Survive and Advance

What a weekend for tourney fans. GT squeeks by BC in another close match-up. And obviously I was not destined to watch this game. I was in ATL this weekend with college friends. I decided to drive back to Greenville SC around noon so I could catch most of the game. I listed to the pre-game radio show and actually picked up the broadcast very faintly on 550am in Greenville. By the time I pulled in my driveway we were up like 18-9. I ran upstairs and turned on the TV and started recording on the VCR. Then the announcers said "it's time to move to your featured game - NCST / Vandy" - WHAT!!!!! And no sooner was it there then it was gone again.

Oh well - I headed to the computer - to listen to the 790 broadcast on the internet. Guess what - the internet was down - no access - great!! Next step - head to my car and see if I can still pull up the game on 550am. I get in the car and guess what - the radio will no longer turn on - no kidding. Have no idea the problem, but no power to the radio (even though it worked fine on the way home).

Not one radio in the house could pick up the broadcast so I was stuck watching the NCST / Vandy game and getting the updates on scores in the upper right of the screen. Luckily I got to see the final couple of minutes as they switched coverage back and forth until it was over.

Enough of that - on to the action

JACKETS "SURVIVE AND ADVANCE"
Jimmy V used to say the key to the tourney was survive and advance. I think that comment is appropriate for our last two ball games. At times it seemed like GT might run away with it, but BC kept coming back. Sounds familiar. To top it off, we scored one bucket in the last 6 minutes of the game. Here is the AP story on the game. Here's another re-cap. In the end, the story was defense. While both teams actually shot ok, there just weren't many shots. GT was 23-51 and BC was 20-44. Lots of turnovers - GT 17, BC 22. GT was outrebounded 30-24.

Who were the stars of the game? Well, BJ had 18 points on 7-15 shooting. My only beef with BJ is that he ended with zero rebounds. When a shot goes up, BJ heads down the court, not into the lane for a rebound. That bothers me - maybe coach wants it this way, but if Jack can average 5-6 boards a game, surely BJ can do better. Jack had 8 points, 6 boards, 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 to's. He also had a key steal and breakaway dunk at the end (although I wish he just would have run the clock out) and hit two free throws that helped put us ahead. McHenry went 4-4 with 10 points (2nd double digit scoring game in a row), hit a 3-pointer, had 1 assist, 4 steals, and 3 to's. An outstanding effort. Marvin Lewis, while only going 1-5 from 3pt range, did score 9 points, had 3 boards, 1 assist and 1 to. Isma'il had 6 points on 3-6, 5 boards (3 offensive), 1 assist, 2 to's and 2 steals, including an awesome steal and breakaway dunk (right-handed throw down). Lastly C-Moore had 4 points, 7 boards (3 offensive), 3 assists, 1 block, 3 steals, and 1 to. Really any of these guys could be the MVP................ but my vote goes to J.Jack. "Playa's play"..... Playa's make plays. Jack is proving that he is a playa. This story talks about Jack cementing his legacy with other GT PG's.

A win is a win and now we will face a tough Nevada team. GO JACKETS!!!!!!

JACKETS IN THE MEDIA
The magic is back - that's the theme of Jacket's basketball. Could this be the start of a real legacy and building of GT into an elite program? This story talks about the Jackets back on the national stage. Here is more on J.Jack and getting attention as a prime-time player. (from SI.com). Also note in the article about Will Bynum's disappointment at his 6 minutes of PT. He had family and friends there and I'm sure he wanted to play well - heck he could be considered the MVP of the UNI game. Hopefully he will realize that the TEAM got the W, will put it behind him and get ready for Nevada. BC presented match-ups that just did not cater to his style and game. Hower, he could play a much more important role against Nevada........... Here's a Bark Madley story.

OTHER MADNESS
The path in the St.Louis bracket is clearing faster than Moses parted the red sea. First Gonzaga gets knocked off by Nevada...... Then tonight, Kentucky loses to UAB - that's Univ. of Alabama Birmingham - a scrappy, quick fighter of a team. Here's a quick peek at the weekend's events.

A LOOK AT NEVADA
Here is a USAToday story on the Nevada team......... The oddsmakers have us as early 4.5 point favorites.

BEESBALL TEAM BEATS WAKE FOREST 9-2
We are now 13-10 and 2-4 in the ACC. Homers from both Micah Owings and Wes Hodges helped fuel the victory.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - JOE HAMILTON
Joe hurt his knee in his most recent game - was seen on crutches. Let's hope it is not serious - they are calling it a sprained knee for now.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - TONY HARGROVE
Looks like he dazzled the scouts - that's great for him. From the article - "The fastest stopwatch timed Hargrove in the 40 in 4.59 seconds. His vertical leap was 39.5 inches, his standing long jump 10 feet, 6 inches, and his time in the three-cone drill, which measures quickness and agility, was 7.17 seconds. Ohio State's Will Smith, perhaps the No. 2 defensive end draft prospect, ran the 40 in 4.58 seconds, had a 38.5-inch vertical, a 9-9 broad jump and a 7.42 in the three-cone drill."

Daily Swarm

FAMILIAR FACES
Not only did J.Jack and C.Smith (Boston College) play together in high school, but Uka Agbai was a guy that Paul Hewitt recruited heavily at Sienna - so he knows all about him............ This story talks about Agbai and how how an injury almost ended his career.......... This story points out that Agbai is the heart and soul of their team.

PREP FOR THE GAME
Here is a scouting report on the the game today. This story talks about James Forrest and his shot that echoes in the building............... This story points out that BC could be the strongest hoops addition to the ACC - we will find out today how they stack up........... More random notes on the game............. More on the James Forrest shot......... BC and GT definitely have contrasting styles as this story points out.

UNI SUPPORTS TEAM
The Panthers gave their fans a thrill and almost pulled of the upset, but the fans are appreciative anyhow.............. Here's another story on the game.

MORE ON ST.JOHN'S & COACHING - ARE YOU TIRED OF IT YET
Hopefully this sage will come to an end soon. From the article - "St. John's still fantasizes about Georgia Tech's Paul Hewitt. It's nice to have hoop dreams, but they'd have better luck luring John Wooden out of retirement."

IS MORRIS KY BOUND?
This story hints that Morris may be leaning to the Cats if Tubby Smith can show them that there will be a 'ship available. Not encouraging. Stay tuned...... Here is a good story about Morris.

FOOTBALL OPTIMISM DURING SPRING PRACTICE
Some old college buddies and I were in the ATL this weekend to play poker, drink beer and relive some memories. We went by campus and happened to see the team walking across campus back to the lockers from the practice field - we saw PJ Daniels, Kenny Scott and many others. Evidently there is a lot of optimism around the program heading into spring - it's amazing what winning your bowl game will do........... Here's another story about the optimism.

Daily Swarm

GT TO FACE BOSTON COLLEGE
Should be a tough test on Sunday, facing a strong BC team, which will join the ACC in a couple of years. Here is a story on their first victory.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - DARYL SMITH
Looks like D-Smith did pretty well during Pro day at GT

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - DEZ WHITE
Dez visited the Falcons front office last week prior to heading off the Chiefs to a workout.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - MIKE MADDUX
Maddux had 38 points, 8 boards, 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal in his Phil. team's latest victory.

JACK TO PLAY AGAINST FORMER HIGH SCHOOL TEAMMATE
BC's Craig Smith played with Jack at Worcester Academy (story here) - "BC's Craig Smith said he is eagerly anticipating tomorrow's matchup against Georgia Tech since it meant a reunion with former Worcester Academy teammate Jarrett Jack now a star guard for the Yellow Jackets. "It will be pretty good to see him," Smith said. "He'll be ready and I'll be ready."

NEPOTISM IS ALIVE IN FOOTBALL
Samford was added to our football schedule next year, which was Coach Gailey's former home. Now Army and former GT coach Bobby Ross has been added to the 2006 and 2008 schedules. At least Army is Div I-A.

BEESBALL TEAM LOSES TO WAKE FOREST
Jackets fall to 12-10.

HOOPS RECRUIT SENTENCED TO 4 MONTHS PROBATION
Jeremis Smith, in his moment of weakness, has been sentenced to 4 months probation for his part in a shoplifting case. All reports are that he is a good kid who hasn't made a mistake like this before and is very regretful for what happened. I am sure he will be happy when this is behind him.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - JOE BURNS
Joe was on 790 yesterday - here is a good recap, from TallahasseeJacket at the Hive. "Joe was talking about Buffalo & his status on the depth chart. He jsut re-signed with them for next fall & is working hard as the leading contributor on special teams and the third down back. e loves the competition among he, Willis, and Travis Henry & says they are very close with one another. He still supports Tech & plans on watching the game today to cheer on his Jackets. e is heavily involved in community service in the Boston area & especially loves the Big Brother's Club. He spends lots of time with his "little brother" & had him over for movies last Sat night. Joe still keeps up with Kelly C. & K Watkins a good bit. He also still keeps in touch with O'Leary - who he thinks of as a good friend."

