Georgia Tech star Moses Wright, ACC Player of the Year, will miss the Yellow Jackets’ first-round match against Loyola Chicago in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, sources told ESPN Wednesday night.
Wright will also likely come out if Tech beats Loyola Chicago and moves up to meet the Illinois-Drexel winner, sources said.
Wright, a 6-foot senior, has played as well as anyone in the country in the last few weeks of the regular season. He had 26 points and 10 rebounds against Virginia Tech, followed by 31 points and 16 rebounds against Syracuse, then went for 29 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks in a win over Duke.
Wright averaged 17.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 blocks per game.
Coach Josh Pastner will likely have to play a smaller line-up for longer periods against Cameron Krutwig and Loyola Chicago on Friday, as Georgia Tech rarely took Wright off the floor for more than a few minutes per game. Expect Rodney Howard, a six-foot sophomore, to see an expanded role; he only played double-digit minutes five times this season, but he did see 18 minutes in an ACC tournament win over Miami.
The Yellow Jackets, winners of the ACC Tournament, have won eight consecutive games to enter the NCAA Tournament.
News of Wright’s availability was first reported by Stadium.