#8 Georgia Tech (13-16, 5-11) vs. #7 Florida State (11-16, 6-10)
47th Annual Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament
March 9-12, 2000 Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, N.C.
TV: ESPN
Radio: WGST (640 AM) in Atlanta, flagship for the Georgia Tech Radio Network (Wes Durham, play-by-play; Randy Waters, color)
Tech Record: 13-16, 5-11 ACC (8th)Home: 11-3; Away: 0-10; Neut.: 2-3ACC Tournament Record: 15-17 (21st Tournament)ACC Tournament Titles: 1985, 1990, 1993Tech vs. FSU: FSU leads 24-18vs. FSU under Cremins: 8-10vs. FSU in ACC Tournament: 0-0
This Year’s Meetings:
1-19-00, Tech 65-62 (Atlanta) 2-21-00, FSU 64-54 (Tallahassee) Cremins Record: 454-306 (.597), 25th season Cremins at Tech: 354-236 (.600), 19th season Last Tech game: March 4, d. Clemson, 85-69
Probable Starters
F 52 Jason Collier 7-0 Sr. 16.9 ppg 9.1 rpg Leads ACC in reb., double-doubles (11); 22.5 ppg last 4 games F 34 Jason Floyd 6-6 Sr. 9.6 ppg 3.5 rpg 23 pts, nine rebs vs. Clemson, scored 1000th career point C 4 Alvin Jones 6-11 Jr. 9.7 ppg 8.1 rpg 758 career rebs, 9th in Tech history G 11 Shaun Fein 6-3 Jr. 10.6 ppg 3.4 apg Third in ACC in A-TO (1.68) G 3 Tony Akins 5-11 So. 11.5 ppg 3.5 apg Career-high 33 pts vs. FSU, 23-46 3-pt FG in last 6 games
Top Reserves
F 42 Clarence Moore 6-4 Fr. 5.0 ppg 4.0 rpg Averaged 10.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.8 spg in five starts G 10 T.J. Vines 5-10 Jr. 4.5 ppg 2.2 apg 11 pts, 4 rebs, 1 ast vs. Clemson F 23 Jon Babul 6-7 Jr. 3.9 ppg 4.1 rpg Has missed 13 games with strained right quadriceps Cremins to Step Down at Season’s End
Georgia Tech head coach Bobby Cremins announced in a press conference on Feb. 18 that he will step down at the end of 1999-2000 season, concluding his 19-year career with the Yellow Jackets and ending the most successful era in Tech basketball history.
Cremins, who took over the Tech program in 1981-82 following a 4-23 season, is the third winningest coach in ACC history with a record of 354-236 (.600). Only North Carolina’s Dean Smith (879) and Duke Mike Krzyzewski (493) have won more games as ACC head coaches than Cremins. His overall record is 454-306 (.597) in his 25th season as a head coach.
Cremins, 52, guided Tech to 14 winning seasons and 14 postseason berths in his 19 years, including 10 of the 11 NCAA appearances in school history, highlighted by a trip to the Final Four in 1990. He led the Jackets to three ACC tournament titles, one ACC regular season championship and a share of another.
His litany of great players began with Mark Price and John Salley and continued with Duane Ferrell, Tom Hammonds, Dennis Scott, Kenny Anderson, Jon Barry, Travis Best, Stephon Marbury and Matt Harpring as he coached six all-America’s, 23 all-ACC players and eight ACC Rookie of the Year honorees. Twenty of Cremins’ former Yellow Jackets have gone on to the NBA – 11 are currently active – including 11 first-round draft picks.
Jackets Finish with Win over Clemson
Georgia Tech seniors Jason Collier and Jason Floyd combined for 46 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in their final home game to lift Georgia Tech to an 85-69 win over Clemson in the final appearance for head coach Bobby Cremins at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Tech hit a season-high 14 three-pointers, including four by Floyd and three by Collier, to overcome 30 points by the Tigers’ Will Solomon. Collier finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Floyd had a season-high 23 points and tied his career-best with nine rebounds. T.J. Vines added 11 points off the bench for Tech, which played the final 15 minutes without Alvin Jones, who was ejected after receiving his second technical foul.
Tech in the ACC Tournament
Georgia Tech enters its 21st ACC Tournament with a record of 15-17, including a 9-8 mark in the 1990s. Even though Tech has played in fewer than half of the ACC Tournaments, the Jackets have won more titles – three – than Clemson (0), Florida State (0), Virginia (1) and Maryland (2). In addition to winning the ACC Tournament in 1985, 1990 and 1993, the Yellow Jackets had runner-up finishes in 1986 and 1996, both times losing by a single point.
