Live from the ACC: I say again, Tech’s going on a run!
Standing between Tech and the Big Dance is a bad Carolina team. (Photo by M. Bradley)
Greensboro, N.C. — When I was covering Kentucky for the Lexington Herald-Leader back in 1982, a UK assistant coach named Bob Chambers used to kid me about how I kept raving about the job Don DeVoe was doing with Tennessee. (This was when Dale Ellis, the pride of Marietta High, was the Vols’ best player.) DeVoe and Ellis, Ellis and DeVoe … I admit I became a bit of a bore on the topic.
Finally Coach Chambers — a very nice man — could take no more. “Mark,” he said, “we’re going to be headed for New Orleans [site of the 1982 Final Four] and you’re going to be running behind the bus yelling, ‘What about DeVoe?’ ”
I mention this because I realize I’ve become rather repetitive on the subject of Georgia Tech’s potential. After a regular season in which the Jackets finished under .500 against ACC competition and managed one road victory in the conference, I can still – still — see Tech playing in the ACC tournament semis on Saturday. Heck, I could see the Jackets playing for the title on Sunday.
About now, you’re saying, “Are you nuts? There’s no guarantee the Jackets win tonight!” And there isn’t. But I think they do. I think they win handily. North Carolina is terrible. I know the game is in Greensboro, which is a Tar Heel city, but from what I’ve seen a lot of baby blue backers have given up on this team, and for good reason.
Me, I haven’t given up on the Jackets. They haven’t won three consecutive games since 2009 turned to 2010, but they could manage it here. They can beat Carolina — they’ve done it twice — and they nearly beat Maryland in College Park. (Tech would play the Terps on Friday if it wins tonight.) And then they could get Florida State in the semis, and the Jackets are way past due to beat the Seminoles.
Look at it this way: We all know Tech hasn’t played its best basketball to date, but we’ve seen enough glimpses to know there’s sufficient talent on this roster to get it right. And if you’re going to make a three-day run to the ACC championship game, you have to be deep. And this team is.
And with that, I’m going to go lie down on someone’s couch and have my head examined. I’ve seen the Jackets play five times in person, and only twice have they won. And still I keep waiting for this team to figure it out. It makes no sense, but there it is. I’m a nonsensical guy.
And now the floor is open for our usual live chat. I’ll be here until the game ends – I call it Tech 73, Carolina 57 — and I hope you’ll join me for all the color and pageantry of the only conference tournament that matters. (Except for the Big East. That one’s going great, huh?) I’d consider it a honor and a privilege if you’d join me.
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473 comments Add your comment
uberVU - social comments
March 11th, 2010
9:18 pm
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by ajc: Tech wins in first round of ACC tournament, downing once-mighty North Carolina http://bit.ly/bx6Zff…
Herschel Talker
March 11th, 2010
9:19 pm
supersize –
If the mutts are pathetic losers, what does 73-66 make the Nerds? Who’s the bigger loser – the pathetic loser or the team that loses to the pathetic losers?
Jo Bling
March 11th, 2010
9:19 pm
That looked like it could have been a play-in game between the two worst teams in the conference. That said, it’s not easy to beat the same team three times in one season, as was proven more than once today in other leagues. Kudos to the Jackets for playing hard in the second half and getting the (ugly) W.
supersize that order, mutt
March 11th, 2010
9:21 pm
Herschel, you might want to look at the overall record between the Jackets and the mutts before you go sounding off too much. Blewitt is the pathetic loser at Tech; it certainly has not always been that way. UGAG has had one decent basketball season in its history
supersize that order, mutt
March 11th, 2010
9:24 pm
I’m outta here, guys. Hope to see most of you again tomorrow. I guess we’ll have to put up with the same stupid mutts who say they don’t care anything about Tech but always show up on our blogs to show their ignorance
Mark Bradley
March 11th, 2010
9:24 pm
Tech beat Carolina three times in 1985. That was a good Carolina team, though.
supersize that order, mutt
March 11th, 2010
9:25 pm
Mark, do you know how many times UNC has been beat 3 times in a season by anybody else? That was a question posed while you were writing your article, which I assume you have now finished.
Paul in RDU
March 11th, 2010
9:28 pm
Mark – What did Hewitt say in the post-game press conference? I thought he had a good game plan and did a good coaching job tonight
mr subliminal
March 11th, 2010
9:29 pm
until somebody(dan radakovich)gets us a coach that wont waste his best talent(dan radakovich)letting more senior less talents have the ball(dan radakovich)we aint gone get by maryland(dan radakovich)
GTGuy44
March 11th, 2010
9:32 pm
This game tells you all you need to know about this team. Here we have North Carolina with the worst team they have had in 35 or 40 years and we can only beat them by 4 points. Pretty sad and another indictment of our lousy coach. He has to go.
