Jan. 14, 2004
ATLANTA –
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Georgia Tech’s 12th-ranked basketball team returns home for the first time since Dec. 29 to face Virginia at 7 p.m. Thursday at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
Thursday’s nationally televised contest (ESPN2) is the first of three games in the next six days for the Yellow Jackets (12-2, 0-1 ACC). Tech also hosts Maryland Saturday (8 p.m.) and visits No. 4 Wake Forest next Tuesday.
Local radio coverage of Thursday’s game can be heard on WQXI-AM (790) and WTSH-FM (107.1).
The Cavaliers (10-3, 0-2 ACC) have dropped their first two conference games by an average of almost 20 points, including a 93-71 home-court loss to No. 2 Duke Sunday.
Tech has lost two straight games, both on the road, after a school-record 12-0 start. The Yellow Jackets lost at Georgia, 83-80, in double-overtime on Jan. 3, and dropped a 103-88 decision at No. 12 North Carolina Sunday night.
But the Jacket hope returning home, where it has won 22 of its last 24 games, and its recent history against Virginia will help them get back on the winning track. Tech has won three straight games over Virginia, six of seven under head coach Paul Hewitt and nine of 11 against Cavaliers’ head man Pete Gillen.
The Virginia game is the 200th as a head coach for Tech’s Paul Hewitt. Hewitt has a record of 126-73 in his seventh season.
Despite the two losses, Tech has outscored its opponents by 20.9 points a game, a figure which ranks second in the ACC and fifth nationally. Tech’s opponents are shooting just 36.8 percent from the floor (only four have shot 40 percent in a game against Tech this season) and 26.0 percent from three-point range, both of which rank second in the ACC.
In each of its two losses, Georgia Tech has found itself quickly behind. At North Carolina Sunday night, the Tar Heels took advantage of Tech turnovers and hot shooting to score the first nine points of the game and fuel a 17-2 run later in the half to take control of the game. The Tar Heels expanded a 14-point halftime lead to 21 in the second half before the Jackets could recover.
Same story at Georgia, there the Bulldogs built a 10-2 lead early in the game before Tech rallied to take a brief lead right before the half. Georgia led by four at intermission, then built its advantage back to 13 in the second half before the Jackets could rally and eventually take another late lead before the game went to overtime.
“We’re disappointed [in the last two games] because we’re better than we’ve shown,” said Hewitt. “We haven’t given ourselves a chance to win these last two games. [The players] know that they have not played their best in the last couple of games. We played very hard. We gave a good effort physically, but mentally, we did not.”
Tech has not defended the post well in the two losses, giving up 28 points to North Carolina’s Sean May and 25 to Georgia’s Jonas Hayes. But Hewitt said the blame does not fall entirely on Tech’s inside players.
“I reviewing the tape, our problems in the post are more than just our inside guys fighting for position,” said Hewitt. “Our guys on the ball have not done a good job of protecting against the post pass and putting pressure on the ball. While our big guys can of a better job of defending the post, they can use some help.
“Earlier in the year, we were keeping the ball out of the post, not just stopping the shots.”
Offensively, Tech ranks third in the ACC and 19th nationally in points per game (81.8), second in the ACC and 25th nationally in field goal percentage (48.5), second in the ACC and 17th in the nation in assist average (17.9).
Four Jackets have scoring averages in double figures for the season, led by 6-4 junior B.J. Elder at 15.6 points per game. Elder, a junior who matched his career high with 25 points at Georgia, ranks sixth in the ACC in scoring, has hit 34.7 percent of his three-point attempts and is shooting 41.7 percent overall.
Jarrett Jack, who scored a career-best 22 points at North Carolina Sunday, averages 13.1 points a game (second on the team, 17th in the ACC) and 7.0 assists per game (2nd in the ACC, 7th in NCAA) while hitting 50 percent of his field goal tries and 33.3 percent of his three-point attempts. The 6-3 sophomore also ranks third in the ACC in steals (2.64 per game).
