March 17, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Matchups for second-round action in the NIT have been set, and South Carolina (25-8) will host Georgia Tech (20-14) next Monday, March 21, for a 9 p.m. ET contest. The Yellow Jackets posted an 81-62 win over Houston in the event’s opening round on Wednesday evening in Atlanta. Monday’s contest will be broadcast on ESPN with Dave Neal handling play-by-play duties alongside analyst, Dino Gaudio.

South Carolina aims to set a new school record for season wins on Monday when it hosts Georgia Tech. The Gamecocks set a regular-season mark for wins with 24 in 2015-16, and matched the school record of 25 set by the 1969-70 squad, with the win over High Point last Tuesday.

South Carolina and Georgia Tech will face each other for the first time since the 1983-84 campaign and it will mark the 43rd all-time meeting between the schools. The Yellow Jackets lead the all-time series 24-18. Though the two schools have played in three similar conferences over the years, the Southeastern Conference, the Metro Conference and the Atlantic Coach Conference, they have never faced in a conference contest, or been in the same conference at the same time. There are several connections between the Gamecocks and Yellow Jackets. Gamecock great Bobby Cremins served as head coach at Georgia Tech from 1982-2000, where current assistant coach Perry Clark, served as an assistant and associate head coach for the Yellow Jackets under Cremins during that time.

Georgia Tech’s win over Houston on Wednesday gave the Yellow Jackets their first 20-win season since the 2009-10 campaign. Much like the Gamecocks, Georgia Tech ranks among conference leaders in rebound margin. The Yellow Jackets out-rebounded Houston, 39-25, marking the 29th time in 34 games this season that Georgia Tech won the battle on the glass. Their margin of +7.4 rebounds per game ranks 22nd nationally. Four players average double-figure points for Tech, led by Marcus Georges-Hunt with 16.7 per outing. Adam Smith (15.1), Nick Jacobs (10.6) and Charles Mitchell (10.0) also contribute double-figures. The Yellow Jackets are led by head coach Brian Gregory in his fifth season.

Tickets are available for $15 for adults and $4 for Carolina students. Click here to purchase tickets.