By beating Ohio State, Tech can turn haters into bee-lievers
Gani Lawal is among the reasons Georgia Tech has an inside edge. (AP photo)
Milwaukee – For no apparent reason, a Georgia Tech fan stood in the Bradley Center on Friday and, during pregame warm-ups, exhorted the Jackets by yelling, “History!” Turns out the guy was just premature.
History wasn’t on the line in Round 1 — No. 10 seeds oust No. 7’s all the time — but it will be Sunday. And it’s not history of the NCAA tournament factoid sort; it’s history as in memory, in legacy. If the Jackets lose tomorrow, we’ll recall them as a team that flirted with its potential but didn’t quite deliver. If it wins, everything changes.
If the Jackets win, we won’t much care that they were 7-9 in the ACC and were swept by Florida State and finished the regular season with consecutive losses. We’ll see them as a team that took its time learning how to play but one that, at the last possible moment, aced the final exam. We’ll see this as the second-best team of Paul Hewitt’s tenure, the team that reminded us — at a time when we’d all but forgotten — that this coach is more than a man with a golden contract.
The Jackets who were 20 minutes from missing the Big Dance stand 40 minutes from the Midwest Regional semis in St. Louis. They won’t be favored against Ohio State — then again, they weren’t favored against Oklahoma State on Friday — but they’ll have much in their favor.
They’re bigger than this OSU. (Let’s face it: Tech’s bigger than just about anybody.) They’re deeper. They have a guard in Iman Shumpert who defused Big 12 player of the year James Anderson of Oklahoma State in Round 1, and as it happens the Buckeyes’ best player also is a tall guard. His name: Evan Turner.
More than matchups, there’s also this: The team that Hewitt has described as “snakebit” during its regular season has played five close games in nine days and won four. The Jackets beat Maryland on a night they generated more turnovers than hoops. They beat North Carolina after trailing by 10 at the half. They beat Oklahoma State without scoring a basket in the final eight minutes. They are, as the saying goes, finding a way.
Forget snakebit. There’s a growing sense that these Jackets are coalescing in a way Hewitt’s finest team did. Tech reached the 2004 Final Four by winning five games that could have been lost in the final minute. Back then it was Jarrett Jack and Will Bynum making outrageous shots and everyone defending. There’s no Jack or Bynum on this roster, but the defense has been similarly unyielding.
Loading ...“This is no slap on Ohio State,” Gani Lawal said Saturday, “but the way our defense has been we feel like we can stop anybody, even the player of the year.”
To stop now would leave potential unmet. The Jackets didn’t convene in October hoping to slip into the NCAA tournament as a 10th seed and leave after the first weekend. “We did have expectations of how good we could be,” Zachery Peacock said. “And now we’re becoming a unit. We’re all working together.”
They are. But our lasting view of these Jackets will turn on what happens, or doesn’t happen, against the Buckeyes and Evan Turner. “If we win, and we do plan to win, we can get a lot of people riding behind us,” Peacock said. “I guess you could could them ‘haters’. We can win a lot of people over.”
At stake Sunday: A berth in the Sweet Sixteen and the biggest NCAA upset ever posted by a Tech team, but for these Jackets there’s something even more essential at play. They can validate themselves. They can turn haters into fans. They can rewrite their chapter of history.
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269 comments Add your comment
Technophobia
March 20th, 2010
9:11 pm
That was good Dawg in delusionville. I’m sure the Buckeyes are afraid of Gators given the history.
RickyBobbyOnFire
March 20th, 2010
9:15 pm
The more disjointed the brackets get the better for Georgia Tech, who has no buisness overlooking anyone they might have to play in the future.
pantherswin
March 20th, 2010
9:15 pm
dear richardrobert: obviously u did not ignore, nor can u! as for brains…. well lets think of some more four letter words for u to show off yours…….
huh?!?!
March 20th, 2010
9:15 pm
Loser3, a football is not oval. It is an prolate spheroid. With your third grade education, you should still know that.
pantherswin
March 20th, 2010
9:17 pm
its over for wake
BuzzBitesDawg
March 20th, 2010
9:17 pm
Haha. The Suckeyes accusing any team of being over-rated is the most ironic and funniest thing I’ve seen here.