Paul in RDU
March 11th, 2010
9:34 pm
Worst UNC team in 35 years GTGuy44? Puhleeaase. Do you remember Matt Doherty’s last team?
FT
March 11th, 2010
9:35 pm
Duke did it in the 90’s. Not sure about anyone else
Rick
March 11th, 2010
9:36 pm
Ga is going to get killed by Arkysaw
GTGreg
March 11th, 2010
9:55 pm
I don’t want to rain on the parade of those GT fans trying to rain on GT’s parade… ahem… but we did actually see some real coaching between the lousy first half and the second. Watching that first half made me throw up in my mouth a little bit, but the second half was worth it. Let’s go Jackets!
Also, to those belittling the trifecta of wins over the defending national champions, I’ll take it, and I’ll enjoy it, too.
RickyBobbyOnFire
March 11th, 2010
10:04 pm
One win, one tournament, one season….none of these things can make up for, or correct, the systemic problems that characterize Paul Hewitt’s tenure at Georgia Tech. None of these things demonstrates that he can be objective in assessing his team, his program, or himself, and then make adjustments to improve performance. None of these things will graduate more players, or cause him to bring in student-athletes rather than NBA farm-talent, which is why academically proud Georgia Tech consistently ranks in the lowest tier of the ACC in basketball players’ graduation rates. And while failing the school and the players academically, he still has a lopsided losing record in the conference over his ten-year stay. One win won’t bring back the fans, the season ticket holders, the alumni, who expect so much more. One win won’t negate the negative comments and excuses that we’ve come to expect from him.
RickyBobbyOnFire
March 11th, 2010
10:07 pm
This weekend is the Big Test: for Hewitt, for the team, for D-Rad, for everyone who follows Georgia Tech basketball. After this weekend things will not be the same. Either Hewitt will be back and the fans will be gone, or Hewitt will be gone and the fans will come back.
Bill
March 11th, 2010
10:13 pm
I understand everyone saying if Tech makes the nCAA’s, it won’t get any better…but how can you want Tech to lose if you are a true Jacket? I get everyone’s frustration and I agree about most of it. But don’t pull for the kids to lose. Favors won’t be back next year, so pull for him. He is working his rear off for Tech.
NCJacketeer
March 11th, 2010
10:13 pm
Clemson is folding like a lawn chair again in the ACC Tournament. NCState not looking particularly good, but better than UNC looked against us. How silly would it be for a 4-point win over lowly UNC to be the deciding factor in Tech’s Basketball Program’s future? And yet, if it secures an NCAA bid and as Mark says Hewitt’s job, then that is exactly what it has done.
AlabamaRamblinwreck
March 11th, 2010
10:15 pm
RickyBobby: I agree. Hewitt still cannot coach. Favors is still getting the ball way too little. Did anyone see how open he was on several pick and rolls, and Chumpert did not even look at him!!!
NCJacketeer
March 11th, 2010
10:16 pm
Bill, why should I pull for Favors? Of course I am pulling for Ga. Tech to win, even though I want Hewitt to get fired or just disappear off the coast of Hilton Head or something. But I think you’re barking up the wrong tree to say that Favors is “working his rear off for Tech.” Favors is working his tail off for FAvors…for the big NBA bucks. He hasn’t even been going to class the last three weeks. He pretends no loyalty to Tech, so I owe him none. As long as he wears the white and old gold I will cheer for him as one of the team, but get real….
Jo Bling
March 11th, 2010
10:18 pm
RickyBobby, I feel pretty certain that with tonight’s win Tech is in the NCAA tournament, which means Hewitt isn’t going anywhere. D Rad has his out not to have to fork over that $7 million. Don’t get me wrong; I think D Rad understands the problem very well and knows what has to be done – eventually. The problem is the economics, and right now is no time for Tech to be taking on that kind of financial liability. Next year, when Tech again finishes in the bottom half of the ACC and fails to make the tournament, will be decision time.
Mark Bradley
March 11th, 2010
10:18 pm
Folks, there’s a new column up off the Tech game. Maybe this one will make more sense.
RickyBobbyOnFire
March 11th, 2010
10:24 pm
I agree wid you, NCJ and Bamawreck. Favors was automatic tonight and we could not get the ball to him enough. Makes me wonder if he’d been “fed” more throughout the season if it would’ve resulted in another W or two. Since Favors’ recruitment was Hewitt’s ticket to keep his job after last year’s ugly season, I’m surprised CPH wasn’t even smart enough to find a way to let Favors run. All that being said, Favors is in it for Favors, and he was recruited that way. Just like Marbury (admittedly, not CPH’s man) and Crittenton, Georgia Tech will never see a cent of gratitude or support, and probably not even a visit from Favors after he is gone.