The Georgia Tech game against UCLA will look very different than what we assumed it would look like a few weeks ago. Who will come out on top in a battle of whoever’s left?
TV Schedule: Friday, Nov. 10, 11:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Arena: Baoshan Sports Center, Shanghai, China
What began as one of the most fun matchups of the opening day of college basketball quickly turned into a game between whoever is left.
Suspensions and, in UCLA’s case, arrests have led to the overseas showdown between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and UCLA Bruins in China being a bit of a disappointment.
That being said, both UCLA and Georgia Tech are NCAA Tournament teams, and the result of this game could have a massive impact later on in the season.
UCLA will be without LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley, and Jalen Hill, who were arrested for shoplifting, will, obviously, not play in this game. Chinese authorities interviewed both teams before arresting the trio, and this situation is quickly going from a funny “look what happened to UCLA” moment to a more serious and scary “I hope these players don’t spend 3-10 years in prison.”
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The Yellow Jackets might not be without as big of names as the Bruins, but both Josh Okogie and Tadric Jackson are players that Georgia Tech cannot succeed without. The self-reported violations may help the Yellow Jackets in the long run, but, in the short term, Josh Pastner’s team might be far worse off than UCLA when it comes to their missing players.
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Fortunately for the Yellow Jackets, Pastner proved yet again last season that he is a phenomenal coach, barely missing out on the NCAA Tournament despite being picked to be one of the worst teams in the ACC. UCLA struggles to play defense at times and could be outcoached with the team’s mind on other things.
This is one of the more difficult games to predict due to the absences, so I could see either team winning. However, UCLA’s overseas drama says to me that the players are not taking this trip seriously, and I think that Georgia Tech comes out on top even without their stars. I don’t know how you can focus as a team when your teammates are facing jail time.
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Either way, it’s close, and the loser will bounce back.
Prediction: Georgia Tech 79, UCLA 75