Jackets win - barely

Well, it looked like we were going to run away with it at the half - but in true NCAA tourney fashion, it was close at the end. That's the dance - but a win is a win is a win. We will take it. Now time to move on and face BC on Sunday. Here is the AP wire story.. This from MSNBC.com

By the way, did you know that our record against the M.Valley conference coming into this game was 1-5? No kidding.

Daily Swarm

IS J.JACK GOING PRO????????
Doesn't appear so based on the comments in this story, but then we heard the same thing last year with Chris Bosh. However, this time, I believe Jack will stay. However, it is scary if it is true that he might be projected as a late 1st round draft pick. We need that young man back for at least one more season. A junior stud at PG could really carry us a long way (just as a soph stud PG has done it this year).

STORIES ON GT
For a ton of tidbits, check out this story from RamblinWreck.com............. From the Chicago Tribune, about the Jackets possibly making a run........... Story on N.Iowa and the tall order beating GT.......... Meanwhile, the Panthers are going to stick with what got them here.............. Here is a story from the Chicago Tribune about returning to the site of the J.Forrest famous shot......... This guy at FoxSports.com is not shy about saying the Panthers think they can pull the upset, but he says go with the Panthers all the way versus the spread if you are betting in Vegas........... Here is a preview of the game from FoxSports.com.......... Jay Bilas had some nice things to say about Paul Hewitt on Sportscenter today - talked about his positive impact on the team, being a great teacher, having a cool demeanor, and confidence in the team (mentioned BJ specifically) - thanks to "HugeGTFan" over at the Hive for the tip................ Over at Sportsline.com they have a "predictor" model that they claim has picked 70% of the winners of each game the last 2 years - they have GT winning 78-64......... This story talks of UNI's plan against GT - force us to shoot from the outside, then get rebounds........ More from Brian Murphy........... At the Yahoo Pick-em site, GT has been picked to win their opening game by 97.1% of all participants. In round 2, 83.7% think we will advance - 47.5% in round 3 - 13.8% in round 4. For the finals, 4.8% think we will make it, while 1.4% think we will win it all. That is the 12th highest ranking on the list (KY#1 - 20.5%)............ Looks likke stopping Jacobson is the key - when he shoots over 50% they are undefeated. In their 8 losses, he shot 37%................ Here is a story on how relaxed the team is.

FROM AROUND THE DANCE FLOOR
Rough article on the Florida Gators.......... Jeff Capel is going to make an outstanding big-conference coach someday (story here). He happens to be the youngest coach in Div I-A............ Here is some interesting insight into travel costs, where teams stay, how the costs are covered, etc.

MORE ON THE ST.JOHN'S COACHING CAROUSEL
Well, it looks like Calipari might actually have a bit of interest in the job. He is being more evasive about his answers than Coach Hewitt was.

COLONIAL ATHLETIC LEAGUE BOWS OUT AGAIN
Did you know this conference only has one win in the dance in their history - a 59-55 victory by Richmond over guess who..... that's right - out Jackets.

RECRUITING - GT OFFERS BOBBY FRASOR
Looks like Coach Hewitt has offered this talented PG a 'ship for next season - he hails from Chicago.

FOOTBALL - FINDING A BACKUP QB
Story on the football team and getting ready for spring practice.

More March Madness

Well, UNC and Dook handle their business, although Air Force made it interesting. So what is the conference tally?

In order of Conference Sagarin Ranking:
ACC...........4-0 (w-Dook, UNC, WF, MD)
SEC............1-1 (w-Al, L-Florida)
Big12.........2-0 (w-TexasTech, Texas)
BigEast......3-0 (w-UConn, Seton Hall, Syracuse)
Big10.........0-1 (L-MichSt)
ConfUSA.....1-1 (w-Depaul, L-Charlotte)
MW.............0-2 (L-Air Force, BYU)
PAC10........1-1 (w-Standford, L-AZ)
WA.............1-1 (w-Nev, L-UTEP)
A10............1-1 (w-St.Joseph's, L-Dayton)
MV...............0-1 (L-S.Illinois)
WC.............1-0 (w-Gonzaga)
MAAC.........1-0 (w-Manhatten)
MC..............0-1 (L-Valpo)
Ivy...............0-1 (L-Princeton)
AE...............0-1 (L-Vermont)
SL...............0-1 (L-Texas SA)
BigSouth.....0-1 (L-Liberty)
SWA............0-1 (L-Alabama St.)
CAA.............0-1 (L-VCU)


The top5 rated Sagarin Conferences are a combined 11-1. The rest are a combined 5-15. So what does this mean? In my book, the major conferences are dominating and the high/mid-majors are not exactly stating their case for being at the dance. Think about it - what if you had FSU or UVA in place of..... oh I don't know.......Air Force, or Liberty, or any of the many teams that they could beat most nights. Bottom line - the best 64 teams are not at the dance. Yes, this may give the mid-majors some fun, but most just cannot compete with the majors. But hey, I guess that's life - at least it's tons better than the crappy football system.

Great report from practice today

One of our regular posters here attended the Jackets practice today in Milwaukee. This from "BadgerLandJacketFan"

"I went to the Jackets' open practice today at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. I also attend the practices of Boston College and Wisconsin. BC's practice was far less impressive than either GT's or UW's. BC ran a shoot-around which was extremely laid back. GT ran full-court drills including some up-tempo 5-on-5 work. I noticed Muhammad was clearly favoring one leg. He sat out much of the practice and did not put on a dunk display as many of us had hoped. There were a number of impressive dunks by Elder and even Nystrom put one down but the nation's greatest dunker was not up to it. I asked Muhammad after practice about his injury and he said he hurt his ankle but would play tomorrow. I hope Hewitt considers keeping him out of the game unless he's really needed. I'd like to see him back at full strength for later rounds."

Thanks to BadgerLandJacketFan for that update - let's keep our fingers crossed that Isma'il's ankle will be fine for the game.

And They're off

The excitement begins and the upsets are already happening.

ACC STARTS WELL / SEC BACK INTO POST-SEASON FORM
Remember my rules
1. If you have a close game, always go against the SEC
2. If you have a close game, always go with the ACC
3. Always pick at least one 5/12 upset in the 1st round

Early on Manhatten takes down Flordia by 15 points, following both rules 1 and 3. A no-brainer. Did you pick Manhatten like me?.......... Maryland squeeks by UTEP, following rule #2. Of course, looking at the NIT, both UVA and FSU won their games, showing the ACC's strength again. Wake Forest just dodge a bullet and slipped by VCU. Of course rules are made to be broken, as S.Illinois could not beat Alabama, so I'm not always right.

FORGET WORKPLACE PRODUCTIVITY
In Iowa they are cancelling legislative forums due to the game.

PANTHERS A TOUGH TASK FOR THE JACKETS
This could be a good game, but I think we will be ok for these reasons:
1. The games we have lost have been against solid teams (Dook, UNC, WF, NCST)
2. We had two lesser quality losses, but came down to the wire - last second loss to UVA, double OT loss to UGAg.
3. Only non-conference loss was against UGAg/Valentine in 2OT
4. We are a hard team to scout and play if you haven't seen us much (ex - 1st 12 games)
5. Team chemistry and leadership is strong enough to avoid the upset

Here is an article on the game..............

MORE BRACKET PROGNOSTICATIONS
Lots of stories with writers giving their picks.......... This guy from Penn Live sees us beating BC.............. Here the Carolina Panther players make their picks - all have GT in the sweet 16.............. This guys sees GT losing to KY in the final 8............... This guy points out the 5/12 upset, but then proceeds to say it won't be Manhatten this year - wrong!!!.............. This guy compares our team to the 1990 Lethal Weapon 3 team......... Another writer with GT in the final four....... Another writer picking GT in the final four. His last comment - "Anyone notice the Yellow Jackets have beaten Duke, North Carolina and Connecticut?"............... Here is a look at some key traits of winners in the dance - simple arithmetic, quality guards, stopping power, a stud, and free throw shooting........... More "A to Z's" with H = Hewitt. From the article - "H is for Paul HEWITT, the St. John Fisher grad who is living the American dream, making several million dollars while coaching Georgia Tech. Hewitt will get to the Final Four one of these days, but this may not be the year with Gonzaga and Kentucky standing in the way". Another "A to Z" article. This time G=Georgia Tech. From the article - "G is for Georgia Tech's Marvin Lewis, who has his accounting degree with a 3.8 grade-point average and was offered a job with Frazier and Decker, a high-end Atlanta firm. "I just like working with money," Lewis said."

