AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2009 > January > 10 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USHighs (67-62) and Lows (68-61) This Week
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Jackets were on the road today in an ACC match against Maryland and led from the 14:57 mark in first half until midway through the second half before losing a 10 point lead in the course of just a bit over two minutes. The game remained nip and tuck until the last minute when fouls and free throws resulted in the final 68-61 margin of victory for the Terps.
The game ultimately turned on a turnover differential of 28 to 13 and a poor 57% free throw shooting.
I guess the old “its tough to win on the road in the ACC” rule applies here. Still…the Jackets have let games against Virginia and Maryland slip through their grasp now and the odds of making things up against the likes of Duke, North Carolina, or the tougher ACC teams is slim.
For now Tech fans will have to look back fondly on the 67-62 win over the UGA hoops team earlier in the week. I was fortunate enough to attend that game as the guest of a UGA acquaintance and his daughter and son-in-law.
The first half of the UGA game was about the ugliest basketball I’ve ever witnessed in person. Some of that might be attributed to the fact that I’d had my eyes dilated earlier in the day and was wearing an old backup pair of glasses. I could make out the white jersies and the red jersies but that was about it. Maybe that was a blessing in disguise though, since the Tech team played extremely soft and extremely poorly.
The fans for both teams seemed quiet and content to sit quietly by while the two teams thrashed about in futility. For a rivalry game (even on a week night) the crowd was pitiful. I would wager that AMC was only about 80-90% full and that there were less than 100 UGA fans in attendence.
By the time the second half began, my eyes had adjusted. Unfortunately, the mutts quickly pushed a 10 point lead to 13 points and the Tech fans began to get restless.
After about five minutes of UGA domination in the second half, Paul Hewitt decided to have his team press and things began to change quickly. The Jackets began to make a run and cut into the UGA lead. The only problem was the quick rate at which Tech was picking up fouls. I know at one point I looked up at the score board and the Jackets had 18 fouls on the court…three guys with four fouls and two guys with three fouls.
Amazingly, the Jackets avoided fouling anyone out and tied the game up around the seven minute mark. This got the crowd back into the game and things went back and forth until the 1:22 mark when Peacock hit a layup that gave Tech a two point lead that swelled to five by the end of the game.
So now Paul Hewitt finds himself in a strange sort of limbo…0-2 in the ACC but supported by the recent win over UGA.
Duke, NC State, Boston College, Clemson, and Wake Forest make up the next five games. An 0-7 ACC start would overshadow the win over UGA and the coaching chairs in AMC would heat up again very quickly.
Duke is ranked #2, Wake is #4, Clemson is #11, and Boston College is #24.
Even the NC State game is on the road.
Talk about a long row to hoe…Coach Hewitt has his work cut out for him…
Go Jackets!
THWG…45-42, 67-62!
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Comments
By AlabamaRamblinwreck
January 10, 2009 11:34 PM | Link to this
Unbelievable how weak this team is! Not because the talent is weak, but they do not play smart or fundamentally sound. I once again state that this has to be placed directly on CPH’s shoulders.
It is very disppointing to see a team underachieve like this over and over.
Go Jackets!
By MiamiRamblinwreck
January 11, 2009 12:23 AM | Link to this
Never thought I would be apathetic about our basketball program. Don’t look forward to watching anymore. It is heart-wrenching to see a team that is so undisciplined take the court year after year. Agree with Bama, no smart or sound fundamentals in evidence. It’s a shame. Used to look forward to the start of the Ga Tech basketball season. No more.
By ????
January 11, 2009 1:27 AM | Link to this
Bobby Cremisn did more with mediocre talent at the end than PH with these talented kids!!
Go Jackets!!
By TDone
January 11, 2009 6:41 AM | Link to this
Since I live in the DC area, I attended yesterday’s game. It’s shocking to see a team with this much talent, look like it has never practiced the simple fundamentals of basketball:
Free Throw Shooting.
Getting the ball inbounds.
Passing.
Maryland is not a good ball club and neither is UVA. Hewitt got more out of his previouis teams with less talent.
By tom
January 11, 2009 9:25 AM | Link to this
Will the jackets have special rings made up to commemorate the win over Georgia?
