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Georgia Tech Versus Boston College AP Preview

March 21, 2004

GAME: No. 6 Boston College (24-9) vs. No. 3 Georgia Tech (24-9).
REGIONAL: St. Louis, Second round.
TIME: Sunday, 2:15 p.m. EST.
SITE: The Bradley Center; Milwaukee.

Georgia Tech is coming off its first win in the NCAA tournament in eight years.

The Yellow Jackets will be looking for their second straight tournament win as they face Boston College in the second round.

Tech beat Northern Iowa 65-60 on Friday for its first win in the tournament since the second round in 1996 – against Boston College. Like they’ve done all season, the Yellow Jackets won with defense, limiting the Panthers to just four points over the final 8:40.

“That’s what we came here to do,” point guard Jarrett Jack said. “In this tournament, it doesn’t matter how much you win by, as long as you move on.”

Tech tied for third in the ACC. After playing the likes of Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina State and Maryland all year, nothing is going to faze the Yellow Jackets, who tied for third in the ACC.

“Playing in the league we play in prepares you for moments like that when you know the house is against you,” Tech coach Paul Hewitt said. “As long as we defend and rebound, we’ll have a chance.”

Boston College, which haven’t played in the regional semifinals since the 1994-95 season, reached the second round with a 58-51 win over Utah on Friday.

The winner will face upstart Nevada in St. Louis next weekend, and sophomore forward Craig Smith says the Eagles are determined to do whatever it takes to do so.

“We try to wear and tear opponents down,” said Smith, a first-team All-Big East forward. “That’s part of our strategy going into each game, trying to beat people down.”

Boston College ranked second in the Big East in scoring defense at 63.8 points per game, and hasn’t allowed more than 63 points in more than a month.

It’s a streak that the Jackets are confident they can break.

“We feel like, if we play to our potential, especially defensively, there aren’t too many teams that are going to beat us,” guard Marvin Lewis said.

Tech, which lost to Cincinnati in the regional semifinals in 1996 and to Saint Joseph’s in the first round in 2001 between its tournament wins, has taken three of the four all-time meetings with Boston College.

PROBABLE STARTERS:
Boston College – F Smith (17.3 ppg, 8.4 rpg), F Jared Dudley (12.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg), C Uka Agbai (10.8 ppg 5.2 rpg), G Louis Hinnant (6.7 ppg, 3.1 apg), G Sean Marshall (8.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg).
Georgia Tech – F Anthony McHenry (2.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg), F Barry Elder (16.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg), C Luke Schenscher (8.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg), G Jack (12.7 ppg, 5.8 apg), G Lewis (11.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg).

HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Boston College – At-large berth; beat Utah, 58-51, first round.
Georgia Tech – At-large berth; beat Northern Iowa, 65-60, first round.

ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD:
Boston College – 18-14, 13 years.
Georgia Tech – 17-12, 12 years.

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