Georgia Tech vs Wake Forest Odds and Picks
By Chris Amberley in College Basketball
Updated: March 5, 2021 at 6:58 am ESTPublished:
- Georgia Tech is a 9.5-point road favorite versus Wake Forest on Friday (March 5th, 8 pm ET)
- The Yellow Jackets have been on fire down the stretch, winning five straight
- See below for analysis, odds and a betting prediction
Georgia Tech is putting the rest of the ACC on high alert. The Yellow Jackets (14-8, 10-6 ACC) have won five straight down the stretch and look like a team you don’t want to mess with at the upcoming conference tournament. They’ll look to extend their winning streak on Friday (March 5th, 8 pm ET) when they visit Wake Forest (6-14, 3-14 ACC).
Georgia Tech vs Wake Forest Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | -9.5 (-115) | OFF | Over 137.5 (-110) |
| Wake Forest Demon Deacons | +9.5 (-105) | OFF | Under 137.5 (-110) |
Odds taken March 4th.
Not surprisingly, Georgia Tech opened up as sizeable 9.5-point favorites, in a game that features a total of 137.5. The Yellow Jackets’ winning streak includes impressive victories over #22 Virginia Tech, Syracuse and most recently Duke. The wins over the Orange and Blue Devils were especially significant because those are two of the bubble teams Georgia Tech is competing with for a precious March Madness berth.
Yellow Jackets Sting Blue Devils
Their latest victory, an 81-77 overtime thriller over Duke, virtually assures them of a spot in the NCAA Tournament, with current projections placing them anywhere from a 10 to 12 seed.
Georgia Tech now has wins this season over Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, Syracuse, Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Florida State.
Yellow Jackets look like a 10 seed. https://t.co/aRhXYJIaPr
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 3, 2021
Their resume is stacked with quality wins, and a victory to close out the regular season against Wake Forest, plus at least one win in the ACC Tournament will make them a lock.
Moses Wright carried the offense versus the Blue Devils, scoring 29 points and pulling down 14 boards. Wright, one of the premier bigs in the nation, has averaged 29 points over his past three games, with four consecutive double-doubles during the winning streak.
Moses Wright's last three games:
🐝 29 Pts, 14 Reb
🐝 31 Pts, 16 Reb
🐝 26 Pts, 10 Reb@mant12_ is the only @GTMBB player over the last 25 seasons with three straight 25-point games. pic.twitter.com/5dXCrgZNZ6— ACC Network (@accnetwork) March 3, 2021
Georgia Tech shot 45.3% from the field against Duke, beating their conference rival for the first time in 15 meetings. The Yellow Jackets rank second in the ACC in field goal-percentage, and third from beyond the arc, and should have no trouble racking up points versus the Demon Deacons’ woeful defense.
Wake Forest Is a Mess
While Georgia Tech is red-hot, Wake Forest is a hot-mess. The Demon Deacons have lost six straight, suffering blowout defeats in five of those outings. They’ve suffered five double digit defeats during their skid, with four of the losses coming by at least 18 points.
Back at The Joel Friday for Senior Night. #GoDeacs 🎩 pic.twitter.com/i6ALcN1nNx
— Wake Forest Men's Basketball (@WakeMBB) March 3, 2021
Last time out, they fell by 13 to Pittsburgh (70-57), failing to reach 60 points for the third straight game. Wake Forest knocked down only 35.8% of its looks versus the Panthers, but poor shooting has come to be expected. The Demon Deacons rank last in the ACC in both points per game and field-goal percentage, and are 13th out of 15 teams in assists and total rebounding.
Defensively, they allow opponents to shoot 47% from the field, the second highest mark in the conference, and rank last at defending the three.
They couldn’t stop the Yellow Jackets in their first meeting, and they have little hope of slowing them down on Friday.
Georgia Tech Won’t Be Stopped
Georgia Tech shot 50% from the field against Wake Forest, and held them 54 points, while forcing 18 turnovers in a lopsided win. The Yellow Jackets were favored by 9-points that night, and wound up winning by 16, easily covering the spread.
They’re 6-0 ATS in their last six outings, and 2-0 as a road favorite. They’re a team on a mission, while the Demon Deacons have little to play for. Wake Forest will be 13th seed in the ACC Tournament next week no matter what, and given their recent stretch of play it’s hard to imagine they keep this game close. They’re winless ATS over their last five games, and have a -121 point differential during their losing streak.
Pick: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets -9.5 (-115)
Sports Writer
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