Even Clemson coach Oliver Purnell has gotten in on the act, making his picks. He has GT / Duke in the finals and has 3 ACC teams in the final four. Could happen - maybe a little nepotism on his part, but why not.

A LOOK AT 1985 AND ILLINOIS
This article about Illinois near misses in the tourney mentions their loss to GT in 1985.

THE HEAT ON THE ACC
With 5 teams among the top 16 seeds, the ACC will get some heat if we don't win games. It was on the front sports page of the USAToday this week - here is another article.

PROPS FOR ISMA'IL
Musings on the tourney and mention of Isma'il - "Most exciting player not named Nate Robinson: Watch Georgia Tech's 6-6 sophomore forward, Isma'il Muhammad. Best dunker in the nation, bar none."

ED NELSON GETS CALLED OUT
This article focuses on players who are more concerned about "I" instead of "we". This on Nelson - "Heralded forward Ed Nelson transferred from Georgia Tech to Connecticut because he didn't think he was getting enough visibility for his professional career." Maybe that is one of the things that has "changed the environment" this year (see article below on Jack/Bosh).

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN IN HOOPS IF PLAYERS STAYED
This writer takes a look at the brackets had some high profile kids stayed. He says GT would be people's sleeper national champion with Chris Bosh. Heck if you ask me, we are a lot of people's sleeper NC anyhow................ Here is a nice article on the Jackets with more quotes from Hewitt about being better if we had Bosh. I like the comments from Jack to Bosh in their talks - that "the environment has changed". I think that's great - a big reason for the success is attitude changes and with Jack saying something like that it shows leadership. I love it.

LOOKS LIKE COACH HEWITT WILL GET A CONTRACT EXTENSION
I heard some rumblings of this from some folks over at the Hive, but it does look like Coach Hewitt will get a fat raise after the season which should put the final nail in the coffin for all the St.John's fans. It is well deserved for Coach.

THE BUZZ IS BACK
Nice article from the Macon Telegraph on the Jackets and being back on the national stage.

CALLING OUT COACH K AGAIN - WRITERS GETTING BOLD
The media love for Coach K is dwindling and THAT is what he doesn't like. Check out this article called - "Coach K could use a swift kick". I especially love mentioning Coach K's double standard about ref's as he complained about Dean Smith's preferential treatment in the early years.

BEESBALL TEAM OUTSLUGS PURDUE
Maybe the bats are starting to appear - an 18-16 slugfest.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - DEZ WHITE
Might latch on with the Falcons.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - MATT MURTON
Nice article on Murton who is listed as one of the RedSox top prospects.

COACH GAILEY UPDATES HIS SITE
Coach Gailey has added a new update to his site regarding spring practice and position changes (story here).

MOVIE ON BOBBY JONES DRIVEN BY GT GRAD
There will be a movie on the golf great - story here.

Daily Swarm

BASKETBALL A FAMILY AFFAIR FOR COACH HEWITT
An excellent article on Coach Hewitt and his roots from Jack Wilkinson from the AJC. Check out the 'fro in that one picture from Coach's junior high graduation - wow! It was interesting to hear his brother Michael talk about how special the pre-season NIT victory was in front of his family - "Beating the No. 1 team in the country [UConn was top-ranked in the NIT] is special," Michael said. "But to do it in front of your folks, the people you love most, the people you went to high school with and players who played for you on JV, that had to be Paul's most special win. I don't know how much better it gets than that, other than to get to San Antonio."

I DON'T GET JOHN HOLLIS
Hollis from AJC writes this article on how Hewitt thinks we don't get the respect we deserve from the media. I don't get it. First, let's deal with facts - the fact is that the media HAS spread some generally positive vibes about the Jackets:

1. Tim Brando picks us to win the NC
2. John Salley picks us to win the NC (ok a little biased)
3. Frank Burlison picks us in the finals to lose to Standford
4. Mark Bradley (AJC) picks us in the final four
5. P.Wilbon on his ESPN show talks about how J.Jack could be this year's "Carmello" (along with a handful of other players).
6. Sportsillustrated.com says GT is UNDERRATED at a 3-seed.
7. Digger Phelps has us in the final four
8. Dickey V. has us in the final 8 losing to KY
9. Local radio shows are piling on the bandwagon (Brock, Stews, etc)
10. There are articles out on Jack developing his PG legacy at GT, Luke's game
11. Rick Majerus on Best Damn Sports Show says that N.Iowa has NO chance against GT and breaks down the team in an ultra-positive way.
12. Articles on GT rekindling its proud history. (see below)

The facts are that the media HAS said some very nice things about GT. Sure, some guy over at YahooSports says we could lose our first round game. Big whoop. Why on earth would you use this no-name at YahooSports to reference a "lack of respect" in the media. Why would Hollis chose to focus on this as a story?? There are so many positive things that could be written about - just look at the article above by Jack Wilkenson referencing Coach Hewitt's family tradition. That brings the human interest side of things to fans, gives some insight into the program. It was a great story. A story the Coach feeling a lack of respect from the media just makes the coach look bad.

Now, am I skipping over an obvious question - does Coach Hewitt actually feel this way? Is this a genuine feeling, or is it more of a motivational tactic with the team - the old "we have something to prove" storyline. I guess that's fine. But it's not fine when the media DOES start saying nice things about the program. I would argue that we got TOO much hype early in the season. Yes, we played incredible ball, but received more positive media attention than we probably deserved.

You want to talk REAL lack of respect. Let's look at NCST. I don't like J.Hodge any more than the next guy, but this team was clearly the 2nd best team in the ACC this year - and GT, WF and UNC were consistently ranked higher during most of the season. Most of the "experts" are picking them to lose in round 1 or 2. There is a team getting little respect. St.Josephs is another - no wait, they don't deserve the hype.

GT TRIES TO REKINDLE PROUD HISTORY
Great article on the hoops team trying to re-spark what made our hoops program so special in the 80's and 90's. Nice article with some nice quotes from B.Cremins, J.Jack and others.

BYNUM WITH MORE NCAA TOURNEY EXPERIENCE THAN REST OF TEAM COMBINED
He has played in more NCAA tourney games than everyone else on the team combined. This article talks about playing with a "sense of urgency".

MORE MEDIA ANALYSIS OF THE DANCE
Tim Brando talks about the field. Remember, he has picked GT to win it all in his bracket. Here's what he says about the ACC - "ACC's dominance ready to show. No conference has put three teams in the Final Four since 1985, but the ACC could accomplish the feat this year. In no other league do you see the combination of talent and will -- willingness to play defense -- and I think that pays dividends by the end of the season. Duke is a strong No. 1 seed, and Georgia Tech and Wake Forest both have the guard play, as well as the size, to knock off anyone in their regions".................... Here's a look at some of the teams. Here's what it says about GT - "Georgia Tech: If you haven’t seen Jarrett Jack play, make sure that you don't make that mistake again. He can score and run like the wind. His athletic ability could be the x-factor for a Yellow Jackets run deep to the Final Four. They beat Duke, UConn and North Carolina, and that will keep them in the game against Kentucky."................ Here is some good advice for filling out your brackets............... Here are "64 Reasons to love March Madness". Here is #10 about GT - "Georgia Tech -- "Ramblin' Wreck"? Where is that name from? Are they phasing out "Yellow Jackets"? I hate change. I'm scared. Hold me? One thing's for sure, these cats can play. Watch for some running, gunning and alley-ooping. Imagine if Chris Bosh had stayed another year. Imagine the Raptors if Chris Bosh had stayed in another year. I'm scared again..."

HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT NOBODY WAS THE SAME WHEN WE BEAT THEM?
We killed UConn but Okafor had a hurt back and CV wasn't eligible yet. This article talks about VCU and that they were not the same team either............. The Ragin Cajuns weren't the same either with suspensions, etc. St.John's wasn't the same either....... oh wait, they sucked then and they still suck. My bad.

INTERESTING STATISTICAL LOOK AT INDIVIDUAL PLAYER IMPACT
This is a very interesting look at player stats from "kirbee" from the Hive. It tries to quantify a player's impact based on production per 40 minute game, even though players are not all getting the minutes. It tries to show which players might have a case for more PT. It is very encouraging that the top5 "most valuable" players based on this formula should return next year (Jack, Elder, Ish, Luke, Bynum). I have seen other formulas for evaluating players - they are probably a thousand different ways to rank players. Our biggest losses are the leadership of C-Moore and M.Lewis. But we still return the nucleus of the team and add the outstanding recruiting class on top of it.

