Bradley’s Buzz: Having won once, the Jackets look safe
Here's Derrick Favors, seen wreaking havoc on the hapless Tar Heels. (AP photo)
Greensboro, N.C. — You can go insane trying to process every permutation. If Cincinnati had beaten West Virginia last night, would the Bearcats be in and someone else be out? If Utah State falls in the WAC tournament, which major conference team gets bumped? But here, as of Friday morning, is all you need to know:
Georgia Tech is in the NCAA field.
Jerry Palm of CBSsports.com has the Jackets as a No. 10 seed, and that’s safe ground. Even if Tech loses to Maryland tonight, it won’t be viewed as a bad loss. (Maryland tied for the ACC regular-season crown and has an RPI of 19.) Bracketology 101 has the Jackets among the last four in. (Though as an 11th seed, which seems odd. The final at-large invitees are generally 12th seeds.)
Andy Glockner of SI.com has Tech as a No. 12, but he believes it “probably needs to beat Maryland to hold on to its spot in the bracket.” (Mr. Glockner and I disagree.) But esteemed former colleague Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com has moved the Jackets to the “should be in” classification on his Bubble Watch. Writes Schlabach: “Because of the carnage taking place in other conference tournaments, the Yellow Jackets are suddenly sitting in pretty good shape.”
And what of the famous Joe Lunardi, also of ESPN? He still has the Jackets as a No. 11 seed and puts them third among the 14 bubble teams, of which seven figure to be invited. (Latter link requires registration.)
Bottom line: For a team that trailed by 10 points halfway through a game Thursday night that would have meant NCAA exclusion, Tech is rolling in clover. It has 20 victories (19 over Division I opponents). It has an RPI of 40 and its strength of schedule is 20. That’s enough to get in, I maintain. And I’m never ever wrong, as we know.
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127 comments Add your comment
Benjamin
March 12th, 2010
12:12 pm
Don’t get me wrong, GTMAN. I’m a supporter of Tech, too. One of those people who can root for both teams and justify it.
Georgia’s basketball program is on the rise. They’ll be back in the tournament next season.
Yurtle_the_turtle
March 12th, 2010
12:14 pm
The way I see it Mark is that Hewitt won last night but GT lost. Had we lost to UNC, Hewitt would be in more trouble and perhaps fired. Once Hewitt gets fired, GT wins!.
Dacula Jacket
March 12th, 2010
12:14 pm
Gordon
Experienced? A team loaded with freshman and only two seniors is not experienced.
With or without CPH next year, GT will be a better team. Lawal, Shumpert, Oliver, Rice, Udofia will be back, plus Holsey and Daniel Miller will be added. Don’t forget Jason Morris off the bench as a true freshman. The team will be loaded with talent. All we need is a coach (and staff)!
Kay
March 12th, 2010
12:15 pm
Thanks for all the updates, Mark.
Brad
March 12th, 2010
12:16 pm
Interesting comments from Hewitt in post game – Favors didn’t respond when asked if that game made the difference in Tech getting into the NCAA. Hewitt stated Favors doesn’t watch a lot of basketball “I assure you he doesn’t know the implication of this game”..?? Really? Great job coach.It’s the freaking ACC Tournament and NCAA berth could have been on the line.
Tech played like it didn’t know the position it was in. Sloppy play and poor choices made Carolina look better than they are. Glad they pulled it out..but it is questionable which team will show up to play. That’s coaching.
wesleywhatwhat
March 12th, 2010
12:18 pm
what is the point of kudos for the “i’m first” morons? or is MB trying to encourage as many idiots as possible to comment on his column?
lame. keep it up and people will question your bona fides.
Ron
March 12th, 2010
12:21 pm
You uga idiots thinking you will win the sec tourney are crazy. It’s bad enough the football fans think their program is at some top tier level. Now you are talking up a 14-16 basketball team. You need help!
Harris
March 12th, 2010
12:22 pm
Mary Land 85
Yech 66
Ramblinwreck83
March 12th, 2010
12:23 pm
wesleywhatwhat
I guess your right. He encouraged you to comment. haha
Gordon
March 12th, 2010
12:28 pm
Dacula Jacket,
The following people get significant playing time: Bell-Sr, Peacock-Sr, Lawal-Jr, Miller-Jr, Shumpert-So (with a lot of playing time under his belt). Favors, Udofia, Oliver, and Rice are all freshmen but have played all year. This is March, not December. Tech is above average when it comes to experience on the court. Youth is not an excuse, or if it is it can be used by almost every team.
