GAME NOTES: Peace State rivals will tip off the 2014-15 season at McCamish Pavilion on Friday night, as the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets play host to the Georgia Bulldogs.

After being situated near the bottom of the SEC standings in each of the previous two seasons, the Bulldogs emerged as arguably the conference's biggest surprise last year by tying for second in the league (12-6) and going 20-14 overall. They earned their first postseason bid since qualifying for the 2011 NCAA Tournament, as they were invited to the NIT, where they won a first- round matchup against Vermont (63-56) before falling to Louisiana Tech (79-71).

Georgia Tech was hindered by injuries in 2013-14, which resulted in a lackluster season as it went 16-17 overall while finishing 11th in the ACC at 6-12. Head coach Brian Gregory, who's posted just one winning season since being hired prior to the 2011-12 campaign, could be on the hot seat if the Yellow Jackets don't show improvement this time around.

In the storied all-time series, Georgia Tech has a 103-86 advantage over Georgia, which includes wins in each of the past three seasons.

The Bulldogs flourished in close games last year, as they owned just a +2.1 scoring margin, and they'll benefit from the return of most of their best players from last season. Charles Mann led the way in scoring (13.9 ppg), assists (2.9 apg) and steals (35), while Kenny Gaines (13.0 ppg) drained 57 3- pointers at a 37.5 percent clip. Nemanja Djurisic (8.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg) and Marcus Thornton (8.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg) bring valuable experience to the frontcourt. A pair of freshmen, Osahen Iduwe (6-10, 235) and Yante Maten (6-8, 240), have imposing size and could see immediate minutes in the frontcourt.

The Yellow Jackets' returning lineup took a big hit when Robert Carter (11.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg) transferred to Maryland. The only high-impact player back from the 2013-14 squad is guard Marcus Georges-Hunt (11.7 ppg), but a number of fresh faces will have an opportunity to make a mark in the new campaign. Josh Heath averaged 3.6 apg as a freshman at South Florida last season and will have immediate eligibility to run point for Georgia Tech. Robert Sampson (9.1 ppg, 9.2 rpg) was a mainstay in the East Carolina frontcourt in 2012-13. Charles Mitchell (6.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg) and Demarco Cox (4.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg) also join the fray after transferring from Maryland and Ole Miss, respectively. Top recruit Tadric Jackson (6-2, 220) should see immediate minutes in the backcourt.

The energy in the building will be high on opening night and a hard-fought battle from start to finish is expected, but despite owning homecourt advantage, a fresh-faced Georgia Tech squad will have a difficult time toppling the veteran Bulldogs.