COACH K NOW WHINING ABOUT ANTI-DOOK BACKLASH
Check out this story about Coach K and the nation's anti-Dook sentiment. There are many reasons why people hate Dook and winning is not the only one.

So, let's talk about why the country hates Dook:

1. They win - this starts the hate for many people. People like to root for underdogs and Dook is never the underdog. They are always favored, they win many many more games than they lose. I always hear people compare them to the Yankees dynasty in baseball - and that people either love or hate the Yankees. It's true. Teams that win all the time generate a lot of positive or negative feelings, but everyone has an opinion. Most people have an opinion about Dook - good or bad.

2. They are poor winners - You could clearly see this leading up to the tourney. The players are not humble. They are cocky. Some of the quotes just struck me as - "we are the kings and that's just the way it is". The whole hand-slapping the floor, players yelling and screaming, etc. Now some might say that they ARE champions and deserve to be cocky. You know what - I agree. Just don't expect the general public to feel good about your winning when you are not humble about it. People don't like sore winners - and Dook tends to be a sore winner.

3. Coach K - This guy is generally respected as one of the best X's and O's coaches out there. He is a great coach and a legend. But this year more than ANY in recent memory really showed people his true colors. Coach K's public explitive displays and constant rantings at the officiating became a spark of hate for many - certainly in the ACC, and surely on a nationwide basis as well. During the GT game we won at Cameron, Coach K was shown using the F-bomb about 100+ times on camera. It was a shameful display and not be-fitting a hall-of-fame coach. Now here's the rub - Dook fans point to Coach K's respect for fellow coaches, nice comments for guys like Cremins, Prosser, etc. They point to his post-game quotes, where he talks about how opposing teams played hard. Dook fans look at that and say what a nice guy he is. True be told, Coach K IS very nice when discussing other teams, coaches, players in the media. He plays the media like a fiddle. But look at him during gametime. It is embarrasing for the ACC to see a guy drop the F-Bomb 100+ times on the refs, his own coaching staff, his own players. Bottom-line is that Coach K is 2-faced. He treats people well in the media because he doesn't want to look bad in print, but during that game, don't get in his way. He is not a nice person. That was clear to see this season.

4. Recruiting - It steams people that Coach K gets his first choice of top talent that he wants. Like it or not, that is a result of winning and the tradition they have built. Players know what it means to play at Dook (although most don't understand how little they might actually play). The guy even has gotten top100 players to walk-on just so they can play for Dook. GT and most other schools have to compete hard for the top players - Dook has their first pick. In my opinion, they have earned this through winning, but it does generate hate. Everyone knows that you can't win without the horses and they get them.

5. Media Attention - we're all sick of Dickey V and Dook. At times I think even Dook fans wish he would back off. But he is not the only one in the media with the disease. Dook is treated like corporate royalty in the media. You know why Dook is noticing the hatred more this year - because for the first time some of the media have had the cahones to actually write about it. Coach K does NOT like that. He likes to shape and mold what is written about the team. He is losing some of that control and he doesn't like it.

6. Officiating bias - people will cite this but I do not see this as badly as others. Dook wins a lot and people want to blame something for a loss. A ref misses a couple of calls and all-of-the-sudden that is why Dook won. They have probably gotten the benefit of the doubt more often than not, but we all know it has worked in our favor as well. This officiating bias is of course compounded by Coach K's continuous ranting at the officials. We are all sick of seeing him dictate to the refs. The fact that he had two technicals this season during GT games could be a new record. Maybe Coach K is losing his grip on the officials, on the media - and he doesn't like it.

Enough about Dook.

I TAKE THAT BACK - MORE ABOUT DOOK AND HEWITT
Check out this article from the NY Times. Can you believe that we were turned down by a major recruit because he was told by another team - you go to GT and you will NEVER beat Dook ----- NEVER!!! I wonder what that recruit is thinking now. I hope he watched us beat them in their house on ESPN on national TV. You cannot take for granted what that victory probably means for recruiting.

HERB SENDEK NAMED ACC COACH OF THE YEAR
Honestly, he deserved it (story here). Coach Hewitt deserved major consideration, but what Coach Sendek did with NCST this year was impressive. They could have chose either coach and it would have been a good choice.

BEESBALL TEAM FINDS THEIR BATS AGAINST PURDUE
They win 14-4. Here is the Purdue site's take on it.

"FORMAL" CONFIRMATION OF PATRICK CARTER'S KNEE INJURY
I guess if it shows up in the AJC it is ok to talk about now. Confirmation on what was mentioned last week about Mark Logan's move back to QB. Interesting that it does say that there is no consideration for moving D-Bilbo back to QB............... Here's another version about the challenge getting someone to push Ball in spring practice.

A look at UNI

For a complete look at UNI's season, click here.

UNI is a small, perimeter oriented team that runs a lot of half-court sets. They have 4 guys who average more than 29 minutes a game, 2 more who average about 21, then 3 between 9-12. They have 3 guys who have taken more than 117 3pt shots this season. They shoot 35% from 3pt range and 44% overall. Opponents are shooting 42% and 32.5% from 3pt range. They have maintained a fairly even overall rebounding margin with opponents. However when looking a offensive / defensive, they clearly get out-boarded on the offensive end. They average 69.6 points a game and opponents average 65 points. They shoot 74% from the charity stripe.

UNI has 4 players averaging over 10 points/game. Ben Jacobson is their leading scorer at 14.1 / game. David Gruber is next at 11.9 / game. Gruber also leads the team in rebounding at 6.9/game. Matt Schniederman comes in at 10.9/game and Erik Crawford at 10.3.

Here is how they rank nationally in some key stats:

#171......Scoring offense (69.6)
#74........Scoring defense (65)
#89........Scoring margin (4.6)
#150......FG%
#82........FG% defense
#83........3pt FG / game
#128......3pt FG%
#26........FT%
#174......Rebound margin
#200......Assists / game
#278......Blocks/game
#306......Steals / Game
#26........Turnovers /game
#32........Personal fouls

Funny, the media has talked about them as a team that is prone to turnovers but the stats show they are pretty good at protecting the ball.

More Daily Swarm

COACH HEWITT CALL-IN SHOW
Last call-in show was today - I was sitting in an airplane headed to Jacksonville FL unfortunately. However, our friend RamblinRed has provided a nice summary (thread here).

BEST GT MOMENTS OF THE ACC TOURNEY
So what were the classic moments of the tourney for GT fans?
#1 - J.Jack hitting the game-winner against UNC. Ranks up there with some of the top shots.
#2 - Tommy Hammonds getting honored at halftime as an ACC legend, then turning to the GT section to wave.
#3 - Coach K getting rung up for his 2nd technical against GT of the season. Probably a new record. Evidently the crowd gave a standing ovation when he was rung up. Outstanding.
#4 - Dook losing to Maryland, with Redick laying bricks and even missing free throws. Ain't life grand.

FINAL POLLS ARE OUT BEFORE THE DANCE
In the AP we are #14. In the ESPN/USAToday Coaches poll we are #15 (#18 last week). Maryland sneaks into both polls, which means the ACC has 6 teams in the top 25 of both polls - tough stuff........... As for the RPI and SOS numbers, GT finished #!6 RPI and #11 SOS. ACC Teams were RPI ranked at #1 Dook, #16 GT, #17 NCST, #18 MD, #19 UNC, #20 WF, #22 BC (future ACC), #52 UVA, #53 FSU, #90 Clemson, #108 VaTech, #171 Miami............ Sagarin Rankings have been updated as well. GT comes in at #8, along with a #6 SOS. Other Sagarin teams - #1 Dook, #8 GT, #11 WF, #12 NCST, #13 UNC, #17 MD, #28 FSU, #47 UVA, #92 Clemson, #38 BC, #115 VaTech, #128 Miami

FROM THE UNI MEDIA
Here is a story on UNI and their match-up with GT (from their perspective).............. Here's another one from their side of the tracks - they are hoping for good fan support........... Here's an article on our game.

