Jan. 31, 2003
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech looks to remain unbeaten at home and move above .500 in the Atlantic Coast Conference when Virginia visits Alexander Memorial Coliseum Saturday at 4 p.m.
Tech (10-7 overall, 3-3 in the ACC) is 9-0 on its homecourt this season, and has won 11 in a row in the Thrillerdome.
The game will be televised regionally on the Raycom/Jefferson-Pilot Sports Network, and aired locally on WATL-TV (Ch. 36). Radio coverage is provided by the Georgia Tech-ISP Network, and can be heard in Atlanta on WQXI-AM (790), WMGP-FM (98.1) and WSNY-FM (100.1).
Tech has its best six-game ACC record since the 1995-96 season, and has won 10 of its last 15 conference games following Wednesday nights 88-68 victory over North Carolina. The Yellow Jackets began last season 0-7 before finishing 7-9. In 2000-01, Paul Hewitt’s first season, Tech started 2-4 before winning its next two for a 4-4 mark at the halfway point of the ACC slate, and finished the season 8-8.
The Yellow Jackets have won five of their last seven games and have won all three of their ACC home games this season (NC State, Florida State and North Carolina) by an average of 17 points. Two of Tech’s next three games are at home, a trip to Clemson scheduled for Wednesday, followed by a visit from Maryland Feb. 9.
“This group is more along the lines of ‘Let’s go play ball,’ no matter where the game is,” said Hewitt. They just want to play and prove to themselves that they’re better than they’ve shown earlier this year. When you watch the tape of our games [on the road], you see things that are correctable. We’ve been in games and been right there, with the exception of a couple games. It’s come down to late-game situations, executing, and finishing off games in clean fashion.
“Just going out and playing this time of the year is the best attitude to have. I think the atmosphere in this building, especially with out students, does enough to get our guys fired up. When they step out here and the student sections are going, that’s enough to get them juiced.”
Georgia Tech’s starting five for the last nine games has been 6-3 freshman Jarrett Jack, 6-4 junior Marvin Lewis, 6-4 sophomore B.J. Elder, 6-10 freshman Chris Bosh and 7-1 sophomore Luke Schenscher, and the Yellow Jackets are 5-4 with that group on the floor for the opening tip. Tech has used four different starting lineups this season, only Jack and Bosh have started every game.
Tech has three players scoring in double figures for the season, led by Elder at 16.7 points a game. The sophomore, who averages 19.3 ppg in ACC games, ranks ninth in the ACC in overall scoring average while hitting 48.8 percent of his field goal attempts (6th in the ACC) and 45.3 percent of his three-point tries (1st in the ACC).
Lewis, a sharpshooting junior hitting 60.0 percent of his shots and averaging 16.5 points in ACC games, averages 12.8 points a game and is hitting 40.2 percent of his three-point attempts overall (4th in the ACC). Bosh ranks 10th in the ACC in scoring at 16.0 points per game. The Rookie of the Year candidate, who scored 22 against North Carolina Wednesday, leads the ACC in field goal percentage (60.0) and is second in rebounding (9.4), and is the nation’s top rebounder among freshmen.
Jack, who averages 7.8 points and 6.0 assists (fifth in the ACC), played his best all-around game of the season Wednesday night with 13 points and eight assists against North Carolina. Schenscher averages 5.4 points and 4.1 rebounds for the season and is hitting 48.9 percent of his field goal tries.
“He started out great, then had that little lull,” said Hewitt of Jack, who has elevated his game in ACC play (9.0 ppg, 6.2 apg). “In the last four or five games, we’ve noticed a significant change, a significant upturn in his productivity. As he becomes more productive and keeps his turnovers down, you’ll see our offense continue to improve.
“He’s talented, he’s good, but there’s a lot that he has to learn. Tony Akins told me once not to be too hard on Jarrett, because nobody knows what it’s like to be a freshmen starting point guard in this league, unless you go through it. He had some good advice for Jarrett.
Tech gets help off the bench from 6-8 sophomore post-man Ed Nelson, Techs fourth-leading scorer at 7.7 points along with 6.9 rebounds (2nd on the team, 7th in the ACC), and 6-6 sophomore forward Isma’il Muhammad, who averages 6.4 points and 4.2 rebounds. Anthony McHenry, a 6-7 sophomore averaging 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds, provides excellent defense on the wing.
Theodis Tarver (1.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg), a 6-9 freshman, and Robert Brooks, a 6-8 junior averaging 0.5 points and 1.0 rebounds per game, add depth in the frontcourt, while Jim Nystr?m, a 6-4 freshman from Sweden, is 3-of-13 from three-point range in three games since he became eligible on Dec. 29.
