In order to win over formidable ACC opponents, Georgia Tech basketball focused on the ‘kill’

Going for the kill is a large part of Georgia Tech’s defensive lexicon. And no, Josh Pastner is not talking about volleyball.

A “kill” for the Yellow Jackets means they have stopped the opponent on three consecutive possessions. That can include forcing a turnover, causing a missed shot or drawing a foul — anything to cause the opposition to come up empty on three straight trips down the floor.

Pastner believes the Yellow Jackets have a great chance to win if they get seven kills in a game.

“You’re playing good teams,” Pastner said. “We had some chances where we blew the opportunities to get that kill (against Notre Dame). Part of playing in the ACC, you’re going to have guys who can make plays and make shots. Our guys’ effort was there … they guarded … it’s just a couple of times those guys hit some tough shots and that’s life in the ACC.”

Georgia Tech had three kills in the first half against Notre Dame, but only one in the second half of Wednesday’s 78-74 loss.

The Yellow Jackets had six kills in the first half against North Carolina, which helped pave the way to a 20-point halftime lead and an eventual win. They had five kills against Boston College in Saturday’s win.

But Tech had only three against Florida State and four against Duke, a pair of losses. Pastner said, “If we get three more against Florida State and we probably win the game. If we get to seven, we definitely win.”

The statistic will be more important at 8 p.m. Saturday when the Yellow Jackets host defending NCAA champion Virginia. The Cavaliers (11-5, 4-2 ACC) are the No. 1 scoring defense in the ACC, allowing just 48.7 points. Georgia Tech ranks 11th in the conference at 67.3 points, meaning any kill opportunities will be magnified in what is expected to be a low-scoring game.

“We’ve got to be better on defense and we’ve got to get to seven (kills),” Pastner said.

Georgia Tech’s task got tougher when Virginia lost its third straight game on Tuesday night, falling 54-50 at Florida State. It is only the fourth time the Cavs have dropped three straight since coach Tony Bennett took over the program in 2009. They lost nine in a row to end the regular season in his first year.

“Our inexperience shows at times,” Bennett said. “It takes courage not to get discouraged. You can’t be soft. You can self-reflect and be disappointed, but don’t you dare get discouraged. You have to be strong and tough mentally.”

That’s the same approach that Georgia Tech must adopt. The Yellow Jackets can’t build any momentum alternating wins and losses in conference play. A win against Virginia would help the team’s self-image going into next Wednesday’s game against No. 11 Louisville. It would also be the team’s first ACC win on their home court.

“Like I said before, we’ve got to protect our home court,” Georgia Tech guard Jose Alvarado said. “We’ll just watch film on (the Notre Dame game) and learn from it.”

It promises to be a big night at McCamish Pavilion, as Georgia Tech will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the “Lethal Weapon 3” team that reached the NCAA Final Four. The entire team — other than Dennis Scott and Brian Oliver, who are broadcasting games in other locations — will be recognized on the court at halftime and be available to sign autographs before the game.

That memorable team won 28 games and lost to UNLV in the national semifinal game and Bobby Cremins was the national coach of the year.