GAME NOTES: The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Marquette Golden Eagles will square off at the HP Field House on Thanksgiving evening, as they take part in first-round action of the Orlando Classic.

The winner of this matchup will take on either Rider or Michigan State in the next round on Friday.

Tech is 3-0 for the third straight season under Brian Gregory and is seeking its first 4-0 start since the 2008-09 season. The Yellow Jackets opened the year with three games at home, topping Georgia (80-73), Alabama A&M (66-46) and IPFW (78-69) in succession.

The Golden Eagles have split four games on the young season, with wins over UT Martin (79-63) and NJIT (62-57) sandwiched around losses to Ohio State (74-63) and Nebraska Omaha (97-89).

This series is all tied up at 3-3, although this marks the first meeting between these two teams since 1977.

Marquette has shown two sides of itself offensively this year, with explosive scoring against the like of UT Martin and Nebraska Omaha and rather bland performances against Ohio State and IPFW. The result is year-to-date numbers that are simply decent. The team is scoring at a 73.2 ppg clip, on .443 shooting. Concerning however, is the fact that opponents are shooting at a much higher .515. Juan Anderson leads the way both in scoring (16.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.3 rpg). The 6-foot-6 senior is converting an impressive 62.5 percent of his shots. Duane Wilson is the only other double-digit average on the roster at 11.8 ppg, although Steve Taylor Jr. (9.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg) isn't far off the mark.

It wasn't real pretty, as Marquette trailed at home to NJIT at intermission (30-28), but the Golden Eagles were able to squeeze out a five-point victory in the end. Anderson just missed a double-double, finishing with 20 points and nine rebounds. Wilson poured in 18 points, while Taylor had seven points to go with 12 boards.

Both teams shot the lights out in the second half, but it was Georgia Tech's 60.7 percent efficiency over the final 20 minutes that kept the team unbeaten, as the Yellow Jackets survived a scare from IPFW. Demarco Cox led three players in double-digit scoring for Tech with his 15 points. Marcus Georges- Hunt and Quinton Stephens tacked on 13 points apiece, while Stephens earned a double-double with 10 rebounds.

The Yellow Jackets have been solid at both ends of the floor this season, but the team's real strength is its ability to rebound. The team is averaging 43 rebounds per game, including 16 at the offensive end and holds an impressive +13.7 rebounding margin. Four players are averaging double-digit point totals through three games, starting with Stephens and his 14.0 ppg. Charles Mitchell and Cox are tied for second on the team at 12.7 ppg, while Georges-Hunt checks in with 10.7 ppg.

Anderson has proved to be a dynamic leader for Marquette, but it is Georgia Tech's depth that will be the difference in this one.