UNI DISCUSSION BOARDS
If you want to see what their fans are saying or talk some smack, here are some links:
valleytalk.net
ESPNBoard

MEDIA CONTINUES TO LIKE GT
Here are some links to the "experts". Here is an online chat with a guy at the Washington post.............. More media bandwagoneers are piling on, including Bark Madley who in the print edition picked GT to the final four. I already mentioned that Tim Brando has picked GT the win the whole thing, while many other notables have picked us in the final four. On PTI on ESPN, they asked "Who is this year's Carmello". Wilbon said it could be J.Jack. He was very complementary after attending the ACC tourney..............Over a SI.com, they call GT "Underrated" (even at a #3 seed)............... Even good old John Salley has GT picked to win the whole dance. He keeps mentioning GT on the Best Damn Sports Show tonight. They had Rick Majerus as a guest and were joking about N.Iowa's chances. Tom Arnold was insistent N.Iowa would pull the upset, but Majerus said "No way they win that game. That coach has done an outstanding job losing Bosh and Nelson. They have 2 outstanding guards and 4 guys who can spray it in from 3pt range. They will be too much.". They also did an interview with the St.Josephs coach and Salley asked him what he thought about GT. Coach said that they were incredibly athletic and he thinks if they match-up with Gonzaga, that could be an incredible game.............Not all is roses though. This guy over at Yahoo Sports has us as the most likely upset in that region. Why? He says because N.Iowa can shoot. OK, but I don't buy it. We have been holding teams down in FG% all year (see stats below). The best way to beat GT is typically to outrebound us, force turnovers, break us down on the dribble. Outside shooting is not a typical method of our disposal......... But he's not the only one - here's another guy who says the same thing> - "But if I had to pick one first-round shocker, it'd be Northern Iowa over Georgia Tech. A No. 14 seed seems to beat a No. 3 seed every year". I give this guy some credibility though because of his reponse to this question - "Q: Why did television analyst Billy Packer have a problem with Saint Joseph's earning a No. 1 seed?"....... His answer - "A: Because Billy Packer's always got problems, most of which can be traced to his roots as a surly, self-absorbed twit.". That's pretty funny.............. Here's an article on the tourney and a look how wide open this year's field is....................... This guy does A-Z for the tourney. For Jacket fans - "G" is the letter - "G: is to get out of the way of Georgia Tech's Ismai'l Muhammad, the best dunker in the field. The explosive 6-6 sophomore can rattle rims with the best of them for the dark horse Yellow Jackets (23-9)."...................... Here is NY Newsday's take on the regionals.

WHAT ARE THE ODDSMAKERS SAYING?
Here are a couple of bookie sites. This one has GT at 10-1 odds to win the tourney............ This one has us at 20-1.................. As far as the N.Iowa game, we are about 12 point favorites.

GT NATIONAL HOOPS STATS
Thought you might be interested in where we stack up in some national stat areas (through 3/8):
#26.....Scoring offense
#106...Scoring defense
#16.....Scoring margin
#36.....FG%
#4.......FG% defense
#59.....3pt FG's made per game
#43.....3pt FG%
#168...FT%
#160...Rebound margin
#46.....Assists/game
#25.....Blocks/game
#28.....Steals/game
#38.....Won/loss %
#218...Turnovers/game
#282...Personal Fouls/game (meaing we have lots)

In terms of individual stats, only J.Jack is #21 in the nation in assists.

YOUTHPREPSTARS.COM CORRECTS R.MORRIS STATEMENT
Well, this did make a mistake in reporting Morris to GT - I said they didn't look too credible. Here is their new statement - "Georgia Tech is the front runner for Morris. Morris will probably announce his decision soon. We apologize for the previous typing error. According to a close source, Morris will weigh his options and make a decision. However, Morris is not projected to be a first rounder, but stranger things have happen. Coach Paul Hewitt success with big post players will make any big man consider Georgia Tech. Al Jefferson and Dwight Howard will enter the NBA Draft."

DOES ISMA'IL DREAM OF BEING NAKED IN FRONT OF CLASS?
That's what he said in this story about shooting free throws. Here is the excerpt on Isma'il - "It's kind of like that dream where you wake up naked in front of your school class, you know," said Georgia Tech's Isma'il Muhammad, who shoots less than 47 percent from the line. "It's hard for me. I work at it, but I just can't seem to get it done. "I don't know what's harder. Standing at Duke with all those nuts chanting at you, or being at home and all of a sudden having the whole place go dead quite and everybody staring down at you." Muhammad, a spectacular athlete who is responsible for at least one rim-rattling dunk a game, is the poster boy for why most people think free-throw shooting is a dead art. "Everybody sees this unbelievable basketball body flying through the air, shooting 3-pointers and just really being impressive athletically, then they see him brick those free throws," said Muhammad's coach, Paul Hewitt. "We have three guys on our team who shoot over 80 percent, but Isma'il just sticks in everybody's mind. "We maybe have made too big a thing about flying dunks and 3-point bombs. We need to talk more about the basics and the players who have honed their skills."

MORE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF PG PLAY
Mention of J.Jack and the importance of Point Guards.

BEST NICKNAME OF ALL TOURNEY TEAMS - RAGIN CAJUNS

ACC ROOKIE-OF-THE-YEAR AWARDED
.... to WF's Chris Paul. It could have gone to either Paul or Luol Deng from Dook. Either guy was a good choice, but Paul probably deserves it more because he did it at the PG position, which is TOUGH for a true freshman.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - JASON COLLIER
Well, Jason got a 10-day contract with the Hawks and boy has he made the best of it. In 4 games, he is averaging 17.5 points, 6 boards with a 60.5% FG%. Also shooting 89% from the stripe. His most recent two games, he scored 20+ both times, and his last game was a double / double with 11 boards. I have a feeling his is going to be there for more than 10 days.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - KENNY ANDERSON
Looks like Kenny will not return to the Pacers next season as he turns 35 years old. For a great rundown of his entire career, check out this link. Go further down to read his year-by-year career soap opera.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - CHRIS BOSH
Chris has been stepping up his production the last few weeks. His last game he had 14 points and 16 boards (6 offensive), along with 3 blocks and 2 steals and no to's. He has scored double figures in points 5 games in a row. He is averaging 9.6 boards his last 7 games. For the season he is averaging 11.3 points, 7.3 boards, 1.4 blocks and shooting 46% from the floor.

Daily Swarm

ELDER NAMED TO ACC TOURNEY 2ND TEAM
Congrats to BJ on a solid tourney. He was the only guy really making playes during the last 15 minutes of the Dook game. My guess is that there is about a 90% chance he returns next year. That will be unbelievable with a guy like that as a senior. Wow.

DID YOU KNOW
Thanks to GTsaltheart at the Hive for providing these stats - 13 of 32 games we played this season were against top 6 seeds. 14 of 32 were against top 8 seeds. 50% of our games were against teams that are in the dance. Non-conference opponents in the dance included UConn, Texas Tech, Louisiana-Laf. and VCU - all of whom we beat.

GAMETIME IS SET
Tip-off around 3:00pm on Friday (Eastern time), then a Sunday game at either 1:15 or 3:45.

12 POINT FAVORITES AS IT STANDS NOW
.... to beat N.Iowa. This is a game we should win - of course they don't call it March Madness for nothing.

MILWAUKEE A MAGIC PLACE FOR THE JACKETS
The "Miracle in Milwaukee" was the famous 3pt buzzer beater by James Forrest to take down USC 79-78. As you can read in this article, J.Jack has seen that clip about 20 times and hopes to repeat the magic.

LUKE EVIDENTLY DOESN'T KNOW WHERE MILWAUKEE IS
Check out this quote from Luke - "Coach came in and said we were playing in Milwaukee, I said 'Where's Milwaukee?', and he said it's in Wisconsin, and I said 'Where's Wisconsin?'. I know where Iowa is, and I've been near there. I came over on a tour with the Australian team and we were in that area." I love it!!! For more quotes from Coach Hewitt and the team - click here.

MEDIA "EXPERTS" LIKE GT'S CHANCES
If you have watched any of the shows on the dance, a lot of experts like GT's chances to get anywhere from the final 8 to the final 4. Digger picks us to upset KY. Dickey V has us in the final 8 losing to Kentucky. Steward Mandel over at SI.com has us in the final four. Check this out - Sportingnews.com has brackets from their "experts" you can download. Frank Burlison has picked us in the finals to lose to Stanford. Tim Brando has picked us to win the whole dang shootin match - no kidding!!!

UGA HEADED TO THE NIT
.... where they belong. Coach Felton will have them back on a winning track but they are where they deserve to be this year. Yes they had 3 strong wins - 2 over KY and 1 over GT, but losing 5 games by more than 20, including one to Wintrop - just doesn't cut it.

CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?
Not ONE of the current UNC playes has EVER played in an NCAA tourney game. That is an unbelievable statement when you think about it - speaks to their struggles the last few years, but also to the fact that they are young.

