March 5, 2004
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#19/22 GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS (21-8, 8-7 ACC)
vs. FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES (18-11, 6-9 ACC)
March 6, 2004 * 4:30 p.m. ET Alexander Memorial Coliseum (9,191), Atlanta, Ga.
TV: Fox Sports Net South; Mike Hogewood, pbp; Larry Shyatt, color
Radio: Georgia Tech/ISP Network (WQXI-AM 790); Wes Durham, pbp; Randy Waters, color
Tech Record Breakdown — Home: 11-3; Away: 7-5; Neutral: 3-0
Series vs. Georgia Tech: FSU leads, 28-22 In Atlanta: Tech is 13-11 At AMC: Tech is 13-11 Last meeting: FSU d. Tech, 81-65, on Feb. 3 in Tallahassee
Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt: 135-79 (.631), 7th season overall 69-52 (.570), 4th season at Tech 30-33 (.476) vs. the ACC 4-3 vs. FSU (3-0 in Atlanta)
FSU coach Leonard Hamilton: 232-236 (.496), 16th season overall 32-26 (.552), 2nd season at FSU 2-2 vs. Georgia Tech (2-1 at FSU)
THE TIP-OFF
> Georgia Tech finishes its regular season Saturday by hosting Florida State Saturday (4:30 p.m., RSN). The Yellow Jackets (21-8, 8-7 ACC) have won their last two games against Duke (76-68) and Clemson (79-60), both on the road, and are 9-8 since beginning the season 12-0.
> Florida State (18-11, 6-9) comes to Atlanta with three straight losses to North Carolina, Wake Forest and Duke.
> Tech is tied with North Carolina for fourth place in the ACC standings at 8-7, and the two teams will likely play each other in the first round of the ACC Tournament next Friday. Both teams, however, have an outside shot at the No. 3 seed if they win their games Saturday and Wake Forest (9-6) were to fall at NC State (10-5). Duke has clinched the top seed at 12-3.
> 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 11th 20-win season in the history of Georgia Tech basketball, and 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 11-3 at home this season and has won 26 of its last 31 home games dating back to the end of the 2001-02 season.
> Tech lost the first meeting to Florida State, 81-65, on Feb. 3. It was the worst loss of the season for the Yellow Jackets in terms of margin of victory.
> Tech is 20-1 when leading at halftime this season. Florida State was the team which handed the Jackets their only loss in those games.
SENIOR DAY FOR THE YELLOW JACKETS
Saturday is Senior Day for the Yellow Jackets, with four players and a team manager appearing in their final home games at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. All of them will be honored in pre-game ceremonies.
The four senior players are Marvin Lewis, a 6-4 guard from Germantown, Md., Robert Brooks, a 6-8 forward from Saginaw, Mich., Clarence Moore, a 6-5 forward from Norco, La., and David Nelson, a 5-11 guard from Syracuse, N.Y. Will Lanier, a manager for four years, also is making his last homecourt appearance.
All four players will received their degrees by the end of fall semester, 2004. Lewis and Nelson are scheduled to graduate in May, finishing up in four years, while Brooks will earn his degree at the end of the summer term and Moore in the fall.
TECH SERIES VS. FLORIDA STATE
> Georgia Tech has won three of the last five and 12 of the last 20 meetings in its series with Florida State, but the Seminoles still hold a 28-22 lead in the all-time series which dates back to 1963.
> The teams have split the regular-season series five of the last six years except the 2001-02 season, when Tech won both games. In that span, FSU also won the schools’ only ACC Tournament meeting (63-62) in 2000.
> Tech is 13-11 all-time against the Seminoles in games played in Atlanta, all of which have been played at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. The Yellow Jackets have won the last four homecourt meetings with FSU, whose last win in Atlanta occurred on Jan. 9, 1999 (75-56).
> Earlier this season: Tim Pickett scored a career-high 33 points, the most ever for an FSU player against Tech, in leading the Seminoles to an 81-65 win on Feb. 3 in Tallahassee. Pickett scored 25 of his points after halftime, and FSU held Tech scoreless for more than six minutes during one stretch while scoring 14 straight points to open a 73-56 lead. Isma’il Muhammad led Tech with 14 points (7-9 FG).
> Tech has won four of the seven games against FSU with Paul Hewitt as its head coach, and has lost two of three games with the Seminoles under their head coach Leonard Hamilton. Tech is 2-2 against Hamilton, with a victory over his Miami team in December of 1997.
> Since FSU joined the ACC, the Seminoles have won 14 of the 26 meetings. Florida State won the first six in a row, Tech followed by winning five straight, and is 7-8 against the Seminoles since then.
