March 2, 2004
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#19/22 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (20-8, 7-7 ACC) vs. #3/3 Duke Blue Devils (24-3, 12-2 ACC)
March 3, 2004 * 7 p.m. ET Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314), Durham, N.C.
TV: ESPN; Mike Patrick, pbp; Dick Vitale, color;Doris Burke, reporter
Radio: Georgia Tech/ISP Network (WQXI-AM 790, WTSH-FM 107.1); Wes Durham, pbp; Randy Waters, color
Tech Record Breakdown: Home: 11-3; Away: 6-5; Neutral: 3-0
Series vs. Georgia Tech: Duke leads, 52-20 In Durham: Tech is 4-26 At Cameron: Tech is 4-26 Last meeting: Duke d. Tech, 82-74, on Jan. 31 in Atlanta
Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt: 134-79 (.629), 7th season overall 68-52 (.567), 4th season at Tech 29-33 (.468) vs. the ACC 0-7 vs. Duke (0-3 in Durham)
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski: 687-237 (.744), 29th season overall 614-178 (.775), 24th season at Duke 38-16 vs. Georgia Tech (20-3 in Durham)
Next for Georgia Tech: Mar. 6 vs. Florida State, 4:30 p.m. ET Next for Duke: Mar. 6 vs. North Carolina, 9 p.m. ET
THE TIP-OFF
> Georgia Tech finishes its regular season this week by visiting No. 5 Duke Wednesday night (7 p.m., ESPN) and hosting Florida State Saturday (4:30 p.m., RSN).
> Tech (20-8 overall, 7-7 ACC) earned its 20th victory of the season Saturday at Clemson in a 79-60 triumph. The Yellow Jackets have split their last four games, won four of their last seven, split their last 10, and are 8-8 since beginning the season 12-0.
> Duke (24-3 overall, 12-2 ACC) won a close call at Florida State, 70-65, Sunday night, and has won its last three games.
> With two games to play, Tech is tied with North Carolina for fourth place in the ACC standings. The Yellow Jackets, mathematically, can still draw a seed anywhere from third to seventh when tiebreakers are taken into account. Duke is in first place at 12-2, followed by NC State (10-4) and Wake Forest (9-5). Florida State is in sixth place at 6-9, followed by Virginia and Maryland at 5-9. Only last place Clemson (3-12) has clinched its seed in the ACC Tournament.
> Tech has won 20 games for the first time since the 1995-96 season, when the Yellow Jackets finished 24-12, won the ACC regular season at 13-3, reached the finals of the ACC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. It is the third time head coach Paul Hewitt has coached a team to 20 wins (he did it twice in three seasons at Siena).
> Tech is in the Top 25 for the 14th straight week, this week at No. 19 in the Associated Press poll and No. 22 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Both are the lowest rankings for the Jackets since they debuted at No. 13 (AP) and No. 15 (coaches) on Dec. 1 following their Preseason NIT wins over No. 1 Connecticut and No. 25 Texas Tech.
> Tech is 6-5 in road games this season, including a 3-4 mark in ACC games. It is Tech’s best road record overall since the 1995-96 season (also 6-5), and the Jackets have won as many as three ACC road games only twice since then (1997-98 and 2001-02).
> Tech lost the first meeting against Duke, 82-74, on Jan. 31 in Atlanta. The Jackets have lost 15 straight games in the series with the Blue Devils, and have not won in Cameron Indoor Stadium since the 1995-96 season.
TECH SERIES WITH DUKE
> Duke leads the all-time series with Georgia Tech, 52-20, and has won the last 15 games in a row with Georgia Tech dating back to the 1995-96 season, when the Stephon Marbury/Matt Harpring-led Jackets swept the season series from the Blue Devils on the way to a first-place finish in the regular season (13-3). It is the longest current winning streak by one ACC over another.
> The average margin of victory for Duke during the 15-game streak is 21.6 points per game. The closest game was the most recent meeting, the Blue Devils’ 82-74 win in Atlanta on Jan. 31, and their 87-79 win in Atlanta on Feb. 6, 1999. Only four of the games have been decided by 10 points or fewer.
