Feb. 21, 2004
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#18/16 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (19-6, 6-5 ACC)
vs. #15/15 Wake Forest Demon Deacons (16-6, 6-5 ACC)
February 22, 2004 * 8 p.m. ET
Alexander Memorial Coliseum (9,191), Atlanta, Ga.
TV: Fox Sports Net; Thom Brennaman, pbp; Mike Gminski, color
Radio: Georgia Tech/ISP Network (WQXI-AM 790, WTSH-FM 107.1); Wes Durham, pbp; Randy Waters, color
Series vs. Georgia Tech: Wake Forest leads, 30-25 In Atlanta: Tech is 17-8 At AMC: Tech is 17-8
Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt: 133-77 (.633), 7th season overall 67-50 (.573), 4th season at Tech 28-31 (.475) vs. the ACC 3-5 vs. Wake Forest (2-1 in Atlanta)
Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser: 227-103 (.688), 11th season overall 62-25 (.713), 3rd season at Wake Forest 4-2 vs. Georgia Tech (1-1 in Atlanta)
Next for Georgia Tech: Feb. 25 vs. NC State, 7 p.m. ET Next for Wake Forest: Feb. 25 vs. Florida State, 7 p.m. ET
THE TIP-OFF
> Georgia Tech begins a two-game homestand Sunday night when it entertains No. 15 Wake Forest at 8 p.m. at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. The Yellow Jackets also host NC State next Wednesday at 7 p.m. and have three of their last five regular-season games at home.
> Tech (19-6 overall, 6-5 ACC) has won three of its last four games and seven of its last 11, and is coming off a 75-64 road victory at Maryland Thursday night. Wake Forest (16-6 overall, 6-5 ACC) has won three straight games, including a 90-84 homecourt win over No. 3 Duke Wednesday night.
> Tech and Wake Forest are tied for third place in the ACC standings at 6-5, three and a half games behind first-place Duke and two-and-a-half behind NC State (pending the results of weekend games). Tech and Wake are among five teams bunched within two games of each other in the standings, following by Florida State at 6-6, North Carolina at 5-6 and Maryland at 4-7.
> Tech’s 19 wins are the most for the Yellow Jackets under head coach Paul Hewitt, and it is the most wins for Tech in a season since 1997-98, when the Jackets went 19-14 and reached the quarterfinals of the NIT. Tech’s last 20-win season occurred in 1995-96 (24-12).
> Tech is in the Top 25 for the 12th straight week, this week at No. 18 in the Associated Press poll and No. 16 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Tech debuted in the AP poll at No. 13 (No. 15 in the coaches’ poll) on Dec. 1 following their Preseason NIT wins over No. 1 Connecticut and No. 25 Texas Tech.
> Tech is 11-1 at home this season, and has won 26 of its last 29 games in Alexander Memorial Coliseum. The Jackets were 13-2 at home last season, and Wake Forest was one of two teams to defeat Tech at AMC.
TECH SERIES VS. WAKE FOREST
>Wake Forest leads the all-time series with Tech, 29-26, and has a 27-25 mark against the Yellow Jackets since Tech joined the ACC.
>Georgia Tech won the teams’ first meeting this season, 73-66, on Jan. 20 in Winston-Salem, snapping the Demon Deacons’ homecourt winning streak at 24 straight games. Will Bynum led the Jackets off the bench with 20 points, and Marvin Lewis went 4-for-4 from three-point range and scored 14.
>The home team has won 16 of the last 21 regular-season games in the series, with Wake Forest winning three times at Alexander Memorial Coliseum in that span, and Tech winning twice in Winston-Salem.
>Tech is 17-8 in games played at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Wake Forest and Duke were the only teams to win on Tech’s homecourt last season.
>Tech is 23-19 against Wake Forest since 1985, including 12 straight victories from 1985-91.
>Tech is 3-5 against Wake Forest under head coach Paul Hewitt, including an 1-3 mark in Winston-Salem. The Jackets are 2-4 against Skip Prosser-coached Wake Forest teams.
>The Jan. 20 game was the first time the two teams have met with both in the Top 25 rankings since Mar. 10, 1996, when Wake Forest defeated Tech in the ACC Tournament title game, 75-74. Both teams are still in the Top 25 polls.
COACH HEWITT COMMENTS:
On how Tech’s team has evolved since early in the season — “I really feel like we are getting to the point where we are about to play our best basketball of the season. Early in year, we did things strictly on defense, rebounding and transition. That’s a good start for any basketball team, but our half-court offense was not helping us in games. Now, I think our half-court offense is very good. We now have the combination of good defense, ability to rebound the ball, score in transition, and our half-court offense helps us.
“I think we’re still somewhat incomplete. We’re getting better and better, and getting healthier. Theodis Tarver came back on Jan. 11 when we played North Carolina, and from that point on, he has really evolved. Will Bynum became eligible Dec. 13, and since then he has really gotten into the flow of how we want to do things. Those two guys, from a personnel standpoint, make us stronger. But now that they have gotten into the flow of what we want to do, we have a chance to be a really good basketball team, much better than we’ve been at any point this year.”