BRACKET TIPS
For those of you picking your brackets, I won't claim to be an expert, but I can offer some tips.
1 - always pick some upsets in the 5/12 seed games. It is inevitable but there are usually at least 2 upsets in that slot and have been as many as all 4 in some years.
2 - never pick a #1 seed to lose in the 1st round. A no-brainer, but it has never ever happened. Don't pick a #2 to lose in the 1st round either. OK, so maybe these aren't rocket science.
3 - Don't listen to all the hype over Air Force and the "Princeton" offense - UNC will crush them - don't pick this upset. Air Force should not be in this dance.
4 - Pittsburgh deserved better than a 3-seed. They got jacked badly by the committee - they could play Wisc at Wisc. and Okl.St.
5 - It usually pays off the pick a lot of wins by ACC teams. ACC teams have a strong historic showing in the dance.
6 - It usually pays off the pick a lot of SEC teams to lose. Aside from Kentucky, I won't pick many to go far. I like Florida to lose in round 1.

BEESBALL TEAM GETS SWEPT BY UVA
Well, the struggles continue.

PREVIEW OF FOOTBALL TEAM BY POSITION
Good look at the team, returning players and new additions from Ramblinwreck.com.............. Here is a nice look at all the ACC teams heading into spring practice.

Well what did we learn

An interesting weekend in college hoops. Definitely taught us some things:

1. Bad things do come to an end (finally)
Dook finally loses in the ACC tourney. Someone finally steps up and puts them into their place. I said it would happen - although it looked shaky. But I have to give MAJOR props to MD. They were in the SAME exact spot against Dook (down by 12 with time running out). MD did the exact opposite of GT and took it to Dook to get the W. Consider that they are the youngest team in the ACC and just won the ACC tourney. Not only that they beat the #1, #2 and #3 teams to get there. Wow. This team is going to be scary good. Now, did they deserve a #4 seed in the dance? If you base it on "body of work" - no. If you base it on late season play - yes.

2. Say what you want about Chris Duhon, he is a player
Duhon hit some big shots at the end of that MD game. Even though he couldn't bring it home, he didn't throw up the misses by Redick and Ewing. He made HIS shot to tie it. ACC fans may think the kid is overrated, but he is a big-game player and showed it. I'm just glad we don't have to face him any longer.

3. J.Gilcrest needs to be added to the top ACC PG's.
That guy flat out played - a baller supreme in the tourney. While Felton, Paul and Jack get all the PR, this sophomore will make plenty of noise in the next 2 years.

4. ACC Point Guards are great - and young
Look at the top mentioned kids - Jack, Felton and Gilcrest will be juniors and Paul will be a sophomore. FSU has two outstanding ones coming in next year - GT adds Fredrick, Dook adds S.Livingston, although he will probably take his game to the NBA before he ever puts on the Dork blue. UNC adds a great scoring guard. If this is a game dominated by PG play, then the ACC will be scary good for years to come. The only real question - how long will all these kids stay?

6. The future of the entire ACC is even more scary (for other conferences)
Dook is Dook, like it or not. They have some top recruits coming in again (unless S.Livingston goes pro). WF has an incredible PG - the only question is how long he will stay. NCST has the skinny kid coming back again. We know what kind of recruiting class GT has and UNC's could be even better. Roy will have them playing at a higher level - no doubt. Already mentioned MD - Leonard Hamilton continues to bring in some of the top recruiting classes in the nation. He has two outstanding PG talents coming in next season. UVA may not have done enough to save P.Gillen's job, but they will be better again. Heck, even Oliver Purnell has brought in more top 100 players to Clemson than they have had in the last 3 years combined. They will continue to get better. And lucky for them they will have Miami and VaTech to beat up on. Give them time.

7. Now that the brackets are out, GT has an outstanding chance of making some noise. It's great to be back again!!!! Should we advance to the elite 8 there is a possible match-up with KY. What do you say - whoever wins gets Morris!! Let's get it on!............ Of course that is quite pre-mature.

Daily Swarm

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - JOE HAMILTON
Joe's Orlando team loses to Atlanta. Joe goes went 16-24 passing for 216 yards and 4 TD's before leaving with a groin injury. (story here)

BEESBALL TEAM DROP FIRST TWO ACC GAMES TO UVA
Well, the struggles on the diamond continue. We lost to UVA again today 2-1. We are now 9-8 (0-2 ACC).

Well what can you say

Dook flat out took it to us in the 2nd half. We fought well but just not for 40 minutes. Not fun watching the Dookies pull away.There was only one guy really making plays in the 2nd half - BJ Elder. To beat Dook everyone has to make big plays and it didn't happen. While I am disappointed, I am not taking this loss too hard. Dook is Dook, as much as we hate them, and they are an outstanding team.

Keys to the loss were rebounding in key spots, breakdowns in the defense and nobody but BJ stepping up.

Well, let's shake it off and get ready for the big dance. We will find out our seed tomorrow - should be a #4 or better. You have to be incredibly proud of what this team has accomplished. They have proven that they belong in the national spotlight, are an up-and-coming team with a young talented coach - and guess what - the tourney has not even started. GO JACKETS!!!

What a Day - WOW

.........and I missed most of it. On the road in Orange Beach, AL, I tried to figure out how to catch the game. I taught a class at an industry seminar, then headed for the Pensacola airport. I call one of my collegues in the office to give me an update - Tech up at the half. I was fairly early for my flight, so I decide to eat first. I look for anywhere that might have a TV - and as luck would have it I ran across a Hooters. Walk inside and there were boob................. tubes everywhere. Plopped down at the bar and watched the 2nd half - and what a nail-biter it was. Enough of my personal stories. On with the game.

The Jackets take down the Tarheels on day one of the ACC tourney 83-82. Talk about an ACC classic. A tough battle to the end. Ten ties and 6 lead changes. I really though GT was going to take it to the house with the 11 point lead, but the Tarheels fought back to take the lead. Have to give them a lot of credit. Great team effort to win this game - everything from good free throw shooting to solid defense to doing a better job protecting the ball (15 to's not great but better) to a nice spread of offense. In fact we had 5 guys over 10 points and C-Moore chipped in 7. The overall flow of the game was that GT shot very well most of the game (49.1% overall) while UNC didn't shoot as well (39.4%), but outrebounded GT 43-35 to keep getting more shots.

There is a very obvious MVP - Jarrett Jack. He ended with 17 points, 7-7 from the stripe, 3 boards, 6 assists, no turnovers, 1 steal. Of course hitting the last shot with 2 seconds will help put his stamp on Georgia Tech history. He must have been reading all these articles talking about needing to get some big wins to put his name in the same class as Anderson, Best, Price and Marbury. He certainly made a case today. The last play of the game was a breakdown of Coach Hewitt's called play and just a case of a guy making a play. Jack just made something happen.

The other MVP has to be our favorite Aussie - Luuuuuuuuukkkkkkkkeeeeee. He ended with 17 points (6-9), 17 boards (6 offensive), 2 assists, 1 block and 2 to's. He also hit 5-6 free throws. Hewitt had some nice words after the game for Luke (as usual). Luke was really disappointed in his performance against FSU and wanted to show something today - he did. And we'll need it again.

One last mention - senior Marvin Lewis - for keeping his wits about him and not celebrating early. That steal on the inbounds play was classic and a great "senior" moment. Thanks Marvin.

As usual in the ACC, things don't get easier. Dook took care of UVA so another re-match is in order. Expect another physical hard fought game - there have been firewords in both so far. Big concern - how will BJ's ankle be?????? The twist did not look pleasant on TV - hopefully he can bounce back.

In other action, Maryland knocks off Wake Forest and NC ST knocks off FSU, ending their NCAA tourney hopes imo.

HOW WAS MY PREDICTION? The last 2 months of the season I have been scary close with my score predictions. If you look at the post below I predicted a 83-78 GT victory - the actual was 83-82. So how does that bode for the Dook game???? Well, as usual I cannot go against my Jackets. GT wins 74-70.

HOW DID GT DO AGAINST THE STATS?
22-0 this season when holding opponents to 44% or under in FG shooting............. today UNC shot 39.4%
21-0 when holding opponents to 71 points or less............. today UNC scored 82 and we still won
16-1 when we win the rebounding battle.................. today UNC won the rebounding battle
20-1 when leading at the half.............. today GT led by 3 at the half.

The first one is probably the most critical. We have not been a great rebounding team in ACC play, so we have to keep opponent shooting % down because they are likely to get more shots than us. Combine that with our higher turnover rates lately (although only 15 today), and opponents typically are getting more shots than us. Today UNC had 9 more shots, but we made 2 more than they did.