> Duke overcame an early 11-point deficit in the teams’ first meeting this year, and scored 14 of the game’s final 20 points to secure the win. The game was tied 68-68 on Luke Schenscher’s layup at the 3:27 mark, but the Yellow Jackets missed seven of their last eight shots and did not make another field goal until 25 seconds remained. Schenscher finished the game with 18 points and eight rebounds, and Jarrett Jack led Tech with 19.
> Tech has won just four of 29 games played at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the last win occurring Jan. 7, 1996. The others occurred in 1987, 1984 and 1959.
> Prior to the current 15-game Duke winning streak, Tech had won three of four from the Blue Devils. Tech’s best stretch during the series occurred between 1982 and 1989, when the Yellow Jackets won 10 of 17 meetings. The Jackets have never won more than two in a row in the series.
> Tech is 16-38 against Duke teams coached by Mike Krzyzewski, 10-14 in such games played in Atlanta.
> Since 1984, Tech has faced Duke only twice when the Blue Devils were unranked, and only 14 times when they were out of the top 10 in both polls.
> Duke has won the last eight meetings at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Tech’s last win over Duke at Alexander, as well as its last win in the series, was a 73-71 overtime decision on Feb. 7, 1996.
COACH HEWITT SAYS
On getting the 20th win of the season — “I’m sure there is some sense of relief. In those two games we lost at home, in reviewing the tape, what I kept finding is that we were missing some layups and missing some free throws. It’s tough to coach that. As a coach, I was a little uptight because I was trying to figure out how you get them to relax and do the things that they normally do. I know they’re giving a good effort. But it was good to get the 20th victory out of the way, and get ready to play Wednesday night.”
On shooting the ball well — “It always looks good when the ball is going in the basket. Marvin and B.J. shot the ball well, and Jarrett Jack really set the table well. It makes things a lot easier.”
On building confidence and closing out games — “I think what gives us confidence is that we’ve played well, for the most part, all year. We’ve had spots in games where we’ve had opportunities to win games, but didn’t take care of business with stuff that I feel is very fixable, like making makeable shots.”
On the approach to playing Duke — “They’re clearly one of the top two of three teams in the country, and in my mind, the best team in the country. They’ve proven it in some really tough circumstances, going on the road and winning tough games. We can’t have those droughts that we’ve had offensively. If they defense us really tough and force us into contested shots, then you have to take your hat off to them. But when we have our opportunities, we have to capitalize.”
“We’ve got to defend extremely well. We’ve got to guard them, and we have to rebound the ball well.”
On Luke Schenscher – “His presence is big because he’s 7-1, and he does a lot to clog the middle. With as much help as their big guys like to give when you drive, that leaves him open for a lot of weak-side rebounding chances and a lot of drop-off passes. He did a great job of finishing those situations in the first game.”
TIGER TALES — From Georgia Tech’s 79-60 win at Clemson Saturday:
> Georgia Tech won its third ACC road game this season, equalling the 1997-98 and 2001-02 teams for most road wins in the conference over the last eight seasons.
> Tech earned its second season sweep of an ACC team this year. The Jackets also have won both meetings with Maryland.
> The 19-point margin of victory was the largest for Tech against an ACC team this year and the fifth conference game in which the Jackets have won by double digits.
> Clemson (36.4 percent) was the 18th opponent to shoot under 40 percent against the Yellow Jackets this year, and Tech limited the Tigers to just 19 points and 5-for-20 from the floor in the first half.
> Tech made 85.7 percent of its free throws (24-of-28), a high for the season, and attempted more free throws than its host in an ACC road game for only the second time in seven games. Tech was 17 of 19 in the second half.
> For the first time since Feb. 14 at Virginia, no Tech player fouled out.
