Feb. 18, 2004
#18/16 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (18-6, 5-5 ACC) vs. Maryland Terrapins (13-8, 4-6 ACC)
February 19, 2004 * 7 p.m. ET * Comcast Center (17,950), College Park, Md.
TV: ESPN2; Mike Patrick, pbp; Brad Daugherty, color
Radio: Georgia Tech/ISP Network (WQXI-AM 790, WTSH-FM 107.1); Wes Durham, pbp; Randy Waters, color
Series vs. Maryland: Tech leads, 32-28 In College Park: Tech is 10-18 At Comcast Center: 0-1
Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt: 132-77 (.632), 7th season overall 66-50 (.569), 4th season at Tech 27-31 (.466) vs. the ACC 3-4 vs. Maryland (0-3 in College Park)
Maryland coach Gary Williams: 515-289 (.641), 26th season overall 308-161 (.657), 15th season at Maryland 16-15 vs. Georgia Tech (10-4 in College Park)
Next for Georgia Tech: Feb. 22 vs. Wake Forest, 8 p.m. ET Next for Maryland: Feb. 22 at Duke, 4 p.m. ET
THE TIP-OFF
> Georgia Tech plays its fourth road game in the last five outings when it visits Maryland at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Comcast Center in College Park, Md. The Yellow Jackets then finish with three home games in the last five regular season contests.
> Tech (18-6 overall, 5-5 ACC) has won two of its last three and six of its last 10 games, but is coming off an 82-80 loss at Virginia Saturday. Maryland (13-8, 4-6 ACC) also has won two of its last three, but is coming off a 97-86 loss at North Carolina on Sunday. The Yellow Jackets won the teams’ first meeting this year, 81-71, on Jan. 17 in Atlanta.
> Tech is part of a group of five teams bunched within one game of one another in the ACC standings. The Yellow Jackets are tied with Wake Forest (5-5) and Florida State (6-6) for third place, 3-1/2 games behind second-place NC State (9-2) and 4-1/2 games behind Duke (10-1). North Carolina is in fifth place at 5-6, with Maryland holding the seventh position at 4-6.
> Tech’s 18 wins are the most for the Yellow Jackets under head coach Paul Hewitt, and that total was achieved in just 23 games. It is also the most wins for Tech in a season since 1997-98, when the Jackets went 19-14 and reached the quarterfinals of the NIT.
> Tech is in the Top 25 for the 12th straight week, this week at No. 18 in the Associated Press poll and No. 16 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Tech debuted in the AP poll at No. 13 (No. 15 in the coaches’ poll) on Dec. 1 following their Preseason NIT wins over No. 1 Connecticut and No. 25 Texas Tech.
> Tech is 4-5 in road games this season, and is 1-4 on the road in conference play with the lone win coming Jan. 20 at Wake Forest. Tech has a nine-game losing streak against Maryland in College Park.
TECH SERIES VS. MARYLAND
> Georgia Tech has lost 12 of its last 16 games with Maryland but still leads the all-time series, 32-28, including a 32-24 mark since the Yellow Jackets joined the ACC.
> Tech won the first meeting between the two teams this season, 81-71, on Jan. 17 in Atlanta. Will Bynum scored a career-high 25 points by making 8 of 14 shots from the floor and 5 of 7 from three-point range. Jarrett Jack added 17 points and four assists, and Luke Schenscher scored 15 with 11 rebounds. The Jackets erased a seven-point second-half deficit and took control of the game with a 14-0 run.
> Tech is 3-4 against Maryland under head coach Paul Hewitt, 0-3 at College Park. Tech is 15-16 vs. Gary Williams-coached Maryland teams.
> Five of the seven games between Tech and Maryland since Paul Hewitt became the head coach have been decided by 10 points or fewer.
> Tech has lost nine straight games on Maryland’s home court, the longest current losing streak the Yellow Jackets have in an ACC foe’s arena. That includes last year’s 83-77 loss in Tech’s first visit to the Comcast Center and the last eight the Jackets played at Cole Field House. Tech’s last win in College Park was an 83-71 triumph on Feb. 5, 1994.
> Maryland won the first nine games of the series, but head coach Bobby Cremins turned the tables upon his arrival, leading Tech to 28 wins in the next 35 meetings (including 10 in a row at one point) through the 1995-96 season.
