Tech aims for key road win at Clemson

By Carroll Rogers

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Given Georgia Tech's 1-6 road record in the ACC, it would seem the Yellow Jackets would be happy to be just about anywhere besides Littlejohn Coliseum Tuesday night playing Clemson. Or so you'd think.

But think again. This is the last chance the Yellow Jackets can do anything about that eye-sore of a road record and make an impression on the NCAA tournament selection committee.

"This is going to be huge," Tech forward Gani Lawal said. "We're fighting to get into the top four of the ACC, fighting to get into the (NCAA) tournament and so is Clemson."

The Yellow Jackets (19-9, 7-7) are in seventh place in the ACC but still, amazingly, within a game of third place. Depending on what happens over this last week, they could finish anywhere from third to eighth in the ACC.

If Tech can beat Clemson and then beat Virginia Tech at home Saturday to close out the regular season, the Yellow Jackets still have a shot at one of the top four seeds in the ACC tournament and a bye in the first round.

Duke and Maryland are safely in the top two spots but the four teams behind them are tied at 8-6. If Tech ends up in a tie at 9-7 for third or fourth place, the Yellow Jackets would take the tiebreaker against three out of four of those teams ahead of them in third place (Virginia Tech, Clemson, and Wake Forest).

Florida State is the only of those four teams tied for third that would have an advantage over Tech in a tiebreaker after sweeping the Yellow Jackets.

"I feel sorry for the poor guys who've got to work out the tiebreaker if all those teams end up 9-7," Tech coach Paul Hewitt said.

He laughed, but he certainly wouldn't mind it.

Tech has beaten only North Carolina on the road in the conference this season but came painfully close in their last road game at Maryland before losing on a Cliff Tucker three-pointer at the buzzer. Tech lost at Miami in the final seconds as well on James Dews' baseline jumper.

"We've been close," Hewitt said. "It's not like ‘How are we going to do this?' "

It won't come easy against a surging Tigers team, which has won four of its last five games and is 6-1 at Littlejohn this season in ACC play.

Clemson lost to Tech in Atlanta on Jan. 19 on a pair of Zachery Peacock free throws with 3.2 seconds left, but the Tigers have won their last four games at home against Tech.

"I remember Terrence Oglesby last year. I don't think I've ever heard a crowd get so excited, as whenever he got an open look or when (Trevor) Booker got a dunk," said Tech point guard Iman Shumpert. "They press the whole game, the crowd gets loud and the court gets really small. We've got to get out there and be aggressive right away."

Oglesby left Clemson after his sophomore year to play professionally in Europe, but Tuesday is senior night for Booker, which means that much more cause for emotion from the Clemson fans.

Still, Shumpert doesn't think that should matter.

"There's no excuse for not getting over the hump," said Shumpert, who is coming off a 24-point game against Boston College Saturday. "We've got to get over it."