QUICK LOOK AT TECH
Five Tech players are averaging in double figures this season, led by 6-4 junior B.J. Elder at 16.4 points a game, 6-3 sophomore Jarrett Jack (12.4 ppg), 6-4 senior Marvin Lewis (11.4 ppg), 6-0 junior Will Bynum (10.4 ppg) and 6-6 junior Isma’il Muhammad (10.0 ppg).
For the last eight 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 16-5 with this lineup, 4-3 with other starting fives.
Elder is playing the best basketball of his career at this point of the season, averaging 20.3 points in his last seven games, including 30 against North Carolina on Feb. 10 and 27 on Feb. 22 against Wake Forest. He leads Tech and ranks sixth in the ACC in scoring. He has improved his shooting percentages for the season to 42.1 percent overall and 37.7 percent from three-point range, and has shot 40.4 percent from three against the league.
Jack has averaged 15.8 points in Tech’s last four games, and has totalled 17 assists and just four turnovers in the last two. He is third in the ACC in assist average (6.0 per game) and fifth in steals (2.00 per game), while shooting 47.6 percent from the floor. Schenscher, who has scored 27 points in his last two games, averages 8.7 points and a team-high 6.2 rebounds overall this season (9.1 ppg and 6.9 rpg vs. the ACC), hits 55.9 percent of his shots and ranks fourth in the league in blocks (1.50 per game). Jack and Schenscher are the only two players to start every game for Tech this season.
Lewis snapped a two-game slump by scoring 28 in his last two games, including a season-high for a conference game with 18 at Clemson Saturday. He is shooting 44.1 percent from the floor and 40.4 percent from three-point range, including 42.6 percent from three against the ACC. McHenry, Tech’s primary defensive specialist who has started 23 of Tech’s 28 games this season, averages 2.6 points and 3.1 rebounds.
Tech uses four primary reserves, including Muhammad, a 6-6 defensive whiz who has made 60.4 percent of his field goal attempts this season and is Tech’s second-best rebounder at 4.8 per game.
Bynum, Tech’s backup point guard, averages 10.4 points per game for the season and 11.6 points per game against the league. Clarence Moore, a 6-5 senior, averages 6.1 points and 4.6 rebounds for the season, and has hit 43.5 percent from three-point range. Theodis Tarver, a 6-9 sophomore (1.4 ppg, 1.7 ppg) and 6-8 senior Robert Brooks (1.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg) are Schenscher’s backups in the post.
DEFENSE STILL TECH’S FOUNDATION
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 78.8 points a game (fourth in the ACC, best in Paul Hewitt’s four years at Tech) and shooting 47.0 percent from the floor (fourth in the ACC, also Tech’s best under Hewitt).
> The Jackets have allowed only 10 teams to shoot 40 percent or better this season, and only three to shoot 50 percent, while limiting opponents to 38.6 percent collectively and 30.1 percent from three-point range.
> Tech ranks first in the ACC in field goal percentage defense in all games, fourth in league games only, and is the sixth-best in NCAA Division I basketball. Tech ranks second in the ACC in three-point percentage defense in all games, fourth in league games only.
> Tech’s FG percentage allowance of 38.6 percent would be the fourth lowest in school history if the season ended today, and the three-point yield is one-tenth of a percentage point off the school record.
> Tech is 20-2 this season when it holds its opponent to less than 80 points. NC State is the only team to beat Tech (both meetings this season) without scoring 80 points.
> Tech also ranks third in the ACC and 29th nationally in blocked shots (4.75 per game), and ranks third in the conference in league games only (5.29 per game).
EXTRA CREDIT
While Georgia Tech has defended the three-point shot far better this season than last, it is also shooting the three far better.
Tech has made 43.2 percent of its treys in the last seven games (57-of-132). Most recently, Tech went 7-of-19 at Clemson, 7-of-18 against NC State, 7-of-19 against Wake Forest, 5-of-11 from bonus range at Maryland, 10-of-24 at Virginia, 13-of-25 against North Carolina and 8-of-16 at Tennessee.
The Jackets have shot threes at a 37.9-percent rate for the entire season and have made 7.43 per game, which rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the ACC rankings. 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 39.1 percent from three-point range, which leads the conference, and made 7.71 per game, which ranks third.
