I watched the Ga Tech at Miami game a couple of nights ago and realized that I had confused Va Tech & Ga Tech in my mind. The fast and athletic team with a deep bench was Ga Tech. This team is not a good matchup for Cal.
I had Ga Tech marked off as a loss all season and I think that I'll stick with that prognosis: GT over Cal 74-70. I realize that the Bears are 14-1 at home. Both teams have been slumping over recent weeks which gives the home team a chance. Both teams have dropped out of the top 25 and possess similar records. Cal is 22-7 to GT's 21-7 overall record. In the ACC, Cal is 10-6 to GT's 9-7. If the Bears cannot protect home court, they will fall behind the visitors with an eighth loss. These last two conference games are important, and the opener of the ACC Tournament is also. The sportswriter that covers women's basketball for the SF Chronicle wrote yesterday that Cal would likely make the NCAA Tournament unless they got swept at home and lost the1st game of the ACC Tournament. Bears would then have ten losses.
I predicted that Cal would beat Va Tech last Sunday because they had been slumping, but the Hokies shot 56.5% from the field and outscored us, 87-84. IMO, that was the worst defensive game of the season for the Bears.
The head coach of the Yellow Jackets is Nell Fortner. This is her sixth season in Atlanta. She previously was HC at Auburn (SEC) for 8 seasons and Purdue (Big Ten) for two. Evidently, she also coached the US National Team and the WNBA's Indiana Fever. Nell Fortner was an All-American player for the Texas Longhorns.
GTWBBStats2425.pdf
Fortner has recruited lots of talent and fields a deep team even though they only have 12 on their roster. The Yellow Jackets start two All-ACC 2nd teamers in their backcourt, PG Tonie Morgan & SG Kara Dunn. Kara Dunn (#25) is a 5-11 junior SG who leads her team in scoring (15.7 points) and is second in rebounding w/ 5.9 per game. She is 2nd in three-point baskets (45) & second in steals (35). Tonie Morgan (#5) is a 5-9 junior PG who is the quarterback of this team. She is an excellent ball-handler with 159 assists (5.7 per game). Morgan is the #3 offensive threat with 12.7 points and grabs 4.3 boards per contest. She is 3rd in steals (32) and has made 12 treys on the season. A dual role player is the grad transfer from Georgia, Zoesha Smith. She averaged 9.9 points for the Bulldogs last season. She is a 6-1 wing or SF that flies around the court. She adds 7.9 points and leads the team in rebounding with 6.4/ g. The PF is Kayla Blackshear, a 6-1 senior, who stands third with 5.3 boards and contributes 6.3 points to the offense. Their starting center is (#20) Ariadna Termis, a 6-6 sophomore from Spain. Her numbers are 4.5 points plus 4.0 rebounds. A typical European player, she has connected on 19 treys from the outside.
The 2024 recruit class has been a pleasant surprise for coach Fortner. Three freshmen have scored in double figures in individual games this season. Ga Tech's second leading scorer is 5-9 SG Dani Carnegie (#3), averaging 13.5 points while pulling down 4.6 boards per game. She is the sixth "man" and is dynamite w/ 58 three-point shots made. She has been named the ACC Freshman of the Week on five occasions in 2024-25.
Carnegie was rated #29 player in the nation (2024) by ESPN HoopGurlz. Another frosh star in the making is 5-4 PG, "Chit-Chat" Wright. She averages 7.1 ppg and is also dangerous from deep w/ 37 treys. The third freshman, Tianna Thompson, is another 5-10 SG. She was the star of their last game vs Florida State. Normally, she gets 9 minutes of PT. Last week, someone fouled out and she received 20 minutes and led GT in scoring w/ 19 points. Thompson hit 8-11 shots, and I have a feeling that she might get some time in Berkeley.
Two other reserves are 5-11 junior SG, Ines Noguero, from Spain. She is a defensive stopper and is tops in steals with 36. She tallies 4.7 points each appearance. Rusne Augustinaite, is a 6-0 soph wing from Lithuania. She is another dead-eye bomber who is 4th on the team w/ 27 threes.
Women's Basketball Roster Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Statistically, the Yellow Jackets can match most anything that the Bears excel in while being strong in the areas that the home team finds itself vulnerable. For example, Cal and Ga Tech are productive in three-point shooting with an average of 9 & 8, respectively. This team from the deep South is unselfish like Cal is. The Bears run up representative numbers of assists (15.4) each game, but the Yellow Jackets generate 18.6. Most of the games that GT wins they end up in the twenties. Ga Tech only turns the ball over 12x per game while Cal averages 18 TOs. The visitors force 16+ opposition turnovers per game. With their depth and speed, I'm quite concerned that the Bears will break the 20 barrier once, again. The one area that Cal could win would be rebounding but Michelle Onyiah needs to stay on the floor to accomplish that fete. I've noticed that when she faces a taller opponent she seems to get psyched out and doesn't score much. In reality, I believe that she is more athletic and faster than the 6-6 Spaniard.
When I review their season, I see that Ga Tech lost to Duke by 5 at home and beat UNC on the road, 82-76. The Yellow Jackets also lost to Notre Dame in Southbend by only 15. These scores indicate to me that this team plays under control and is definitely competitive. I hope that I'm wrong about the outcome. GO BEARS!
