Georgia Tech (10-9, 3-3) hosts Maryland (13-7, 3-3) tonight at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. The Jackets have dominated at home in conference play, and could pick up a huge win over a good Maryland squad tonight.
Tech has had a case of Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde this season in ACC play. At home, they have beaten North Carolina, Wake Forest, and Virginia Tech by 70 points combined. On the road, their three losses at Boston College, Clemson, and Virginia have been by 44 points combined.
The Terrapins are coming off an impressive 66-42 win at Virginia on Thursday. Guard Adrian Bowie had 22 points, and Cliff Tucker added 13 coming off the bench.
Tech's last game was a 72-57 win over Virgina Tech, powered by one of the best individual performances in school history. Guard Iman Shumpert had 22 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, 7 steals, and only 1 turnover for just the fourth triple-double in Tech history and first in over 20 years. He dominated defensively as well, holding one of the best players in the ACC in Malcolm Delaney to just 8 points. Brian Oliver had a game-high 28 points, connecting on 4-of-9 from behind the arc.
Maryland had won nine straight games in the series before Tech beat the Terrapins 69-64 last year in the ACC Tournament. The Jackets lost the only other meeting last year 76-74 in College Park on a three-pointer by Cliff Tucker as time expired.
Although it seems weird to be discussing ACC standings for a team that is 10-9, this game does have implications in the ACC race. The winner will move into a tie for fourth place in the conference, while the loser drops to ninth.
The game tips-off at 7:45 p.m. and can be seen nationally on Fox Sports Net. It can be heard locally on 790 the Zone.