AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2007 > March > 15 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USJackets eager to seize an opportunity
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
Chicago — The path isn’t all that different: Start in a chilly Midwestern city off Lake Michigan, advance to St. Louis, finish beneath a big Southern dome. The team, however, is.
Georgia Tech has one man who worked a minute in the stirring run to the 2004 Final Four in San Antonio, and that’s exactly how much time Mario West saw in the six games of that tournament — one minute in Round 1 against Northern Iowa. “It was a while back,” West conceded Thursday.
So far back he couldn’t recall the minute? Hardly. It came at the end of the first half, West being inserted for the same reason he’s inserted now — defense. Did Northern Iowa score in that minute? No, West said. And was he the epitome of cool in his NCAA debut? Hardly.
“I was kind of running around,” he said. “I felt lost. I had so much adrenaline, a lot of energy.”
All the Jackets players did then. And, if West is any judge, all of them do now. “It’s kind of like deja vu,” he said. “We’re very excited. It’s tournament time right now.”
On the dais at the United Center, West threw his arms around Jeremis Smith and Javaris Crittenton, who were seated alongside. “I’m happy to be here with this group of guys,” he said. “We’ve worked really hard.”
The feeling persists that Tech is about to play its best basketball of a curious season. The Jackets spent January digging themselves a hole and February clambering out, and just the realization that they’ve reached the Big Dance — something last season’s team didn’t do, and something Chris Bosh’s and Jarrett Jack’s team of 2002-03 couldn’t do — could have a galvanizing effect. The pressure’s off. An opportunity is at hand.
West again: “We’re a very confident team.”
The Jackets play UNLV today, and Tech is in the curious position of being the lower seed but the betting-line favorite. (Since the lines are made in Las Vegas, shouldn’t that tell us something?) The Rebels’ best victories have come against BYU and Texas Tech, which were seeded No. 8 and No. 10 in this tournament; Tech has beaten North Carolina and Memphis, a No. 1 and a No. 2.
If the Jackets play any defense — and there’s no reason such a premise should be iffy at this time of the year — they should win today. They have better players and just as good a coach. (Lon Kruger could do nothing with the Hawks, but he gets the most out of collegians wherever he goes.) Measuring just on talent, these Jackets are better than the ones who played for the national championship three years ago. But that team had something this team has yet to find: It had a toughness of spirit, a consistency of effort. That team would never have yielded 114 points to Wake Forest in March.
That said, this team has a rallying point that the 2003-04 Jackets didn’t, a rallying point no other team in this tournament possesses. Everyone else is playing to get to Atlanta. Win four games and Georgia Tech will be playing in its hometown.
Do the Jackets dare to dream such a sweet dream? “We’re trying to take it one game at a time,” said Crittenton, already an old pro with the clichés. “You can’t skip steps. UNLV is a great team.”
Paul Hewitt, ever the raging optimist, conceded he’d given the matter some thought, even if he hadn’t discussed it with his players. “Every time you’d drive by the Georgia Dome, you’d think, ‘Boy, that’s a natural possibility,’ ” Hewitt said. “But now that we’re in the tournament, it’s the furthest thing from our mind.”
It’s the furthest thing right now, but if the Jackets beat UNLV and should topple Wisconsin on Sunday, the scenario will seem somewhat more tangible. Win twice this weekend and Georgia Tech will be, figuratively and literally, halfway home.
Permalink | Comments (40) | Post your comment | Categories: Final Four, Mark Bradley, Tech / ACC
Comments
By Glenn 71
March 15, 2007 8:14 PM | Link to this
No, win 2 this weekend and Tech is one-third of the way home. “Home” in this case is not getting back to Atlanta, it is winning it all. Losing gets Tech back to Atlanta also.
Win or lose, they’re still “my guys” because they wear White and Gold.
By TechRox
March 15, 2007 9:01 PM | Link to this
C’mon guys…..fight the good fight and things will fall into place. Try to play streetball and you will be out on the street. Play like you did gainst UNC and BC and the Dome is yours! Go Jackets.
By EC
March 15, 2007 10:15 PM | Link to this
www.elijahchristian.com
By wes
March 15, 2007 10:51 PM | Link to this
We’re gonna win.
By Orlando Rivera
March 16, 2007 12:40 AM | Link to this
GT will win, but that’s for another day! The best part about this tournament…MY ALMA MATER VCU BEAT DUKE! Sorry just had to get that out of my system.
Back to Tech, if they can play their up tempo style of ball then they should take out UNLV.
By Keno
March 16, 2007 12:55 AM | Link to this
Did anyone notice that Mark Bradley picked VCU as a mid-major good enough to make a run in the tournament.They really impressed me with their game against Duke. Now if Tech can play with that intensity and fearlessness, I’m afraid to say it, they might win the first two games (taking it two at a time)
By David Duncan
March 16, 2007 1:45 AM | Link to this
Ga Tech is doomed to a first round loss to UNLV by 30 points.Tech looked so bad against Wake Forest, giving up 114 points, to the worst team in the ACC. How could any venter see this any other way. Tech is mediocre and should not be in the tournament. Just remember! I told you so.