Tech has been the eighth seed three times, in 1980, ’81 and ’82, its first three years in the league, losing all three times. Since the league expanded to nine team, the Jackets have played on Thursday only once, in 1997, when ninth-seeded Tech fell to eighth-seeded NC State, 60-46.
Charlotte has been the site of two of Tech’s three ACC Tournament titles as the Jackets claimed the trophy here in 1990 and 1993. With a 7-4 record at the Charlotte Coliseum, Tech has more wins in this building than at any other site.
Bobby Cremins and the ACC Tournament
Bobby Cremins is one of two current ACC head coaches who have also played in the ACC Tournament, along with Maryland’s Gary Williams. Only Cremins has played and coached in the championship game.
Cremins was a three-year starter at point guard for South Carolina, playing in the ACC Tournament in 1968, 1969 and 1970. As a senior, he helped USC to a 25-3 record and a perfect 14-0 mark in the ACC regular season, but the Gamecocks fell to NC State in double overtime in the Tournament finals at the old Charlotte Coliseum. Cremins recalled that game in his retirement press conference, saying that he treasured his 19 years of coaching in the league because, I was able to get the ACC tournament championship ring that I always regretted not getting as a player.
Cremins, whose ACC Tournament record as a player was 4-3, has coached the Yellow Jackets to a 15-15 mark in Tournament play, with three titles (1985, 1990, 1993) and two runner-up finishes (1986 and 1996).
ACC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIPSDean Smith, North Carolina 13Mike Krzyzewski, Duke 4Vic Bubas, Duke 4Everett Case, NC State 4Bobby Cremins, Georgia Tech 3Norm Sloan, NC State 3
The Series with Florida State
Georgia Tech and Florida State split their two meetings this season,with each team winning on its homecourt.
Tech defeated the Seminoles, 65-62, in Atlanta on Jan. 19 as Shaun Fein hit six of 10 three-pointers for 18 points and the Yellow Jackets connected on 12 of 27 from beyond the arc. In the rematch in Tallahassee on Feb. 21, Damous Anderson scored 24 points to lead the Seminoles, who overcame a 34-26 halftime deficit and a career-best 33 points by Tech’s Tony Akins.
Florida State leads the series 24-18, including a 10-8 advantage since the Seminoles joined the ACC in 1991-92. Tech dropped the first six meetings after FSU entered the league, but since then the Jackets are 8-4 in the series.
Tech and Florida State are meeting in the ACC Tournament for the first time, but the two teams have met in postseason play. When Tech was a member of the Metro Conference, the Jackets faced Florida State in the conference tournament two straight years, winning 72-67 in the first round in 1977 and falling to the Seminoles 71-69 in the 1978 second round.
Tech vs. Florida State This Season
Georgia Tech 65, Florida State 62
1-19-00 Alexander Memorial Coliseum
Shaun Fein led a three-point barrage, scoring all 18 of his points from behind the arc as Georgia Tech led virtually the entire game for a 65-62 victory over Florida State. Fein was 6-of-10 from long range and the Yellow Jackets hit 12-of-27 three-pointers in the game.
Tech led 60-53 but managed only five points in the final five minutes, including two free throws by Jason Collier with 16.1 seconds remaining for a three-point lead. Delvon Arrington missed a final shot for the Seminoles, but even if he had made it, the officials ruled the attempt was inside the arc. Collier finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, his third straight double-double.
Florida State hit the first basket of the game but never led again as Tech built a 24-12 first-half lead, although Seminoles hung around behind a career-high 24 points from Damous Anderson, on 9-of-12 shooting, including four three-pointers.
Florida State 64, Georgia Tech 54
2-21-00 Tallahassee-Leon Co. C.C. Tallahassee, Fla.
Damous Anderson scored 26 points off the bench to spur Florida State to a 64-54 come-from-behind win over Georgia Tech in an Atlantic Coast Conference game.
Florida State had to overcome a barrage of nine three-pointers by Georgia Tech’s Tony Akins, the most this season in an ACC game. Akins finished with a career-high 33 points to lead all scorers but could not keep Tech from dropping its third straight game.
Akins was 5-for-5 from three-point range in the first half and was outscoring the entire Florida State team until just over a minute remained in the half. That staked the Yellow Jackets to a 34-26 lead at the half, but Florida State came alive in the second half, led by Anderson and Nigel Dixon, and nearly shut out Tech over the last four minutes of the game.