On the strength and contributions from Tech’s bench — “It says a lot about these players and the families they come from, the coaching they’ve had prior to coming to Georgia Tech. Those guys have bought into their roles and say, ‘Hey, we’re a team,’ and anyone of them can step on a given night and make a difference. It’s a blessing for us, but it says more about what type of kids they are.
On Tech’s recent play — “The one thing that we have to do consistently is play defense. When we’ve had our hiccups, our team defense is not what it should be our what it’s capable of being. But offensively, it’s nice. We had a game the other night when Marvin Lewis didn’t score a point. Clarence Moore comes off the bench and gets 12. Will Bynum gets 12. Isma’il Muhammad gets nine. It’s a tremendous luxury for any coach to have.
“Over the last four games, our assist numbers have gone way up. Prior to that, our assist numbers were down. It was at that point that we were trying to get them to understand that the ball movement and spacing were what we needed to get easy offense.
On Wake Forest — “They’re a very physical basketball team. They’ve got size with Eric Williams, Danelius and Kyle Visser. The guy that really makes them go is Chris Paul. You can flip a coin between him and Luol Deng for freshman of the year in the ACC, or in the country for that matter. He was the guy we focused on last game, and we need to focus on him again. We’ve tried all year to put good pressure on the basketball. We’re not going to worry about a foul here and there. We’ve got to put pressure on the basketball to establish the tempo and type of game we want to play.”
MERRY-LAND — From Georgia Tech’s 75-64 win at Maryland Thursday:
> Georgia Tech trailed by nine points, 22-13, when a malfunction left the scoreboard and clocks dark at Tech’s end of the floor and caused a delay of several minutes. The Terps went scoreless after that for nearly four minutes, and the Yellow Jackets outscored Maryland from that point on, 62-42.
> Tech got its groove back on defense and limited Maryland to 32.4 percent from the floor and 3-of-20 from three-point range. In the second half, the Terps shot 29.7 percent. Maryland was unable to take advantage of 26 offensive rebounds and 20 Tech turnovers.
> The 64 points by Maryland was a season-low allowed by Tech in an ACC game.
> Tech shot 51 percent from the floor, its eighth 50-percent game of the season and the second in four games. Tech had not shot 50 percent on the road in a conference game since March 5 of last season against Virginia.
> Tech shot better than 41 percent from three-point range for the fourth straight game (5-of-11, 45.5 percent).
> Four Tech players scored in double figures, and the Jackets got 34 points from their bench, the second highest total in a conference game this season. That and Jarrett Jack’s 21 points mitigated subpar outings from B.J. Elder and Marvin Lewis, who were saddled with foul trouble and combiend for just 10 points.
> Luke Schenscher and Anthony McHenry each blocked four shots, and Tech blocked 11 as a team, tying a season high.
QUICK LOOK AT TECH
Five Tech players are averaging in double figures this season, led by 6-4 junior B.J. Elder at 16.0 points a game, 6-3 sophomore Jarrett Jack (12.2 ppg, 6-4 senior Marvin Lewis (11.4 ppg), 6-0 junior Will Bynum (11.1 ppg) and 6-6 junior Isma’il Muhammad (10.4 ppg).
For the last five 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 15-3 with this lineup.
Elder is playing his best basketball of the season, averaging 20.5 points in his last four games, including 30 against North Carolina on Feb. 10. He leads Tech and ranks fourth in the ACC in scoring at 16.0 points a game, and he has improved his shooting percentage from three-point range this season to 36.7 percent.
Lewis also has heated up, averaging 12.8 points in his last four games while hitting 11 of 19 three-point shots (57.9 percent). He is Tech’s third-leading scorer at the moment (11.4 ppg), ranks fifth in the ACC in three-point percentage (40.0), and is shooting even better (42.3 percent) against the league.
Jack, whose 21 points led all scorers at Maryland Thursday night, is third in the ACC in assist average (5.92 per game) and fifth in steals (2.04 per game), while shooting 47.8 percent from the floor. Schenscher averages 8.4 points and a team-high 6.4 rebounds overall this season (8.5 ppg and 7.6 rpg vs. the ACC), hits 53.7 percent of his shots and ranks fourth in the league in blocks (1.60 per game).
Jack, the point guard, and Schenscher are the only Tech players to start every game this season. McHenry, who averages 2.6 points and 3.1 rebounds, has started 20 of Tech’s 25 games this season.
Tech uses four primary reserves, including Muhammad, a 6-6 defensive whiz who would lead the ACC in field goal percentage (61.7) but falls short of qualifying for the rankings. Tech’s second-best rebounder at 5.1 per game, Muhammad has 14 assists, 24 rebounds and 10 steals in his last five games while hitting 20 of 33 shots from the floor.
Bynum, Tech’s backup point guard, has given the Jackets a big lift off the bench since becoming eligible on Dec. 13, averaging 11.1 points per game for the season and 13.2 points per game against the league. Clarence Moore, a 6-5 senior, averages 6.4 points and 4.8 rebounds for the season, and has hit 45.5 percent from three-point range. Theodis Tarver, a 6-9 sophomore postman who missed the first 13 games of the season with a knee injury, is averaging 1.6 points and 1.8 rebounds as Schenscher’s backup.
