Feb. 9, 2011
Game Notes in PDF Format
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ATLANTA – Georgia Tech remains home this week to host Florida State at 7 p.m. Thursday night at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, looking to snap a three-game skid in an Atlantic Coast Conference game that will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
The Yellow Jackets (10-12, 3-6 ACC) are tied for ninth place with Virginia in the ACC standings, two games out of fifth place, 2-1/2 out of fourth as they begin the second half of the ACC schedule. Tech is 8-4 at home this season, 3-2 in conference play.
Tech contunues to play well defensively at home, allowing just 58.6 points in five ACC games, holding opponents to 37.5 percent shooting from the floor and 20.7 percent from three-point range, and forcing more than 17 turnovers per game. The Yellow Jackets lead the ACC in turnovers forced. But Tech has averaged just 58.7 points and shot just 35.8 percent during its three-game losing streak.
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 74 of 110 possible starts and playing more than 70 percent of the minutes.
Florida State (16-7, 6-3 ACC) is alone in third place in the ACC, a game and a half behind North Carolina, who defeated the Seminoles, 89-69, Sunday afternoon in Chapel Hill. The Seminoles are 1-3 in ACC road games, 5-4 on the road overall.
Thursday’s game is the only regular-season meeting between Tech and Florida State this season. The Seminoles have won five straight games in the series, including their last two visits to Alexander Memorial Coliseum. But the margin of victory has been an average of 3.4 points, and the largest margin of seven occurred in an overtime game last season in Atlanta.
Game Data
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-12, 3-6 ACC) vs. Florida State Seminoles (16-7, 6-3 ACC)
Date: Thursday, February 10, 2011
Tipoff: 7 p.m. Eastern time
Site: Alexander Memorial Coliseum (capacity 9,191), Atlanta, Ga.
Television: ESPN2 – Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Jimmy Dykes, 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. 213; XM Ch. 190 (Tech broadcast)
Tech Tickets: 888-TECH-TIX or click here
Tech Record Breakdown: 8-4 at home, 0-7 on the road, 2-1 neutral
Series History: FSU leads, 34-27 (Tech leads, 18-10, at Alexander Memorial Coliseum)
At Alexander Memorial Coliseum: Georgia Tech is 554-192 in its 54th and final season in the building.
Series History – Tech vs. Florida State
> Florida State leads the all-time series with Georgia Tech, 34-27, and has won the last five games in the series. Tech’s last win over the Seminoles was a 63-57 decision in Tallahassee on Feb. 13, 2007. It last win over FSU in Atlanta was Feb. 13, 2007 (88-80).
> The last 11 meetings in the series have been decided by an average of 3.5 points, none by more than eight.
> Since FSU joined the ACC, Tech is 17-20 against the Seminoles. Florida State won the first six in a row, Tech followed by winning five straight, and is 12-14 against the Seminoles since then.
> In those 37 games, 19 have been decided by four points or less, 27 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 9-9 against FSU with Paul Hewitt as its head coach, and is 6-8 against Seminoles teams led by head coach Leonard Hamilton. Tech is 7-87 against Hamilton overall, with a victory over his Miami team in December of 1997.
> Tech is 16-14 against the Seminoles in Atlanta, all but one of those games at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
> Tech and Florida State were both members of the old Metro Conference from 1976-78, and the Seminoles won three of those four meetings.
> Florida State has won both ACC Tournament meetings between the schools, including a 64-62 win at the Georgia Dome in 2009.
Last Season vs. Florida State
Dec. 20 in Atlanta – Ryan Reid scored a career-high 17 points, and Chris Singleton hit the go-ahead basket with 1:05 left in overtime to help Florida State beat No. 22 Georgia Tech 66-59.
Zachery Peacock scored 17 for the Yellow Jackets. Mfon Udofia added 12 points, and Derrick Favors pulled down 12 rebounds.
Reid scored on Florida State’s first two possessions of overtime before Singleton banked in a one-handed runner to make it 61-59 and put the Seminoles ahead to stay.
Peacock, whose 17-footer forced a 54-54 tie with 33 seconds left in regulation, hit a 3-pointer to begin OT and give the Yellow Jackets their first lead since his runner made it 37-36 at the 9:47 mark of the second half.
But Georgia Tech ended the game with a 32.9 percentage on 70 attempts from the field. Gani Lawal scored a season-low four points on 1 for 7 shooting, and Brian Oliver went 1 for 6 on 3-point attempts.
Jan. 24 in Tallahassee – Chris Singleton scored a career-high 23 points and Solomon Alabi made two go-ahead free throws with 22.8 seconds left, giving Florida State a 68-66 victory over No. 19 Georgia Tech and a sweep of the season series.
Alabi finished with 14 points and was perfect in six trips to the foul line for Florida State. Deividas Dulky added 11 points for the Seminoles.
Alabi’s free throws made it 67-66, and Brian Oliver missed a 3-point try and Gani Lawal and Iman Shumpert both missed opportunities to tie the game for Georgia Tech. Jordan DeMercy added a free throw in the closing seconds for the final margin.
Freshman Brian Oliver hit six 3-pointers and scored a career-best 20 points for the Yellow Jackets (14-5, 3-3 ACC), while Derrick Favors added 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
In addition to 20 lead changes, there were 10 ties in the game, including 34-34 at halftime.
Hicks Returns, Oliver Out
Brian Oliver, who had 28 points in Georgia Tech’s 72-57 win over Virginia Tech five days earlier, missed the Maryland game with flu-like symptoms. The Yellow Jackets also were without freshman backup center Nate Hicks, who had an appendectomy three days earlier and has missed Tech’s last three games.
Now comes the news that Oliver will be out three weeks after having surgery to repair a broken left thumb on Thursday (Feb. 9). He sustained the injury in Saturday’s loss to Clemson.
It was a tough week for Hicks, whose nose was broken by a flying elbow in practice the day before the Virginia Tech game. He played one minute with a mask Moe Miller had worn when he broke his nose two years ago. After getting fitted for a mask last Wednesday on the team’s day off, Hicks complained of abdominal pain and became ill, and would up having his appendix removed.
He has been cleared to return to practice this week and may play against Florida State.