Anderson ended the first half with a resounding dunk and started the second half with another dunk on a fast break that got the Seminoles’ crowd into the game. He then hit a three-pointer with just over 10 minutes left to pull the Seminoles to within one at 47-46 and shift the momentum for good.
The lead changed hands a couple of times, but Anderson blocked an Akins shot from behind and hit a lay-up at the other end to give Florida State a 54-53 lead with 4:46 to play. The Seminoles turned up the intensity on defense and the Jackets only managed one more point the rest of the way, and failed to score a field goal in the last 6:56 of the game.
Tech Players vs. Florida State
Jason Collier, Alvin Jones and Tony Akins have all achieved career highs in games against Florida State. Last season in Tech’s 111-108 double-overtime win at Tallahassee, Collier scored a career-high 30 points, while Jones had his career-best with 28 points, along with 17 rebounds. This season at Florida State, Tony Akins reached his career high with 33 points, hitting 9-of-14 three-pointers. Shaun Fein’s 18-points in the first meeting with the Seminoles is his high in an ACC game.
Player G FG 3FG FT RB Avg A Bl St TP AvgAkins 4 22-62 15-41 4-8 14 3.5 19 0 7 63 15.8Babul 6 6-18 0-3 6-9 21 3.5 7 3 3 18 3.0Collier 4 22-48 7-14 16-23 33 8.3 7 9 2 67 16.8Fein 2 6-13 6-13 0-0 4 2.0 8 0 4 18 9.0Floyd 8 22-61 11-37 9-11 28 3.5 7 2 9 64 8.0Jones 6 20-35 0-0 18-32 55 9.2 8 15 3 58 9.7LaBarrie2 3-8 1-3 0-0 1 0.5 0 0 1 7 3.5Moore 2 1-6 0-0 0-0 7 3.5 4 2 1 2 1.0Vines 6 9-24 6-13 0-0 5 0.8 7 0 2 25 4.2
Tech Players in the ACC Tournament Player G FG 3FG FT RB Avg A Bl St TP Avg Akins 1 4-14 4-10 0-0 1 1.0 2 0 1 12 12.0 Babul 2 1-4 0-0 2-3 4 2.0 1 0 0 4 2.0 Collier 1 6-15 1-4 4-4 5 5.0 1 0 0 17 17.0 Floyd 3 5-19 3-13 0-0 8 2.7 1 0 0 13 4.3 Jones 2 8-15 0-0 6-14 15 7.5 1 3 0 22 11.0 Vines 2 3-5 1-3 0-0 3 1.5 4 0 1 7 3.5
Collier on a Roll
Jason Collier enters the ACC Tournament having averaged 22.5 points in the last four games, hitting 29-56 (.518) from the field, 7-18 (.389) from three-point range, and 25-31 (.806) from the free throw line. Last week, the seven-foot senior scored 25 points versus North Carolina, his high in an ACC game this season, and then 24 against Clemson.
Collier led Tech to victory against the Tigers with 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists in his final game at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Against UNC, he scored 15 points in the second half, including the game-tying field goal with 30 seconds left in regulation. In Tech’s win over NC State, he scored 22 points, including a key baseline hook shot with 57 seconds left.
Akins Increases Scoring
Point guard Tony Akins has averaged 14.8 points per game over the last six contests. That includes a career-best 33 points against Florida State and 17 versus Maryland. Most of Akins’ production has come from beyond the arc as he has hit 23 of 46 three-pointers (50 percent) in those six games.
Floyd Finishes With Flourish
Senior Jason Floyd is going out with a bang, having averaged 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in Tech’s last two games. Floyd hit six of 13 three-pointers in the two games. He had 12 points and five rebounds in Tech’s overtime loss at North Carolina. Then in his final home game against Clemson, he scored 23 points – a career-best for an ACC game – and tied his career-high with nine rebounds. He also scored the 1000th-point of his career.
Floyd’s play is a good barometer of Tech’s success. Before the North Carolina and Clemson games, the last time he scored in double figures in consecutive games, the Jackets defeated Maryland and Florida State. In fact, Tech is 10-4 this season when Floyd scores 10 or more points. The 6-6 forward is averaging 11.9 points and shooting 44.7 percent from the field in Tech wins, versus 7.6 points and .367 from the field in losses.
