ATLANTA (Interstat) — Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech will meet Friday in a men’s NCAA Division I basketball game at Hank McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, Ga., with both teams entering at 1-0.

Georgia Southern enters as the visiting team after opening with a 67-55 win over Ball State. The Eagles were led by Dallas Gardner, who posted 13 points, 13 rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes. Gardner is the player to watch for Georgia Southern. Eltramon Smith also produced a strong performance with 24 points, five rebounds and one block, while Jayden Williams added six points, five rebounds and two assists. Georgia Southern will look to carry that balance into its first road test of the season.

Georgia Tech is also 1-0 after a 75-55 win over Hampton. The Yellow Jackets, playing at home, got 16 points, four rebounds and four assists from Colby Garland in 29 minutes. Garland is the player to watch for Georgia Tech. Tylis Jordan contributed nine points, eight rebounds, one assist and five blocks, and Cole Kirouac added five points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Georgia Tech will seek to maintain its home form and control the pace against the Eagles.

The matchup features two teams trying to build early-season momentum. Georgia Southern will aim to turn its opening victory into a road result, while Georgia Tech will try to protect its home court. Both programs have shown productive options in their opening wins, and the guard play of Gardner and Garland is expected to be a central part of the matchup.

The Eagles will lean on the production of Gardner and Smith after their opening win, while the Yellow Jackets will look to Garland and Jordan to set the tone. Georgia Southern’s early schedule continues quickly after Friday, and Georgia Tech will remain at home for its next contest. The meeting gives both teams another early opportunity to measure their form before their schedules move forward.

Georgia Southern’s upcoming schedule includes a home game against Mercer before a road game at UCF, followed by a home contest against Middle Tennessee. Georgia Tech’s next games include a home matchup with Eastern Kentucky, a home game against UNC Asheville and a road game against Georgia.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Georgia Southern 76, Georgia Tech 71. Interstat’s ELO system projects Georgia Tech with a 62.7 percent probability to win. Georgia Tech has been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -18.5. The over/under for the game is 159.