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FSU vs. Georgia Tech prediction and game preview. The Seminoles will look to avoid the upset when they travel to Atlanta to battle the Yellow Jackets.

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FSU vs. Georgia Tech Game Preview

When: Wednesday, Jan. 25 – 7 p.m. ET
Where: McCamish Pavilion, Atlanta, GA
TV Broadcast: ACC Network

The No. 6 Seminoles (18-2, 6-1 ACC) will begin a three-game road stretch in Atlanta as winners of 14 of their last 15 games. Leonard Hamilton’s squad is coming off of a 73-68 victory over Louisville in Tallahassee, which was their final game of a run against six straight ranked teams. The Seminoles’ lone loss was a setback to North Carolina, with victories coming over Virginia, Virginia Tech, Duke, Notre Dame and Rick Pitino’s Cardinals. It was the best mark that any ACC team has ever put together when facing consecutive Top 25 teams.

Meanwhile, Josh Pastner is enjoying a surprising first season with the Yellow Jackets (11-8, 3-4), although they have dropped two in a row. The Jackets lost both games in their Virginia swing, to the Hokies and Cavaliers following a two-game win streak. Still, as Pastner told Campus Insiders recently, even his own administration wouldn’t have been shocked if this young team went winless in the ACC. Instead, GT has three conference victories, including upset wins over North Carolina and non-conference foe VCU.

The Yellow Jackets defeated FSU last year in Tallahassee, 86-80, to snap a 10-game losing streak to the Seminoles.

FSU Wins If …

… The ‘Noles receive another beastly game from Jonathan Isaac. The freshman forward has recently earned both ACC freshman of the week and national player of the week honors for strong performances in key games against ranked teams. He has recorded three straight double-doubles, averaging almost 19 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks per game over the last three contests. He will pose a serious matchup problem for the GT defense.

This is a superior FSU team, and it’s an even tougher draw for the Jackets because of the Seminoles’ depth. Hamilton utilizes 12 players who average at least 10 minutes per game, while GT is heavily reliant on a core six: Josh Okogie, Ben Lammers, Quinton Stephens, Tadric Jackson, Josh Heath and Justin Moore.

Georgia Tech Wins If …

… The Yellow Jackets can muddy things up and control the tempo of the game. FSU loves to play fast and loose, and the ‘Noles have been able to successfully push the basketball all season. They rank in the Top 15 nationally in scoring and have a very good shooting team. But while GT is the ACC’s lowest-scoring squad, it ranks in the Top 5 in scoring and field goal percentage defense.

Pastner will do all he can to slow down the tempo, be efficient on offense and hope that FSU’s transition points are limited. The Yellow Jackets have held nine of their 19 opponents to 63 points or fewer this season, including North Carolina. Still, Tech needs to score in order to have any chance at an upset. The Jackets are 10-0 when tallying at least 70 points this season, and they are shooting 47.1 percent from three-point range (24-for-51) over their last four games. Okogie will have to have one of his best games of the year, and he enters at GT’s leading scorer at 14.6 points per game.

Matchup To Watch

The frontcourt battle

Lammers and Stephens have become a force inside for the Yellow Jackets, as they combine to average 25.2 points and 17.8 rebounds per game. Lammers’ plus-10.9 per game scoring average increase over the 2015-16 season is the second-best in the ACC. But the Seminoles have the size to win this battle. Both 7-4 Christ Koumadje and 7-1 Michael Ojo would be a tough matchup for any team at the college level, but GT is one of the worst teams in the ACC in rebounding margin. However, the Jackets lead the ACC in blocks, with Lammers averaging a conference-best 3.4 blocks per contest.

Betting Odds

Spread: FSU -8
Over/Under: No line as of post

FSU vs. Georgia Tech Prediction

Pastner has done a tremendous job thus far in his first year in Atlanta, as this is an incredibly young team that plays hard. This is nowhere near the program it can be under his leadership, but his players have taken to him quickly. However, the depth and athleticism of FSU will be too overwhelming for the Yellow Jackets in this one.

FSU vs. Georgia Tech final score prediction: FSU 76, Georgia Tech 63

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