COACH HEWITT SAYS
On the way Tech has played recently — “For the first time all year we all are healthy, and we all have gotten into game shape, so to speak. As well as we’ve played at times this year, I believe our best basketball is definitely ahead of us. The play of Theodis Tarver and Will Bynum, the play of the other seven that have gotten the majority of minutes all year has really gotten encouraging. If we can get everybody going at the same time, which is our goal now, we can play the best basketball that we’ve played all season.”
“Individuals are playing better. Will Bynum is making much better decisions with the basketball. Theo (Tarver) is beginning to get things going. Luke Schenscher has continued to play at a high level. Isma’il Muhammad, if you noticed in the last couple of games, has started to make some jump shots which will make things more difficult for his defenders. B.J. and Marvin are shooting the ball as well as he has shot it all year.
On playing at Maryland — “A hostile crowd in the ACC, what else is new? We’ve always played very competitive and high-intensity games against them. I don’t expect this one to be any different. The fact that we’re both coming off losses probably makes both teams just a little more irritable going into the game.”
“We need to do some things with [John Gilchrist] because we can’t allow him to go for 27 points again. But at the same time, if you put too much emphasis on Gilchrist, then Caner-Medley, Smith and the other guys can get it going and hurt you.”
BOO-HOOS
From Georgia Tech’s 82-80 loss at Virginia Saturday:
> B.J. Elder led the Jackets in scoring for the third straight game, netting 22 points while hitting 5 of 10 three-point attempts. Elder has averaged 24.0 ppg in Tech’s last three games.
> Virginia shot 49.2 percent from the floor, the second highest percentage Tech has allowed this year. Only Duke (50 percent on Jan. 31) has shot 50 percent against Tech this season.
> Tech hit 10 of 24 three-point shots (41.7 percent), its third straight game over 40 percent from beyond the three-point stripe. The Jackets have shot 47.7 percent from three-point range in their last three games.
> Tech’s 11 turnovers were its fewest in eight games.
> Tech failed to score a point on a fast break opportunity for the first time this season, yet still scored 80 points.
> Tech’s 51 second-half points were second only in conference games this season to the 54 second-half points it scored against North Carolina four days earlier. The Jackets shot 62.1 percent after intermission but were unable to hold on for a victory.
QUICK LOOK AT TECH
Five 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 (11.9 ppg, 6-4 senior Marvin Lewis (11.9 ppg), 6-0 junior Will Bynum (11.1 ppg) and 6-6 junior Isma’il Muhammad (10.5 ppg).
For the last four 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 14-3 with this lineup.
Elder has gotten hot of late, scoring 72 points in his last three games, including 22 at Virginia Saturday when he hit 5 of 10 three-point shots. He leads Tech and ranks fourth in the ACC in scoring at 16.2 points a game, and he has improved his shooting percentage from three-point range this season to 37.0 percent.
Lewis also has heated up, averaging 17 points in his last three games while hitting 11 of 18 three-point shots (61.1 percent). He is Tech’s second-leading scorer at the moment (11.9 ppg), ranks fourth in the ACC in three-point percentage (40.3), and is shooting even better (43.1 percent) against the league.
Jack is third in the ACC in assist average (5.96 per game) and fourth in steals (2.12 per game), while shooting 47.3 percent from the floor. Schenscher averages 8.5 points and a team-high 6.3 rebounds overall this season (8.7 ppg and 7.4 rpg vs. the ACC), hits 54.1 percent of his shots and ranks fifth in the league in blocks (1.50 per game).
Jack, the point guard, and Schenscher are the only Tech players to start every game this season. McHenry, who averages 2.6 points and 3.1 rebounds, has started 19 of Tech’s 24 games this season.
Tech uses four primary reserves, including Muhammad, a 6-6 defensive whiz who would lead the ACC in field goal percentage (61.9) but falls short of qualifying for the rankings. Tech’s second-best rebounder at 5.1 per game, Muhammad has seven assists, 11 rebounds and four steals in his last two games while hitting 5 of 10 shots from the floor.
Bynum, Tech’s backup point guard, has given the Jackets a big lift off the bench since becoming eligible on Dec. 13, averaging 11.1 points per game for the season and 13.3 points per game against the league. Clarence Moore, a 6-5 senior, averages 6.1 points and 4.8 rebounds for the season, and has hit 44.2 percent from three-point range. Theodis Tarver, a 6-9 sophomore postman who missed the first 13 games of the season with a knee injury, is averaging 1.6 points and 1.9 rebounds as Schenscher’s backup.
ACCESS DENIED – DEFENSE STILL FOUNDATION FOR TECH
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 79.4 points a game (third in the ACC, best in Paul Hewitt’s four years at Tech) and shooting 47.0 percent from the floor (second in the ACC, also Tech’s best under Hewitt).
