Halftime Report

Georgia Tech is on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have jumped out to a quick 37-31 lead against Massachusetts.

If Georgia Tech keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 7-3 in no time. On the other hand, Massachusetts will have to make due with a 6-3 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who's Playing

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ Massachusetts Minutemen

Current Records: Georgia Tech 6-3, Massachusetts 6-2

How To Watch

What to Know

The Massachusetts Minutemen will take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in a holiday battle at 9:00 p.m. ET on Thursday at at SimpliFI Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. We saw both of these teams recently pull out wins they weren't expected to get, so we'll see who gives it right back.

Last Saturday, the Minutemen beat the Mountaineers 87-79. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Massachusetts.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Massachusetts to victory, but perhaps none more so than Josh Cohen, who scored 19 points along with seven rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Robert Davis Jr., who went 6 for 8 from beyond the arc en route to 18 points and 0 assists.

Meanwhile, it may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Georgia Tech ultimately got the result they hoped for on Saturday. Not to be outdone by the Nittany Lions, the Yellow Jackets got past the Nittany Lions on a last-second free throw courtesy of Miles Kelly with 2 seconds left in the third quarter. Winning is a bit easier when you work as a team to post ten more assists than your opponent, as Georgia Tech did.

Georgia Tech relied on the efforts of Tafara Gapare, who scored 20 points along with six rebounds, and Baye Ndongo, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 19 rebounds. Gapare continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Less helpful for Georgia Tech was Kelly's abysmal 0-7 three-point shooting.

The Minutemen are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season. As for the Yellow Jackets, their victory bumped their record up to 6-3.

This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Massachusetts have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 40.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Georgia Tech struggles in that department as they've been averaging 42.9 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

Massachusetts is hoping to beat the odds on Thursday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. This contest will be their ninth straight as the favorites (so far over this stretch they are 6-2 against the spread).

Odds

Massachusetts is a slight 1.5-point favorite against Georgia Tech, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 1.5-point spread, and stayed right there.


The over/under is set at 151 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.