Technophobia
March 20th, 2010
9:21 pm
Without Aminu, Wake had no chance. Not sure if they had one with him. Kentucky is simply loaded, 4 projected first round draft picks and three of them lottery. They’ve got to be the favorite at this point.
BuzzBitesDawg
March 20th, 2010
9:23 pm
What is a guy named pantherswin doing on a site where the only panthers within miles of any of the topic of conversation are the wondrously Pantin’ Panthers of Ga. State? In the same comment where you ridicule the use of 4-letter words abbreviates a 3-letter word with 1: (”u” for “you”). I guess the strain of typing those other two letters was just too much…..
pantherswin
March 20th, 2010
9:23 pm
ky will beat duke and go to the finals. go ashley judd,,,uh i mean big blue
BuzzBitesDawg
March 20th, 2010
9:28 pm
If Tech beats the second OSU, then I will start looking further down the road. Not that seeds count for much this year, but the Buckeyes could be the toughest test before F4.
RickyBobbyOnFire
March 20th, 2010
9:30 pm
pantherswin should be very familiar with KY since he’s obviously a catcher.
pantherswin
March 20th, 2010
9:30 pm
BBD- so good that young richard has a succor such as YOU. one who cannot tell the difference between “ridicule” as you so smartly put it and sarcasm which was the intent.
FullMetalJacket
March 20th, 2010
9:34 pm
Boys will be boys, unfortunately, that is what some of you petty whiners and insult-flingers sound like: 11 year-old boys. As for March Madness and Bracket chatter, the fact that a lot of underdogs are winning would seem to be a good thing for Georgia Tech.
pantherswin
March 20th, 2010
9:38 pm
dickbob: your lack of willpower to ignore me is disturbing! perhaps you you have some latent tendencies to explore, i don’t know. but u and BBD make quite a couple
WilsonDunkit
March 20th, 2010
9:40 pm
pantherswine, you clearly don’t know the difference between ridicule and sarcasm. Don’t worry about it, though, you’ll probably learn that next year in the fifth grade.
WilsonDunkit
March 20th, 2010
9:42 pm
it would seem that you are the one who can’t ignore whoever it is you are accusing of not ignoring you. if you seek to be ignored, why not disappear?
pantherswin
March 20th, 2010
9:42 pm
didnt two big east favorites fall today?
pantherswin
March 20th, 2010
9:45 pm
and tell me dunkit….did u get promoted to the sixth?
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March 20th, 2010
9:46 pm
[...] By beating Ohio State, Tech can turn haters into bee-lievers … [...]
pantherswin
March 20th, 2010
9:47 pm
are there any bball fans who supoort their team any more than ky?
I love ovals
March 20th, 2010
9:48 pm
My head is shaped like an oval, only slightly flatter.
pantherswin
March 20th, 2010
9:48 pm
dont hate tech..but i aint a believer either
pantherswin
March 20th, 2010
9:51 pm
i think i dated a girl named oval ….didnt last she turned out to be a total prolate spheroid. man was that a bummer
pantherswin
March 20th, 2010
9:52 pm
i hate fakes dont u?
Yellow Fuzz
March 20th, 2010
9:54 pm
Cracks me up how times have quickly changed. georgia’s lone “signature” wins the past two football and basketball seasons were against Tech. Used to be the other way around. Now Tech is dominating georgia in every poll. I love it!
pantherswin
March 20th, 2010
9:57 pm
judging from the games so far, which is the dominate conference?
pantherswin
March 20th, 2010
10:00 pm
ga didnt beat tech two years ago, fuzz. get your facts straight! but they did in bball!
HBTD1
March 20th, 2010
10:01 pm
Yellow Fuzz…you are just a jackashe. I guess there has to be one for each school base. You are the chosen one for GT, little fella. So get this AH, the next time you challenge/invite the Dog Nation to your tail gate party, maybe you should show up, lollipop!
Lommer3
March 20th, 2010
10:02 pm
Who’s your daddy? UGA runs this state. Just like in the ‘Remember the Titans’ film……who’s your daddy, jawja yech (the joke by coke)? Huh? Who’s your daddy? Butt whippings will continue and let’s just see here now……how many games has jawja yech won this decade? Pathetic. Go get a life, huh?!?! Ha ha ha ha hahaaa!!!!
