Georgia Tech will be looking for its first victory away from home this season when the Yellow Jackets face Northwestern in a non-conference game Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee.
The matchup is part of the MKE Tip-Off, a tripleheader at Fiserv Forum, home of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. Akron faces host Milwaukee in the opener, while San Francisco plays Loyola Chicago in the final game.
Georgia Tech (4-5) dropped its first two road games last week, 76-61 at then-No. 21 Oklahoma, and then 68-65 in its ACC opener at then-No. 20 North Carolina.
Northwestern (7-3) is coming off a 70-66 overtime victory last Friday over Big Ten opponent Illinois that knocked the Illini out of the Top 25.
“Most people think you either win or you lose, and don’t get me wrong, there’s a left-hand column and a right-hand column, but I think in our case, we either win or we learn,” Georgia Tech coach Damon Stoudamire said Thursday. “We’ve just got to keep learning and don’t allow built-in excuses. We’re right there in games, a couple things we’ve got to clean up, and I think that’s the excitement that I have going into this game.”
Georgia Tech has four players averaging in double figures, led by Lance Terry with 15.4 points per game. Baye Ndongo averages 13.4 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds.
Guard Javian McCollum, a transfer from Oklahoma, averaged 12.8 points through the first five games before sustaining a concussion in a loss to Cincinnati on Nov. 23 and has not played since.
“I’m hoping that he’ll be back for this game,” Stoudamire said. “Anybody that knows me, you don’t need practices, you’ve just got get in there and play. Having that extra body would be good. We’ve missed him, we’ve missed his shooting, we’ve missed the veteran presence. If he’s to be back on Sunday, that would be great.”
Northwestern’s three losses are by a combined eight points, including an 80-79 loss at Iowa on Dec. 3 on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
“You’re playing really good teams and some nights they’re going to beat you in a close game,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said following the win over Illinois. “And you just can’t let it trigger to two to three to four losses.”
Nick Martinelli leads in scoring with 20.8 points per game while shooting 53 percent, adding 6.6 rebounds. Brooks Barnhizer adds 19.7 points and 8.8 boards, and Jalen Leach provides a third offensive option at 14.3 points per game.
It’s the first meeting between Northwestern and Georgia Tech since 2018. The Wildcats lead the series 3-2.
–Field Level Media
