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Monday, November 20, 2006
Will rivalry fervor take a holiday?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Let’s talk turkey. Or will you be talking Georgia-Georgia Tech, instead? I imagine a lot of Thanksgiving conversations will be about the upcoming game.
Will Tech finally break through against the Bulldogs? Is this the game you care about most, or is next week’s ACC championship game a bigger deal? How will Matthew Stafford react to Georgia Tech’s pass rush? Will Calvin Johnson get 50 or more receiving yards against Georgia for the first time in his career?
It figures to be a friendly, good-natured, analytical discussion, unless of course your Thanksgiving dinner includes one or more fans of the other team. For those of you in that kind of situation, do you make Tech-Georgia talk off-limits? Do you stay on opposite sides of the room, sit as far away as possible at the dinner table, or tackle the issue head-on and vow this time not to let anyone or anything get under your skin?
I grew up in a UCLA family, had Thanksgiving with UCLA people and spent many a Thanksgiving discussing the Bruins’ prospects. But I don’t remember any USC people being invited. A good thing, too. Of course, if a Trojan had slipped through the door, I would have known exactly what to do … talk basketball.
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Many questions for Tech in Maui
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s warm in Maui, of course, and quite humid. I don’t remember it being this humid when I was here before, but maybe that’s because I came during summer, when I was on my way from real humidity.
Anyway, the Jackets should feel at home in this weather. More to the point, will they play as they did in their first three games, all at home? I’m not asking if they’ll blow people out, because that seems unlikely.
But will they move the ball around with dispatch, as they have so far, and hit the boards, which was easier against undersized opponents than it will be here?
I’ll say this: With the schedule coach Paul Hewitt has players on, he’s taking this very seriously. This is not a vacation, although anybody with knowledge of Hewitt could’ve predicted that.
I’ll have a better feel for this once I get in the gym (and yes, it’s a gym, as the Lahaina Civic Center holds about 2,500), but on my flight from L.A., and in the airport there, Purdue fans outnumbered all others. I saw several Kentucky fans, too, and one Tech fan.
That’s not a scientific study, of course, and I know there will be dozens of Tech fans, maybe more, just from talking to some folks before I left. No matter the count, it figures to be a cozy atmosphere.
It’ll also be interesting to see if/when Anthony Morrow gets his legs under him. Nobody should be surprised that he’s off to a slow start. The stress fracture that was diagnosed in his back in September kept him out of the first two-plus weeks of practice. You can tell he’s not getting off the floor quick when he goes to jump, and his shot is lagging.
He led the ACC in three-point shooting percentage last year (42.9), and so far he’s hit just two of 10. He’s hit but seven of 20 shots, and he’s a shooter. I suspect that’ll change. Wonder if the transformation will start here. If it does, and he gets back around to shooting lights out, does he return to the lineup instead of Lewis Clinch, who’s merely leading the team with a 16.7-point average?
How will Tech buck up in the face of legitimate defense, like Purdue will play, and Memphis for sure, if those two teams meet in the second round?
Questions, questions.
The answers start coming in about five hours.
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