I had Ga Tech marked off as a loss all season and I think that I'll stick with that prognosis: GT over Cal 74-70. I realize that the Bears are 14-1 at home. Both teams have been slumping over recent weeks which gives the home team a chance. Both teams have dropped out of the top 25 and possess similar records. Cal is 22-7 to GT's 21-7 overall record. In the ACC, Cal is 10-6 to GT's 9-7. If the Bears cannot protect home court, they will fall behind the visitors with an eighth loss. These last two conference games are important, and the opener of the ACC Tournament is also. The sportswriter that covers women's basketball for the SF Chronicle wrote yesterday that Cal would likely make the NCAA Tournament unless they got swept at home and lost the1st game of the ACC Tournament. Bears would then have ten losses.
I predicted that Cal would beat Va Tech last Sunday because they had been slumping, but the Hokies shot 56.5% from the field and outscored us, 87-84. IMO, that was the worst defensive game of the season for the Bears.
The head coach of the Yellow Jackets is Nell Fortner. This is her sixth season in Atlanta. She previously was HC at Auburn (SEC) for 8 seasons and Purdue (Big Ten) for two. Evidently, she also coached the US National Team and the WNBA's Indiana Fever. Nell Fortner was an All-American player for the Texas Longhorns.
GTWBBStats2425.pdf
Fortner has recruited lots of talent and fields a deep team even though they only have 12 on their roster. The Yellow Jackets start two All-ACC 2nd teamers in their backcourt, PG Tonie Morgan & SG Kara Dunn. Kara Dunn (#25) is a 5-11 junior SG who leads her team in scoring (15.7 points) and is second in rebounding w/ 5.9 per game. She is 2nd in three-point baskets (45) & second in steals (35). Tonie Morgan (#5) is a 5-9 junior PG who is the quarterback of this team. She is an excellent ball-handler with 159 assists (5.7 per game). Morgan is the #3 offensive threat with 12.7 points and grabs 4.3 boards per contest. She is 3rd in steals (32) and has made 12 treys on the season. A dual role player is the grad transfer from Georgia, Zoesha Smith. She averaged 9.9 points for the Bulldogs last season. She is a 6-1 wing or SF that flies around the court. She adds 7.9 points and leads the team in rebounding with 6.4/ g. The PF is Kayla Blackshear, a 6-1 senior, who stands third with 5.3 boards and contributes 6.3 points to the offense. Their starting center is (#20) Ariadna Termis, a 6-6 sophomore from Spain. Her numbers are 4.5 points plus 4.0 rebounds. A typical European player, she has connected on 19 treys from the outside.
The 2024 recruit class has been a pleasant surprise for coach Fortner. Three freshmen have scored in double figures in individual games this season. Ga Tech's second leading scorer is 5-9 SG Dani Carnegie (#3), averaging 13.5 points while pulling down 4.6 boards per game. She is the sixth "man" and is dynamite w/ 58 three-point shots made. She has been named the ACC Freshman of the Week on five occasions in 2024-25.
Carnegie was rated #29 player in the nation (2024) by ESPN HoopGurlz. Another frosh star in the making is 5-4 PG, "Chit-Chat" Wright. She averages 7.1 ppg and is also dangerous from deep w/ 37 treys. The third freshman, Tianna Thompson, is another 5-10 SG. She was the star of their last game vs Florida State. Normally, she gets 9 minutes of PT. Last week, someone fouled out and she received 20 minutes and led GT in scoring w/ 19 points. Thompson hit 8-11 shots, and I have a feeling that she might get some time in Berkeley.
Two other reserves are 5-11 junior SG, Ines Noguero, from Spain. She is a defensive stopper and is tops in steals with 36. She tallies 4.7 points each appearance. Rusne Augustinaite, is a 6-0 soph wing from Lithuania. She is another dead-eye bomber who is 4th on the team w/ 27 threes.
Women's Basketball Roster Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Statistically, the Yellow Jackets can match most anything that the Bears excel in while being strong in the areas that the home team finds itself vulnerable. For example, Cal and Ga Tech are productive in three-point shooting with an average of 9 & 8, respectively. This team from the deep South is unselfish like Cal is. The Bears run up representative numbers of assists (15.4) each game, but the Yellow Jackets generate 18.6. Most of the games that GT wins they end up in the twenties. Ga Tech only turns the ball over 12x per game while Cal averages 18 TOs. The visitors force 16+ opposition turnovers per game. With their depth and speed, I'm quite concerned that the Bears will break the 20 barrier once, again. The one area that Cal could win would be rebounding but Michelle Onyiah needs to stay on the floor to accomplish that fete. I've noticed that when she faces a taller opponent she seems to get psyched out and doesn't score much. In reality, I believe that she is more athletic and faster than the 6-6 Spaniard.
When I review their season, I see that Ga Tech lost to Duke by 5 at home and beat UNC on the road, 82-76. The Yellow Jackets also lost to Notre Dame in Southbend by only 15. These scores indicate to me that this team plays under control and is definitely competitive. I hope that I'm wrong about the outcome. GO BEARS!