In Virginia, Tech faces a team with a similar style of play on both ends of the floor. Since Hewitt arrived at Tech, the Jackets have won four of five from the Cavaliers, but the games have been decided by an average of just 4.4 points.
“I think we feel pretty comfortable with what each other tries to do,” said Hewitt. “We know how to score against those types of systems, and we know how to defend those types of systems. There is a certain amount of luck involved too.”
The game features the two best rebounders in the ACC in Bosh, who ranks second, and 6-8 senior Travis Watson, who leads the ACC at 10.4 per game and leads the Cavaliers in scoring at 14.9 points per game. Virginia has three other players averaging in double figures in 6-0 junior guard Todd Billett (14.1), 6-5 sophomore forward Devin Smith (10.2) and 6-9 sophomore forward Elton Brown (10.2).
TECH SERIES VS. VIRGINIA
oGeorgia Tech has won five of the last six meetings with Virginia, including all three encounters in Paul Hewitt’s first season at Tech and a split of two games last season. The Jackets still lead the series 31-26, and hold a 29-25 advantage since joining the ACC.
oTech is 18-7 against Virginia at home, including a 17-5 mark at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. The Jackets have won six of the last seven meetings between the two teams in the Thrillerdome, the lone Cavalier win coming last season (see below).
oTech is 7-2 against Virginia teams coached by Pete Gillen.
oTech and Virginia have played to overtime five times since the 1983-84 season, including a 72-71 triple-overtime win for Tech in Atlanta on Jan. 23, 1984, and an 88-85 double-overtime triumph for Virginia in Charlottesville on Jan. 22, 1995.
oTech led 35-31 at the half of the Jan. 22 meeting last season, but Virginia shot 55.6 percent in the second half. The Jackets, led by 15 points each from Clarence Moore and Ed Nelson and 14 by B.J. Elder, led 63-62 at the 2:10 mark, but the Cavs outscored Tech 7-2 down the stretch.
oIn Charlottesville on Feb. 23, Tech defeated Virginia, 82-80, on a three-point basket by Marvin Lewis with one second to play. The Jackets rallied from an 80-74 deficit with 1:29 to play, taking advantage of four missed free throws by the Cavaliers. B.J. Elder, who scored 18 points, canned a three-pointer, and Tony Akins (23 points) drilled a pair of free throws to draw Tech within 80-79.
oIn the ACC Tournament, Tech and Virginia are even at 4-4, including a 74-69 Jacket victory at the Georgia Dome in 2001. Tech also defeated Virginia in the 1990 final in Charlotte (70-61) and in the first round of the 1985 tournament (55-48) in Atlanta.
oImprobably, the Yellow Jackets won all three of their meetings with the Cavaliers in 2000-01, and each time the Cavs were ranked in the top 10.
oTech snapped a 16-game road losing streak in the ACC with its 73-68 victory over Virginia in Charlottesville, then also defeated the Cavaliers on their home court, 62-56. The Jackets completed the sweep by eliminating Virginia in the first round of the ACC Tournament, 74-69, on Mar. 9 at the Georgia Dome.
THE COMFORTS OF HOME
Georgia Techs performance in its last five home games has only accentuated the statistical disparity between the Yellow Jackets at home and on the road this season.
Tech has not lost at home in nine tries this season, including a win over then-No. 17 Georgia in the second game of the campaign on Nov. 27 and ACC wins over NC State, Florida State and North Carolina. The Yellow Jackets have won 11 straight home games and 13 of 14 since last season (only loss was to Duke in that stretch, on Feb. 9). The Yellow Jackets have averaged 84.4 points per game at home this season and outscored their guests by an average of 20.4 points. Tech has shot 48.5 percent from the floor and 44.8 percent from three-point range at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, while holding its guests to 38.9 percent overall.
oIn ACC home games: Tech has outscored its three foes 84.7-to-67.7, outshot them 51.6 percent to 40.5 percent overall, and 52.2 percent to 33.3 percent from three-point range. Tech has a 1.27-1 assist-turnover ratio and a rebound margin of plus-5.7, and has made 77.6 percent of its free throws.
A BETTER START
Georgia Tech, off to a better start to this years ACC schedule than it had last season, has won 10 of its last 15 conference games and has its best six-game record in the league since 1995-96.
