2:30 p.m. ET – Miami vs Georgia Tech
| Teams | Spread | Money Line | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | +9½ (-110) | +370 | O 138½ (-110) |
| Georgia Tech | -9½ (-110) | -495 | U 138½ (-110) |
The 10-16 Hurricanes, seeded No. 13, take on the 15-8 No. 4 seed Yellow Jackets in the Atlantic Coast Conference quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon. Miami defeated Pittsburgh in the opening round of the competition before pulling off the upset of No. 5 seed Clemson yesterday to become the first-ever 13 seed to reach the ACC quarterfinals. Georgia Tech was last in action this past Friday, defeating Wake Forest on the road to finish its season on a six-game win streak.
Guard Isiah Wong leads Miami in scoring with 17.3 points per game this season. Wong was unable to get anything going offensively in the first matchup between these two teams, scoring only four points on 2-of-7 shooting from the field. The Hurricanes will need a better outing from him this time around, and the good news for them is that he scored 20 points in each of their first two ACC Tournament games. In yesterday’s win over Clemson, he hit 8-of-14 field-goal attempts and also added six rebounds.
Georgia Tech is led by its two-headed monster of first team all-ACC forward Moses Wright and ACC Defensive Player of the Year Jose Alvarado. Wright led the team with 18 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, while Alvarado led the conference in steals per game with 2.9. In the first matchup with the Hurricanes, it was guard Michael Devoe who led the way for the Yellow Jackets, scoring 29 points on 7-of-11 shooting from three-point range.
Georgia Tech beat Miami by 27 in the first matchup with both teams coming off equal rest. This time around the Hurricanes are playing their third game in as many days, with those two wins being emotionally draining upset victories. Miami’s best chance to pull off the upset would be for the Yellow Jackets to take them lightly.
Miami has shot the ball well the first two days of the tournament, but the Yellow Jackets provide a much bigger defensive challenge than either of the first two opponents the Hurricanes have faced in this tournament. Not to mention Miami cannot stop Georgia Tech’s efficient offensive attack. This game should get ugly early and stay ugly. Lay the points and take the Yellow Jackets to cruise to a double-digit victory and advance to the ACC semifinals for the first time since 2010.
*Odds courtesy of MyBookie