By Jacketman
January 11, 2009 9:51 AM | Link to this
The reason our talented athletes are not being productive is simple. They have not been coached to produce as a team. All good/great coaches develop great team play. Coach Hewitt’s team does not seem to be able to do this very well. That is a coaching issue.
Furthermore our talented athletes cannot shoot free throws. That is a coaching issue.
Getting more talented athletes and playing street ball with better athletes is not the answer. Finding better coaching is the answer.
By yellowblood
January 11, 2009 12:20 PM | Link to this
The Tickle Pile after we beat the scumbags was wonderful but last night there were only a few that showed up. Get rid of Hewatt so that we can have better Tickle Piles.
By gt4ever
January 11, 2009 4:55 PM | Link to this
When does football start again??? I hope we see better recruiting for our football Jackets. It looks kind of dismal. Gailey had the last good recruiting class, since then it’s been all down hill. I hope that’s not a sign of the times to come.
By NOVAJacket
January 11, 2009 6:40 PM | Link to this
We are having a fine recruiting season so far with a couple of targets that could make it almost as good as 2007.
By jabster
January 12, 2009 12:25 AM | Link to this
gt4ever:
Troll much?
By gt4ever
January 12, 2009 7:25 AM | Link to this
NovaJacket, Please explain how you feel that this class could be as good as 2007 class. I don’t buy in to all the stars, but on an average GT is not on many of the elite athletes minds. The bottom line is this, if CPJ can’t recruit then we have NO chance of doing any better than Chan Gailey. Just looking at CPJ commitments to date does not fare well for the GT football program.
Jabster, No.
By Too Easy
January 12, 2009 9:50 AM | Link to this
Please don’t go look at the final Sagarin ratings. You know Sagarin - the rating system into which you acc/jackettes fans put so much stock. acc is no longer #1 (or #2 for that matter). gt is 36th - 8th best in the acc, and behind clemmons and miami. acc’s champion and Orange Bowl winner is not even the highest ranked acc team, but they are only one behind #17 fsu - the highest ranked acc team.
And stay away from the final AP and USA Today polls, too. gt barely stayed in the top 25, and came in as the 6th best 9-4 team in the land. Dread the final BCS poll.
But this is b’ball season, and things are so much better for gt. Who cares about football now? Except for that decade-making program-highlight win over the Dawgs. Less than a year left to savor it. Then there’s 38-3.
By Rob
January 12, 2009 10:03 AM | Link to this
Unfortunately Hewitt is under contract thru the 2010—2011 season at over a million a year. I don’t know if we have the money to get rid of him early but it seems he has lost almost all of his support among the fan base and if attendance and interest continue to decline DRAD will be forced to take action.
By TonyToniTone
January 12, 2009 10:16 AM | Link to this
Too Easy, And then there’s that whole 45-42 thing as well. You should stay away from what happened when Tech beat UGa head to head. At the end of the day, that’s what matters, right?
By Too Easy
January 12, 2009 10:27 AM | Link to this
T3: Truly embarrassed about that 45-42 thing - particularly in light of that 38-3 thing that followed that 52-38 thing where our offense actually scored on them (and against gt’s ‘great’ defense as well). Clearly our defense was deficient in both. It mattered this past year. Enjoy it while you can.
By fred
January 12, 2009 3:00 PM | Link to this
DRad will correct the bb mess.
—-a MESS it is.
But, a simple “fix”.
Has been this way for 4-6 years.
By reggie ball
January 12, 2009 7:41 PM | Link to this
too easy, there is really only one stat that matters. 45 - 42. and I didn’t even need to ask Jeff Sagrin about that one.
It is so nice to see the dog fans needing to live vicariously through other teams when it comes to beating GT.
now that football, basketball (men & women) have been settled best of luck in the spring…..LOSERS!
By BLAZER
January 13, 2009 1:17 PM | Link to this
GEEZ THE MEN AND WOMENS BASKETBALL TEAMS
COULD HAVE RINGS TOO IF IT MEANS THEY BEAT
THOSE PEOPLE WHY NOT??
By austen
January 14, 2009 6:45 PM | Link to this
Mark Price as the next GT head basketball coach
By gt4ever
January 23, 2009 8:28 PM | Link to this
Hey can we get some love for the only GT team that plays basketball! Forget the men’s team, the real basketball is being played by the women of GT. Congrats ladies!