March 24, 2004
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Pre-Tournament Press Conference Transcript
GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS IN THE NCAA “SWEET 16”
March 26 & 28, 2004 * Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Mo.
ST. LOUIS REGIONAL CAPSULE
Regional Semifinals #4 Kansas vs. #9 UAB, 6:10 p.m. CST #3 Georgia Tech vs. # 10 Nevada, 30 min. after* *approximately 8:40 p.m. CST
Sunday Game Times in St. Louis: tba
Tech Schedule for Thursday, March 25 Open practice, 3:10 – 4 p.m. CST, Edward Jones Dome
TV: CBS (WGCL-TV in Atlanta); Gus Johnson, Len Elmore, Dwayne Ballen
Radio: Georgia Tech/ISP Network (WQXI-AM 790, WTSH-FM 107.1); Wes Durham, pbp; Randy Waters, color
Tech Record Breakdown: 25-9 overall, 9-7 ACC Home: 12-3; Away: 7-5; Neutral: 6-1
Tech in the NCAA Tournament: Overall Record: 18-12 Sweet 16 appearances: 7 (1960, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2004) Elite Eight appearances: 2 (1985, 1990) Final Four appearances: 1 (1990)
2004 Record vs. NCAA Field: 11-6
Series Records: Tech vs. Nevada: never met Tech vs. Kansas: KU leads 3-0; Last meeting: 11-27-99, KU d. Tech, 84-70 Tech vs. UAB: never met
Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt: 139-80 (.635), 7th season overall 73-53 (.579), 4th season at Tech 2-2 in the NCAA Tournament
THE TIP-OFF
> No. 3 Georgia Tech, the highest seeded team left standing in the St. Louis regional, meets No. 10 seed Nevada in Friday’s regional semifinal nightcap at approximately 8:40 p.m. CST, or 30 minutes following the other regional semifinal between No. 4 Kansas and No. 9 Alabama-Birmingham.
> Tech reached the regional in St. Louis by defeating Northern Iowa, 65-60, on Friday and 25th-ranked Boston College, 57-54, on Sunday. They are Tech’s first NCAA Tournament wins since 1996, and evened the NCAA Tournament record of head coach Paul Hewitt (2-2), who lost first round games in 2001 at Georgia Tech and 1999 at Siena.
> Tech is in the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time in its history and for the second time in four seasons under head coach Paul Hewitt. It is the Yellow Jackets seventh trip to the “Sweet 16” and first since 1996, when they defeated Austin Peay and Boston College before being eliminated by Cincinnati.
> A win Friday would put the Yellow Jackets in their first Elite Eight since 1990 and only their third ever.
> Tech (25-9 overall, 9-7 ACC) finished the regular season tied for third place in the Atlantic Coast Conference with Wake Forest. The Yellow Jackets were the No. 4 seed in the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C., where they defeated North Carolina, 83-82, in the quarterfinals before bowing to Duke, 85-71, in the semifinals.
> Tech has won six of its last seven games, defeating Clemson (79-60) on Feb. 28 and Duke (76-68) on Mar. 3 on the road, Florida State (63-60) on Mar. 6 at home and North Carolina (83-82) in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament before being eliminated by Duke (85-71) in the semifinals. Tech is 13-9 since beginning the season 12-0, and has won nine of its last 13 games.
> This is only the fourth Tech team to win at least 25 games. The last was the 1990 team which advanced to the Final Four and finished 28-7, setting a school record for victories. Only three teams have won more games, in 1985, 1986 and 1990. It is the 11th 20-win season in the history of Georgia Tech basketball, and it is the third time head coach Paul Hewitt has coached a team to 20 wins (he did it twice in three seasons at Siena).
> Tech is in the Top 25 for the 17th straight week, entering the NCAA Tournament at No. 14 in the Associated Press poll and No. 15 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. The Yellow Jackets debuted at No. 13 (AP) and No. 15 (coaches) on Dec. 1 following their Preseason NIT wins over No. 1 Connecticut and No. 25 Texas Tech.
> Tech’s third-place finish in the ACC regular-season was the highest finish in four seasons under head coach Paul Hewitt and the highest finish since 1996. Tech’s 9-7 mark also was the best of Hewitt’s tenure and the best since 1996.
