Offense struggles as Georgia Tech falls to Florida State, 81-71

Feb 8, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brian Gregory coaches against the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half at Hank McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Coming into a rare Sunday night tilt in Tallahassee, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets had a tall order against the Florida State Seminoles. FSU entered with one of the better defenses in the country, and with the well-documented troubles for Brian Gregory’s offense, the stars didn’t exactly align for a victory. Unfortunately, the fears that were illustrated by the numbers ended up bearing out in a 81-71 defeat.

The Jackets shot just 36% from the field and 5-for-27 (18.5%) from 3-point distance in the game, and the perimeter was especially brutal for Georgia Tech. Outside of Trae Golden (who scored 16 points on 5-11 FG), the guards and wings combined to shoot just 3-for-17 in the game, and that simply wasn’t going to get it done in a true road game against a quality opponent. If there was a bright side, the Jackets committed only 8 turnovers throughout the 40-minute battle, but whatever ground that made up was mitigated by the poor shooting.

Defensively, Georgia Tech didn’t exactly light the world on fire, either, as FSU knocked down 52% of their total shots, including 6 for 12 from beyond the arc. There wasn’t a particular performance that stood out from an individual on the ‘Noles, but they seemed to get wherever they wanted on the floor at times, and that’s never a great recipe. If there was a bright spot for the Jackets, it was the frontcourt effort from guys like Robert Carter, Jr. (20 points, 6 rebounds) and Daniel Miller (13 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks), but it was far too little to overcome the other deficiencies.

It would have been misguided to “expect” a win in Tallahassee, but optimistic Tech fans likely projected a better showing. With the defeat, the Jackets are now 13-16 overall and a dismal 4-12 in ACC play, and with a road trip to Syracuse on Tuesday (yikes), that record is very likely to submarine even further. Stay tuned.