half and they never looked back, finishing the game with five out of 7 players who saw the floor in double figures, led by Wright who had 21 on the night.

Next was a trip to Lincoln to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge. Senior point guard Jose Alvarado starred in this one, scoring 24 in limited minutes due to foul trouble, playing the last 14 minutes of the game on four fouls and scoring 15 to lead Tech to victory.

After their loss to FSU, Tech returned home to McCamish Pavilion for wins over Florida A&M and Delaware State. Against FAMU, Moses Wright once again led the team in scoring with 24, and 4 of the Jackets’ starters reached double figures on the night. Delaware State saw Jose Alvarado tie his career high with 29 points, alongside Wright, senior Jordan Usher, and junior Khalid Moore in double figures. Fans at the game were treated to the depths of the Jacket’s bench in the final minutes of the game thanks to Tech’s commanding lead, which was 28 at the final whistle.

Tech was slated to travel to Birmingham to take on the UAB Blazers two days before Christmas, but the Blazers entered COVID-19 protocols and the game was cancelled.

Tech then welcomed North Carolina to McCamish, a game that looked like a slightly challenging win for the Tar Heels until the final 7 minutes where the Jackets lit up the scoreboard, led by Jose Alvarado and junior Michael Devoe each scoring 20 points in total and senior Bubba Parham going 3-for-3 from behind the arc. Jordan Usher also helped keep the Jackets afloat with his 14 points.

Wake Forest came next and the Jackets cruised to victory thanks to 25 points from Alvarado and 17 from Devoe. The team as a whole shot 50% from the field. Tech has had three additional games postponed due to COVID-19 protocols, which would have entailed trips to Louisville and North Carvolina State as well as a visit from Pittsburgh.

As Pastner’s team resumes activities, the team touted as a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament in the preseason will look to maintain their care of the ball which has been paramount to their success.

In all games except the Florida State matchup, when the Jackets win the turnover battle, they win the game (ESPN). The Jackets are 3rd in the ACC in turnover margin and 4th in turnover to assist ratio. They also boast two of the ACC’s top 6 scorers in Alvarado and Wright (ESPN). Moses hasn’t scored in double figures in the last two contests, so the Jackets will look to improve his ability to get to the rim and play in the post as they resume play.

Tech will need to start winning conference games handily, especially on the road against ranked opponents, if they want to make a run at being selected for the tournament for the first time under Pastner, as they currently aren’t even in Joe Lunardi’s Next Four Out and rank 70th in KenPom.