March 4, 2007
ATLANTA (AP) -Javaris Crittenton scored 16 points with 10 assists, and Jeremis Smith had 13 points to lead Georgia Tech to a 74-60 victory over Boston College on Sunday.
The Yellow Jackets, who have won two straight and seven of nine, hope they’ve improved their chance of earning a spot in the NCAA tournament for the third time in four years.
Georgia Tech (20-10, 8-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) finished the ACC regular season in a tie for sixth place with Duke, but earned the No. 6 seed in this week’s ACC Tournament in Tampa, Fla., after the Blue Devils lost Sunday to North Carolina. The Yellow Jackets will play No. 11 Wake Forest in the first round at 9:30 p.m. Thursday, and the winner of that game will face No. 3 Virginia Tech at the same time Friday.
Tyrese Rice scored 18 points for Boston College, which closed the regular season by losing four of five. The Eagles (19-10, 10-6) made the NCAA field in five of the last six years with an average of nearly 25 wins during the regular season.
Boston College was ranked No. 26 when the RPI was released Feb. 27, but the Eagles have dropped six of their last 11 in the ACC after a 5-0 start.
They never recovered after falling behind 16-2 and going just 1-of-7 from the field with seven turnovers in the first 11:33.
Jared Dudley, who began the day with a 19.6 scoring average that led the ACC, finished with a season-low 10 points.
Anthony Morrow scored 11 and Thaddeus Young 10 for the Yellow Jackets, who had 27 points off 22 turnovers and dominated with 38 points in the paint.
The Yellow Jackets’ biggest lead, 72-52, came after Crittenton drove the lane and dished to Young for a dunk.
Georgia Tech allowed the Eagles to close within 10 on Rice’s free throws at the 14:17 mark, but Zach Peacock’s 3-pointer pushed the lead to 18 just 4:18 later.
