Fresh off another top-15 win, Georgia Tech looks tourney ready

First the story line was: What's wrong with North Carolina? That was after Georgia Tech upset the Tar Heels, 75-63, on Dec. 31.

Next the story line was: What's wrong with Florida State? That was after the Yellow Jackets upset the Seminoles, 78-56, earlier this week.

Finally, the story line should be pretty clear after Georgia Tech's 62-60 buzzer-beating victory against Notre Dame on Saturday — the team's third top-15 win. "Georgia Tech is a very good team. I think they are an NCAA tournament team," Irish coach Mike Brey said after the game.

And there it is. The inexperienced Yellow Jackets (13-8, 5-4 in the ACC), in their first season under former Memphis coach Josh Pastner, are in the mix to reach the NCAAs in spite of losing to mid-major Ohio and falling at Duke by 51 points. Just a few weeks ago this team was outside the top-100 RPI but has skyrocketed to 61 — largely thanks to five top-50 victories. The Yellow Jackets' ACC slate gets somewhat easier, having already faced the main league contenders in the first half of the conference season. Yet there's still opportunity to bolster the profile.

At Memphis, 'the process is working' and the wins are coming

Regardless of season finish, what the program has done thus far is nonetheless impressive. This was supposed to be a rebuilding project for Pastner; he didn't inherit anyone who averaged more than 5.0 points a game. Instead Georgia Tech looks like an ACC darkhorse not to sleep on. Oh and the once-riding-the-hot-seat Pastner? Put him on the coach of the year list.

On Saturday, Josh Okogie scored a fastbreak layup as time expired, helping the Yellow Jackets nab another win against a quality opponent. Okogie had previously outscored Florida State, 17-15, in the first half of Tech's other big upset.

"Guys are playing with such great energy and effort every time the step on the floor," Paster told reporters after the game. "It was a great week."

It certainly was a great week for Tech's résumé.

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