> In those 26 games, 10 have been decided by four points or less, 16 by 10 points or less. One of those games went to double-overtime, which the Yellow Jackets won 111-108 on Feb. 11, 1999 in Tallahassee.
> Tech is 8-15 in games played in Tallahassee, including a 5-8 mark at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center. Since the Seminoles joined the ACC, Tech is 5-8 in Tallahassee.
> Tech and Florida State were both members of the old Metro Conference from 1976-78, and the Seminoles won three of those four meetings.
BREAKTHROUGH AT CAMERON
From Georgia Tech’s 76-68 win at Duke Wednesday:
> Georgia Tech won at Cameron Indoor Stadium and defeated the Blue Devils for the first time since 1996. The win snapped a 15-game losing streak in the series for Tech, and broke Duke’s 41-game home-court winning streak.
> Related note: Of the 16 streaks of 12 or more wins by one team over another in ACC history, only two have been ended by the visitor. After losing 13 straight to North Carolina, the South Carolina Gamecocks broke their run of misfortune with an 85-81 victory at UNC on Feb. 20, 1965. After losing 15 straight to Duke, Georgia Tech won in Cameron on March 3, 2004.
> Tech had not beaten a team ranked as high as Duke (No. 3) on the road since the Jackets toppled No. 1 North Carolina in 1994. However, it was Tech’s second win over a Top 10 team on the road this season (No. 10 Wake Forest on Jan. 20 was the other).
> Tech shot 50 percent in a game (51 percent Wednesday) from the floor for the ninth time this season, and has won all of those games.
> Tech held the Blue Devils to 34.3 percent from the floor, the 18th time the Jackets have kept a foe under 40 percent.
> Tech never trailed in the game after the 10:45 mark of the first half. The Blue Devils tied the game at 56 with 7:06 left in the game, but the Jackets answered with six straight points.
> Tech blocked 11 shots, matching the season high for the team set against North Carolina on Feb. 10.
> Tech outrebounded an opponent (41-38 against Duke) for the first time since Jan. 15, snapping a streak of 13 straight games in which the Jackets lost or tied the battle of the boards.
> Tech was 13 of 16 from the foul line in the second half, 9 of 10 in the final four minutes.
> More than 300 Tech students, plus the Tech pep band, were on hand at Alexander Memorial Coliseum to greet the team bus when it returned at 12:30 a.m.
A LOOK AT TECH’S 20-WIN SEASONS
This year’s Georgia Tech team is the 11th in school history to win 20 games, but only one of those teams has ever won more than 21 (Tech’s current win total) during the regular season. The 1985-86 team entered the ACC Tournament with a 23-5 record, and finished the season 27-7 after reaching the ACC Tournament finals and the NCAA Sweet 16.
Here is a quick look at Tech’s 20-win campaigns, listed in order of highest win total first: 28 (1990), 27 (1985, 1986), 24 (1996), 23 (1971, 1992), 22 (1960, 1988), 21 (1963, 2004), 20 (1989).
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 (12.5 ppg), 6-4 senior Marvin Lewis (11.3 ppg), 6-0 junior Will Bynum (10.1 ppg) and 6-6 junior Isma’il Muhammad (10.1 ppg).
For the last nine 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 17-5 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 19.3 points in his last eight 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 37.4 percent from three-point range, and has shot 39.8 percent from three against the league.
Jack has averaged 15.6 points in Tech’s last five games, and ranks third in the ACC in assist average (5.9 per game) and fifth in steals (2.03 per game), while shooting 47.3 percent from the floor.
Schenscher, who has averaged 13.7 points in his last three games, averages 8.9 points and a team-high 6.3 rebounds overall this season (9.5 ppg and 7.1 rpg vs. the ACC), hits 55.9 percent of his shots and ranks fourth in the league in blocks (1.59 per game). Jack and Schenscher are the only two players to start every game for Tech this season.
Lewis has scored 37 points in his last three games, including a season-high for a conference game with 18 at Clemson last Saturday. He is shooting 44.4 percent from the floor and 41.6 percent from three-point range, and has a 45.1-percent success rate in ACC games after draining all three attempts at Duke Wednesday night. McHenry, Tech’s primary defensive specialist who has started 24 of Tech’s 29 games this season, averages 2.8 points and 3.2 rebounds, but has scored 13 in the Jackets last two outings.
Tech uses four primary reserves, including Muhammad, a 6-6 defensive whiz who has made 60.5 percent of his field goal attempts this season and is Tech’s second-best rebounder at 4.7 per game. He scored 12 at Duke Wednesday.
