Georgia Tech will be without leading scorer and ACC Player of the Year Moses Wright on Friday when the No. 9 seed Yellow Jackets take on No. 8 seed Loyola Chicago in a first round NCAA Tournament game, according a report by Stadium's Jeff Goodman and confirmed by CBS Sports. Playing without Wright will be a crushing blow for Georgia Tech as it makes the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010.
At 6-foot-9, Wright is the team's primary big man and would have been assigned to help contain Loyola Chicago star center Cameron Krutwig, a third-team AP All-American who leads the Ramblers in scoring. Wright was particularly influential in Georgia Tech's final six regular season games as he averaged 23.5 points and 10 rebounds per contest to send the Yellow Jackets into the postseason with momentum.
Georgia Tech won its first ACC Tournament title since 1993 last week to secure an NCAA Tournament bid -- although the Yellow Jackets were also projected to make the Big Dance as an at-large team.
Wright, a senior, was an unheralded high school prospect who has steadily progressed in his four seasons at Georgia Tech to become one of the ACC's most effective post players over the past two seasons. His progression has mirrored Georgia Tech's development as a program under fifth-year coach Josh Pastner. The Yellow Jackets suffered through losing seasons in Pastner's second and third year before closing last season strong to enter the 2020-21 campaign with momentum.
The winner of the Loyola Chicago-Georgia Tech game is likely to face No. 1 seed Illinois in a second round game on Sunday.