> Nine teams on Tech’s schedule this season have made the NCAA Tournament, and three are still alive in the round of 16. The list includes Connecticut (No. 2 seed), Louisiana-Lafayette (14), Texas Tech (8) and Virginia Commonwealth (13), all of whom the Yellow Jackets defeated. Five other teams from the ACC — Duke (1), Maryland (4), North Carolina (6), NC State (3) and Wake Forest (4) — made the 65-team field. Tech was 8-6 against those teams this season.
> Five other Tech opponents made the NIT field — Florida State, Georgia, Saint Louis, Tennessee and Virginia. Tech was 4-3 against those teams this season.
> Tech is 7-1 on neutral courts this season. Five of the seven games have come against Top 25 opponents, including wins over No. 1 Connecticut on Nov. 26 and No. 25 Texas Tech on Nov. 28 in the Pre-Season NIT, ACC Tournament games against No. 16 North Carolina and No. 5 Duke, and Sunday’s win over No. 25 Boston College
> Tech is 7-5 vs. Top 25 teams this season.
> This weekend will be Tech’s first-ever game in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. Tech, however, has played several games in domed stadiums in recent years, including the Georgia Dome (7-4 record), the Louisiana Superdome (4-0) and the Carrier Dome (0-1).
TECH IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Georgia Tech is making its 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and its seventh trip to the “Sweet 16.” It is the second NCAA Tournament in four seasons under head coach Paul Hewitt. Tech last made the 65-team field in 2001, losing to St. Joseph’s (66-62) in the first round of the West Regional in San Diego, Calif.
Tech’s next most recent NCAA berth came in 1996, when the Yellow Jackets, then under head coach Bobby Cremins, defeated Austin Peay State and Boston College to advance to the Sweet 16 before being eliminated by Cincinnati. Cremins guided Tech to 10 NCAA appearances, including nine straight 1985 to 1993. Among those was the school’s only Final Four appearance in 1990, where Tech was eliminated by eventual national champion UNLV.
Tech’s only other NCAA invitation came in 1960, when the Roger Kaiser-led Yellow Jackets made the second round before losing to eventual national champion Ohio State.
Tech has an 18-12 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, has advanced to the Sweet 16 seven times (1960, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2004), the Elite Eight twice (1985, 1990) and the Final Four once (1990).
Tech head coach Paul Hewitt has taken three teams to the NCAA Tournament in his seven seasons as a head coach. He guided Siena to the Big Dance in 1999, and the Yellow Jackets to the West Regional in 2001. Both teams lost in the first round.
Tech has been a No. 3 seed one other time, in 1996, and the Jackets went 2-1 and advanced to the Sweet 16.
HOW TECH GOT HERE
1st round: Georgia Tech 65, Northern Iowa 60 — B.J. Elder hit a pivotal jumper with just 1:06 left on the clock to seal the win as Georgia Tech outlasted Northern Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Tech started off strong, leading by as many as 17 before taking a 12-point lead into halftime. The Panthers started the second half with an impressive 15-2 run to lead by one. Elder answered with a jumper with 15:47 remaining in the game to give Tech a lead it would hold for the remainder of the game. But Northern Iowa stayed within striking distance as Tech struggled to score in the second half, and a last-second three-point attempt by UNI’s Ben Jacobsen was off the mark. Jacobsen, the Panther’s leading scorer, scored just nine points and went 2-of-14 from the floor. Four Tech players reached double figures, led by Luke Schenscher with 13.
2nd round: Georgia Tech 57, Boston College 54 — Jarrett Jack made a key steal and dunk in the final six seconds of the game as Georgia Tech advanced to the Sweet 16. The Jackets jumped out to an 11-point lead in the second half before a Boston College run put the Eagles ahead by one with less than a minute remaining, capitalizing on a 5 1/2 minute Tech scoring drought. Jack made two free throws to put Tech ahead by with only 25 seconds remaining, then stole a BC pass and drove the length of the floor for the game-clinching dunk. Like Northern Iowa, however, BC had the last shot, but Jermaine Watson’s three-point try to tie the game bounced off as time expired. Tech held BC’s leading scorer, Craig Smith, to just three points on four field goal attempts and forced the Eagles into a season-high 22 turnovers. B.J. Elder led the Jackets with 18 points, and Anthony McHenry had his second straight double-figure game with 10.
