Feb. 2, 2011
Game Notes in PDF Format
Coach Hewitt previews the Miami game
ATLANTA – Looking even its record in Atlantic Coast Conference play, Georgia Tech flies to South Florida Thursday night for a 7 p.m. nationally televised (ESPN2) game against Miami at the BankUnited Center in Coral Cables.
The Yellow Jackets (10-10, 3-4 ACC) are along in eighth place in the ACC standings, one game behind a pack of three teams, including Clemson, Virginia Tech and Maryland, tied for fourth at 4-3. Tech has played well at home in the ACC, winning its three conference games there by an average of 23.3 points, but is looking for its first conference road win since North Carolina last Jan. 16.
Tech won those games on the strength of its defense, which has limited North Carolina, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech to 51.3 points on average, 31-percent shooting from the floor and 5-of-38 from three-point range. Tech also has averaged 11.3 steals and forced an average 18 turnovers in those three games.
Head coach Paul Hewitt’s team, which returns two starters and eight letterwinners from a team that reached the championship game in last year’s ACC Tournament and won their first-round game in the NCAA Tournament, is one of the youngest in the ACC, with freshmen and sophomores making 68 of 100 possible starts and playing more than 70 percent of the minutes.
Miami (12-9, 1-6 ACC) has lost four straight games by an average of 2.5 points, and six of its last seven. But none of the six losses has come by more than nine points. The Hurricanes are 1-2 at home in conference play, the lone win coming by one point over Boston College.
Thursday is the first of two regular season meetings between Tech and Miami. The Hurricanes come to Atlanta for the Yellow Jackets’ final home game of the season on March 6. Tech has lost three straight games at the BankUnited Center, last defeating Miami there by a 76-72 score on Feb. 26, 2005.
Game Data
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-10, 3-4 ACC) vs. Miami Hurricanes (12-9, 1-6 ACC)
Date: Thursday, February 3, 2011
Tipoff: 7 p.m. Eastern time
Site: BankUnited Center (capacity 7,200), Coral Gables, Fla.
Television: ESPN2 – Mike Patrick, play-by-play; Len Elmore, color
Radio: Georgia Tech Sports Network from IMG College, 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 (Miami broadcast)
Tech Tickets: 888-TECH-TIX
Tech Record Breakdown: 8-3 at home, 0-6 on the road, 2-1 neutral
Series History: Miami leads, 6-5 (4-2 at BankUnited Center)
Series History – Tech vs. Miami
> After winning the first two meetings with Miami after the Hurricanes became members of the ACC, Tech has droppped four of the last five, including a two-point defeat in Coral Gables in the teams’ only regular-season meeting last year.
> The last five meetings have all been decided by 10 points or less.
> The most recent meeting between the two schools prior to Miami’s joining the ACC occurred in December of 1997 as part of the Orange Bowl Classic doubleheader at Miami Arena, the Hurricanes’ home court until the team moved into the on-campus Convocation Center last year. The Yellow Jackets, led that year by senior forward Matt Harpring, won that game, 69-61.
> Tech played Miami twice under former head coach Whack Hyder, losing the first-ever meeting in the series by 22 points in 1953, then taking a six-point homecourt victory in 1967. That was the only pre-ACC visit by the Hurricanes to Alexander Memorial Coliseum, and the 90-84 Tech win has been the highest scoring game in the brief series.
> Paul Hewitt is 3-5 against Miami, and Hurricanes head coach Frank Haith is 5-3 against the Yellow Jackets.
Last Year vs. Miami
Feb. 10 in Coral Gables – James Dews made a 15-footer at the buzzer to give Miami a 64-62 victory over No. 20 Georgia Tech in the team’s only meeting.
Dews missed the front end of a one-and-one with 19 seconds left, and Iman Shumpert sank a layup for Tech to tie the game with 10 seconds to go. That capped a comeback by the Yellow Jackets, who trailed by 14 early in the second half.
The Hurricanes fell behind 8-0, then outscored Georgia Tech 41-19 the remainder of the first half. They won despite shooting 32 percent in the second half.
Tech went to a press in the second half and that threw the Hurricanes out of their offensive rhythm. Oliver sank a pair of 3-pointers during a 13-2 run by the Yellow Jackets that cut the deficit to 52-50.
The Hurricanes rebuilt the lead to 60-52, and Collins’ dunk made it 62-58. But Shumpert sank two free throws with 20 seconds left for Tech, then hit the layup for the tie.
Dwayne Collins had 13 points and 11 rebounds for Miami. Adrian Thomas scored 12, all on 3-pointers, and Malcolm Grant had 11, all in the first half. Reserve Reggie Johnson added 10 points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes.
Brian Oliver scored 19 points off the bench for Georgia Tech, and junior Gani Lawal had 17 points and a career-high 18 rebounds.
