March 27, 2004
No. 3 Georgia Tech (26-9) vs.
No. 4 Kansas (24-8)
St. Louis Final
Sunday, 2:40 p.m. EST
Edward Jones Dome
2004Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Tournament Central
Georgia Tech managed to advance to the regional final despite playing without its leading scorer. The Yellow Jackets know they could be without B.J. Elder again when they try to reach the Final Four.
With Elder’s status uncertain, third-seeded Georgia Tech takes on surging Kansas, last year’s national runnerup, with a chance to reach the Final Four for the first time in 14 years.
Elder, a junior guard averaging a team-high 15.8 points, left the Yellow Jackets’ game against Nevada on Friday night two minutes into the first half with a sprained right ankle. Elder went down after the Wolf Pack’s Kirk Snyder landed on his ankle, but the Yellow Jackets didn’t fold against the upstart 10th seed.
Coach Paul Hewitt thinks Elder will play, but isn’t exactly sure how much he’ll be able to give.
In his absence on Friday, senior guard Marvin Lewis broke out of a slump with 23 points, and Georgia Tech’s vaunted defense smothered Nevada en route to a 72-67 victory.
“We’ve done a good job with these guys, making them understand just how deep and talented we are,” Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said. “I never sensed at any time they were panicking because B.J. wasn’t coming back. The discussion in the huddle centered around what we were doing.”
While Lewis’ performance was critical, so was the Yellow Jackets’ depth. No other Georgia Tech player scored in double figures, but seven of eight players besides Lewis had six points or more.
“That’s the most important thing, offensively and defensively: Guys give themselves up to make the team better,” Lewis said. “That’s what makes us so successful. There’s not selfishness on our team, it is about trying to contribute and make us better.
“The guys we have, we can be successful if everybody plays together,” Lewis added. “We get it done as a family.”
Georgia Tech was also saved by its stingy defense, which finally kicked in after halftime after Nevada had led by as many as eight in the first 20 minutes. The Wolf Pack shot 7-for-33 in the second half.
If Elder can’t go, Georgia Tech will need players like Lewis, Will Bynum (nine points) and Jarrett Jack (eight) to pick up the slack as they try to advance to a Final Four for the first time since the team led by Kenny Anderson and Dennis Scott in 1990.
To do so, they’ll have to beat a Kansas squad that looks determined to reach the Final Four for a school-record third straight year.
The Jayhawks suffered a heartbreaking loss to Syracuse in last year’s national title game, then watched longtime coach Roy Williams depart for North Carolina. However, Kansas has defeated its three opponents in this tournament by an average of 22 points, and is coming off a 100-74 pounding of ninth-seeded Alabama-Birmingham on Friday night.
Wayne Simien had 30 points, nine rebounds and five assists, and the Jayhawks had few problems handling UAB’s frenetic pressure defense. Freshman J.R. Giddens scored 18 points and Jeff Graves added 13 points and eight rebounds for Kansas.
Jayhawks coach Bill Self has now taken his third team, including Tulsa in 2000 and Illinois in 2001, to the round of eight. He has never been to a Final Four.
“We haven’t punched the ticket yet. Hopefullly this is the year we cash in,” Self said. “I would say there’s been far less fanfare with this team than the other two. I haven’t been to the Final Four, but they have.”
Slowing down the 6-foot-9, 250-pound Simien, a junior forward who missed all of Kansas’ postseason run last year with an injured shoulder, will be a top priority for Georgia Tech. Simien went 18-of-20 from the free-throw line against UAB to set a Kansas NCAA tourney record for made free throws, topping the 14 by Wilt Chamberlain against Oklahoma City in 1957.
“I was getting great post position,” Simien said. “Fouling was the only thing they could do.”
Kansas has won all three meetings with Georgia Tech.
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Kansas:
F Keith Langford (15.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg), F Simien (18.0 ppg, 9.2 rpg), C David Padgett (6.6 rpg, 4.5 rpg), G Aaron Miles (9.0 ppg, 7.3 apg), G Giddens (11.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg).
Georgia Tech:
F Anthony McHenry (2.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg), F Isma’il Muhammad (9.5 ppg, 4.7 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:
Kansas:
At-large berth; beat No. 13 Illinois-Chicago 78-53, first round; beat No. 12 Pacific 78-63, second round; beat No. 9 Alabama-Birmingham 100-74, regional semifinal.
Georgia Tech:
At-large berth; beat No. 14 Northern Iowa 65-60, first round; beat No. 6 Boston College 57-54, second round; beat No. 10 Nevada 72-67, regional semifinal.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD:
Kansas:
72-32, 33 years.
Georgia Tech:
18-12, 12 years.