SERIES VS. TEAMS IN ST. LOUIS
Like in Milwaukee, where Georgia Tech had played only one of the three teams in its pod previously, the Yellow Jackets are again in unfamiliar territory this week. Tech has a short history with Kansas (0-3) and none with Nevada or UAB.
> SMU was the last current member of the Western Athletic Conference to face Georgia Tech (1986), and the Yellow Jackets have a 21-15 record against the league’s current teams.
> Tech last faced Kansas in the 1999 Great Alaska Shootout, losing 84-70, and has lost its three games to the Jayhawks by an average of 18.3 points. Tech has played one Big 12 team this year, beating Texas Tech, 85-65, in the Preseason NIT in New York back in November.
> Tech has never played the Blazers, but has faced a Conference USA opponent this year (Tech defeated Saint Louis, 75-62, in December). Tech has played Saint Louis and Tulane twice each in the past three seasons. The Jackets have a 79-68 record against the league’s current members.
TOURNAMENT NOTES
> Georgia Tech is the highest seed left in the St. Louis regional at No. 3. The Yellow Jackets also have the fifth-smallest winning margin (8 points) in their two games of any of the 16 teams left.
> B.J. Elder has been Tech’s top scorer averaging 15.0 points in the tournament thus far, including 18 against Boston College Sunday. He is shooting 46.2 percent from the floor, and 50 percent from three-point range (6-of-12).
> Anthony McHenry, not known for his offensive contributions, scored 10 points in each of Tech’s games in Milwaukee, the first time he has reached double figures this season. He made 5 of 8 shots from the floor with an assist and three rebounds against Northern Iowa, then went 4-for-4 with an assist and four steals against Boston College. McHenry has averaged 6.0 points and is 16-of-26 from the floor in his last seven games.
> Clarence Moore also took advantage of the teams’ inattention, canning three three-point attempts in the first half to help Tech build a lead as large as 17 points against UNI, and added four points against Boston College. He has averaged 6.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in the two tournament games
> Will Bynum came off the bench to score 11 points against Northern Iowa, his first double-figure game since he had 12 at Maryland on Feb. 19. Bynum was 5-of-8 from the floor. The 6-0 junior had the most NCAA Tournament experience among Tech’s players coming into the post-season.
> Tech’s other two players with NCAA Tournament experience, Marvin Lewis and Robert Brooks, haven’t scored much. Lewis was held scoreless for the second time this year and fourth time in his career against Northern Iowa, but grabbed a season-high seven rebounds. He did, however, fo 4-for-9 for nine points against Boston College.
> Luke Schenscher’s 13 points against UNI was his fifth double-figure game in the last eight. He has averaged 10.1 points and shot 58.3 percent (28-of-48) from the floor over his last eight games.
> Tech’s bench contributed 24 of Tech’s 65 points against UNI, and was 10-of-22 from the floor collectively. In the post-season, including ACC Tournament games, Tech’s bench has averaged 19.3 points.
> Over Tech’s last seven games, Jarrett Jack has shot 84.6 percent (33-of-39) from the free throw line, B.J. Elder 83.3 percent (20-of-24) and Luke Schenscher 75 percent (21-of-28).
> Tech has shot 46.3 percent from the floor in its two NCAA Tournament games, and 45.3 percent in the post-season (including ACC Tournament). Isma’il Muhammad tops the lost at 63.6 percent in post-season games, followed by Anthony McHenry at 57.9 percent and Luke Schenscher at 56.5 percent.
> Tech’s six free throw attempts against Boston College were a season low, as were its 24 rebounds.
JACKETS WIN DESPITE SCORING STRUGGLES
Georgia Tech didn’t need a miracle shot to survive Milwaukee this year as it did in 1992, but the Yellow Jackets survived on their defense and ability to contest last-second shots in both of its victories over Northern Iowa and Boston College.
Tech led by as many as 17 points against the Panthers and by as many as 11 against the Eagles, but had to endure long scoring droughts in each game. The Jackets held both teams’ leading scorers in check, limiting UNI’s Ben Jacobsen to just nine points (2-of-14 FG) and BC’s Craig Smith to only two points (1-of-4 FG, fouled out).
