WOW!!! Can you say HEART!!!!!!

Talk about a team with HEART!! GT played the lights out and were not intimidated. At about the 10:00 minute mark in the 2nd half we missed 3 lay-ups in a row and my heart started sinking. When Dook tied the game I was really down. More than anything I was getting disappointed for the players. But to their credit, they bent but did not break. The defense was incredible, the offense was good enough and they hit their free throws down the stretch. That is the sign of a maturing team. This ends Dook's 41 game home winning streak, the longest in the nation. And it was SOOO great that Dookie V was the announcer. I love it bbbaaaabbbyyy!!!

If you were to tell me we would have 24 turnovers and win I would say you were nuts. But Dook had 20 to's. Dook shoots 34% from the field 28.5% from 3pt range. WOW!!!! GT shoots 51%!! Another WOW!!!

Let's talk individuals. MVP - Luke Schenscher. 14 points, 4-6 from the line, 9 boards (5 off), 4 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal, 0 turnovers. Luke absolutely dominated inside. He set the tempo. He handled the pick-and-roll so well that Karl Malone would be proud. He hit key shots down the stretch. His rebound and put-back in the lane near the end of the game was key. And I will tell you something - this guy has GREAT hands!! It is like night and day compared to last year. In the postgame interview, Luke said he was happy his family was able to watch the game on TV. I could not be MORE proud of that young man. He makes me proud to bee a YellowJacket.

Marvin Lewis only hit 3 shots, but his last 3pt-er in the 2nd half was a back-breaker - it was huge. He scored 9 points, 1 board and 1 assist. Not huge stats but he can be proud of the way he played.

J.Jack had some rough spots and turned the ball over 7 times but he played big down the stretch. He hit a critical reverse lay-up and knocked down key free throws in the end to ice it. Jack ends with 15 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals. In the post-game interview he said "Along with the UConn game, this is the biggest win in my career. But I am really glad we did it for the guys who haven't won against Dook in a long time. I am really glad we did it for the seniors". Now that's a team player.

McHenry played a nice game. In Hewitt's postgame comments he said that Tony "demanded" to play Reddick during the last key minutes and guess what - JJ was not a factor. Tony ends with 7 points, 6 boards, 1 block, 2 steals, 2 to's.

C-Moore and Tarver were the "block twins" and ended with 3 blocks each.

Elder ends with 12 points, 6 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 5 to's. Isma'il ends with 12 points, 1 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 to's. Isma'il did have a signature dunk, but not one of his top 5. However, I would put it probably in the top 5 for ESPN's POD - we'll keep an eye out.

But this game was not about stats! It was about heart and guts and maturity. EVERY one of Hewitt's teams has played well at the end of the season. This could be the start of things for GT - 2 consecutive road wins. Now we need to wrap things up with a home victory over FSU.

Let's review quickly my predictions:
C-Moore will have to hit at least one 3-pointer.............didn't happen
Luke will have to get at least 10 boards........... he got 9
Jack will have to dish out at least 7 assists....... he had 3
We have to hold Reddick below 15 points......... he had 24
We have to keep Williams out of the lane.......... he had 10 boards (6 offensive), but in only 21 minutes as he had foul trouble
Prevent Deng from taking over........................... he went 1-for-14 and ended with 3 points
My final score prediction 70-67............................ the final 76-68

Well, I went about 50% on my predictions and the score was pretty darn close.... and of course that one matters the most.

One last thing I want to say. Coach K may be a great coach. He may have built a dynasty. He may be a hall-of-famer. But I am going to tell you - he proved tonight what everybody knows - this guy has very little class. EVERY time the camera panned to him he was dropping the f-bomb. I know if you reviewed the tape, you could probably count about 50 F-bombs. Which means he probably used it 300-400 times. It didn't matter if it was the refs, his assistant coaches, his players, you name it. No doubt the officiating left something to be desired, but he just flat out is a cry-baby and a poor loser. Oh, some will say "he has fire" or "he is a fierce competitor". No doubt, but he is also a cry-baby and lacks class and is used to getting his way. There, I said it. Of course most people read Blogs for new information or revelations - sorry to rehash what everyone already knows.

Really - last comment. In the post-game interview, Paul Hewitt said to Wes "The game against Clemson was really for me because it was our 20th win. This game is for the players. They deserve it and they made it happen. This one is for them". I love it!!!!! GO JACKETS!!!!!