The Yellow Jackets (8-4) have a 1-1 record on opponents’ home courts this season, including a 76-63 loss at Vanderbilt in Tech’s last game on Dec. 21 and an 80-71 win at Georgia on Nov. 15.
In its third season under head coach Brian Gregory, Tech has returned four starters - center Daniel Miller, big forward Robert Carter, Jr., and wings Marcus Georges-Hunt and Chris Bolden - from a team that posted a 16-15 overall record last season and went 6-12 to tie for ninth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Jackets are averaging 73.2 points per game and hitting 44.3 percent of their shots from the floor so far. Tech also has outrebounded each opponent this by an average of 7.2 per game, has a plus-1.2 assist/turnover ratio and has improved vastly at the free throw line (70.2 pct.) over last year. Tech ranks sevneth in the ACC in scoring defense and sixth in field goal percentage defense.
• Charlotte won the last meeting, an 86-83 decision in double overtime on Jan. 2, 2011 at Alexander Memorial Coliseum in Alan Major’s first season as the 49ers head coach.
• The teams have met twice in Charlotte, Tech winning both times. The Yellow Jackets won the only other meeting at Halton Arena, 76-67 on Jan. 2, 2010, and defeated the 49ers 86-68 on Jan. 14, 1985 in the Charlotte Coliseum.
• Tech is 61-44 all-time against teams currently members of Conference USA.
• Tech head coach Brian Gregory is 5-4 all-time against Charlotte as a head coach. The teams met nine times while Gregory was the head coach at Dayton.