Nevada vs Georgia Tech Odds, Pick for Sunday

The stage is set for the Diamond Head Classic final between the Nevada Wolf Pack and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. We came ever so close to seeing Nevada and Hawaii meet again for the second time in the past week, but Georgia Tech nixed it.

Here's Nevada vs. Georgia Tech odds and a pick for Sunday.

The Wolf Pack picked up a win over TCU, the odds-on tournament favorite. Nevada led early and carried a double-digit lead throughout the second half.

Additionally, sharp-shooting guard Jarod Lucas found his groove, scoring 25 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Nevada’s shooting struggles are well documented, but if Lucas continues his strong work, it'll put Nevada’s offense in a positive position against high-caliber teams.

I mentioned the shooting struggles above, but honestly, it’s more of Nevada knowing it’s not a good shooting team. Only Lucas and reserve guards Hunter McIntosh and Tyler Rolison shoot above 35% from deep. Lucas is the only starter hitting above 35% from deep, which makes the lineup a bit one-dimensional.

It works for one reason — the guy who runs everything.

That guy is big point guard Kenan Blackshear, who's a difficult matchup for anybody, especially younger guards like George. The 6-foot-6 Blackshear is steady, averaging 15.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.

Blackshear loves conducting the offense from the mid-post area, and he'll need a big game against the Yellow Jackets.

Nevada gets to the foul line at the seventh-best rate in college basketball. Even better, it connects on 74% of its free throws.

Paired with the very infrequent turnovers, Nevada is one of the most fundamentally sound teams in America. It’s very uncommon to rank top-15 in free throws attempted and turnover percentage. However, when your team isn’t great from deep, finding other scoring avenues is paramount.

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The Yellow Jackets offer a ton of promise and upside. The team is still incredibly youthful though, led by two freshman Naithan George and Baye Ndongo.

George didn’t even play in the season’s first few games and is now the starting point guard. He has terrific size and playmaking prowess, so Nevada’s length won’t overwhelm him.

Moreover, Georgia Tech struggles heavily in two noteworthy areas: It shoots only 29% from downtown and turns the ball over on 19% of offensive possessions.

Just because Georgia Tech fumbles the ball around often doesn't mean it's a total death sentence. The Jackets turned it over 20 times against UMass in the first round of the Diamond Head Classic and still won.

Miles Kelly is one guy to keep an eye on. He leads Georgia Tech in scoring, but he’s just 1-of-16 from 3 in the past three games. It’s impressive how Georgia Tech went 3-0 in those games with Kelly struggling. He’ll need a bounce-back game here.

Thankfully, if Georgia Tech misses perimeter jumpers, grabbing second-chance opportunities is a major advantage. It collects offensive rebounds on 37% of offensive possessions, which ranks 12th nationally. Playing Ndongo at the four paired with Tyzhaun Claude or Ebenezer Dowuona at the five allows for offensive boards.

It’s been a tale of two games for head coach Damon Stoudamire. The Jackets put together an unlikely comeback against UMass and fended off Hawaii’s ferocious comeback bid.

The Yellow Jackets have looked terrific during the first two Diamond Head Classic games. The drawback is how young the team is. We’ll see natural ebbs-and-flows — as all young teams show.

Georgia Tech’s ability to match Nevada’s length should keep the game close enough to cover the spread.

Pick: Georgia Tech +5

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