ANOTHER SWARM

JACKETS PREPARE FOR A RUN
Let's hope Steve Hummer at AJC is right - a nice article on the possibility of the Jackets making a run................. It turns out Coach Hewitt's wife MADE him take his camel hair Jacket, but he says he will not wear it today against UNC - but hopes it will make an appearance this weekend................ Here is another story on J.Jack's future legacy and the importance of winning to put his name with Anderson, Price, Best and Marbury.................. This story looks at the path that JJAck and R.Felton took to get where they are and compares their games.............. It looks like that the Jackets even try to play hard in practice, as J.Jack took a hard fall trying to run through a screen.............. UNC fans seem to have some love / props for Jack as well, (see this thread)............. Meanwhile, A.McHenry has a plan to stop R.McCants - here it is.............. Here are a bunch of random ACC notes and stories............... Here is look another look at the end of the ACC as we know it........... In an incredible case or originality, this story refers to Luke as "Carrottop on steroids". Good one - how long did it take you to come up with that?

MY PREDICTION
Jackets beat UNC in a shootout 83-78. Destiny just screams a rematch versus Dook. Besides who really wants to see Dook beat UNC for the 3rd time this year. Time for a real rivalry in the 2nd round.

From RamblinRed, some interesting stats. The Jackets are 22-0 when holding opponents to 44% FG shooting or less. GT is 21-0 when holding opponents to 71 points or less. GT is 16-1 when we match or win the rebounding battle. GT is 20-1 when we lead at halftime. The message - play defense, rebound and get off to a good start.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - DARREN BRAGG
He is fighting for the last roster spot with the Yankees.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - EDDIE ELISMA
Well, it turns out he IS in the PBA - Philippine Hoops league - here is a story. He recently signed with "Purefoods". Did you know that they call Elisma "Elecrtic Eddie", for his "frenzied style of play". I didn't know that............ This story refers to Elisma as a "shot blocking demon".

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - GEORGE O'LEARY
A look at George O'Leary and his fresh start at UCF.

THE MORRIS INTRIGUE CONTINUES TO KEEP UK FANS EDGY
Youthprepstar.com has a rumor that Morris has definitely decided to go to college and that he has decided to attend GT "according to a close source". Of course, on the same site a year earlier was this - "Coach Hewitt has been working hard for 6'11" Dwight Howard and 6'10" Randolph Morris. The rumor is that these two players are a lock for Tech." Howard is a lock for nothing but the NBA. The UK insiders continue to assert that Morris to UK is a done deal. Although this posting on youthprepstars.com has got many of them freaked out. In fact, one of the UK boards reported that Tubby Smith brought his team to Morris's high school to practice for the SEC tourney - sounds pretty shoddy to me!!! I continue to assert that Morris will let us know when he is ready and I hope he follows his heart. He cannot go wrong either way. I would not put much stock in ANYTHING we read on the internet. We still may have to wait until April for a final decision though.

Daily Swarm

UVA WINS THE "LARRY SHYATT INVITATIONAL"
Clemson just couldn't bring home the W, while UVA keeps their slim tourney hopes alive by beating Clemson in OT. I think they would still need to beat Dook to truly get that bid, but they are not NIT bound yet. Hanging by a thread.

GUESS WHO'S GOING DANCIN????
How about Louisisana-Lafayette. Remember one of those "cupcakes" that other people accused us of playing. The Ragin Cajuns won the Sun Belt Tourney, and will cap another 20 win season with a trip to the dance............ How about another team in the dance we beat early on - try VCU. That's right - turns out our cupcakes were some pretty darn good teams.

LAVIN PICKS 3 ACC TEAMS IN THE FINAL FOUR
During the Ohio St / Indiana game, evidently Lavin picked us to go to the final four, along with UNC, Dook and UK. As much as I would love to see it happen, it ain't. I think there is a legit shot at 2 final four teams, but 3 would be a huge stretch....................... The folks over at Foxsports.com speculate on which conference has the best chance of landing 2 teams in the final four - the ACC again.

ACC TOURNEY PREVIEWS
A lot of good previews of the ACC tourney. This from a Charlotte paper - notice the links to individual temas and other articles............ This from the SC Times/Democrat, looking at Dook's tougher road........... Here's a look at the ACC, again with a focus on Dook, but it's from a Duke sight - what do you expect? But it looks at what will be the last year of its kind in the ACC................. Here's more on the ACC from the Richmond Times Dispatch.............. Here's the latest on FSU's Tim Pickett - looks like he is sore and wearing an air-cast but will probably play............ Here are some fast facts on the ACC tourney and other conference tourney's from Dickey V's ESPN site................ From the Robsonian, here is a look at the all-ACC team choices and misc stuff............... More on the end of the ACC as we know it.......... Here is the Macon Telegraph's look at each team capsule................ Here's even more if that is not enough, from the AJC.

While we are debating the best GT games in history in our poll, the RockyMtnTelegram is trying to list the best ACC tourney games of all time. Check out 1998 GT/Maryland - "1998 first round: Georgia Tech vs. Maryland. The Jackets lost to the Terps 83-65 in senior Matt Harpring's final game. When Harpring was pulled from the game with less than a minute remaining, a loud applause began in the Georgia Tech section, but then it spread to the rest of the Greensboro Coliseum until 24,000 fans from all nine schools paid tribute to Harpring's great career. At the coaxing of coach Bobby Cremins and his teammates, Harpring stood and waved to the crowd. "It didn't sink in at first because I was still pretty emotional about the loss," Harpring said. "But it was a huge honor and a compliment."


VISION PROGRAMS TO IMPROVE FREE-THROW SHOOTING
Interesting story on improving player's vision and the impact of going from high school to college and longer courts impacting free throws.

MILK & COOKIES - THE FUTURE OF RECRUITING VISITS
The NCAA told congress today that they are considering banning paid recruiting visits altogether in an effort to clean-up recruiting. Our own AD, Mr.Braine, was quoted as saying that it would be a "knee-jerk reaction" that could "create more problems". So what would happen if recruits has to pay for their visits? Well, first of all, you will see a LOT less recruiting visits. Second, you will probably see a fall-off in recruits comitting to schools that are not within driving distance of their homes. For some recruits, air-fares will be too much. That means that schools will have protect their home recruiting turf more than ever. Add to that another consideration by the NCAA which would limit the number of official visits a recruit could make from 5 to 3 and things get even more interesting. Coach Gailey has proven his ability to close strong on recruits who visit campus. So it stands to reason that more visits would help GT - taking them away would probably hurt. As always, you never know what will really happen. Could be a lot of noise by the NCAA. We will see what they decide then figure out the impact.

HEWITT HAS BROUGHT HIS LUCKY CAMEL-HAIR JACKET
If you remember, Hewitt shared that his wife bought him the gold camel-hair sport-coat a few years ago and has nagged him over and over to wear it. He finally wore it - for the Dook victory. His wife gave all the credit to the Jacket when he returned. Check out this blurb from the AP newswire - "ANY LITTLE BIT HELPS: Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt brought a lucky charm with him to the tournament: the camelhair sportjacket that he wore during the Yellow Jackets' upset at Duke last week. Hewitt said his wife, Dawnette, made him bring the jacket, though he didn't plan to wear it during Friday's quarterfinal game against North Carolina. "It made the trip," Hewitt said. "She wouldn't let me leave the house without it. Hopefully it will make an appearance this weekend." ........... On a separate note, this article attempts to rank the ACC coaches and places Hewitt 4th on the list.

POINT GUARD U - AND J.JACK'S LEGACY
Jack is building a serious case to be included in the same breath as guys like Anderson, Price, Marbury, Barry, Best. This article from the AJC is right - ultimately winning big games will create a historical legacy. Jack is the type guy who can do it. You can see it in his game, in his attitude. I like this young man..........This story focus on ACC point guards and there is an interesting quote from Paul Hewit - ""A lot of people pointed to [center] Chris Bosh [now in the NBA] and said he was a big recruit, but Jarrett was our signature recruit. He was the guy we had to get to establish how we wanted to play."

DICKEY, FREDRICK, MORROW TO PLAY IN CHARM CITY CHALLENGE
Looks like 3 of our recruits will be teammates on the "United States All-Stars" at the "Charm City Challenge" in Towson MD on April 4. Here is their complete team. There are 4 teams in the challenge. J.Jack played in last year's challenge and helped lead his squad to victory with 10 points............. Dickey will also play in the Jordan Capital Classic - here is the link...............