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 79.2 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).
> The Jackets have allowed only eight teams to shoot 40 percent or better this season, and only one to shoot 50 percent, while limiting opponents to 37.7 percent collectively and 28.5 percent from three-point range.
> Those figures rank first in the ACC for all games. Tech’s field goal percentage allowed is the fifth-best in NCAA Division I basketball. In conference games only, Tech ranks first in field goal percentage defense (40.8 pct.) and third in three-point defense (31.5 pct.).
> Tech’s FG percentage allowance of 37.7 percent would be the fourth lowest in school history if the season ended today, and the three-point yield would be a school-record low.
OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY IMPROVES
Georgia Tech’s offensive execution, especially in the halfcourt, has improved markedly since the Yellow Jackets’ loss at Florida State on Feb. 3.
In the last four games, in which it has averaged 80 points a game, Tech has shot 49.8 percent from the floor and 47.4 percent from three-point range. Tech has averaged 16.75 assists, getting an assist on 64 percent of its baskets during this stretch. Tech has also gone to the free throw line 104 times (25.1 per game) and made 71.2 percent.
Tech has been able to do this despite allowing 69 offensive rebounds and a minus-15 turnover margin.
EXTRA CREDIT
While Georgia Tech has defended the three-point shot much better this season, it is also shooting the three far better than last year.
Most recently, Tech went 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. Collectively, the Yellow Jackets have shot 47.4 percent from three-point range in those four games.
The Jackets have shot threes at a 37.9-percent rate for the entire season and have made 7.48 per game, which rank second and third, 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 39.5 percent from three-point range, which leads the conference, and made 7.91 per game, which ranks third.
Individually, Marvin Lewis is at a career-best 40.0 percent, 42.3 percent against the league, while B.J. Elder has made threes at a 36.1-percent clip overall, 39.7 percent against the ACC. Will Bynum and Jarrett Jack also have been threats from long range, combining to make 35.3 percent in all games and 38.6 percent in ACC games.
LEWIS AND ELDER KEY SCORING PUNCH
Wing guards Marvin Lewis and B.J. Elder both have heated up in recent games, which is good news for Georgia Tech down the stretch. When both players score in double figures, as they have in each of Tech’s last three games, the Yellow Jackets are 12-2 this season.
In those 14 games, Tech has averaged 81.4 points. In the other 10 games, Tech is 7-4 and has averaged 76.5 points.
Since ACC play began, both players have reached double figures against North Carolina (both meetings), Virginia (both meetings), Wake Forest, Clemson and Tennessee, and Tech is 5-2 in those games.
The two players combined to score 44 of Tech’s 77 points against the Volunteers and hit 16 of 25 shots between them. Lewis went 5-for-6 from behind the three-point stripe. They combined for 44 of Tech’s 88 points against North Carolina, hitting 12 of 24 field goals. Against Virginia, they scored 35 of 80 points and made 12 of 25 shots between them.
No player has shown a more dramatic swing in their statistical numbers between Tech’s wins and losses as have those of Lewis and Elder. In Tech’s 19 victories, Lewis has averaged 12.2 points, shot 47.8 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from three-point land, compared to 9.0 ppg, 35.2% FG and 30.0% 3FG in Tech’s five losses. The difference is nearly as significant for Elder — 16.3 ppg, 43.7% FG and 37.2% 3FG in Tech’s wins; 14.8 ppg, 35.0% FG and 35.6% 3FG in Tech’s losses.
TECH IS PH-BALANCED
Just about anyway you slice it, Georgia Tech has produced a balance offensive attack this season. If the Yellow Jackets keep up their current ways, they will post the highest team scoring averaging since the 1995-96 season (80.2 ppg) and place five players in double figures for the season for the first time since 1991-92.
> In all games, five players are averaging in double figures, and seven average six points a game or more.
> In ACC games, three Tech players are averaging in double figures, six averaging 8.5 or higher. Five players have averaged in double figures in Tech’s six ACC road games.
> Against Top 25 opposition, five players are averaging in double figures and seven are at 6.3 points per game or higher.
> In Tech’s victories this season, five players are averaging in double figures, and seven at 6.7 or higher. In its losses, only three players are averaging in double figures, but six are at 9.0 points per game or higher.
BENCH IS KEY COMPONENT OF TECH SUCCESS
For proof of the importance of Georgia Tech’s bench, look no further than the face that the Yellow Jackets’ leading scorer has come off the bench nine times this season. In the last 13 games, Tech has had 17 players score in double figures off the bench.
Tech is getting 27.7 points per game from its bench this season, the best in the tenure of head coach Paul Hewitt. The Jackets have averaged 27.6 bench points in ACC games. Tech averaged 16.5 points from its bench last season, 22.2 points per game in 2001-02, and 20.6 in Hewitt’s first season.
Tech’s primary reserves, forwards Clarence Moore and Isma’il Muhammad and guard Will Bynum, have combined to average 27.9 points a game this season and shoot 48.6 percent from the floor. They also provide the Jackets a high level of energy and defensive intensity when they come onto the floor.