As you said, this team will be better if we get better coaching. And by the way, I don’t know if Lawal is coming back or not. If I were him, I would come back if Hewitt didn’t and not come back if he did. He has hurt himself this year.
MorningJacket
March 12th, 2010
12:32 pm
None of the sportswriters/ESPN ever get it right….they always are “shocked” every year when a certain team doesn’t make it. I remember one year during the Cremins era when Bradley/AJC writers wrote that a mediocre Jackets team was a lock, and they didn’t make it. There’s always the possibility of nobodies winning conference tournaments (see UGA) and then bye-bye Tech. Play tonight like you’re playing for your lives, guys, and don’t listen to these pretenders. They’re not the selection committee.
Matt
March 12th, 2010
12:40 pm
Terp fan is the loser herschel talker.
Alabama Jack
March 12th, 2010
12:40 pm
The only thing on the rise from UGA is manure stench.
Jackets2010
March 12th, 2010
12:42 pm
Tech 88 Maryland 72
Jackets2010
March 12th, 2010
12:44 pm
Jacket jitters out of the way plus Favors getting better with each game plus better trey shooting equals Terps one and done.
AMG
March 12th, 2010
12:50 pm
Mark, Talent wise would you say Tech is a top 5 or 10 team? If so, does that not figure into CPH job standing? Tech will lose the opening round of the NCAA Tourney with a team that if well coached would have benn a top 5 type team.
UGA89
March 12th, 2010
12:55 pm
nickz
March 12th, 2010
10:35 am
woo!
Tech will get in, but probably won’t go far…barely getting by a weak UNC squad won’t cut it in the tourney…
UGA on the otherhand looked good last night, Vandy better bring there A game tonight or they’re going down. UGA with a possibly 2nd SEC Tourney Championship in 3 years…who would of thought…
- – - – -
Yeah, just like the 2008 football team was supposed to win a national championship.
Grey Dog
March 12th, 2010
12:56 pm
Don’t fire Hewitt !!!
JacketSteve
March 12th, 2010
12:59 pm
Obviously, Hewitt has no clue on how to coach big time basketball like the ACC. In what everyone knows is the most important game of the year he says his most acclaimed player doesn’t know the implication of the game. He should be fired for that comment alone. DRad needs to take charge and fire every assistant coach if that’s possible. This would put Hewitt in a position to bring in a staff that can coach to make up for his lack of ability or leave.
PJ
March 12th, 2010
1:03 pm
Sidewalk 74 – which coach has ever caused a player to leave early or to stay with a program longer if that is their wish to Jump to the Pro league early. I have read a lot of stupid comments on this blog but yours win top prize. Please understand that every year several athletes leave school early because in their minds they are ready for the NBA or the NFL only to be disappointed. Do you remember C.J. Williams the running back who left early and entered the NFL draft, he was one of those and not even George O’Leary could convince him that he was not ready for the NFL. So whether or not Shumpert leaves his decision will have nothing to do with what Hewitt say or how he coaches.
matt r
March 12th, 2010
1:05 pm
B101 has GT a 12 today, 11 was yesterday. They were an 11 because of grouping issues: you can’t have more than 4 teams from a conference in either of these groups: 1-4-5-8-9-12-13-16 , 2-3-6-7-10-11-14-15
jarvis
March 12th, 2010
1:10 pm
They’ll be one of the 64 losers this tourney provides annually.
Flowery Branch Yellow Jacket
March 12th, 2010
1:27 pm
Tech 78 – Maryland 68 … or quite possibly … Tech 56 – Maryland 57
Dawglasville
March 12th, 2010
1:32 pm
To quote the great Athens philosopher Michael Stipe, “Everybody hurts sometime.” Maybe we should all be kinder to each others when he blog about tournaments, bowl games, coaching changes. One thing is for sure, you should be kind when your up because your time in the barrel may just be around the corner.
JACKETS IN!
