2020–21 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball team

2020–21 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball
ACC tournament champions
NCAA tournament, first round
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Record17–9 (11–6 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaMcCamish Pavilion
Seasons
2020–21 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 15 Virginia 13 – 4   .765 18 – 7   .720
No. 14 Florida State 11 – 4   .733 18 – 7   .720
No. 25 Virginia Tech 9 – 4   .692 15 – 7   .682
Georgia Tech † 11 – 6   .647 17 – 9   .654
Clemson 10 – 6   .625 16 – 8   .667
North Carolina 10 – 6   .625 18 – 11   .621
Louisville 8 – 5   .615 13 – 7   .650
Syracuse 9 – 7   .563 18 – 10   .643
NC State 9 – 8   .529 14 – 11   .560
Duke 9 – 9   .500 13 – 11   .542
Notre Dame 7 – 11   .389 11 – 15   .423
Pittsburgh 6 – 10   .375 10 – 12   .455
Miami (FL) 4 – 15   .211 10 – 17   .370
Wake Forest 3 – 15   .167 6 – 16   .273
Boston College 2 – 11   .154 4 – 16   .200
† 2021 ACC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2020–21 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Josh Pastner and played their home games at Hank McCamish Pavilion as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Yellow Jackets finished the season 17–9, 11–6 in ACC play to finish in fourth place. They defeated Miami in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament and advanced to the championship game after Virginia was forced to withdraw from the tournament after a positive COVID-19 test.[1] They defeated Florida State to win the tournament championship[2] and received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 9 seed in the Midwest region.[3] They lost in the first round to Loyola.[4] It was the first time since 2010 that the Yellow Jackets had participated in the NCAA Tournament, and their first ACC Championship since 1993.

Previous season

The Yellow Jackets finished the 2019–20 season 17–14, 11–9 in ACC play to finish in fifth place. The team was banned from postseason play, including the conference tournament, due to NCAA rules violations.[5]

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
James Banks III 1 F/C 6'10" 250 Senior Decatur, GA Graduated
Shembari Phillips 2 G 6'4" 210 Redshirt Senior Atlanta, GA Graduated
Evan Cole 3 G 6'10" 226 Sophomore Cumming, GA Transferred to Utah Valley
Asanti Price 23 G 6'5" 177 Freshman Columbia, SC Entered transfer portal
Kristian Sjolund 35 F 6'8" 213 Sophomore Katy, TX Transferred to UTEP
Shaheed Medlock 45 G 6'5" 196 Senior Waycross, GA Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Kyle Sturdivant 1 G 6'2" 198 Sophomore Norcross, GA USC
Rodney Howard 24 F 6'10" 241 Sophomore Ypsilanti, MI Georgia

2020 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Saba Gigiberia
C 		Windsor, CA Prolific Preparatory School 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Nov 11, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 80
Tristan Maxwell
G 		Huntersville, NC North Mecklenburg 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 193 lb (88 kg) Oct 21, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 77
Jordan Meka
C 		Marietta, GA Mount Bethel Christian Academy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 224 lb (102 kg) Sep 24, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 77
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2020 Georgia Tech Commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  • "Georgia Tech 2020 Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  • "Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 20, 2020.

Roster

2020–21 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Michael Devoe 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 197 lb (89 kg) Jr Montverde Academy Orlando, FL
G 1 Kyle Sturdivant 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 198 lb (90 kg) So Norcross HS
Southern California 		Norcross, GA
F/C 2 Saba Gigiberia 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Fr Prolific Preparatory School Tbilisi, Georgia
G 3 Bubba Parham 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Jr Brookwood HS
VMI 		Snellville, GA
G/F 4 Jordan Usher 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 213 lb (97 kg) Sr Wheeler HS
Southern California 		Canton, GA
F 5 Moses Wright 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 233 lb (106 kg) Sr William G. Enloe HS Raleigh, NC
G 10 Jose Alvarado 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 179 lb (81 kg) Sr Christ the King Regional HS Brooklyn, NY
G 11 Tristan Maxwell 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 209 lb (95 kg) Fr North Mecklenburg HS Charlotte, NC
F 12 Khalid Moore 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Archbishop Molloy HS Briarwood, NY
G 13 Coleman Boyd 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 173 lb (78 kg) So Mount Bethel Christian Academy Smyrna, GA
F 14 David Didenko 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 232 lb (105 kg) Jr Palm Beach State College Yakutsk, Russia
G 23 Jordan Meka 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 224 lb (102 kg) Fr Mount Bethel Christian Academy Yaoundé, Cameroon
F 24 Rodney Howard 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 241 lb (109 kg) So Legacy Charter School
Georgia 		Ypsilanti, MI
G 34 Niko Broadway 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So St. Pius X HS Atlanta, GA
F 35 Jehloni James 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Lanier HS Sugar Hill, GA
G 45 Shaheed Medlock 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 196 lb (89 kg) Sr Ware County HS Waycross, GA
G 55 Malachi Rice (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 186 lb (84 kg) Sr Brebeuf Jesuit Prep Indianapolis, IN
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: March 23, 2021

