Half-time report
Northwestern is on the road but doesn’t seem any worse for wear. They jumped out to an early 31-26 lead against Georgia Tech.
If Northwestern continues to play like this, they will increase their record to 8-3 in no time. On the other hand, Georgia Tech will have to settle for a 4-6 record unless they turn things around (and quickly).
Who’s playing
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ Northwest Wildcats
Current records: Georgia Tech 4-5, Northwestern 7-3
How to watch
What you need to know
The Northwest Wildcats will face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in a holiday battle at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday at Fiserv Forum. The Wildcats pulled off an upset victory in their last outing and hope to do so once again against the 6.5-point favorite Yellow Jackets.
Last Friday, Northwestern needed a little extra time to put Illinois away. They managed a 70-66 victory against the Fighting Illini.
Northwestern can attribute much of its success to Nick Martinelli, who went 11 for 20 en route to 27 points plus six rebounds and two blocks. Martinelli continues to roll, beating his previous point total in each of the last three games he has played. The team also got help from Jalen Leach, who had 16 points and five assists.
Meanwhile, Georgia Tech suffered its closest loss since February 14 last Saturday. They fell just to North Carolina by a score of 68-65. The Yellow Jackets have now taken an “L” in back-to-back games.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Baye Ndongo, who had a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. He struggled to find his footing against Oklahoma two weeks ago, so this was a nice turnaround. Another player who made the difference was Lance Terry, who had 22 points.
Northwestern pushed its record to 7-3 with the win, which was its seventh straight at home dating back to last season. As for Georgia Tech, they now have a losing record at 4-5.
Rebounding will likely be a big factor in this contest: Northwestern has been smashing the glass this season, averaging 36.8 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like Georgia Tech struggled in this department, as its average was 39.1. As both teams fight to recover missed shots, we’ll see if one team can take the lead.
Northwestern was able to pull off a solid win against Georgia Tech in their previous game in November 2018, winning 67-61. The rematch might be a little tougher for Northwestern since the team won’t have home-court advantage this time around. We’ll see if the change of location makes a difference.
Odds
Georgia Tech is a solid 6.5-point favorite against Northwestern, according to the latest college basketball odds.
Oddsmakers had a good idea of the line for this one, as the game opened with the Yellow Jackets as 5.5-point favorites.
The over/under is 138.5 points.
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History of the series
Northwestern and Georgia Tech both have 1 win in their last 2 games.
- November 28, 2018 – Northwestern 67 vs. Georgia Tech 61
- November 28, 2017 – Georgia Tech 52 vs. Northwestern 51