By dooley
March 16, 2007 3:19 AM | Link to this
Mark, love your stuff but you forgot UNLV winning at Nevada. that’s a pretty good win.
By Bill Baker
March 16, 2007 4:59 AM | Link to this
GREAT WRITE UP. IT IS EXCITING TO THINK ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN. BEAT UNLV AND WISCONSIN; WHY NOT WIN THE WHOLE TOURNAMENT?
By Najeh Davenpoop
March 16, 2007 6:13 AM | Link to this
Um… let’s beat UNLV before we start dreaming about Wisconsin, let alone the Final Four, shall we? GT has won three games outside of the Thrillerdome this year (one was in the Georgia Dome). Let’s hope they can make it four before we look too far down the road. They certainly have the talent and the heart, but you gotta admit that their away-from-home record this year has been pretty abysmal. If Thaddeus Young or Anthony Morrow can step up and take the pressure to score off Crittenton, this team has a good chance to win. Go Jackets!
By 2D
March 16, 2007 8:59 AM | Link to this
Najeh… Actually it is 4 (@ FSU, Purdue/Memphis in Maui, UCONN in the dome). Still not stellar.
By JustMe
March 16, 2007 9:03 AM | Link to this
I think that the Duke loss will help motivate Tech. Our players need to realize that all teams in the NCAA are good teams and can beat you on any given night. This means that our players must give 100% at all times.
That being said, I do feel good about Tech winning today…
By GTJAMMIN
March 16, 2007 9:06 AM | Link to this
The Jackets are going to roll to the next round. This team is deeper and has more talent than the 2004 team. The quetsion still remains…….Can we win on the raod? GO JACKETS!
By the way, where is UGA?
Sorry DAWGS! NOT THIS YEAR!
By stinGTime
March 16, 2007 9:11 AM | Link to this
note to NBA dreamers…If one/done, forget quick $$$. So, to impress, play in Atlanta again this season!
A catch 22 for fans.
By Justin
March 16, 2007 9:19 AM | Link to this
Say what you want about the DAWGS but we still beat Wake and ya’ll choked just like the football and baseball teams!
By Rutuger
March 16, 2007 9:20 AM | Link to this
A 10 v 7 game (ours) at noon, and a 14 v 3 at 3pm? That line of logic ranks up there with ESPN opting to show Missouri v some other crappy team while relegating the ACC tourney games to “ESPN Full Court”. What gives?? GO JACKETS
By David Dumbcan
March 16, 2007 9:30 AM | Link to this
David Duncan- how much you want to put on the runnin rebels with that absurd line of 30?? And your comment about Wake goes in the trash can along with all of the other people who didn’t actually watch the Wake-Tech ACC tournament game. Anybody who knows anything about basketball and actually watched the game knows that any ACC team would have lost to Wake that night. Theres not much you can do when a team is shooting lights out from behind the arc. So go shove your stuffed bulldog up your a*.
By Jim Conner
March 16, 2007 9:38 AM | Link to this
Sorry, Mark, you are so hot and cold on this team that you lose your perspetive. A few weeks ago you were ready to run Hewitt out of town, now he is a the second coming of coach K. This is the team that was going to cut down the nets in Tampa and make a hugh statement….they made a statement allright Wake 114 Tech 112. Wasn’t Wake the last place team in the ACC? Give me a break!
By Runnin' Rebel
March 16, 2007 9:49 AM | Link to this
This should be a good one. UNLV has run the gauntlet against some decent teams, but still haven’t matched up against the potential that the young Georgia Tech team will show them.
If Ga. Tech plays a sound game with few turnovers, it’s a good, close game, but like last week, when you let the Rebs run on you, that close game or deficit can quickly fade away. In the BYU game, we were down by 13 with 4:25 left and went on a 21-2 run and won.
I say this…winner of this game gets to the Sweet 16. Wisconsin is the worst #2 in the tourney,,,
By David Enlow
March 16, 2007 9:57 AM | Link to this
Hats off to GT for getting to the Big Dance. Now…which team will show up? The one that beats Regional # 1 seed NC or the one that loses to Wake and other mediocre programs? Tech has the talent and depth to actually win the NCAA tounrney, but they still need more defensive consistency AND fewer turnovers!! If Tech keeps its TO’s to under 20 each game, then I’ll step out on a limb and predict them to take out the Gators and make it to the Final Four.
By Terry
March 16, 2007 10:06 AM | Link to this
We all know that it depends on which team shows up. They started off with a bang against Memphis but looked like they had already left the building when they played UCLA. And the season went much the same.
If they show up, they can play with anyone. If they don’t, they can get beat by anyone.
Defense seems to be the key for these guys. When they play tough “get in your face defense”, the result is more points. When they sit on their heels, they seem to get in a half court game and appear to be lost on both ends of the court.
I’m pulling for the good team to show up today!
By CRB
March 16, 2007 10:21 AM | Link to this
Handle this one just like we did in 2004…Survive & Advance…one game at a time.