March 12th, 2010
1:36 pm
The Jackets are in the NCAA–mark it down! The only question is the seed–I’m hoping for a 5 or 6, which means an easy first round blowout!!!
jasont13
March 12th, 2010
1:39 pm
It’s hilarious to hear Tech fans trying to dis UGA especially when your team lost to them. I’m a true believer that you need to have a winning conference record in order to make it to the NCAA Tournament.
Charles
March 12th, 2010
1:46 pm
Rematch! The Techie rallying cry…
Monticello Dawg
March 12th, 2010
1:48 pm
Lots of UGA envy/jealousy on any article featuring the state’s flagship university.
Jackets2010
March 12th, 2010
1:48 pm
Neutral fans want to see Favors in the Big Dance.
Hewitt is right that the game seems to be slowing down for him and he has really started to step up.
There are jitters in the ACC tourney.
I believe Tech is in good shape for an upset tonight having dealt with their’s at halftime and come out smoking in the 2nd half.
Maybe they will disappoint me but I think we are a dangerous team.
We won with poor trey shooting.
That should improve tonight too.
scott
March 12th, 2010
1:48 pm
what if you had a losing conference record and then went on to win your Conference tourney? some wieght has to be given to end-of-season improvement. (Which Tech also did not demonstrate at the end of their season, for that that’s worth)but if they actually won the tourney . . .well it won’t happen this weekend for Tech. No way.
But it does happen, as we all know what occurred in the SEC not too long ago.
Bay Bay is a stupid nickname
March 12th, 2010
1:48 pm
Is there such a thing as a bad-enough loss? If Maryland beats Tech by 20+, a true blowout, would that be enough to knock them out? First, the ACC is horribly weak this year. A really, really bad year for ACC teams/strength. Maryland is not a good team, they are average, but look much better because they did well in a horrible ACC and look better because people love to overrank the ACC in basketball.
So Tech is getting credit for beating Clemson…it’s being called a “quality win” and Clemson was horrible in the weak ACC, as they usually are,a nd then Tech lost to that same Clemson on the road. The same exact thing with Wake…a mediocre team getting credit for being in the ACC. Tech did beat Duke, a good quality win, but give me another?? There isn’t another quality win on the schedule. Not one.
Maryland is overrated. They are the second tallest midget in the ACC. And if Tech loses to Maryland by 20+, which is very possible, will the tournament committee see that Tech is not a good team and keep them out? I’d rather the tourney take USF, who was comptetitive in the very tough Big East, rather than another weak -A ACC team like tech. But at least I know that if Tech makes the NCAA tourney, I will have a free win in the first round of my brackets as Tech will lose to whomever they play.
sidewalk74
March 12th, 2010
1:50 pm
Hey PJ,
It reflects the type of player that Hewitt recruits. Every year Hewitt speaks of how young his teams are. Maybe he should try recruiting some players that want to play at GT for 4 years and not players that will only stay 1-2 years until they can get to the NBA. This seams to work pretty well for Duke. And for some reason Florida and UNC both got great groups of kids to come back one more season to achieve something special. That will NEVER happen under Hewitt.
scott
March 12th, 2010
1:50 pm
oops, I meant “weight” not wieght. and that comment was in response to Jasont13
matt r
March 12th, 2010
1:51 pm
5 or 6 seed, due you are dreaming. GT needs to be competitive today or they might be left out. Read the seedings above.
Jackets2010
March 12th, 2010
1:51 pm
Lots of Dawg fans on the Tech blog since they hate arguing with Gators with their pathetic 3-17 record and National Champ Bama after the blackout beatdown of last year.
Couldn’t even beat Kiffy so they have to spend their time with us.
I going for a run so have at it with your putdowns but be sure and avoid Gaotr and Bama blogs.
jasont13
March 12th, 2010
1:54 pm
Scott, I failed to mention that only if you win your conference tourney and have a loosing conference record you should be allowed in the NCAA Tournament. It’s just bad that you are awarded for loosing 9 or 10 games in your conference only because 2 or 3 teams in your conference are really good.
jasont13
March 12th, 2010
1:57 pm
Jackets2010 you can’t be a Tech grad with all those grammer mistakes. I don’t mind arguing with any Bama or Florida fan actually married to a Florida grad.
