Dec. 6, 2010
By Matt Winkeljohn
Sting Daily
Lance Storrs thinks tonight’s game against Georgia means more than usual, which is saying something because any time Georgia Tech meets the Bulldogs there’s more zing in the air.
The fact that the football Jackets lost to Georgia 10 days ago has an amplifying effect on the men’s basketball game in Alexander Memorial Coliseum – the last time these teams will meet there (if only the Stegosaurus was going bye-bye, too, huh?).
“Since we didn’t beat Georgia in football a lot of our fans are looking forward to beating them in basketball because our girls accomplished that task [Sunday] night,” Storrs said. “A lot of people around campus are saying, `You guys are next to take down Georgia.’ “
Here’s hoping it happens.
Another senior, Moe Miller, has a slightly more sedate view on this matter. Storrs is local, and two of his high school teammates, Travis Leslie and Jeremy Price, play for the Georgia. So he’s got a little more going on. Miller is from Memphis. Still, he gets it.
“You’ve got to want to win every game,” he said. “Of course this game is going to have a little more emphasis on it because it’s Georgia. There may be more physical play, and the crowd may be all crazy. There’s going to be a lot of noise. At the end of the day, you have to come out and play the game.”
Miller wants to win. Storrs wants to beat Georgia. There is a difference in syntax, albeit slight.
If this were just another non-conference game, AJC columnist Jeff Schultz probably would not have shown up Monday to lob a few questions at coach Paul Hewitt.
In Miller’s view, a win would, “help our NCAA chances. You consider we’re going to play Duke and North Carolina at home . . . that’s the type of crowd and intensity we’re going to have.”
The women pulled away in the second half Sunday and blew out the 21st-ranked Lady Bulldogs, winning by 16 in their best game of the young season.
The men are coming off a stinker, a loss a week ago at Northwestern in which the Jackets did a fine job guarding against the Wildcats’ backdoor layups but in the process left their flanks poorly checked.
Storrs believes Tech will keep its head against the Bulldogs.
“I feel like all the guys are more dialed in because we have a lot of fans, students who are always saying, `To Hell with Georgia,’ beat Georgia. You know everybody wants that game; it’s the most important game for them,” he said. “If it’s not the most important game, it’s one of the most important games of the year so everybody’s very focused.
“We’re going to have a hard practice, and make sure we attack them before they attack us. I think everybody wants to beat Georgia not only for themselves, but for Georgia Tech and the students.”