Bynum, Tech’s backup point guard, averages 10.1 points per game for the season and 11.2 points per game against the league. Clarence Moore, a 6-5 senior, averages 6.0 points and 4.6 rebounds for the season, and has hit 42.2 percent from three-point range. Theodis Tarver, a 6-9 sophomore (1.3 ppg, 1.7 ppg) and 6-8 senior Robert Brooks (1.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg) are Schenscher’s backups in the post.
ACCESS DENIED
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 78.7 points a game (fourth in the ACC, best in Paul Hewitt’s four years at Tech) and shooting 47.1 percent from the floor (second in the ACC, also Tech’s best under Hewitt).
> Tech’s defensive performance at Duke Wednesday was reminiscent of its early-season efforts. The Jackets held the Blue Devils to just 34.3 percent from the floor and 27.6 percent from three-point range, blocked a season-high 11 shots and forced 20 turnovers.
> In the last two games, Tech allowed Duke and Clemson to shoot just 35.2 percent collectively from the floor and 31.3 percent from three-point range. Tech also has blocked 13 shots, forced 38 turnovers and taken 20 steals.
> 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 38.4 percent collectively and 30.0 percent from three-point range.
> Tech ranks first in the ACC in field goal percentage defense in all games, first in league games only (41.4 percent), and is the seventh-best in NCAA Division I basketball. Tech also leads the ACC in three-point percentage defense in all games, and ranks third in league games only.
> Tech’s FG percentage allowance of 38.4 percent would be the fourth lowest in school history if the season ended today, and the three-point yield equals the school record.
> Tech is 21-2 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 30th nationally in blocked shots (4.97 per game), and ranks second in the conference in league games only (5.67 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 43.1 percent of its treys in the last seven games (62-of-144). Most recently, Tech went 5-of-12 at Duke, 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 Yellow Jackets have shot threes at a 38.0-percent rate for the entire season, which ranks third in the ACC and is the best mark for Tech since 1996. Tech ranks fifth in the league in three-pointers made per game (7.34). 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 ranks second in the conference, and made 7.53 per game, which ranks fourth.
Individually, Marvin Lewis is at a career-best 41.6 percent (45.1 percent against the league), while B.J. Elder has made threes at a 37.4-percent clip overall, 39.8 percent against the ACC. Will Bynum and Jarrett Jack also have been threats from long range, combining to make 34.7 percent in all games and 36.9 percent in ACC games.
FASTBREAK POINTS
> In the last two games, Tech has shot 49 percent from the floor, 38.7 percent from three-point range and 78.2 percent from the line. The Jackets also have a plus-1.5 rebound margin.
> Tech has won four of its last five road games, the only loss at Virginia on Feb. 14. The wins came at Tennessee, Maryland, Clemson and Duke. The Jackets have shot 49.8 percent in those games and 42.7 percent from three-point range.
> Georgia Tech’s strength of schedule is rated the 6th most difficult in the country by the Sagarin Index and 21st by the RPI Report. Tech is 8-7 vs. the Top 50 of the RPI and 14-8 against teams in the top 100.
> 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 80 of the RPI.
> In its last two games, Tech has made 30 of 35 free throws in the second half (85.7 percent) and 78.2 percent overall. Tech is shooting 71.5 percent from the free throw line in ACC games this season, compared to 65.5 percent in non-conference games. Four Tech players are above 78.9 percent in league games (Will Bynum at 85.7, Jarrett Jack at 82.3, Marvin Lewis at 80.0, B.J. Elder at 78.9).
> Tech is shooting 74.0 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 392 fouls in the last 17 games (23.1 per game) after averaging just 18 in the first 12 games. Opponents have been to the free throw line 459 times in those games, compared to 410 for Tech. Sixteen Tech players have fouled out in the 17 games, compared with only three in the first 12.
> Only four times in 15 conference games has Tech been called for fewer fouls than its opponent. One of those came Wednesday night at Duke (22 to 24)
> Giving up 80 points in a game has resulted in a loss for Tech every time this season. 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.
ROAD REVERSAL
At 7-5, Georgia Tech has posted its best road record since 1995-96, when the Yellow Jackets went 7-2 on opponents home floors, won its first ACC championship and advanced to the NCAA Final Eight. This comes one year after Tech went 2-11 on the road, including 0-for-its-first-10 and a 1-7 mark in the ACC.
This year’s record includes four ACC wins, the most for Tech in a season since the 1995-96 campaign. Only one Tech team has ever won five ACC games on the road (1985-86).
Tech has won 12 of its last 19 games away from its home court and nine of its last 15 on opponents’ home courts.
Ten of Tech’s 21 wins this season have occurred away from home, including a Jan. 20 triumph at No. 10 Wake Forest and Wednesday’s triumph at No. 3 Duke. 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.