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
November 25, 2020*
9:00 p.m., ACCRSN 		Georgia State
Georgia Tech Showcase 		L 120–123 4OT 0–1
  31 – Wright   20 – Wright   4 – Alvarado  McCamish Pavilion (1,200)
Atlanta, GA
November 27, 2020*
8:00 p.m., ACCRSN 		Mercer
Georgia Tech Showcase 		L 73–83  0–2
  20 – Wright   8 – Usher   7 – Alvarado  McCamish Pavilion (1,200)
Atlanta, GA
December 6, 2020*
5:00 p.m., ESPN 		vs. No. 20 Kentucky
Holiday Hoopsgiving 		W 79–62  1–2
  21 – Wright   8 – Wright   5 – Devoe  State Farm Arena (0)
Atlanta, GA
December 9, 2020*
7:15 p.m., ESPNU 		at Nebraska
ACC–Big Ten Challenge 		W 75–64  2–2
  24 – Alvarado   8 – Tied   4 – Wright  Pinnacle Bank Arena (25)
Lincoln, NE
December 15, 2020
8:30 p.m., ACCN 		at No. 15 Florida State L 61–74  2–3
(0–1) 		 21 – Devoe   6 – Moore   4 – Moore  Donald L. Tucker Center (2,664)
Tallahassee, FL
December 18, 2020*
7:00 p.m., ACCRSN 		Florida A&M W 74–64  3–3
  24 – Wright   8 – Parham   8 – Devoe  McCamish Pavilion (1,200)
Atlanta, GA
December 20, 2020*
6:00 p.m., ACCN 		Delaware State W 97–69  4–3
  29 – Alvarado   6 – Gigiberia   6 – Usher  McCamish Pavilion (1,200)
Atlanta, GA
December 30, 2020
8:00 p.m., ACCRSN 		North Carolina W 72–67  5–3
(1–1) 		 20 – Tied   7 – Alvarado   7 – Alvarado  McCamish Pavilion (1,200)
Atlanta, GA
January 3, 2021
6:00 p.m., ACCN 		Wake Forest W 70–54  6–3
(2–1) 		 25 – Alvarado   8 – Usher   5 – Wright  McCamish Pavilion (1,200)
Atlanta, GA
January 6, 2021
7:00 p.m., ACCRSN 		at Notre Dame Postponed due to COVID-19[6] Purcell Pavilion 
Notre Dame, IN
January 16, 2021
2:00 p.m., ACCRSN 		at NC State Postponed due to COVID-19[7] PNC Arena 
Raleigh, NC
January 20, 2021
7:00 p.m., ACCRSN 		No. 20 Clemson W 83–65  7–3
(3–1) 		 22 – Devoe   4 – Tied   6 – Devoe  McCamish Pavilion (1,200)
Atlanta, GA
January 23, 2021
8:00 p.m., ACCN 		at No. 13 Virginia L 62–64  7–4
(3–2) 		 20 – Alvarado   6 – Usher   8 – Alvarado  John Paul Jones Arena (250)
Charlottesville, VA
January 26, 2021
9:00 p.m., ESPN 		at Duke L 68–75  7–5
(3–3) 		 26 – Alvarado   14 – Wright   6 – Wright  Cameron Indoor Stadium (0)
Durham, NC
January 30, 2021
4:00 p.m., ACCN 		No. 16 Florida State W 76–65  8–5
(4–3) 		 23 – Wright   8 – Tied   6 – Alvarado  McCamish Pavilion (1,200)
Atlanta, GA
February 1, 2021
2:00 p.m., ACCN 		at Louisville L 58–74  8–6
(4–4) 		 17 – Devoe   16 – Wright   4 – Alvarado  KFC Yum! Center (2,868)
Louisville, KY
February 6, 2021
8:00 p.m., ACCN 		Notre Dame W 82–80  9–6
(5–4) 		 19 – Tied   8 – Wright   5 – Tied  McCamish Pavilion (1,200)
Atlanta, GA
February 10, 2021
7:00 p.m., ACCRSN 		No. 9 Virginia L 49–57  9–7
(5–5) 		 18 – Alvarado   6 – Wright   4 – Usher  McCamish Pavilion (1,200)
Atlanta, GA
February 12, 2021
8:00 p.m., ACCN 		at Clemson L 72–74  9–8
(5–6) 		 23 – Devoe   6 – Usher   6 – Devoe  Littlejohn Coliseum (1,876)
Clemson, SC
February 14, 2021
4:00 p.m., ACCN 		Pittsburgh W 71–65  10–8
(6–6) 		 24 – Wright   7 – Alvarado   5 – Alvarado  McCamish Pavilion (1,200)
Atlanta, GA
February 17, 2021
12:00 p.m., ACCN 		Boston College Postponed due to COVID-19[8] McCamish Pavilion 
Atlanta, GA
February 20, 2021
12:00 p.m., ACCRSN 		at Miami (FL) W 87–60  11–8
