Live from Tech-Ohio State: Guess who’s getting a feeling?
Sunday, 12:27 p.m. CDT: The Georgia Tech players ready for the task. (Photo by M. Bradley)
Milwaukee – It’s eerie. In 2004 Georgia Tech entered as the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Regional, only to see second-seeded Gonzaga lose to Nevada (Mark Fox was a Wolfpack assistant coach) on Saturday of the first weekend and then No. 1 Kentucky lose to UAB a hour after Tech had dispatched Boston College on Sunday in the Bradley Center.
Here we are, six springs later, and seeds Nos. 1 and 3 in the Midwest are gone, and the Jackets can unhorse the second seed themselves. Should they get past Ohio State, they’d head to St. Louis with as good a chance to reach the Final Four as any opponent they’d find. Tennessee is nothing special. For all the stunning work it has done this season, Northern Iowa isn’t apt to win four times in this event. The final qualifier will be either Maryland or Michigan State, and Tech just beat one of those.
If you’re asking, “Are you having one of those Bradley Feelings?”, the answer is, “You bet.” Tech is playing well at the right time, and the bracket, which looked so daunting in theory, is breaking the Jackets’ way.
That’s provided the Jackets can upset the Buckeyes, which will be difficult. It will not be impossible. Tech is deeper and stronger. Tech has a defender it can run at Evan Turner, the Big Ten player of the year. (The Jackets have grown accustomed to the faces of POYs — Greivis Vasquez and Jon Scheyer, each of whom Tech saw in the ACC tournament in Greensboro, ran 1-2 in ACC voting, and James Anderson, whom Iman Shumpert defused Friday, was the Big 12’s player of the year.)
I didn’t pick Tech to win today, if that matters. (And it should not, seeing as how I’m the genius who picked Kansas to win the NCAA crown.) But I like the way the Jackets are defending, and I see in them a self-assurance that wasn’t there 15 days ago. Speaking of which …
Remember how galling those losses to Clemson and Virginia Tech in the last week of the regular season seemed? Well, Clemson was one-and-done in the Big Dance — when isn’t Clemson one-and-done in the Big Dance? — and Virginia Tech didn’t qualify. And that’s why, even after the Jackets flopped against V-Tech at home, I wasn’t ready to write them off even though every shred of empirical evidence suggested I should.
See, I’ve seen a few NCAA tournaments. (This is the 30th I’ve covered.) Weird things happen herein. Who saw Villanova coming in 1985? Who saw Kansas in 1988? Who saw N.C. State in 1983?
Speaking of which … Georgia Tech has lost 12 games. Should the Jackets win the NCAA championship, that would set a record for most defeats by a titlist. (Kansas had 11, N.C. State and Villanova 10.) File that away.
And with that, our latest live chat is up and running. Please join me. This could be a significant day for the Jackets.
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1,063 comments Add your comment
Butts Wagner
March 21st, 2010
2:49 pm
Iman use the time to take a look not just shoot it up damnit.
Actually, he’s playing pretty well. I think he just got frustrated and decided he wanted to try to make a big shot.
Jacket3
March 21st, 2010
2:49 pm
Jackets just need to calm down…and make the passes.
WordofMouth
March 21st, 2010
2:49 pm
Yep, Matt. But this team hasn’t been able to put “distance” between them and their overmatched opponent all year.
Technophobia
March 21st, 2010
2:49 pm
8 fouls on Tech, 3 on OSU, hope it evens out
whack hyder
March 21st, 2010
2:49 pm
work the ball and we can win
Butts Wagner
March 21st, 2010
2:50 pm
Agreed on lots of ticky-tack fouls so far
Jackets2010
March 21st, 2010
2:50 pm
I, of course, want us to win but I don’t see how we can go very far.
I think watching on tv is worse than being there.
We have neutralized a lot of turnovers we’ve earned by giving it right back all year.
And the light still has not gone on that much if at all though at least it has with free throws.
kegiee
March 21st, 2010
2:50 pm
MArk How come you will not answer me????? Very Disapointed……
Jackets2010
March 21st, 2010
2:50 pm
Let’s get Zac going.
ben
March 21st, 2010
2:50 pm
CBS goes to Cornell-Wiscounsin. Boy, I hate CBS
Pi$$onaDawg
March 21st, 2010
2:51 pm
WHO is winning the race at BRISTOL? Glad you asked BOB right now (at lap 245 of 500) Kurt Busch leads.
Technophobia
March 21st, 2010
2:51 pm
Another bad call
Mark Bradley
March 21st, 2010
2:51 pm
Lawal has two personals.
Paul in RDU
March 21st, 2010
2:51 pm
We are getting no calls
Refs doing us no Favors
March 21st, 2010
2:51 pm
refs are really lopsided – getting ridiculous
O'Brien
March 21st, 2010
2:52 pm
Tech looks sloppy. Bad shots, and lots of fouls.
OSU is going to be going to the FT the rest of the half. And our guys are in foul trouble already.
Mr. Turnip-Green Jeans
March 21st, 2010
2:52 pm
Thought I wan never gonna find the NFL Draft blog!
SPOOON!!!