Tug McGroin
March 12th, 2010
2:03 pm
Dat Tebow is one dumb white boy per the wonderlic…..
DRC
March 12th, 2010
2:04 pm
I think Tech and uga should play a 3 game series against one another every year. Each team would play a home game each and play the third game at a neutral site like Phillips or Gwinnett. Would generate more interest watching them than some of those cupcake games they play.
VT Yellow Jacket
March 12th, 2010
2:05 pm
“Having won once”….Sounds like PH’s idea of a successful 2010 NCAA tournament.
FalconUGAFan
March 12th, 2010
2:05 pm
You Jacket fans crack me up…Your team won last night and all you can talk about is UGA and the UGA fans… Go enjoy your win, folks.
nickz
March 12th, 2010
2:06 pm
BobinBuford – You’re right…UGA has no chance against Vandy tonight. That’s why all the Vandy players were praying Arkansas would beat UGA so they wouldn’t have to play them. If I recall, UGA has already beaten Vandy this year and also lost by 2 in overtime at Vandy (a game they should have won).
UGA has no chance…very good argument by you Bob
Ramblinwreck83
March 12th, 2010
2:07 pm
jasont13
In the ACC, a 7-9 or 8-8 record is considered fairly decent and normally gets you in the NCAA tourney if the non-conference record is good. What if a team has a 9-7 conference record and has a bad non-conference record. Does it deserve to get in the tournament? I’d love to see a rematch with UGA. Tech definately didn’t have their heads in the game that night. You can’t tell me that UGA has better players or team across the board than Tech. Yes they won the first meeting but that was a long time ago.
Ramblinwreck83
March 12th, 2010
2:14 pm
Bay Bay is a stupid nickname
The same argument is made every year about the SEC in football. Yes, the ACC is down this year, but it’s still better than the weak SEC. Big East and Big 12 probably stand out the most this year. Then the ACC. How can you say that Maryland is not a good team? They could hang with anyone in the country. It definately sounds like your just another jealous UGA fan that hates Tech and the conference their in. Go back to your own dam blog if your going to make BS comments.
GA PEACH
March 12th, 2010
2:18 pm
Ok Im going to think positive. I hope that GT have an amazing game tonight and beat Maryland. Even if its by 1 or 2 points. They MUST work as a team and concentrate on getting the ball inside to Favors and Lawal. They MUST stop taking the wild shots and trying to get the ball in themselves….Get the freakin ball to the inside man and lets WIN. They MUST get the right men on the floor. They MUST stay out of foul and turnover trouble. And they MUST keep that wild Udofia on the bench. Wheeewwwwww! Now lets say a prayer, keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best. Lets Go Jackets!!!!!
Cremins - Do you Miss Me Yet
March 12th, 2010
2:22 pm
Mark,
Tech didn’t look like they were safe last night. Hewitt continues to coach his talent down to his level. At this point, I really don’t care if Tech makes it to the NCAA tourney. Tech’s not going past round one or two. The turnovers this squad has shows a true lack of coaching!
Ramblinwreck83
March 12th, 2010
2:24 pm
FalconUGAFan
We wouldn’t have to mention UGA or the obnoxious fans if you would stay away from our blogs. You come on here and rip our team. What do you expect Tech fans to do? I believe UGA fans would do the same if we went to your blogs.
Paul Johnson's Johnson
March 12th, 2010
2:35 pm
Will someone just knock Grevis Vazquez out….I cant imagine hating another player more than that cocky piece of ****
Paul Johnson's Johnson
March 12th, 2010
2:42 pm
Sigh. Is there any player, ever, whose swagger was more disproportionate to his skill? If Greivis was 1/10th as good as he thinks he is, he’d be an All-American. As it is, he’s just a mediocre guard on a mediocre team, with a penchant for doing more harm than good for his own squad. I really don’t think I’ve ever disliked a player on one of my own teams more than I do Vasquez.
Tech Buzz
March 12th, 2010
2:46 pm
Georgia recruits from the same pool of players as Tech, but their program is nonexistent, they had a terrible year and will not even make the NIT. question: how can ga fans criticize tech BB, since Tech will be in the NCAAs?????