7/10 Seed Match-Up: Oklahoma St/ Georgia Tech

The 7/10 match-ups are always intriguing and this year is no exception. I will be breaking down all four games prior to the start of the tournament. We start with the Midwest bracket were the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets take on the Oklahoma St Cowboys in what promises to be a highly competitive affair.

The common denominator with these squads is that they both had poor road records. It will be interesting to see how they both react to being away from home.

Georgia Tech had a strong showing in the ACC tournament as they won 3 games before losing to the clear cut best team in the league Duke. Their impressive run to the ACC title game is what ultimately got them into the tourney. They were clearly a “bubble team” prior to that. Gani Lawal leads the team in scoring with a 13.1 point per game average. Forward Derrick Favors and point guard Iman Shumpert are the only other players averaging in double figure for this Yellow Jackets squad. What they lack in offense they make up for in defense. They held the high powered Duke offense to just 65 points in the ACC Championship game, and will need to have an equally good effort if they have any chance of taking down the Cowboys.

Oklahoma St has had several big wins this season. They beat a top 10 Kansas St squad back in January, and beat the top ranked Kansas Jayhawks convincingly last month. They have the ability to score, but somehow have trouble against teams that can score too. Allowing over 68 points per game will not be good enough during the NCAA tournament. If they have any intention of making a deep run, they will have to sure up their defensive deficiencies and make big shots towards the end of games.

There is no question that the Cowboys can get up and down the floor offensively. They are led by one of the best guards in the country in James Anderson. His 22.6 points per game led the Big-12, and he also averaged an impressive 6 rebounds per game. Obi Muonelo and Keiton Page round out the trio of stud guards that make this team dangerous offensively. Forwards Marshall Moses and Matt Pilgrim are serviceable scorers, but can hold their own with anyone on the glass. Combined they average 15 rebounds per game, and are a big reason why Okie St has the ability to go deep in this tournament.

This game will come down to tempo. If Georgia Tech gets out to an early lead they will be hard to stop due to their superior defense. However, if the Cowboys can force Tech into an up-tempo style of play, it may get the Jackets out of rhythm. We should have a good idea of how this game will end up in the first 10 minutes of play. It should be a very entertaining game as both squads are very capable of getting to the sweet -16.

Related posts:

1. ACC’s Best Battle: Georgia Tech vs. Duke
2. Fed Ex Orange Bowl Preview: Iowa vs. Georgia Tech
3. Georgia Tech vs. Utah in Hyundai Sun Bowl
4. 7/10 Seed Match-Up: Clemson/ Missouri
5. 7/10 Seed Match-Up: Brigham Young/ Florida

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