Individually, Marvin Lewis is at a career-best 40.4 percent, 42.6 percent against the league, while B.J. Elder has made threes at a 37.7-percent clip overall, 40.4 percent against the ACC. Will Bynum and Jarrett Jack also have been threats from long range, combining to make 34.5 percent in all games and 36.5 percent in ACC games.
FASTBREAK POINTS
> Georgia Tech’s strength of schedule is rated the 8th most difficult in the country by the Sagarin Index and 28th by the RPI Report. Tech is 13-8 against teams in the top 100 of the RPI Report.
> The ACC is the strongest conference in the nation in both the RPI Report and Sagarin Index, and is the only conference to have all of its teams in the top 75 of the RPI.
> Offensively, Tech ranks fourth in the ACC and 20th nationally in points per game (78.8). Tech also is fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (47.0).
> Tech is shooting 71.6 percent from the free throw line in ACC games, compared to 65.5 percent in non-conference games. Four Tech players are above 79 percent in league games (Will Bynum at 85.1, Jarrett Jack at 81.7, Marvin Lewis at 80.0, B.J. Elder at 79.1).
> Tech is shooting 74.6 percent from the foul line in ACC road games this season, and four players are above 80 percent in those games.
> Tech has been whistled for 370 fouls in the last 16 games (23.1 per game) after averaging just 18 in the first 12 games. Opponents have been to the free throw line 440 times in those games, compared to 383 for Tech. Sixteen Tech players have fouled out in the 16 games, compared with only three in the first 12.
> Only three times in 14 conference games has Tech been called for fewer fouls than its opponent.
> Giving up 80 points in a game has resulted in a loss for Tech every time this season (five times). NC State is the only team to defeat Tech this season without scoring 80 points (76-72 on Jan. 24, and 79-69 on Feb. 25). The Jackets are 6-24 in the Paul Hewitt tenure when they give up 80 points.
> In Tech’s last three games, the Jackets have a plus-19 turnover margin, and have shot 45.7 percent from the floor (37.5 percent from three-point range).
> Tech has not beaten an opponent on the boards since Jan. 15 against Virginia. In the ensuing 13 games, Tech has matched only three opponents on the boards and has a rebound deficit of 4.5 per game.
ROAD REVERSAL
At 6-5, Georgia Tech has posted its best road record since 1995-96, when the Yellow Jackets won the ACC regular season, went 24-12 overall and also were 6-5 on opponents’ home floors. This year’s record includes three ACC wins, tying the most for Tech in a season (1997-98 and 2001-02) since that 1995-96 campaign.
Tech has won 11 of its last 18 games away from its home court and eight of its last 14 on opponents’ home courts.
Nine of Tech’s 20 wins this season have occurred away from home, including its Jan. 20 triumph at Wake Forest, which was the Yellow Jackets’ first win over a Top 10 team on its homecourt since the 2000-01 season. Tech also has earned wins at Cornell, Ohio State and Tennessee this season, along with Preseason NIT wins at Madison Square Garden against No. 1 Connecticut and No. 25 Texas Tech.
Tech was 2-11 on opponents’ courts last year, including a 1-7 mark in the ACC.
TECH VS. TOP 25 TEAMS
Georgia Tech is 14-25 against nationally-ranked opponents in three-plus seasons under Paul Hewitt. That includes a 4-4 mark this year (see list on page 4).
Tech has defeated (rankings at the time of the game) No. 1 Connecticut, No. 25 Texas Tech, No. 10 Wake Forest and No. 14 North Carolina (second meeting of the season at home), with losses to No. 1 Duke, No. 12 North Carolina (first meeting in Chapel Hill), No. 15 Wake Forest (second meeting at home) and No. 14 NC State (second meeting at home).
At home, Tech is 6-10 against top 25 opposition under Hewitt, and 8-10 against ranked teams in Atlanta (including games at Philips Arena and the Georgia Dome).