Tech’s 57 points against BC were the fewest Tech has scored in a winning effort in four years under head coach Paul Hewitt, and were the fewest scored by the Jackets this season. The 122 points in the two games in Milwaukee were the fewest in back-to-back games for Tech this season.
Conversely, the 114 points that Tech surrendered were the fewest in consecutive games since allowing just 105 against Marist and VCU back in December. Tech’s two opponents in Milwaukee shot 41.8 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from three-point range collectively, and the Jackets forced 32 turnovers in the two games.
DEFENSE REMAINS TECH FOUNDATION
Defensive pressure, both half-court and full-court, continues to be the catalyst for Tech and creates the offensive opportunities that have the Yellow Jackets averaging 77.1 points a game (fifth in the ACC, best in Paul Hewitt’s four years at Tech) and shooting 46.9 percent from the floor (third in the ACC, also Tech’s best under Hewitt).
> Tech ranks first in the ACC in field goal percentage defense in all games — was first in league games only (40.8 pct.) — and is the seventh-best in NCAA Division I basketball. Tech also leads the ACC in both three-point percentage defense in all games and also was first league games only (32.2 pct.).
> Tech’s FG percentage allowance of 38.8 percent would be the fifth lowest in school history if the season ended today, and the three-point yield (29.9 pct.) would be a school record.
> Tech’s defensive performance at Duke on Mar. 3 was reminiscent of its early-season efforts. The Jackets held the Blue Devils to just 34.3 percent from the floor and 27.6 percent from three-point range, blocked a season-high 11 shots and forced 20 turnovers.
> Tech has been able to win six of its last seven games despite giving up 101 offensive rebounds (14.4 per game) and a minus-10 turnover margin.
> The Jackets have allowed only 12 teams to shoot 40 percent or better this season, and only four to shoot 50 percent.
> Tech is 24-2 this season when it holds its opponent to less than 80 points, and 1-7 when the opponent scores 80 or more (Tech defeated North Carolina, 83-82, in the ACC Tournament). NC State is the only team to beat Tech (both meetings this season) without scoring 80 points.
> Tech also ranks third in the ACC and 30th nationally in blocked shots (4.68 per game), and ranked second in the conference in league games only (5.5 per game).
TECH BUILDS MOMENTUM
Despite Georgia Tech’s loss to Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals, the Yellow Jackets built post-season momentum by winning four straight games prior to the Duke loss and forging a third-place tie in the ACC regular season. It was Tech’s best ACC finish in four seasons under head coach Paul Hewitt and its best since 1996.
Tech was 6-7 on Feb. 25 following two straight home losses to Wake Forest and NC State. But the Jackets earned a pair of road wins at Clemson and No. 3 Duke before finishing out the regular season with a homecourt win against Florida State and then defeating No. 16 North Carolina in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.
> Over Tech’s last seven games, the Yellow Jackets have shot 46.6 percent from the floor while holding their opponents to 39.2 percent from the floor and 30.0 percent from three-point range. Tech has also shot 75.7 percent from the free throw line, including a 77.8-percent mark in the NCAA Tournament.
> B.J. Elder is Tech’s top scorer at 15.7 ppg over the seven-game stretch, followed by Jarrett Jack at 11.9, Marvin Lewis at 10.4 and Luke Schenscher at 9.3.
A LOOK AT TECH’S 20-WIN SEASONS
This year’s Georgia Tech team is the 11th in school history to win 20 games, but only three of those teams has ever won more than 25 (Tech’s current win total). Tech won 28 games, the school record, during its Final Four season of 1990, and 27 each in 1985 and 1986.
Here is a quick look at Tech’s 20-win campaigns, listed in order of highest win total first: 28 (1990), 27 (1985, 1986), 25 (2004), 24 (1996), 23 (1971, 1992), 22 (1960, 1988), 21 (1963), 20 (1989).
SEASON FULL OF HIGHLIGHTS
Georgia Tech is enjoying its finest season since 1995-96, when the Yellow Jackets went 24-12 and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. A win for Tech Friday would put the Jackets in their first Elite Eight since 1990.