> The Jackets have allowed only eight teams to shoot 40 percent or better this season, and only one to shoot 50 percent, while limiting opponents to 38.0 percent collectively and 29.0 percent from three-point range.
> Those figures rank first and second, respectively, in the ACC for all games, and are third and second, respectively, in the ACC for conference games only. Tech’s field goal percentage allowed is the fourth-best in NCAA Division I basketball.
> Tech’s scoring yield of 64.9 points a game this season would be the 10th lowest in school history if the season ended today. Its FG percentage allowance would be the fourth lowest, and the three-point yield would be a school-record low.
EXTRA CREDIT
While Georgia Tech has defended the three-point shot much better this season, it is also shooting the three far better than last year.
Most recently, Tech went 10 of 24 from bonus range at Virginia, 13 of 25 against North Carolina and 8 of 16 at Tennessee. Collectively, the Yellow Jackets have shot 47.7 percent from three-point range in those three games.
The Jackets have shot threes at a 37.8-percent rate for the entire season, have made 7.58 per game and consistently have ranked among the ACC’s top four teams in those categories all season. Tech ranked sixth in the ACC last season in three-point field goal percentage (35.2), and eighth in three-pointers per game (5.74).
In ACC games only, Tech has shot 39.2 percent from three-point range, which leads the conference, and made 8.2 per game, which ranks second.
Individually, Marvin Lewis is at a career-best 40.3 percent, 43.1 percent against the league, while B.J. Elder has made threes at a 37.0-percent clip overall, 39.7 percent against the ACC. Will Bynum and Jarrett Jack also have been threats from long range, combining to make 34.6 percent in all games and 37.5 percent in ACC games.
LEWIS AND ELDER KEY TECH SCORING PUNCH
Wing guards Marvin Lewis and B.J. Elder both have heated up in recent games, which is good news for Georgia Tech down the stretch. When both players score in double figures, as they have in each of Tech’s last three games, the Yellow Jackets are 12-2 this season.
In those 14 games, Tech has averaged 81.4 points. In the other 10 games, Tech is 6-4 and has averaged 76.7 points.
Since ACC play began, both players have reached double figures against North Carolina (both meetings), Virginia (both meetings), Wake Forest, Clemson and Tennessee, and Tech is 5-2 in those games.
The two players combined to score 44 of Tech’s 77 points against the Volunteers and hit 16 of 25 shots between them. Lewis went 5-for-6 from behind the three-point stripe. They combined for 44 of Tech’s 88 points against North Carolina, hitting 12 of 24 field goals. Against Virginia, they scored 35 of 80 points and made 12 of 25 shots between them.
No player has shown a more dramatic swing in their statistical numbers between Tech’s wins and losses as have those of Lewis and Elder. In Tech’s 18 victories, Lewis has averaged 12.9 points, shot 48.1 percent from the floor and 43.3 percent from three-point land, compared to 9.0 ppg, 35.2% FG and 30.0% 3FG in Tech’s five losses. The difference is nearly as significant for Elder — 16.7 ppg, 44.0% FG and 37.6% 3FG in Tech’s wins; 14.8 ppg, 35.0% FG and 35.6% 3FG in Tech’s losses.
TECH IS PH-BALANCED
Just about anyway you slice it, Georgia Tech has produced a balance offensive attack this season. If the Yellow Jackets keep up their current ways, they will post the highest team scoring averaging since the 1995-96 season (80.2 ppg) and place five players in double figures for the season for the first time since 1991-92.
> In all games, five players are averaging in double figures, and seven average six points a game or more.
> In ACC games, four Tech players are averaging in double figures, six averaging 8.7 or higher. Five players have averaged in double figures in Tech’s five ACC road games.
> Against Top 25 opposition, five players are averaging in double figures and seven are at 6.3 points per game or higher.
> In Tech’s victories this season, five players are averaging in double figures, and seven at 6.4 or higher. In its losses, only three players are averaging in double figures, but six are at 9.0 points per game or higher.
> Tech’s leading scorer has come off the bench nine times this season. In the last 12 games, Tech has had 15 players score in double figures off the bench.
> The Jackets have had six different players lead the team in scoring this season.
> Tech is getting 27.7 points per game from its bench this season, the best in the tenure of head coach Paul Hewitt. The Jackets have averaged 27.6 bench points in ACC games. Tech averaged 16.5 points from its bench last season, 22.2 points per game in 2001-02, and 20.6 in Hewitt’s first season.
