Michael Devoe scored a game-high 26 points to lead Georgia Tech to a 73-56 victory over Nebraska on Wednesday night.
The Yellow Jackets (4-2) pulled away from the Cornhuskers over the final 14 minutes to secure a win in the B1G-ACC Challenge. Devoe converted a three-pointer and a 2nd chance layup to give Georgia Tech the breathing room it needed to gain separation against Nebraska (4-4).
Haanif Cheatham led the Huskers in scoring with 14 points. Jervay Green and Cam Mack each scored 11 points for Nebraska.
The Huskers are learning to adjust to life under Head Coach Fred Hoiberg. Under Hoiberg, Nebraska brought in 11 newcomers this season. After a 3rd Place finish in the Cayman Islands Invitational, hopes are high that this team will continue to improve. In addition, Coach Hoiberg received high praise from Georgia Tech Head Coach Josh Pastner during the Postgame Press Conference, when Pastner eluded to Hoiberg being one of the best coaches in the nation.
The Huskers came out determined to prove they were here for a road victory. They held a few different leads during the first half, but ultimately too many turnovers proved to be costly. Hoiberg gave credit to James Banks III for clogging the middle and the rest of the Georgia Tech defense applied energetic ball pressure to get Nebraska out of rhythm.
Banks III swayed the game even more toward Georgia Tech on a monster block on Yvon Ouedraogo’s fast-break attempt.
The fans inside McCamish Pavilion were mostly quiet in the 1st Half, but the block brought the fans to their feet Later in the 2nd Half, Nebraska fans tried to spark a comeback with chants of “Defense,” but Tech fans came over the top with much louder “Offense” chants. It was impressive, and something I hadn’t witnessed.
The Yellow Jackets dominated the paint and forced tough Cornhusker shot attempts, that was the story here tonight. Georgia Tech finished with a 48-30 edge in the paint, and held Nebraska to 6-26 3-Point shooting.
BIG PICTURE:
Nebraska: The Huskers have never beat Georgia Tech, now 0-2. The last loss came in The Omni back in 1983.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets improved to 8-11 all-time in the B1G-ACC Challenge. However, when the Jackets play at home during the Challenge, they are now 6-3.
UP NEXT
Nebraska: The Cornhuskers are in the midst of a difficult stretch. They travel to rival Creighton on Saturday. Next week? A trip to Indiana and hosting Purdue. They need to improve quickly.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets host Syracuse on Saturday at Noon. It prompted a funny moment in the press room. Pastner reiterated numerous times that the game is on Saturday, not on Sunday the 8th. Apparently there was a ticketing issue where all of the tickets read the 8th.