Tech burst on the national scene and debuted in both Top 25 polls after sweeping through the Preseason NIT, knocking off No. 1 Connecticut and No. 25 Texas Tech in Madison Square Garden to earn the title. That springboard launched the Yellow Jackets to the best start in school history at 12-0.
Since then, Tech has forged a 9-7 record in the ACC, the strongest conference in the nation this year according to the RPI Report. That run included Tech’s first win at Wake Forest (then ranked No. 10) since 1998, its first win at Maryland (the ACC Tournament Champion) since 1994 and its first season-sweep over the Terrapins since 1993, its first win over Duke (then ranked No. 3) in 15 games (a 76-68 win in Durham on Mar. 3), and two wins over North Carolina (Feb. 10 at home and Mar. 12 in the ACC Tournament). Tech defeated every ACC team this season except NC State.
Tech also snapped two long home-court winning streaks by ACC foes, a 24-game string by Wake Forest with a 73-66 win on Jan. 20, and a 41-game streak by Duke with a 76-68 win on Mar. 3.
Tech has defeated four non-conference teams which won their respective conference championships, including Connecticut (Big East), Louisiana-Lafayette (Sun Belt), Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley) and Virginia Commonwealth (Colonial Athletic Association).
QUICK LOOK AT TECH
Three Tech players are averaging in double figures this season, led by 6-4 junior B.J. Elder at 16.2 points a game, 6-3 sophomore Jarrett Jack (12.4 ppg), 6-4 senior Marvin Lewis (11.0 ppg).
For the last 14 games, Tech has used the starting lineup with which it played the first 13 games of the season — Jack, Lewis and Elder at the guards, 6-7 junior Anthony McHenry at forward and 7-1 junior Luke Schenscher at center. The Jackets are 21-6 with this lineup, 4-3 with other starting fives. Jack is the only player to start every game for Tech this season.
Elder, the ACC’s fifth-leading scorer during the regular season, has averaged 17.8 points in Tech’s four post-season games. He has scored in double figures in 13 straight games, including 30 against North Carolina on Feb. 10, 27 on Feb. 22 against Wake Forest, 25 against Duke in the ACC Tournament and 18 Sunday against Boston College. He has shot 46.5 percent over that stretch (44.8 from three-point range), and stands at 42.5 percent overall and 38.3 percent from three-point range for the season.
Jack, the only Tech player to start every game this season, has averaged just 7.0 points in the NCAA Tournament but has come up with big plays in each game. He sealed the UNI with with two free throws, then hit game-winning free throws against BC and made a steal and dunk to clinch the victory. He ranks fourth in the ACC in assist average (5.76 per game) and fifth in steals (1.91 per game), while shooting 46.5 percent from the floor.
Schenscher, who scored 13 points in Tech’s first-round win against Northern Iowa, averages 8.8 points and a team-high 6.4 rebounds overall this season (9.1 ppg and 6.9 rpg vs. the ACC this season), hits 55.1 percent of his shots and ranks fourth in the league in blocks (1.47 per game).
Lewis hit 4-of-9 shots for nine points to help Tech defeat Boston College. He is shooting 44.4 percent from the floor and 40.8 percent from three-point range (2nd in the ACC), and had a 45.7-percent success rate in ACC games this season.
McHenry, Tech’s primary defensive specialist who has started 29 of Tech’s 34 games this season (3.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg), has scored 10 points in each of Tech’s two NCAA Tournament games and made 9-of-12 from the floor in the process.
Tech uses four primary reserves, including Isma’il Muhammad, a 6-6 defensive whiz who averages 9.6 points per game. Muhammad, who has averaged 5.5 points in the NCAA Tournament, has made 60.3 percent of his field goal attempts this season and is Tech’s third-best rebounder at 4.6 per game.
Bynum, Tech’s backup point guard averaging 9.3 points per game for the season, scored 11 to help lift Tech in the first NCAA Tournament game against Northern Iowa. Clarence Moore, a 6-5 senior, averages 5.8 points and 4.5 rebounds for the season, and has hit 41.3 percent from three-point range, including 3-for-6 against UNI. Theodis Tarver, a 6-9 sophomore (1.4 ppg, 1.6 ppg) and 6-8 senior Robert Brooks (1.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg) are Schenscher’s backups in the post.
