2017 NIT: Georgia Tech holds on to advance to final

Georgia Tech advances to 2017 NIT Championship game after securing a win over Cal State-Bakersfield.

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets find themselves in the NIT Championship game after defeating Cal State-Bakersfield, 76-61, on Tuesday night in New York City.

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Georgia Tech pounced on Bakersfield from the start as their defense held the Roadrunners in check. Bakersfield shot 34 percent from the field and struggled to keep up with Georgia Tech’s offensive attack.

The Yellowjackets relied on the strong scoring night from guard and leading scorer Josh Okogie. The freshman finished the game leading Georgia Tech with 22 points on 7-of-18 shooting and 7-of-9 from the free throw line.

Meanwhile, Ben Lammers recorded a double-double as he scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Quinton Stephens got close to a double-double, but he finished with 13 points and nine rebounds.

It’s worth pointing out that Georgia Tech was considered a bubble team for much of the final month of the season. They needed a much better conference record than 8-10, and also needed a few early season wins, to get into the NCAA tournament.

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At the same time, it’s possible that if you flip one or two of those close ACC losses, and we would’ve talked about another ACC team in the NCAA tournament. Josh Pastner has done an incredible job with Georgia Tech in his first season with them. Obviously, it showed with him being named ACC Coach of the Year. It looks like Pastner has Georgia Tech on the right track, regardless of how they do in the championship game. This will be an exciting team to watch in the future. The Yellowjackets await the winner of the TCU/UCF game, which takes place later in the evening.