Georgia Tech looking to get over the hump

ATLANTA -- Close might have been good enough in recent years, but that won't cut it this season at Georgia Tech.

Head coach Brian Gregory is fed up with his team playing well enough to lose. He wants to see some results in the win column.

The latest instance was the team's 86-78 loss to No. 7 North Carolina on Saturday. Georgia Tech led by as many as seven points in the first half and had a one-point lead with six minutes remaining, but still came up short.

"It's a loss," Gregory said. "We've got to get past that. We're past the point of, 'All right, we completed with a really good team.' We've got to figure out ways to break through and win the game.

"I say that with all respect to North Carolina and who they are now, but at the same time, I say that with respect to us. I think we're a much different team. You've got to go out there and prove it. You can believe in it, you can have faith in it and all of those things, but you go out there and fight for it and take it. That's the point we're at right now."

It doesn't get any easier Wednesday when the Yellow Jackets travel to play No. 24 Pittsburgh in their second ACC game. Pittsburgh (12-1) averages 85 points and allows just 62.7. The Panthers are led by 6-foot-9 Michael Young, who averages 16.9 points and 7.4 rebounds, and 6-7 Jamel Artis, who averages 15.6 points and 4.5 rebounds. Guard James Robinson (10.2) also averages double figures for head coach Jamie Dixon's deep squad.

There are two Georgians on the Pittsburgh team. Damon Wilson is a freshman from Powder Springs and Alonzo Nelson-Ododa is a graduate senior from Norcross who played at Richmond. Wilson has played in all 13 games and averages 4.7 points. Nelson-Ododa has started five games and averages 2.6 points and 2.4 rebounds.

Pittsburgh defeated Syracuse 72-61 in its ACC opener on Dec. 30 and has won eight straight since its lone loss of the season to Purdue.

"They're good," Gregory said. "They're Pitt of old ... quality guard play, toughness, defend well, rebound well. They really move the ball and force the defense into some tough situations."

Pittsburgh won last year's game 70-65, also at Pittsburgh, when Georgia Tech went more than five minutes in the second half without scoring. Artis scored 20 points and had five rebounds in the game.

"We had 15 turnovers, and that's too many," Gregory said.

Gregory stressed the need for his players to continue to pound the boards and prevent empty possessions in order to have a chance to win.

"There are areas we need to tighten up," he said. "You've got to play well for 40 minutes in this year ... 35 or 30 isn't good enough. You can't go two or three possessions where you give up consecutive baskets or you don't score. That's an area we really need to get better at."

This is the second of three straight games against a ranked opponent; No. 5 Virginia visits Georgia Tech on Saturday. But Gregory isn't looking for excuses.

"We haven't been dealt the easiest hand, but you've got to play them," he said. "They're not going to change them. We've got to go to work, and that's what we're going to do."

This story was originally published January 5, 2016 at 3:23 PM with the headline "Georgia Tech looking to get over the hump ."