Kay
March 21st, 2010
2:52 pm
“He was kinda stationary.”
Butts Wagner
March 21st, 2010
2:52 pm
GT should not be in foul trouble. The best part of having their depth is being able to put opponents in foul trouble.
Mark Bradley
March 21st, 2010
2:53 pm
Turner steals Peacock’s pass. He scores and gets fouled. Ohio State now leads.
GTPhenom
March 21st, 2010
2:53 pm
Dammit, and now the wheels start falling off all because of the damn refs. Those tight whistles are a load of crap
PissonaBug
March 21st, 2010
2:53 pm
It’s gonna be so great to see your dreams shattered in a couple of hours. CPH is your coach and just like in football, Tech sucks.
THWGT!!!!!!
Tron5000
March 21st, 2010
2:53 pm
What a f—ing joke.
kegiee
March 21st, 2010
2:53 pm
uh oh….. the buckeyeeeee has awoken………..
Yellow Fuzz
March 21st, 2010
2:54 pm
Tron5000
March 21st, 2010
1:46 pm
Yellow Fuzz, I’m still a somewhat reasonable and intelligent individual, so in know way have I ever felt like UGA.
hahaha. You come across that way. Sorry to offend you
Eric C.
March 21st, 2010
2:54 pm
Mark…I’m getting a bad feeling now, OSU could really start pulling away as their confidence picks up.
O'Brien
March 21st, 2010
2:54 pm
Horrible play.
This is not Ok. St. This is Ohio St. Peacock, you have to do better.
Come on Guys.
WordofMouth
March 21st, 2010
2:54 pm
Wheels are falling off because of bad decisions/shots by us. Refs aren’t helping, but they are not our main problem, we are.
Grant
March 21st, 2010
2:54 pm
That charge call was horrible. Refs in the tank for big 10. Same for maryland msu
Biff Pocoroba
March 21st, 2010
2:54 pm
Oliver and Zach need to sit before this one gets too out of hand . Sheehan is a better option than Zach right now. He is about 2-15 in the tournament and thinks he is a jump shooter.
Technophobia
March 21st, 2010
2:55 pm
We just need to settle down. We’re better than these guys.
Pi$$onaDawg
March 21st, 2010
2:55 pm
This is not going GOOD right now. Tech is looking young sloopy and the REFS are not helping. Hewitt get your guys heads back in the game and get the ball inside and use the CLOCK. Paul Johnson used the clock all year in football and now Paul Hewitt need to get hos O to do the same.
Butts Wagner
March 21st, 2010
2:55 pm
Not one substitution for OSU yet
Vince Dooley
March 21st, 2010
2:55 pm
I should apologize to all Dawg fans having to watch Tech in the Big Dance most years.
All I had to do was beat the offer Kentucy made for Tubby and how Georgia basketball history would be different.
No scandal with Herrick.
And with Tubby, we’d have had 20 wins a year with the sky the limit.
He would have earned the extra money easy.
So Keglie and all other Dawg fans with no team to follow, I’m sorry.
The only great hire I made was Suzanne Yucalan.
What a lame AD I was.
I hope you’ll accept my apology.
GTPhenom
March 21st, 2010
2:55 pm
Although, its not like this is all that surprising. The refs, in ANY sport, are always in the Big 10 (11) favor. It is crap. But whatever.
WordofMouth
March 21st, 2010
2:55 pm
Nothing out of Favors. Very little from our backcourt except bad shots. Too many turnovers and too many fouls. Got our backs up against the wall again. If I had confidence in our coach or point guard, I sure would feel better.
kegiee
March 21st, 2010
2:56 pm
STOP Blamming the REFS Enough…. already…. play like a basketball team without turnovers, stupid TO’s by the wizzard of techwood and make baskets… excuses excuses… why tech always lies and cheats………
Jacket3
March 21st, 2010
2:56 pm
This does not look like the same team that played friday nite.
GTPhenom
March 21st, 2010
2:57 pm
Ah, there is the tech that we know. Everything is falling apart.
GTPhenom
March 21st, 2010
2:57 pm
Kegiee, you must not be watching this game dumbass.
Technophobia
March 21st, 2010
2:58 pm
Why the quick 3?
Don
March 21st, 2010
2:58 pm
This game is about to get ugly if we don’t play smarter
Mr C.
March 21st, 2010
2:58 pm
It’s pathetic that the coaches can’t have Iman limit his weird 3’s.
Pi$$onaDawg
March 21st, 2010
2:58 pm
IMAN needs to sit if he is not going to run the O and just throw up a shot. make OSU work to stop TECH and not stop ourselves.
Refs doing us no Favors
March 21st, 2010
2:58 pm
Shump needs to realize he’s not the scorer Turner is and stop trying. Beat him with your D…
GTPhenom
March 21st, 2010
2:58 pm
Finally someone hits a three.
kegiee
March 21st, 2010
2:59 pm
Mark??????????????/
Technophobia
March 21st, 2010
2:59 pm
Tech back on top
GTPhenom
March 21st, 2010
3:00 pm
Powerful by Lawal
Pi$$onaDawg
March 21st, 2010
3:00 pm
INSIDE aqnd EASY score.