Wake Forest vs.Georgia Tech Preview: Q&A w/ From The Rumble Seat

BSD: Brian Gregory is now in his 4th season at the helm for the Yellow Jackets. What does the fan base think of him? Is this a make or break year or are most willing to give him year 5? What is the ceiling for him in Atlanta?

FTRS: I think Brian Gregory's act is starting to wear thin in a hurry with the fanbase, including me. He vowed to change some of the issues that plagued his predecessor, Paul Hewitt, namely a stagnant offense and inconsistent play. Well, in his regime, we haven't departed from those same issues in almost four years on the job. Our team again looks undermanned for ACC play and if we don't have a quick turnaround, we'll miss postseason play for the 4th time in 4 years. I think his ceiling is limited if he can never install dynamic offense or bring in the right players for that. As a result, most fans will probably be calling for his head if we don't have swift improvements by the end of the year.

BSD: Currently Georgia Tech is shooting 23% from behind the arc on the season. Other than a lack of shooters is there a reason why this is so low?

FTRS: The funny thing is there isn't a lack of shooters on the squad. Chris Bolden, Quinton Stephens and Tadric Jackson all have pretty good track records of shooting dating back to their high school play. The shooters are just not in a position to get free shots, which speaks more to the overall game plan than anything else. This team wasn't ever going to be the next coming of Lethal Weapon 3 or anything but the reliance on contested late shot clock pull up threes pulls down the average and lack of movement without the ball further hurts the case. As a result, we rely almost entirely on our low post game or transition buckets to generate some offense.

BSD: GT has a few pretty good wins this year and most of the losses have been respectable (including the loss to USC-Upstate who is 130 in KenPom). What are the expectations for the ACC season this season?

FTRS: I think it will be more of the same in the ACC. They haven't finished at least .500 in the ACC since 2006-07 and I don't expect them to this year, especially after starting 0-2. Like I stated before, the team is generally undermanned and has to grind out ugly games to come away with victories. They've relied on superior size and athleticism to get wins out of conference but I don't think they can do the same in the toughest conference in the nation.

BSD: What kind of impact has Mississippi transfer Demarco Cox had on the program?

FTRS: Cox has had a great impact on the program. Georgia Tech lost their three main post options in the offseason and he has helped fill that void with tough defense, rebounding, and solid post up play and finishing in transition. Despite being just 6'8", he plays center pretty much full time and has led a defense that is 44th in the nation according to Kenpom and 6th in the ACC. It's a shame he'll only have this one year of eligibility with the program.

BSD: What is your score prediction for the game tomorrow and why?

FTRS: I think the Jackets take this one 64-58 in a game they need desperately. They lost their first two ACC games, one in double OT and the other by just a point, to two good teams in Notre Dame and Syracuse. They're starting to play better by simply relying on halfcourt offense and cutting the amount of threes they shoot so I think they finally break through here with a conference win.

Many thanks to Wes Morton of From The Rumble Seat for taking the time to answer my question. You can follow him on Twitter @Wes_Morton.