GT88
March 20th, 2010
10:02 pm
RickyBobbyOnFire – liked the long post before all the dawg crap. what is the deal with Hewitt’s assistants? Who does he have there? Is that wille reese on the bench. I can see the classified now
“Wanted- Basketball coach- creative inbounds plays strongly preferred” Why can’t we get Mark Price away from coaching high school to help out?
pantherswin
March 20th, 2010
10:03 pm
techs best football year was 09. wont come close this year. theres a reason the option is not used widely anymore. the acc will catch on this year
pantherswin
March 20th, 2010
10:09 pm
gt88- this will be hewitts year before his last. how can a team with 4 mcdonalds all americans not play any better in its conference?
pantherswin
March 20th, 2010
10:12 pm
kstate is lightening it up
falconfiend
March 20th, 2010
10:14 pm
Tech’s bigs are going to dominate. Drink 16 beers for all the atlanta haters cause we control our own destiny. I will see u in st. louis and indy. See u at the superbowl too when falcons take it all.
Technophobia
March 20th, 2010
10:16 pm
Kentucky up by 30 and many of their starters are still in with 8 min to go. If one of em were to get hurt Calipari would be roasted by the fans. Why not call off the cats?
pantherswin
March 20th, 2010
10:17 pm
who does tn play next?
Yellow Fuzz
March 20th, 2010
10:19 pm
HBTD1
Hahaha. Truth hurts there doesn’t it little man? Hahaha. Learn your new role and STFU when addressing someone from the Tech Nation.
Yellow Fuzz
March 20th, 2010
10:21 pm
Is georgia’s season over? Hahahahahahahaha
Technophobia
March 20th, 2010
10:28 pm
What’s up with Georgia baseball this year? 8-11 so far. Lost to Kennesaw State 11-1
WordofMouth
March 20th, 2010
10:34 pm
Calipari is such a crook.
WordofMouth
March 20th, 2010
10:36 pm
When I see or hear Calipari, I think of used car salesman. Kentucky went out and bought their mercenary. Just like AL did in football.
Now, I’m not saying that Cal can’t coach, cause he certainly can. (so can saTan, uh, I mean Saban) But when you can have the best talent, and you can coach a little, winning is much easier.
Yellow Fuzz
March 20th, 2010
10:45 pm
Technophobia
March 20th, 2010
10:28 pm
What’s up with Georgia baseball this year? 8-11 so far. Lost to Kennesaw State 11-1
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU READ. ALL GEORGIA SPORTS EXCEPT GYMNASTICS AND EQUESTRIAN ARE SECOND TIER. AS FAR AS BASEBALL GOES, KENNESAW STATE WAS 1-7 THE LAST TIME I CHECKED. GLAD TO HEAR THEY 10 RUNNED THE DOGS IN ATHENSS.
SPANK BY THE SEPTIC TANK
HAHAHA.
Gen Neyland
March 20th, 2010
10:45 pm
GT, Ohio St…Don’t really matter. We’re there, waiting. Go Vols
Technophobia
March 20th, 2010
10:46 pm
They have a good tennis team too. I’ll give em credit for that.
KSEE
March 20th, 2010
10:47 pm
The Team that Bee-lieved! if play solid and smart there is no doubt in my mind we can overcome ohio state!
Technophobia
March 20th, 2010
10:47 pm
Gen Neyland, all out on bail?
Gen Neyland
March 20th, 2010
10:49 pm
Oh, so now the campus that breeds terrorists is talking smack..? LMAO
Gen Neyland
March 20th, 2010
10:53 pm
Like I said, GT or Ohio St : Your destiny awaits…GBO
Technophobia
March 20th, 2010
10:57 pm
That’s one guy Neyland and I hardly think we “bred” his activity. UT needs an entire legal department to manage it’s athletic program.
Gen Neyland
March 20th, 2010
11:01 pm
Technophobia : If GT were squeaky clean, you’d have an arguement. You don’t because history has shown it isn’t. Take a break and buzz for your favorite. Mine is heading for the Sweet 16…Again.