Georgia Tech vs Cincinnati Odds, Pick | NCAAB Betting Guide

In a sea of Feast Week neutral contests lies a traditional matchup floating like driftwood.

Cincinnati embarks on its fifth home game of the season, yet to be truly challenged in the early going. Georgia Tech is looking to bounce back from a hard-fought loss at home to UMass Lowell, a team that’s no slouch but one the Yellow Jackets should’ve handled.

At this juncture, Cincy has clearly been the better team, but Georgia Tech can be a feisty dog when the spread gets over double digits.

Here's college basketball odds and a pick for Georgia Tech vs. Cincinnati on Wednesday, Nov. 22.

UMass Lowell isn’t the only mid-major Georgia Tech has struggled against this season. The game prior, the Yellow Jackets found themselves down 14 in the second half to Howard before a furious comeback saved their collective bacon.

The early struggles shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise given the coaching change from Josh Pastner to Damon Stoudamire and the number of new faces from the transfer portal.

However, the talent on this roster is far too good to be in dogfights with teams from the America East and MEAC.

Tech’s offense is up-tempo, ball-screen heavy and dominated by its backcourt. Miles Kelly, Amaree Abram and Kyle Sturdivant can all attack off the bounce, while Kowacie Reeves Jr. and Dallan Coleman offer reliable shooting on the wings.

GT’s guards are sound with the ball, rarely turning it over, and this team attacks the offensive glass with reckless abandon in true Stoudamire fashion. Western Carolina transfer Tyzhaun Claude is one of the best rebounders in the country.

Making shots has been an issue. Only Coleman and Reeves are shooting over 33% from deep, Georgia Tech as a team ranks 238th in field goal percentage at the rim (per Hoop-Math), and fewer than 30 teams nationally have been worse from the free-throw line.

Positive regression could be coming on this end, and it’s a good sign that the Yellow Jackets protect the rock and get frequent second-chance opportunities.

Defense has strangely been a struggle. GT should be excellent on this end of the floor with Stoudamire’s pedigree and size at every position. The Yellow Jackets have done well running shooters off the 3-point arc, but an inability to get stops inside and finish plays on the glass has been their downfall.

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On paper, Cincy matches up well with Georgia Tech on the defensive end. The Bearcats have been excellent on the defensive glass this season, ranking fifth nationally in rebounding rate, and they just received welcome news that Bandaogo has been granted an eligibility waiver.

Bandaogo is a 7-foot, shot-swatting monster in the paint and the reigning WAC Defensive Player of the Year. He led his conference in block rate and defensive rebounding rate at Utah Valley last season and fortifies a Cincy frontline that already included 6-foot-11 big man Viktor Lakhin, another terror on the boards and a skilled offensive player.

Cincy’s guard play has been terrific this season as well. Top-five JUCO transfer Day Day Thomas has delivered on his hype, and freshman Jizzle James (Edgerrin’s kid) has been electric in the open floor.

Transfers CJ Fredrick and Simas Lukosius have given Cincy scoring pop and shooting on the wings, while returnees John Newman III and Dan Skillings Jr. have each taken leaps from last season.

The Bearcats’ quick, athletic guards should be able to match up with GT’s ball-screen attack, and Lakhin, Bandaogo and 6-foot-9 big Ody Oguama should have the foot speed to contain penetration. If outside shots aren’t falling for the Yellow Jackets, it could be extremely difficult to score.

The open floor might be the one area where Georgia Tech could find success, as Cincy has allowed plenty of transition opportunities while crashing the offensive glass. The problem there, of course, is GT needs to be able to secure the rebound — a task easier said than done.

One concern with backing double-digit favorite Cincinnati is its schedule to date. The Bearcats haven’t played anyone on Georgia Tech’s level, especially from an athleticism and physicality standpoint. It could be a shock to the system of sorts if the Yellow Jackets can turn this game into more of a rugby match.

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While Cincy matches up well with Georgia Tech on paper – especially defensively – this spread is huge.

Stoudamire is a heck of a coach, and his previous teams at Pacific were known for not backing down from a fight. A loss to UMass Lowell isn’t the end of the world, as the River Hawks are excellent this season, and poor shooting against Howard led to a closer game than anticipated.

Bandaogo is a massive addition for the Bearcats, and their guards are for real, but how will GT’s perimeter length affect the 6-foot Thomas and 6-foot-1 James in their first bout with power competition?

It’s enough to think twice about laying points and instead backing the scrappy dog with something to prove.

Pick: Georgia Tech +13

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