Aug. 23, 2005
ATLANTA – Looking to earn a bid to the NCAA Championship for the third straight year, Georgia Tech must tackle a 2005-06 schedule that includes non-conference trips to Final Four participant Michigan State and state-rival Georgia, as well as a pair of games with Atlantic Coast Conference newcomer Boston College among its conference opponents.
Tech’s schedule, along with those of the other 11 ACC schools, was announced Tuesday afternoon by the conference office. It includes 15 games against teams that reached the post-season last year, nine of those against NCAA Tournament teams, with Michigan State and national champion North Carolina among them.
The Yellow Jackets, who reached the ACC Tournament championship game and finished 20-12 last season, visit Michigan State in a nationally televised (ESPN) game on Nov. 30 as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The teams are meeting for the first time since the 1990 NCAA South Regional semifinals. It is one of only two games Tech will play outside the state of Georgia before the month of January.
The Michigan State game is also one of four appearances on ESPN, including Maryland on Jan. 25, North Carolina on Feb. 15 and Duke on Feb. 22. The Yellow Jackets also appear on Fox Sports Net’s national Sunday Night Hoops game three times, including both meetings with Boston College and the ACC opener against Virginia on Dec. 4, and once on ESPNU (at Florida State on Feb. 9).
Twenty of Tech’s 26 games will be televised, including the eight national cable appearances and one major network appearance on ABC (Wake Forest on Feb. 25). Three of Tech’s non-conference games will be televised regionally on FSN South, while eight ACC games will appear on the conference’s regional TV networks.
Tech is in the final stages of scheduling one additional home game to complete the slate. The Yellow Jackets were to host Kansas on Dec. 17 at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, but Tech’s fall semester commencement exercises are scheduled for that date in the arena and the teams could not find a common alternate date. The game will be played during the 2006-07 season.
“Again we have a very challenging schedule facing us, and we’re looking forward to filling that last open date,” said head coach Paul Hewitt, who has a 96-66 record in five seasons at Tech. “Our team is looking forward to making another successful run.”
Boston College, whom Tech defeated in the second round of the 2004 NCAA Championship, visits Alexander Memorial Coliseum on Jan. 8, and hosts the Yellow Jackets on Jan. 29. The Yellow Jackets have a 4-1 all-time record against the Eagles.
When the Yellow Jackets host Virginia for their ACC opener, it will be the only meeting between the two schools for the second straight year. Tech also plays Duke only once, a home game on Feb. 22. For the second straight year, North Carolina will not come to Atlanta, but Tech will play the defending national champions in Chapel Hill on Feb. 15. Florida State, whom the Jackets face in Tallahassee on Feb. 8, does not visit Atlanta this year.
The Jackets meet all the other ACC schools home and away.
Among the other non-conference games for Tech are trips to Georgia on Dec. 7, Air Force on Dec. 28, a return game for the Falcons’ visit to Philips Arena last season, and Centenary on Jan. 10, a homecoming game for senior Theodis Tarver.
Non-ACC games at home include Illinois-Chicago (Nov. 25), returning the game the Jackets played in Chicago last season, and Jacksonville (Dec. 22), coached by former Tech assistant Cliff Warren. Tech opens its regular season game Nov. 18 at home against UNC-Asheville.
Tech’s 2005-06 schedule
(subject to change, all times Eastern standard, home games in ALL CAPS):
Nov. 6 AUGUSTA STATE (exhibition), 2 p.m.Nov. 18 UNC ASHEVILLE, 7 p.m.Nov. 21 ELON, 7 p.m.Nov. 25 ILLINOIS-CHICAGO [FSN South], 6:30 p.m.Nov. 30 at Michigan State [ESPN], 7 p.m.Dec. 4 VIRGINIA [FSN], 5:30 p.m.Dec. 7 at Georgia [FSN South], 7 p.m.Dec. 10 TENNESSEE STATE, 3 p.m.Dec. 22 JACKSONVILLE, 7 p.m.Dec. 28 at Air Force [FSN South], 9 p.m.Dec. 31 BETHUNE-COOKMAN, 5 p.m.Jan. 8 BOSTON COLLEGE [FSN], 5:30 p.m.Jan. 10 at Centenary College, 8 p.m.Jan. 14 at NC State [RJ], 12 noonJan. 18 at Wake Forest [RJ], 9 p.m.Jan. 21 CLEMSON [RSN], 12 noonJan. 25 MARYLAND [ESPN], 7 p.m.Jan. 29 at Boston College [FSN], 5:30 p.m.Jan. 31 at Virginia Tech [RSN], 7 p.m.Feb. 4 MIAMI [RJ], 1:30 p.m.Feb. 9 at Florida State [ESPNU], time TBAFeb. 12 NC STATE [RJ], 1 p.m.Feb. 15 at North Carolina [ESPN], 7 p.m.Feb. 18 at Maryland [RJ], 4 p.m.Feb. 22 DUKE [ESPN], 7 p.m.Feb. 25 WAKE FOREST [ABC], 1 p.m.Mar. 4 at Clemson [RJ], 2 p.m.Mar. 9-12 ACC Tournament, Greensboro, N.C.
TV legend: RJ – Raycom/Jefferson Pilot network (ACC syndicated network, check local listings) RSN – ACC regional cable network (FSN South, Comcast SportsNet, Sunshine Network)
