Jan. 10, 2011
Complete game notes
Hewitt on Monday ACC Teleconference
ATLANTA – For the first time since the 2006-07 season, Georgia Tech opens its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule with two games on the road, and the Yellow Jackets head to Clemson looking for their first conference win at 7 p.m. Wednesday night.
Tech (7-7, 0-1 ACC) has dropped its last two games, including an 86-75 decision in its conference opener Saturday at Boston College. The Yellow Jackets also are looking for their first win on an opponent’s home court, where they are 0-4 this year.
Head coach Paul Hewitt’s team returns two starters and eight letterwinners from a team that won three games in last year’s ACC Tournament to reach the championship game, then won their first-round game in the NCAA Tournament. Tech has been picked to finish ninth in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Clemson has forged a 12-4 overall record (1-1 in the ACC) in its first season under head coach Brad Brownell, and the Tigers have won seven straight games, including a 79-72 homecourt win over Miami Saturday. Clemson is 9-1 at home this season.
This is the first of two regular-season meetings between the two teams this year. Clemson comes to Atlanta on Feb. 5. The Yellow Jackets have played half of their 2010-11 schedule to date away from Alexander Memorial Coliseum, and have a combined 2-5 mark away from home.
Hewitt is in his 11th season at Tech, the third-longest tenure of any ACC head coach behind Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski (30th season) and Maryland’s Gary Williams (22nd season).
Game Data
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-7, 0-1 ACC) vs. Clemson Tigers (12-4, 1-1 ACC)
Date: Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Tipoff: 7 p.m. Eastern time
Site: Littlejohn Coliseum (capacity 11,200), Clemson, S.C.
Television: RSN (FS South in Georgia) – Chip Caray, play-by-play; Mike Gminski, color
Radio: Georgia Tech/ISP Sports Network, live on flagship station WQXI-AM (790 the Zone) and WYAY-FM (106.7) – Wes Durham, play-by-play; Randy Waters, color.
Satellite Radio: Sirius Ch. 214; XM Ch. 190 (Clemson broadcast)
On the web: www.Ramblinwreck.com; www.twitter/com/gtathletics; www.facebook.com/gtathletics
Tech Record Breakdown: 5-2 at home, 0-4 on the road, 2-1 neutral
Series History: Tech leads, 59-57 (15-37 in Clemson)
Series History – Tech vs. Clemson
> This is the oldest and longest-running series the Yellow Jackets have with an ACC member. The 116 all-time meetings are 31 more than Tech has played with any other ACC foe. The series dates back to the 1912-13 season, when John Heisman coached the Tech basketball team.
> Clemson is one of two permanent home-and-away opponents on Tech’s schedule each year (Wake Forest is the other) since the ACC expanded to 12 schools.
> Clemson has won seven of the last 10 meetings in the series, and the Yellow Jackets trail 34-31 to the Tigers since joining the ACC. The teams split their regular-season series in 2009-10.
> Tech and Clemson have split their season series 20 times since the 1982-83 season, and there has been a home-team victory split 16 times. The home team has won 37 of the last 49 meetings.
> The Jackets have swept the season series from the Tigers three times under Paul Hewitt. Clemson has swept Tech twice in that time, and has done so only three times since the 1982-83 season.
> The Yellow Jackets have won 12 of the 21 games between the two teams since Paul Hewitt became Tech’s head coach, with a 7-3 record at home and a 4-6 mark at Clemson.
> Tech is just 15-37 all-time in games played at Clemson, including an 8-30 mark in Littlejohn Coliseum. The Yellow Jackets have lost the last five games at Littlejohn.
> Tech’s 111-108 win against the Tigers at Littlejohn Coliseum on Jan. 24, 2001 remains the highest scoring regulation game Tech has had with any ACC opponent. The Jackets defeated Florida State by the same score in Tallahassee (in two OTs) on Feb. 11, 1999, and lost to Wake Forest in the 2007 ACC Tournament, 114-112 in double-overtime.
Tech on the Road in the ACC
Georgia Tech has begun its ACC schedule on the road 16 times in 31 seasons in the conference, winning seven of them. The last time Tech won an ACC opener that was on the road was at Maryland in December of 1992.
Tech has begun its ACC schedule with two road games five times (1984-85, 1986-87, 1988-89, 1999-2000 and 2006-07). The Jackets went 1-1 the first three times, and lost both in 1999-2000 and 2006-07.
Last Year vs. Clemson
Jan. 19 in Atlanta – Zachery Peacock made two free throws with 3.2 seconds remaining and No. 19 Georgia Tech knocked off another ranked team, beating No. 17 Clemson 66-64.
Georgia Tech (14-4, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) won its third game over a top-25 team in 11 days by edging the Tigers (15-4, 3-2).
Both teams turned the ball over in the final seconds, squandering chances to win. Finally, Georgia Tech inbounded to Peacock with 5.1 seconds left. He drove toward the free throw line and lost control of the ball, but the officials called a foul on Trevor Booker. Peacock calmly sank both foul shots on a night the Yellow Jackets made just 11 of 22 at the line.
Georgia Tech got big production from its two big men. Derrick Favors had 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Gani Lawal contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds. But it was Peacock, a former starter who now backs up those two, stepping up to provide the winning points.
Mar. 2 at Clemson – Trevor Booker closed out his home career at Clemson with 21 points to lead the surging Tigers to a 91-80 victory over Georgia Tech.
Demontez Stitt added 20 points as Clemson (21-8, 9-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) won for the fifth time in six games and all but cemented a spot in the NCAA tournament.
The Tigers used a 25-7 run that spanned the halves to take control of what had been a 41-41 game. The Yellow Jackets (19-10, 7-8) could not respond. Glen Rice Jr. had 17 points and Derrick Favors 16 for Georgia Tech.