By ben
March 16, 2007 10:40 AM | Link to this
As usual, you’re bringing up our game with Wisconsin when we haven’t gotten past UNLV yet. You were all talking about us and UNC in the finals of the ACC tourney. Let’s try taking them one at a time. This team isn’t good enough to look past anyone.
By D Ellis
March 16, 2007 10:57 AM | Link to this
UNLV is alot better team than anyone is giving them credit for. It’s going to be a great game…young athletic Tech..versus run “n” gun UNLV team who has a grat coach themselves. Don’t get ahead and start thinking about the dome….Waht makes anyone think about the Final Four when you haven’t even tipped the opener yet??
By INcredibility
March 16, 2007 10:58 AM | Link to this
“This is the team that was going to cut down the nets in Tampa and make a hugh statement….they made a statement allright Wake 114 Tech 112.”
Who is hugh?
And, this is absolutely correct: “We all know that it depends on which team shows up.” It does. I am hoping and praying that it’s our good, solid, fired up team, and not our sloppy & lackluster team that shows up. Go Jackets!
By maurice
March 16, 2007 11:04 AM | Link to this
UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS IS GOING TO WIN!!!!!
By hawks r cursed for trading nique
March 16, 2007 11:05 AM | Link to this
David Duncan: man what are you smoking?? tech dosent belong here?? 8 wins against the top 50?? face it man your probably another disgruntled UGA fan. Tech will win today and wisconsin will be a good matchup. Young must take good shots and we must limit our turnovers…and all else will fall in place! Go Tech!!!
By final four
March 16, 2007 11:14 AM | Link to this
First - Wake was 11th in the ACC and Miami was 12th (last) - each of them won their 1st round games in the ACC Tourney.
Second - Wake was on a roll coming off a huge win the weekend before and was shooting 3 pointers like they were layups. Tough to defend a guy shooting from 5 feet beyond the arc.
Third - If this GT team wants to win they MUST defend like they did when they made a run to the Final Four which is also how they defended in their wins over UNC and BC at the end of the year.
Finally - GO JACKETS can’t wait to see you play with some urgency today!
By Ramble ON!
March 16, 2007 11:16 AM | Link to this
Got to give props to Mr. Bradley for picking the VCU upset…didn’t think it could happen. I just hope he’s not right about UF.
By final four
March 16, 2007 11:20 AM | Link to this
D Ellis - it is a lot easier to think about the Final Four before you tip off b/c you are still in the tournament - that is what hopes and dreams are about. It is a lot harder to think about the Final Four if you don’t make the tourney or after you lose. Just an observation
By randy
March 16, 2007 11:27 AM | Link to this
tech falls big to unlv!
By curtrob
March 16, 2007 11:28 AM | Link to this
why do people keep bringing up the wake game. we lost, the committee knows we lost that game and we still made the tournament. i wish we would have won that game just like any other but we didnt, and by the way Wake won more than the two games when they beat tech. they did win a few games, and they did compete but lets not act as though we lost to a division III school or something. they are D-I and in the ACC.
anyway this game scares me, because we are not familiar with UNLV, but they are not familiar with us either so i say that makes us even. on paper some would say we are the better all-around team with more talent. but you dont play or win games on paper. i expect us to play hard and on defensively really cause havoc, but if UNLV shoots the 3 as well as some say then, we are going to have to force turnovers and play the best perimeter defense we’ve played all year. i am nervous and anxious at the same time. i know Paul Hewitt will get this young team prepared, and i hope we dont see these guys in Atlanta any time soon..
GO JACKETS
By D Ellis
March 16, 2007 11:30 AM | Link to this
Good point Final Four…agree with you there…but should probably not be dreaming of Atlanta…and only thinking about UNLV…they aren’t 28-6 for nothing..but I agree with you for sure.
By Mark Bradley
March 16, 2007 11:33 AM | Link to this
I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that a lot of folks in the media picked VCU over Duke. I also picked a bunch of other upsets yesterday, none of which occurred. And as far as trying to run Hewitt out of town … I submit that criticizing a coach isn’t nearly the same thing as wanting to get him fired. (I’ve never once thought or written that Hewitt needs to go. You could look it up.) But I was disappointed with the way Tech had played headed to February, and you know what? I’m pretty sure Tech was disappointed as well.
By gdawginkalamazoo
March 16, 2007 11:39 AM | Link to this
Good Luck Bees!
By Braves20
March 16, 2007 12:58 PM | Link to this
Mark - Good call on VCU. Duke was one of those teams that really had a tougher first round game than they would had in the second. Pitt is a very soft team and the very aggressive (to put it nicely) VCU players should have their way with Pitt.
By scooter11
March 16, 2007 2:58 PM | Link to this
Seized their throats instead of the opportunity.
By lawa888
March 16, 2007 4:37 PM | Link to this
Well techsters, your dream is now a nightmare. The Runnin’ Rebels did you in. David Duncan said they would. But no…. you wouldn’t listen.
By Michael
March 16, 2007 5:07 PM | Link to this
This article is even funnier now that the Techies got beat. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By gjj
March 16, 2007 6:12 PM | Link to this
Goodbye Tech……another overrated ACC team.