The Stetson Hatters and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets meet Friday in college basketball action from McCamish Pavilion. Stetson managed a win in their opener this week, beating Florida Memorial by seven points. As for the Jackets, they lost their first game to Miami-OH on Tuesday. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Stetson posted a 12-15 overall record last year with a 7-9 mark in Atlantic Sun play. The Hatters would finish above only Jacksonville and Kennesaw State in the standings. Stetson earned an invite to the CBI, where they beat Bowling Green before falling to Coastal Carolina.
Stetson was able to keep Florida Memorial at bay in their opener, ultimately powering out a 74-67 victory. Leading the way in scoring was Rob Perry with 25 points, five rebounds and one assist. Chase Jones added 20 points with three boards and four steals as well.
Over on the Georgia Tech side, they went 17-9 overall last year with a 11-6 mark in the ACC. After a fourth-place finish in the standings the Jackets went on to take out Miami and Florida State (with a forfeit from Virginia) on the way to the ACC Tournament championship.
Georgia Tech didn’t start out so well versus Miami-OH in their opener. The Jackets held a 33-33 tie at the half, but couldn’t keep up in an eventual 72-69 loss. Michael Devoe led the team with 26 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal.
GA Tech is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 overall and 5-2 ATS in their last seven as a favorite. The Jackets are 13-5 ATS in their last 18 after a straight-up loss.
Meanwhile, the Hatters are 5-1 ATS in their last six as a road underdog and 6-2 ATS in their last eight road games. Stetson is 4-1 ATS in their last five overall.
PICK: I’m going to try Georgia Tech. They’re going to need a good bounce-back performance, though. The Yellow Jackets shot a tepid 39.3 percent from the field in the Miami-OH loss, committing 23 fouls and 14 turnovers along the way. Georgia Tech rebounded well (44) and shot well from the line (85 percent) but there’s plenty of room for improvement. Stetson makes for a promising opponent that the Yellow Jackets “should” cover against, but anything could happen so I’m staying away.