Tony Takes Aim at Seminoles
Sophomore point guard Tony Akins turned in the most prolific game of his career with a 33-point performance in Tech’s 64-54 loss at Florida State on Feb. 21. That was the highest scoring output by a Yellow Jacket in nearly two years, since Dion Glover had 33 against Seton Hall in the 1998 NIT. The last time a Tech player scored more was a 36-point effort by James Forrest in 1994.
Akins scored 27 of his points from three-point range as he went 9-for-14. His nine treys equalled the Tech high in an ACC game, matching Drew Barry (9 vs. North Carolina, 2-10-96) and Dennis Scott (9 vs. North Carolina, 1-28-89). Only Scott has made more three-pointers in any game, canning an ACC record 11 against Houston in 1988-89. Even Tech assistant coach Mark Price, one of the best shooters in ACC and NBA history, never had nine treys. Price’s best effort was eight against Virginia in 1983.
Jones Climbs Rebounding List
With 10 rebounds against North Carolina, center Alvin Jones moved into ninth place on Tech’s career list, passing Bruce Dalrymple (744, 1984-87). The 6-11 junior is the ACC’s active leader with 758 career rebounds. With five more rebounds, he will move past former Yellow Jacket Eddie Elisma for eighth place in Tech history.
Jones grabbed 16 rebounds against Michigan, the best for a Jacket this season, 15 against Stanford and 13 versus Duke.
Tech's Career Rebounding Leaders 1. Malcolm Mackey (1990-93) 1205 2. Matt Harpring (1995-98) 997 3. Jim Caldwell (1963-65) 993 4. Rich Yunkus (1969-71) 955 5. Tom Hammonds (1986-89) 885 6. James Forrest (1992-95) 846 7. John Salley (1983-86) 798 8. Eddie Elisma (1994-97) 762 9. Alvin Jones (1998-present) 758 10. Bruce Dalrymple (1984-87) 744
Babul’s Injury Woes Continue
Still hampered by a strained right quadriceps, junior forward Jon Babul is questionable for the ACC Tournament. Babul has missed a total of 13 games with the injury, including Tech’s final two regular season games. His most recent outing was 14 minutes last Sunday at Wake Forest, in which he had three points and four rebounds before aggravating the injury. Babul played just six ACC games this season.
Tech’s top frontcourt sub, the 6-7 Babul averages 3.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game and is the Jackets’ best and most versatile defensive player.
Jackets Improved From Beyond the Arc
Georgia Tech has shot better from three-point range in recent games, hitting 70 of 175 (40 percent) in the last eight contests. That includes four games in which the Jackets have hit 10 or more treys, including a season-high 14 treys in the final regular season game against Clemson. For the season, Tech is shooting 33.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Tech ranks second in the ACC in three-pointers per game, averaging 8.0 to 8.4 for Duke. Five Tech players have hit at least 20 treys – Shaun Fein (65), Tony Akins (65), Jason Floyd (41) and Jason Collier (29) and T.J. Vines (22).
Fein and Akins are tied for second in the ACC in treys per game (2.2). Akins is fourth in percentage (.371), while Fein is seventh (.361).
Moore of a Good Thing
Clarence Moore made the most of his opportunity to start for the Yellow Jackets. The 6-4 freshman from Norco, La., averaged 10.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.8 steals, 2.0 assists and 1.4 blocked shots in his five starts. He hit 17 of 35 shots from the field (48.6 percent) and 15 of 20 from the free throw line (75 percent).
In his first start against FAMU, Moore responded with 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists. He hit six of eight shots from the field, was 5-for-5 from the free throw line and also contributed three steals and a blocked shot.
Moore was even better against Virginia, recording his first double-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and one block. Against third-ranked Duke, he contributed nine points, five rebounds and two steals, and then against Maryland he grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds, along with eight points, four steals, three assists and two blocks.
As a reserve, Moore’s highs are eight points against Clemson and Morehead State and eight rebounds against Clemson.
A Fein Find
Except for a subpar performance against Florida State (0 pts, 3 ast, 2 stl in 20 min) while ravaged by a stomach virus, Shaun Fein has scored in double figures in seven of his last nine games. Discounting the FSU game, he has averaged 12.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists over his last eight games.
In Tech’s win over NC State, Fein scored 10 points, including three free throws in the final seconds to help seal the win. He also had five assists and three rebounds. The 6-3 junior transfer from Stonehill College had a 15-point performance at Maryland in which he hit five three-pointers on nine attempts, his best performance of the season in a road game, and he had a season-best eight rebounds at North Carolina.