The Yellow Jackets finished the 2001-02 ACC slate at 7-9 after dropping its first seven, which was the biggest turnaround in conference history. Techs seven ACC wins broke the previous record of four straight wins by a team beginning the season 0-7 or worse, held by NC State in 1996-97 and Florida State in 2001-02. Tech wound up defeating every team in the ACC during the season except Duke and Maryland, who handed the Jackets their only two losses after January.
ELDER-BOSH-LEWIS TRIO FUELS TECH OFFENSE
The recent resurgence of junior guard Marvin Lewis helped fuel an offensive upswing for Georgia Tech, and gives Tech a potent scoring trio along with B.J. Elder and Chris Bosh. All three rank among the top 17 in the ACC in scoring average. Bosh and Elder rank first and sixth, respectively, in field goal percentage, and Elder and Lewis rank No. 1 and 4 in three-point percentage (42.9 percent combined) while ranking fourth and eighth in three-pointers made per game.
In the seven games since Tulane (the end of a three-game losing streak), Tech has averaged 76.9 points, shot 45.8 percent from the floor, 39.8 percent from three-point range and 72.9 percent from the free throw line. Tech has a plus-4 turnover margin and has assisted on 63 percent its baskets.
Individually, Bosh and Elder have each averaged 17.1 points a game, Lewis 15.9 in that stretch. They have combined to shoot 53.8 percent from the floor, 46.1 percent from three-point range and 82.8 percent from the line.
PUTTING THE CLAMPS ON
With Duke as an exception, Georgia Tech has tightened their defense of late, holding its last seven opponents (including five ACC foes) to 67 points per game and 40.8 percent shooting from the floor (32.1 percent from three-point range), with Dukes 91 points and 50.8-percent field goal percentage included.
Even in the first half at Duke, Tech held the Blue Devils to 43.8 percent shooting from the floor (1-of-5 from three) before the Blue Devils expoded to shoot 58.6 percent in the second half, becoming just the third team to shoot 50 percent against Tech this season.
Tech has managed to shut down four of the ACCs top scorers in NC States Julius Hodge (No. 1, 19.2 ppg before Tech), Florida States Tim Pickett (No. 4, 18.0 before Tech), Dukes J.J. Redick (No. 6, 17.2 before Tech), and North Carolinas Rashad McCants (No. 2, 19.4 before Tech). The Jackets held Hodge to just nine points (1-6 FG), Pickett to 13 (5-16 FG, 3-11 on threes), Redick to 11 (2-of-10 FG, 1-6 on threes) and McCants to 12 (5-18 FG, 2-7 on threes).
Worth noting: Tech ranked at the bottom of the ACC standings in every defensive category back in December, but has improved itself over the month of January. Tech now ranks seventh in scoring defense (69.6), fifth in field goal percentage defense (41.3) and eighth in three-point percentage defense (34.5). In ACC games only, Tech ranks seventh, third and fourth, respectively, in those categories.
TOEING THE LINE
A new trend has taken root for Georgia Tech, which shot 49 free throws in its first game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff this season. Tech has attempted more free throws than its opponent in every game but three so far (397-310 for the season).
Tech even shot more free throws than Duke, hitting 27-of-37 attempts at Cameron Indoor Stadium in a losing effort Saturday. The Blue Devils were 24-of-33.
After a poor start this season, Tech has made 72.7 percent of its charity tosses (121-of-166) in the last seven games. The Yellow Jackets have ranked last in the ACC in free throw percentage all season until now, coming in eighth currently.
The Jackets have connected on 74.0 percent in ACC games, including a 28-for-31 effort against Florida State. Against FSU, with the Seminoles sending the Jackets to the line often late in the game, Tech was 25-of-28 in the second half, 14-of-16 in the final three minutes.
In its first two seasons under Paul Hewitt, Tech generally was on the short end when it came to getting to the line. Tech attempted more free throws than its opponent in only 19 games in two seasons, and won 18 of those.
GIVING THE FULL NELSON
Sophomore Ed Nelson is showing the form that made him the 2002 ACC Rookie of the Year.
The 6-8 forward scored six points with a season-high 13 rebounds Wednesday night against North Carolina, his third double-figure rebound game in his last four. Nelson has averaged 8.0 points and 9.5 rebounds in the last four games, including an 8 point/11 rebound game at Wake Forest and an 11-point/10-rebound effort against Elon.
Nelson has also shot the ball much better in that stretch, hitting 12 of 29 shots from the floor (41.4 percent compared to 37.6 for the season) and 8 of 12 from the foul line. He also has half his season assist total (7 of 14) in those four games.
