ACC Basketball power rankings: Clemson and Georgia Tech rises, Duke falls
By Joey Loose
7. Georgia Tech (4-3, 1-0)
A new era of Georgia Tech began this past offseason when Damon Stoudamire was hired as the new head coach of these Yellow Jackets. We can talk about the successes and failures in recent years under Josh Pastner, but the focus is on the future. This first month of Stoudamire’s tenure has had some really great moments but it’s also shown us that the Yellow Jackets have a ways to go before their seen as contenders in this league again.
We’ll start with the bad, because growing pains are understandable for new coaches and transitioning programs. A home loss to UMass Lowell was pretty bad, plus the team was blown out by 35 points at Cincinnati in their very next game. The Yellow Jackets then won back-to-back home games over ranked squads, stunning Mississippi State and then Duke, putting together their two best performances of the young season. A 14-point road loss to rival Georgia then dulled some of that success.
Miles Kelly is the real deal and there are certainly some very solid pieces on this roster. The Yellow Jackets have already proven that they can win important games at home against some fantastic teams, something that could serve them well as they continue to grow together. It’s those performances in the other games that show that this program is still a year or two off from being a serious contender, even with that win over Duke putting them in a great early place in the ACC standings.