Marvin Lewis, a 6-4 senior, averages 12.1 points a game to rank third on the Tech squad and 20th in the ACC. He has averaged 14 points in his last three games, including 17 at North Carolina. He has shot 41.3 percent from the floor and 34.5 percent from three-point range (8th in the ACC) this season, and ranks fourth in the ACC in three-pointers per game (2.07).
Luke Schenscher, a 7-1 junior, averages 8.9 points and 5.8 rebounds a game while hitting 55.9 percent of his shots for the season. He scored eight points with eight rebounds Sunday at North Carolina. Anthony McHenry, a 6-7 junior playing strong forward, has been solid all season averaging 3.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while blocking a 12 shots and hitting 50 percent of his field goals.
Tech’s top reserve has been junior forward Isma’il Muhammad, a 6-6 defensive whiz who has become a force offensively, averaging 11.7 points (fourth on the team, 23rd in the ACC) while leading the conference in field goal percentage (65.7, 6th in NCAA). He has led Tech in scoring off the bench twice this season and has reached double figures eight times.
The other primary players off the bench include Clarence Moore, a 6-5 senior forward averaging 6.7 points and 4.4 rebounds; 6-0 junior Will Bynum, who became eligible Dec. 13 against Saint Louis and has averaged 8.6 points and 3.3 assists; and Theodis Tarver, a 6-9 sophomore postman who scored four points with a career-best six rebounds in his season debut at North Carolina.
Virginia has five players averaging in double figures, led by 6-9 junior center Elton Brown, who averages 16.7 points a game. The other four Cavaliers in the starting lineup all have shot well from the perimeter, led by 6-0 senior Todd Billet (10.3 ppg, 37.1 pct.), 6-6 freshman Gary Forbes (11.5 ppg, 34.4 pct.) and 6-7 sophomore Derrick Byars (11.0 ppg, 39 pct.). Devin Smith, a 6-5 junior (12.6 ppg) rounds out the starting lineup.
“Elton Brown is having a terrific year,” said Hewitt. “He’s obviously is working very hard. In the off-season he dropped a lot of weight, and he is much more active. He’s quicker off his feet. He always could score.
“They’ve got some good perimeter players with Todd Billet and Gary Forbes, who is shooting the ball very well.”
Tech Series vs. Virginia
*Georgia Tech has won three straight, seven of the last eight and 14 of the last 17 meetings with Virginia. The Jackets lead the series 33-26, and hold a 31-25 advantage since joining the ACC.
*Tech is 9-2 against Virginia teams coached by Pete Gillen, and is 6-1 against Virginia under Paul Hewitt, including all three meetings in Hewitt’s first season of 2000-01.
*Tech won the two meetings with Virginia last year by an average of 18.5 points, an 80-60 win in Atlanta and a 90-73 win at Charlottesville. The five meetings prior to that were decided by an average of 4.4 points.
*Tech is 19-7 against Virginia at home, including a 18-5 mark at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. The Jackets have won seven of the last eight meetings between the two teams in the Thrillerdome, the lone Cavalier win coming last season (see below).
#12/14 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (12-2, 0-1 ACC)vs. Virginia (10-3, 0-2 ACC)January 15, 2004 * 7 p.m. ET * Alexander Memorial Coliseum (9,191)
TV: espn2; Mike Patrick, pbp; Brad Daugherty, color
Radio: WQXI-AM (790), WTSH-FM (107.1); Wes Durham, pbp; Randy Waters, color
Series vs. Virginia: Tech leads, 33-26 In Atlanta: Tech is 21-8 At AMC: Tech is 18-5
Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt: 126-73 (.633), 7th season overall 60-46 (.566), 4th season at Tech 22-27 (.449) vs. the ACC 6-1 vs. Virginia (3-1 in Atlanta)
Virginia coach Pete Gillen: 370-196 (.654), 19th season overall 96-68 (.585), 6th season at Virginia 2-9 vs. Georgia Tech (1-5 in Atlanta)
Next for Georgia Tech: Jan. 17 vs. Maryland, 8 p.m. ET Next for Virginia: Jan. 18 at Florida State, 1 p.m. ET
