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Thursday, March 13, 2008
A season on the line
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For some, this may go without saying, but Georgia Tech’s season is almost certainly on the line tonight against Duke.
The NIT is not likely to take Tech (15-16), perhaps even if the Jackets get their record to .500, which would take getting all the way to the finals of the ACC tournament. Of course, if the Jackets did that and won, they’d go to the NCAAs. If they got there and lost, they’d be 17-17 and still not a lock to make the NIT.
The Jackets, I’m told, are virtually certain not to accept an invitation from the new College Basketball Invitational (CBI) if one comes, and in fact no ACC team may accept a bid from the CBI. That’s not official, as league spokesman Brian Morrison told me the subject has not come up in league offices, yet there’s scuttlebutt that no ACC team will go.
While the NIT does not require teams to have a .500 or better record, at least not in writing, some ACC insiders think it highly unlikely the NIT will take any ACC teams at or below .500.
If Tech beats Duke and loses in the semis, the Jackets would be 16-17.
With 32 teams going to the NIT, tournament officials are less likely to take the Jackets than pro-.500 ACC teams like Florida State (19-13 pending a game with UNC), Virginia Tech (18-12 pending a game against Miami), even struggling Maryland (18-14). Wake Forest is 17-13, and less attractive, especially since Tech beat the Deacs twice, but tourney officials might covet the team for something approaching a unique appeal as it is in the first season after the death of Skip Prosser
In sum, Tech’s next loss will almost certainly end the season no matter when it comes — unless multiple other teams turn down NIT bids (which happens).
Moving on …
I’ve been around this basketball team for three or four months, but if anybody out there can tell me where the %$#@ these guys were hiding for some of that time, I’ll be in your debt.
Look, Virginia’s not Memphis, or Kansas, or UNC.
But the Cavs have played better lately, and didn’t play poorly Thursday — until they started to wear out. And they did, same as in Tech’s win in Charlottesville.
The Jackets’ pressure, particularly on Singletary, and pace, pace, pace were eventually more than Virginia could cope with and sustain.
When this team moves the ball like that, and of late in wins over Clemson and Boston College, the results bear little resemblance to the team of February.
In the past five games, the Jackets have rung up 18, 17, 16, 17 and 22 assists.
In the past three, they’ve shot 26 of 50 (against a pretty good defensive team in Clemson), 30 of 53 and then 33 of 57 tonight. Combined, that’s 89 of 160 (55.6 percent). That’s fairly smoking.
Lewis Clinch isn’t exactly lighting it up, but he’s clearly not playing in that funk any more.
Morrow’s stroking, Jeremis Smith is playing out of his mind, Moe Miller is growing up big-time (four 3 pointers, including the biggest shot of the game — his 3-pointer with 14:09 left when Virginia had taken a 56-51 lead with a 10-2 run to start the second half, when the Jackets looked for a bit like the ones with heavy legs).
Gani Lawal has become less productive (scoring 26 points in the past four games, grabbing just five rebounds in that span after scoring two and not grabbing a rebound Thursday night). Gani’s only basket came very early in the second half, when Bell whipped a pass inside and it skipped off Lawal’s hands, went up, and fell in the basket (the type of play, by the way, that has almost never gone the Jackets’ way this season). He scored without shooting!
Good thing Zack Peacock (14 points, two assists, two rebounds) and Alade Aminu (11 points on four of four shooting, five rebounds and three blocks) are stepping up.
I’m not saying this team is going to beat Duke.
But it’s far from a foregone conclusion.
Anybody out there still willing to put up the argument that Tech lacks sufficient talent to compete?
Uh, no. Again, not saying these guys are world-beaters, but recent evidence suggests that the coaching staff took too long to mesh pieces, that the pieces are there to be a lot better than 15-16.
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Football alums — where they are now
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There were more alumni watching Georgia Tech’s football pro day on Thursday than there were seniors participating in it.
Here are updates on some who were there:
—Calvin Johnson: Heading into his second season with the Detroit Lions.
—Reggie Ball: Also with the Lions, he will be in workouts in Detroit next week. He’s expecting to earn a Tech degree in the spring or summer of 2009.
—Damarius Bilbo: Played quarterback in Thursday’s workouts and showed off a strong arm. If anything, his accuracy might have been better since the last time I saw him throw, when he was a Yellow Jacket. The Cowboys moved him to safety before releasing him last fall. “I’m trying to show people I’m a quarterback and a receiver,” Bilbo said. “I don’t care if it’s Canadian [Football League], AFL, I just want to play quarterback.” Bilbo also flashed the sense of humor that endeared him to so many people at Tech. Johnson, who brought a football to the workout, was looking for it with the intensity of a man who’d lost his wallet. “How much does an NFL ball cost, $90?” Bilbo asked the man who signed a six-year contract with more than $27 million guaranteed. “You can buy 1 billion, 2 million.”
—Mansfield Wrotto: That switch to offensive line for his senior season paid off with a fourth-round selection by the Seattle Seahawks, who moved him from tackle to guard. He didn’t play in 2007 but did stay on the team. “I’ve proven I could be a solid backup, which was my goal,” Wrotto said. “Now, I want to prove I can compete for a position.”
—Dennis Davis: He was set to play cornerback in the new All-American Football League, but the league on Thursday announced it has postponed its inaugural season until 2009. “I’m in shape ready to go where I need to go,” Davis said, and he looked as ready as he sounded.
—George Cooper: He has re-signed with the Atlanta Falcons. He’s still close to Michael Matthews, who competed with him for the starting tight end spot at Tech and went on to play for the New York Giants. “I talk to him every day,” Cooper said.
—Joe Anoai: A free agent, he is looking to get a chance with the right team. “It would be nice to be in a 4-3,” Anoai said.
—Eric Henderson: The 2006 free agent signee is still with the Cincinnati Bengals and eager to play after missing the 2007 season with a wrist injury.
—Curtis Modkins: The former Tech running backs coach took some ribbing from players on Thursday for showing up in red, that UGA color, but Modkins just laughed it off. He was dressed from shoes to cap in Kansas City Chiefs attire and said it’s easy to get over the color scheme when he looks at the numbers on his paycheck.
By the way, I told Adamm Oliver I would help spread the word about his Web site, on which current and former Tech football players have appeared to answer questions and share news and views. www.meethemachine.com is well worth a visit.
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Tech travels one day later
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hey, Mike is going to have a football blog today, and I’ll have something after tonight’s ACC tournament game.
Quickly, Tech coach Paul Hewitt decided a few days ago that since the Jackets don’t play until 7 p.m. (rather than noon, which looked possible until last week) to travel to Charlotte Wednesday rather than late Tuesday.
A couple primary reasons beyond the obvious, which is they play later:
— This allows student-athletes to stay on campus that much longer, and some apparently have some substantial tests to take. I know Anthony Morrow had a big one yesterday before leaving.
— Hewitt wanted to make this as much like a regular road trip (always depart the day before game, not two). Last year, the Jackets practiced in Tampa (site of last year’s tournament) very hard the day before a night game against Wake Forest, and lost in double overtime.
The net result meant that the Jackets were not in Charlotte for the open practice, meaning some fans who thought they might get to watch did not.
Until tonight …
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