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GAME NOTES: The 20th-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets begin a critical two- game road trip this evening, as they invade the BankUnited Arena to take on the Miami-Florida Hurricanes in ACC action.

Paul Hewitt's Yellow Jackets are still very much in the hunt for the ACC title. The team is 5-4 in league play, just two games behind league-leading Duke. Tech has put itself in solid position with three wins in the last four games, including last Saturday's thrilling 73-71 victory over NC State.

Frank Haith's Hurricanes have not been so fortunate in ACC play this year and currently reside in the conference cellar with NC State at 2-7. Miami has dropped two straight games and six of its last seven overall, including last weekend's 71-65 setback at rival Florida State.

This is the 11th all-time meeting between these two teams with each program posting five wins. Tech ended a four-game win streak for Miami in the series with a 78-68 win last March.

The Yellow Jackets are one of the youngest teams in the ACC this year, but the team has still shown itself to be disciplined at both ends of the floor. Tech is averaging a solid 75.6 ppg on .474 shooting and has also done a great job defensively, limiting foes to a mere 64.2 ppg, while ranking third nationally in field-goal percentage defense (.368). The team boasts of a devastating frontcourt duo in junior Gani Lawal (14.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg) and freshman Derrick Favors (11.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg). Zachery Peacock is one of the nation's premier sixth men, coming off the bench with 10.2 ppg. Sophomore point guard Iman Shumpert runs the offense and is both a scorer (10.1 ppg) and solid distributor (4.4 apg). The Yellow Jackets held a 16-point lead with just over five minutes remaining and needed to come up big down the stretch to preserve a two-point win over the Wolfpack. Peacock led the offensive charge with 22 points in 24 minutes off the bench. Favors poured in 16 points, while Shumpert added 14, while doling out seven assists. Lawal scored just eight points in the win, but did grab a game-high 11 rebounds.

Much like the Yellow Jackets, Miami has been fueled by strong defensive play to win games. The team is yielding just 63.1 ppg on the year, allowing foes to shoot just over 40 percent (.401). The team lacks any explosive scorers on the roster, but has a few steady performers in James Dews (12.5 ppg) and Dwayne Collins (11.7 ppg, team-high 8.1 rpg). Malcolm Grant (9.9 ppg) and Durand Scott (8.6 ppg, team-high 86 assists) provide some scoring depth. It was once again a lack of offense that did in the Hurricanes in Tallahassee this past weekend, as the team netted just 65 points. Miami committed 14 turnovers in the game, resulting in 20 points for the Seminoles, while FSU's bench outscored Miami's reserves 31-16. Dews led the team with 15 points, while Collins netted 11 points in support.

This isn't likely to be a high-scoring affair, as both teams play tight defense. The Yellow Jackets however, are the more talented team and Lawal and company will do just enough to get the job done.