THE FLATS — Georgia Tech women’s basketball opens ACC play this week, welcoming two nationally-ranked opponents. First up, No. 2 Notre Dame on Monday at 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
THE STARTING FIVE…
1. Georgia Tech opens ACC play Monday facing No. 2 Notre Dame for the seventh time in program history. Fans can listen live on WREK 91.1/WREK.org or watch on ACC Network Extra. This marks the fifth consecutive season the Yellow Jackets have opened the ACC slate facing a nationally-ranked opponent.
2. Georgia Tech seeks its first win over Notre Dame as the Fighting Irish lead the all-time series 6-0. The first meeting between the squads dates back to 1996. The Yellow Jackets have hosted the Irish in Atlanta three times.
3. Georgia Tech pushed its win streak to two consecutive by ending non-conference play with a 67-51 victory over Princeton Dec. 29. Three Jackets scored in double-figures led by Elo Edeferioka with her second double-double of the season behind 17 points and 10 rebounds.
4. Tech opens the ACC slate facing two of the nation’s top 25 teams right out of the gate. First visiting Atlanta is No. 2 Notre Dame before No. 15/17 Duke visits on Thursday. The last time Tech opened the conference slate facing two nationally-ranked foes dates back to 2012-13 when Tech faced No. 4 Duke on Dec. 6 before No. 19/21 FSU Jan. 3.
5. Head coach MaChelle Joseph is in her 14th season on The Flats and carries an all-time career record of 263-164. Joseph is the all-time winningest coach in program history and holds the highest winning percentage in Yellow Jacket history at 61.6 percent.
A WIN WOULD…
-Move Georgia Tech to 12-2 on the season and push its home record to 8-1
-Be the first win over Notre Dame, moving the all-time series record to 6-1 in favor of the Fighting Irish
-Make the Yellow Jackets 5-9 in ACC Openers under Joseph
-Be the first time Tech defeated a top-10 opponent since a 71-70 victory over No. 8/8 North Carolina on Jan. 6, 2011
-Mark the first win over a top-25 opponent since a 71-62 victory over No. 16/17 Duke on Feb. 26, 2015 in McCamish
-Be the first win in an ACC opener since the Jackets opened the 2011-12 season with a win over NC State, 76-66
-Mark Coach Joseph’s 264th career win at Georgia Tech and give Georgia Tech its 639th all-time program win
LAST TIME THEY MET
The Fighting Irish took both meetings last season including a 54-42 decision in McCamish on Jan. 28. Tech shot just 22.4 percent from the floor in Notre Dame’s lowest scoring victory since 2006. The Irish scored 34 points in the paint and won the rebounding battle 43-36. While Tech has lost all six contests between the squads, the games have been relatively close as the Jackets lost three games by 10 points or less. The largest margin of victory for Notre Dame was 15 points in just the second meeting and over the six games, the Irish have defeated the Jackets by an average of 11.0 points. When competing in Atlanta, Notre Dame’s largest margin of victory is 12 points and the three wins came by a 9.6 point average.
LAST TIME OUT
Georgia Tech closed out its non-conference portion of the schedule with a 67-51 rout over Princeton last week. The Yellow Jackets were led in scoring by three players in double-figures. Elo Edeferioka led all scorers with 17 points and recorded her second double-double of the season with 10 rebounds. Despite trailing on the glass at halftime, Tech won the rebounding battle over the Tigers 45-41 for the game. Tech’s defense was a prime factor in the victory as Princeton was held to just a 27.9 percent shooting clip and committed 18 turnovers.