Earlier this season, Fein put together two of his best games in back-to-back ACC wins over Maryland and Florida State, in which he hit 10-of-17 three-pointers, contributing 17 points and four assists against the Terrapins and 18 points and five assists versus the Seminoles.
Fein averages 10.6 points, 3.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game and is third in the ACC with an assist-turnover ratio of 1.74. He is tied for third in the league with 2.2 three-pointers per game and seventh in three-point percentage at .361. He is also second on the Tech team with 32 steals, including six against Florida A&M.
Tech Holds Cavaliers to 47 Points
In its 68-47 victory over Virginia on Feb. 12, Georgia Tech allowed its fewest points in an ACC game since a 48-43 victory over Maryland on Feb. 19, 1985. Tech’s 21-point win was its largest margin of victory against an ACC opponent in 72 games, since a 21-point victory over Florida State on Jan. 27, 1996.
Tech held Virginia to 27.6 percent shooting from the field, a season-low for the Cavaliers, and the Jackets’ best defensive performance against an ACC team since limiting Virginia to 24.7 percent in a 68-56 victory in the 1992 ACC Tournament.
Collier Enjoying All-Round Season
Jason Collier leads Georgia Tech in both scoring (16.9) and rebounding (9.1), ranking fifth in the ACC in scoring and first in rebounding. He is bidding to become the first Tech player to lead the ACC in rebounding.
One of 30 candidates for the John Wooden Award, Collier is ninth in the ACC in field goal percentage (.470) and sixth in free throw percentage (.756). The seven-foot senior joins Maryland’s Terence Morris as the only ACC players to rank among the league’s Top 10 in those four categories. Collier is also eighth in blocked shots (1.1) while leading the league with 11 double-doubles, including five in ACC play.
The Springfield, Ohio, native is shooting fewer threes than he did last season but has been effective from beyond the arc, hitting 29 of 80 (.363).
Home Sweet Home
Alexander Memorial Coliseum has been a friendly place for Georgia Tech this season when it comes to shooting the basketball.
The Yellow Jackets, who were 11-3 in their on-campus home this season, shot 37.8 percent (118-312) from three-point range at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Contrast that with games away from home, in which the Jackets have hit just 30.9 percent (114-364) of their threes. Overall, Tech shoots 42.9 percent from the field at home and 38.8 percent away from home.
The home court advantage is most pronounced for Shaun Fein, who has hit 45.3 percent (39-86) of his threes at the Thrillerdome, versus 27.7 percent (26-94) away from home. The 6-3 guard is averaging 13.0 points in Tech’s home games but just 8.3 points in other arenas.
Jackets Cashing In At The Line
The Yellow Jackets have made a significant improvement as a team in free throw shooting this season, ranking fourth in the ACC at 69.4 percent. Last year’s team shot 62.1 percent.
Tech has been able to handle the pressure of close games with even better free throw shooting. In Tech’s win over Maryland, the Jackets hit 11-of-12 free throws in the second half, including two charity tosses by Shaun Fein with 53 seconds left that helped seal the win. Jason Collier nailed two with 16 seconds left to preserve the victory over Florida State.
The Jackets were 17-of-21 against Lafayette, including 10 straight in the final five minutes. Tech canned 10-of-10 in the final five minutes of its Dec. 22 win over Wofford, and 8-of-8 in the last five minutes against Morehead State.
In its 13 victories, Tech has hit 68-of-85 free throws (80 percent) in the final five minutes.
Wes Durham Named Georgia Sportscaster of the Year
Georgia Tech radio voice Wes Durham has been named Georgia Sportscaster of the Year for 1999 by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.
Durham, who has called play-by-play for Tech football, basketball and baseball since 1995, will receive the honor at the NSSA Convention May 1 in Salisbury, N.C. The award is voted on by the NSSA membership in the state of Georgia.
It is the first time Durham has been so honored, though his father, legendary North Carolina radio voice Woody Durham, has received the award for North Carolina 10 times.
Since August of 1997, Wes Durham has worked as Georgia Tech’s Director of Broadcasting. He originally came to Atlanta in July of 1995 as the Jackets’ radio play-by-play announcer. Prior to that, he served as the radio voice at Vanderbilt, where he was a 1995 finalist for the Tennessee sportscaster of the year award, Marshall and Radford.
Akins Takes Advantage of Charity
Tony Akins is Tech’s top free throw shooter at 77.5 percent. The 5-11 guard has managed to get to the free low line more frequently in recent games, going 24-for-33 in the last 10 games after shooting just six free throws in the previous eight games.