Meanwhile, Buck Fredrick's Calhoun celebrated their state title. Buck ended his career as the all-time leading scorer among male players in state prep history (although for some reason this is not certified by the SCHSL). Interestingly, team records credit him with 3,481 points, shattering the state record of 2,992. Guess who had that record? None other than Ray Felton of UNC. Take that UNC. This article talks about these facts and his father's legacy, which is unparalleled in SC hoops the last 20 years. Buck was also finally invited to the Carolina Classic. If you remember there was a dispute because his father / coach did not get the paperwork in on time. Looks like Buck will wear #35 next season. His current number is 20, which was retired for Tommy Hammonds. He picked the number because it represented his team's 3 championships won and 5 straight appearances in the title game. Here is the story where I got some of these facts.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - MARCO COLEMAN
Guess who just signed a deal with the Broncos? That's right - our old friend Marco Coleman. Marco played with the Eagles last year, playing in 13 games, recording 10 tackles and half a sack. He has had staying power.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - EDDIE ELISMA
Found this out-of-nowhere reference to Eddie Elisma - "The Realtors play the slum-ping Purefoods on Saturday at the Araneta Coliseum where the Hotdogs are fielding in their third import in Edner Elisma. A Georgia Tech product and the 41st overall pick of the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1997 draft." This is none other than the world famous PBA - not the pro-bowlers association. It is the Philippine Basketball Association.................. That got me interested in finding out more - check out this page at the bottom. Gives you Eddies stats all the way back to his GT days. The guy has played in Italy, Belgium, the ABA, Venezuala, Puerto Rico, Israel - just to name of few. Notice that he has actually developed a longer range shot, hitting upwards of 46% of 3pt shots in a couple of seasons................ Well, it turns out that Eddie came back in the US, playing in the NBDL for the Ashville Altitude - check out the bio. But he has bounced around some more. In October 2003 he was waived by the Boston Celtics. I think this was just a pre-season try-out. As of now, I could not figure out where he is. I would love to see him at least get a drink of water in the NBA.

PEPPER RODGERS TO BE INDUCTED INTO GEORGIA STATE HALL-OF-FAME
Congrats to Coach Rodgers, who will be inducted into the state of GA's sports hall-of-fame.

Daily Swarm

FELTON / MANUEL SHAKE OFF INJURIES FOR UNC
Felton has a hip-pointer just like Will Bynum. (story here). Will has had longer to recover, but should be interesting to see if either guy is limited. Evidently Will returned to practice on Tuesday but is not 100%. No doubt UNC depends more heavily on Felton than we do no Bynum. UNC's Jackie Manuel is also suffering from a absessed tooth he had removed - ouch.

ROY WILLIAMS SPEAKS ABOUT THE UPCOMING GAME
Well, is Roy just spouting off or does he truly believe that GT is the deepest team in the ACC? (story here). Here are more quotes from the press conference.

NOTE TO DICKEY V - LOOK UP "SLEEPER"
In this article, you say UNC is a "sleeper" for the NCAA tourney, as if you and the rest of the media has NOT been talking about them ALL year long. Not only that, UNC is actually ranked higher in the polls than NCST, who clearly has been the more consistent, better team this year. You have been talking about Roy Williams and R.Felton and S.May and R.McCants all year. So think again about using the term "sleeper". Reserve it for someone who people are actually not generally picking to win all the time.

LUNCH BUNCH WITH BOBBY CREMINS
Our old friend Coach Cremins was the guest this week at the lunch bunch. For an off-the-cuff report, click here.

NICE WRITE-UP ON GT AND ACC TEAMS
Nice story on how Dook does NOT have the tourney locked up this year - nice mention of GT, although I didn't know we were the "Tech's". Quote - "The Techs had had a surprising 20-win season behind the most exciting players in the league, 7-l Luke (Skywalker) Schenscher, an Australian just learning his way; B. J. Elder, a streak sharpshooter; Jarrett Jack, the most underrated point guard in the conference; Isma’il Muhammad, an in-your-face slam dunker; Marvin Lewis, the team’s designated long-range bomber; transfer Will Bynum, an experienced warrior and steadying influence, and outstanding depth in Clarence Moore, Anthony McHenry and Theodis Tarver."

POINT GUARDS ARE KEY IN THE ACC
No doubt the ACC has had a strong history at the PG position - certainly GT in the Cremins era was an example - "Point Guard U" as it was called. This story discusses the importance of this position, particularly in the ACC.

MORE PROPS FOR LUUUUUUUKKKKKKKEEEEEEE !
Nice to see him continue to get compliments and praise after a great regular season........................... If that wasn't enough, "teambuzz" over at the HIVE says that Luke was named to FHM's NCAA "All Hair Team". FHM, as I'm sure you know, is one of the hundreds of dude mags like Stuff, etc.

ISMA'IL NAMED DUNKER OF THE YEAR
Supposedly ESPN's Sportscenter named Ish Best Dunker of the Year. Didn't see it myself, but who else could it really be? I mean really?................ In addition ESPN THE MAGAZINE has also named him College Basketball's top dunker. We have said many times that an outside shot would absolutely complete Ish's game. Teams have figured out how to shutdown his drives (he tends to go right). See this story for the work Ish has been doing on his jumpshot. Now, sorry but just because Ish hits some jumpers in practice doesn't mean we will see him take 5 outside shots on Friday. My guess - we'll see 1-2 shots from outside of 5 feet. Of course, just getting some media attention focused on the possibility might get the Tarholes thinking a little too much. We would love nothing more than to see them play him tight on the perimeter, because then he will take it to the rack "Get the women and children off the baseline".

HEWITT GETS STEWART MANDEL'S COACH OF THE WEEK
More solid recognition of Hewitt with this mention over at SI.com.

RA'SEAN DICKEY AND THE CAPITAL CLASSIC
As mentioned on Wed here, Dickey will be playing in the Capital Classic April 17. For the complete roster, click here. That should be an entertaining game.

BEESBALL TEAM LOSES TO WESTERN CAROLINA 9-5
Jason Neighborgall had a rough outing, giving up 5 earned runs on one hit in 1 & 1/3 innings.

BEESBALL TEAM HAS TOP PROSPECTS
Article mentioning the various ACC teams and their top draft talent - "Georgia Tech is the best-represented school in this year’s top 100 with five players, four of them in the top 30. They are right-handed pitcher (and designated hitter) Micah Owings (No. 12), second baseman Eric Patterson (No. 16), catcher Mike Nickeas (No. 23), outfielder Jeremy Sladen (No. 30) and outfielder Brandon Boggs (No. 67). Patterson is the brother of Chicago Cubs center fielder Corey Patterson who committed to Georgia Tech himself, but opted to turn pro after the Cubs offered him a substantial bonus."

BEESBALL SIGNEE CONTINUES TO SHINE
Matt Wieters continues to play well for Stratford High of Goose Creek SC. He hit a 3-run shot in the first inning as his team beat pre-season #1 Riverside High of Greer SC. (story here). From the article - "Wieters picked-up tournament MVP honors. He had six RBIs and a strong performance on the mound. Using a fastball that was clocked consistently at 91 mph and touched 94, Wieters tossed a complete-game, four-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts. Behind the plate, he had thrown out three of four runners attempting to steal on the season."

TOO EARLY FOR FOOTBALL POLLS????
Probably, but here is Dennis Dodd over at Sportsline.com with his pre-pre-season top 25. From the future ACC - FSU #5, Miami #6, Virginia #12, Clemson #13, Maryland #17, #23 NC ST, Georgia Tech #28, VaTech #33. Probably a bit heavy on the ACC and of course just one guy's opinion WAY too early in the year.

The MVP Poll is final

And the team MVP as voted by you is................... J.Jack (37.6%). I can buy this choice - Jack is the floor leader, he is a vocal leader and this team is more and more HIS team as the season progresses. This will bode well for next year as well.

Runner-up was Elder (28.2%), Moore (15.7%), Luke (13.3%), Bynum (2.8%), Lewis (1.3%), Isma'il (1%), McHenry (0.2%). To me the interesting guy was Lewis, who only received 1.3%. Lewis is a quiet guy. He didn't appear to embrace the team captain role last year and almost prefers to be in the background. I think two of his best games came when he did not start. Lewis represents everything that is good about GT and college athletics - smart, talented, well-spoken, humble, dean's list, etc. So he hasn't been a vocal leader. It is obvious that the guys on the team appreciate who he is and what he does for the team. At the end of the day, there is not room for lots of big egos. Next year's team will be interesting. We have four kids coming in who are "the man" on their respective teams. They ALL lead their teams in scoring - they are ALL the go-to guy. Two of them won state titles, another has played in mutliple title games. These guys are winners and the focus of their teams. Obvioiusly Coach Hewitt has a task building some chemistry and having everyone understand and accept their roles. Fact - this year's team would NOT have accomplished what they have with Ed Nelson in place of C-Moore. Nelson seemed more concerned with minutes and starting. C-Moore just wants to win, to share his experience, to lead. He has been our glue this year.

The next poll is up - per your suggestion - what was the greatest GT victory in history? Should be fun to see how you vote on this one.