Georgia Tech freshman Naithan George scored with :07 left and the Yellow Jackets got a stop on the ensuing end to upset No. 3 North Carolina 74-73 Tuesday at home. UNC came into the week as the last Big Six program that had yet to lose a game in conference play.
Georgia Tech (10-11, 3-7 ACC) came into this game having lost eight of its last nine games before knocking off its second top-10 opponent of the season. The Yellow Jackets beat Duke on Dec. 2 in an ACC opener for both teams.
George was one of three Georgia Tech players to finish the game in double-figures. Kyle Sturdivant scored a team-high 18 points off the bench, while George (16) and Miles Kelly (15) both contributed to the win.
North Carolina (17-4, 9-1) had a chance to win the game at the horn, but RJ Davis’ floater missed. The Tar Heels’ star finished the game with 28 points, which marked his seventh 25+ point outing of the season.
The Tar Heels were riding a 10-game winning streak ahead of their matchup against Georgia Tech. UNC is set to face rival No. 7 Duke on Saturday.
Georgia Tech’s confusing season
Year 1 of the Damon Stoudamire continues to go up and down. The Yellow Jackets have top-10 wins over Duke and North Carolina, a road win against Clemson and nonconference wins over Mississippi State and Penn State. Outside of that, Georgia Tech’s season hasn’t been great.
After Georgia Tech upset Duke, it lost seven of the next eight conference games before recording one of the more impressive wins of the season at home. The lows are very low and the highs are very high for this team. North Carolina was one of the hottest teams in the country and this can definitely be some momentum to build off going forward.
Looking ahead to North Carolina-Duke
This weekend is shaping up to be the most anticipated of the regular season. The matchup between North Carolina and Duke is one of four top-10 games on the weekend slate and with North Carolina losing on Tuesday, the stakes will now be even higher. The Blue Devils are 1.5 games out of first place in the ACC and they can make things really interesting with a win at home. If Duke wins on Saturday, it would create even more drama atop the ACC and make it a two-horse race – like many before the season anticipated – for the conference title.
Not only could Saturday dictate the potential ACC title race, but also the ACC Player of the Year distinction. UNC’s RJ Davis continues to play like an All-American for the Tar Heels and Duke’s Kyle Filipowski is right there with him. This weekend isn’t going to ultimately decide both, but it can be used as a potential measuring stick.
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