Earlier this season, Akins made 27 consecutive free throws, six away from the school record of 33 in a row by Drew Barry during the 1995-96 season. Assistant coach Mark Price, the NBA career free throw percentage leader who has been instrumental in improving Tech at the line this season, hit 31 straight in 1984-85.
Floyd Joins 1,000-Point Club
Senior Jason Floyd scored 23 points against Clemson in his final home game to go over the 1,000-point mark for his career. Floyd, who now has 1,010 career points, became the 30th Tech player to score 1,000 points in a Yellow Jacket uniform. He is one of the three 1,000-point scorers on this year’s team but the only one who has scored all 1,000 for the Yellow Jackets.
Jason Collier went over the 1,000-point mark for his career in Tech’s win over Wofford, and his career total now stands at 1,326. The 7-foot senior has scored 920 points for the Jackets, following 406 at Indiana.
Shaun Fein reached 1,000 points with his first score in Tech’s game against Washington. Fein now has 1,278 career points, including 971 (19.7 per game) in two seasons at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass.
Jones Improved at the Free Throw Line
Assistant coach Mark Price, the top free throw shooter in NBA history, has made improving Alvin Jones’ free throw shooting his project, and the results have been promising.
In his first two seasons at Tech, Jones hit 53.5 percent of his free throws. This season, he has connected on 106 of 171 from the stripe (62.0 percent), shooting 23 more attempts than his closest teammate. Jones shot 73 more charity attempts than anyone else on the Tech team last year.
Jackets Spread the Scoring
Georgia Tech has had at least four players score in double figures in 11 of 29 games this season, including four games in which five players reached double figures, most recently against Florida A&M.
Jason Collier has led the Jackets in scoring all season, currently averaging 16.9 points per game. Tech’s other four starters each average between nine and 12 points, ranging from Jason Floyd at 9.6 to Tony Akins at 11.5.
From the Left …
It has to be a rarity, if not unique, in college basketball. Georgia Tech features three left-handed players among its top eight.
Jason Collier, Tony Akins and Clarence Moore all shoot lefthanded, which is believed to be the most ever on one Tech team. According to Moore, shooting is the only thing he does lefthanded.
The Yellow Jackets have had other famous lefties on its roster, including point guard greats Kenny Anderson and Travis Best, who have both taken their southpaw success to the NBA.
Rejection Record
It took only 60 games for Alvin Jones to become Georgia Tech’s all-time leader in blocked shots, breaking the record late in his sophomore season. Jones, who surpassed the record of 243 set by John Salley from 1983-86, now has 324 rejections in 93 games, including eight in the season opener against Mercer and seven against Virginia.
Jones, who had 107 blocks in 31 games last season (3.5 per game), also continues his climb up the Atlantic Coast Conference career lists for blocked shots. After becoming just the seventh player in league history to reach 300 blocked shots, his next target is former Clemson Tiger Elden Campbell, who ranks sixth with 334 blocks.
Jones career average of 3.48 blocks per game is third best in ACC history. The ACC record is 4.07 set by Clemson’s Tree Rollins (1974-77).
Dialing Long Distance
Georgia Tech owns the third-longest active streak in the nation for consecutive games with at least one three-point field goal. Tech’s streak has reached 410 games. The last team to hold the Jackets without a three-point field goal was Virginia in the 1987 ACC Tournament.
UNLV held the longest streak with 416 games entering the 1999-2000 season, followed by Vanderbilt at 412 games.
Jackets Look for Depth, Balance
Jason Collier leads the Jackets with 32.4 minutes per game. None of the Yellow Jackets ranks in the ACC’s top five in minutes played, contrasted to last year, when three did.
Tech’s top eight players all average at least 15 minutes per game. Tech has not had eight players average more than 10 minutes for a full season since 1988-89.
Jackets Reach Alaska Shootout Final
For the second straight year, Georgia Tech reached the final of a Thanksgiving week tournament and lost in the championship game.
The Yellow Jackets finished second in the Great Alaska Shootout, defeating Grambling State, 100-88, and Washington, 82-65, before falling to 11th-ranked Kansas in the final, 84-70. Last season, Tech fell to the Huskies in the title game of the Big Island Classic.
Jason Collier recorded a pair of double-doubles and averaged 20.7 points and 10.7 rebounds in the three games, earning a spot on the all-tournament team. Alvin Jones also made the all-tourname