(7–6) 		 29 – Devoe   12 – Wright   6 – Alvarado  Watsco Center (0)
Coral Gables, FL
February 23, 2021
7:00 p.m., ACCRSN 		at No. 16 Virginia Tech W 69–53  12–8
(8–6) 		 26 – Wright   10 – Wright   4 – Devoe  Cassell Coliseum (250)
Blacksburg, VA
February 27, 2021
12:00 p.m., ACCN 		Syracuse W 84–77  13–8
(9–6) 		 31 – Wright   16 – Wright   7 – Usher  McCamish Pavilion (1,200)
Atlanta, GA
March 2, 2021
8:00 p.m., ACCN 		Duke W 81–77 OT 14–8
(10–6) 		 29 – Wright   14 – Wright   5 – Wright  McCamish Pavilion (1,200)
Atlanta, GA
March 5, 2021
8:00 p.m., ACCN 		at Wake Forest W 75–63  15–8
(11–6) 		 20 – Devoe   6 – Usher   5 – Alvarado  LJVM Coliseum (1,229)
Winston-Salem, NC
ACC tournament
March 11, 2021
2:30 p.m., ESPN2 		(4) vs. (13) Miami
Quarterfinals 		W 70–66  16–8
  15 – Usher   6 – Wright   7 – Devoe  Greensboro Coliseum (2,820)
Greensboro, NC
March 12, 2021
6:30 p.m., ESPN2 		(4) vs. (1) No. 16 Virginia
Semifinals 		Georgia Tech advanced due to COVID-19 issues at Virginia[9] Greensboro Coliseum 
Greensboro, NC
March 13, 2021
8:30 p.m., ESPN 		(4) vs. (2) No. 15 Florida State
Championship 		W 80–75  17–8
  20 – Devoe   8 – Wright   3 – Devoe  Greensboro Coliseum (2,820)
Greensboro, NC
NCAA tournament
March 19, 2021
4:00 p.m., TBS 		(9 MW) vs. (8 MW) No. 17 Loyola–Chicago
First Round 		L 60–71  17–9
  15 – Usher   5 – Tied   4 – Devoe  Hinkle Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[10][11]

Rankings

See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516Final
AP———————————RV————RVNot released
CoachesRV—————————RV—————RVRV

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

References

  1. ^ Borzello, Jeff (March 12, 2021). "Virginia Cavaliers out of ACC tournament after positive COVID-19 test". ESPN. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  2. ^ "Georgia Tech vs. Florida State - Game Recap - March 13, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  3. ^ Easwaran, Akshay (March 14, 2021). "Georgia Tech Basketball: Jackets Earn #9 seed, will play #8 Loyola-Chicago". From The Rumble Seat. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  4. ^ "Georgia Tech vs. Loyola Chicago - Game Recap - March 19, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  5. ^ Geisinger, Brian (September 26, 2019). "Georgia Tech Basketball Banned from 2020 Postseason by NCAA". accsports.com. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  6. ^ "Georgia Tech at Notre Dame Men's Basketball Game Postponed". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. January 5, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  7. ^ "Georgia Tech at NC State Men's Basketball Game Postponed". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  8. ^ "Boston College at Georgia Tech Men's Basketball Game Postponed". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  9. ^ "Virginia vs. Georgia Tech ACC Men's Basketball Tournament Semifinal Game Canceled". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. March 12, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  10. ^ "2020-21 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  11. ^ "2020-21 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 24, 2021.