Georgia Tech hosts Florida A&M in final ACC tune-up
Georgia Tech looks to earn its fourth straight win to finish nonconference play as it hosts Florida A&M on Sunday afternoon in Atlanta.
The Yellow Jackets (8-4) squandered any chance of building a strong postseason resume prior to Atlantic Coast Conference action, going 0-3 against power conference opponents. Nonetheless, head coach Damon Stoudamire has seen his team improve in consecutive wins over Monmouth, Marist and Lafayette.
"We have one more nonconference game before we start conference play, so for me the biggest thing is the build-up to it," Stoudamire said. "I can see us getting better. I can see guys getting more confident. I see a lot of great signs of things to come."
In Georgia Tech's current winning streak, Stoudamire has found a go-to offensive playmaker in newcomer Lamar Washington. The Pacific transfer is averaging 18.0 points, 8.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds across the Yellow Jackets' last three outings.
"I'm hard on my point guards. I'm hard on guys that handle the ball just because I know what that assignment is," said Stoudamire, a former NBA guard. "You've got to be selfless. ... You can tell (Lamar's) getting comfortable out there. And then more importantly, you can tell that the team is rallying around him as well."
Kowacie Reeves Jr.'s 15.8 points per game lead Georgia Tech, while Baye Ndongo adds 11.8 points and 7.8 boards per contest. Ndongo missed the Yellow Jackets' past three games while rehabbing a knee injury.
Florida A&M (3-7) wraps up nonconference action before traveling to Bethune-Cookman to begin Southwestern Athletic Conference play on Jan. 3. The Rattlers have just one Division I victory to their name -- a 72-65 win over Jacksonville on Dec. 17.
Last time out, head coach -- and former two-sport star and Heisman Trophy winner -- Charlie Ward's team fell by 24 points at TCU on Dec. 21. Florida A&M led by four at halftime before being outscored 56-28 after the break.
Still, the Rattlers' rigorous pre-SWAC slate should serve the group well.
"We've been playing a pretty good schedule, which is on purpose," Ward said. "It helps show our guys that when you play at a high level, this is what you have to do consistently."
Antonio Baker Jr. paces Florida A&M with 11.1 points per game, followed by Tyler Shirley with 10.4 points and a team-high 5.1 rebounds.