There would be no comeback Thursday night.
Up against fourth-ranked and No. 2 seed Virginia, the Yellow Jackets’ strong finishing run at the end of the regular season and into the ACC tournament met its end. The Cavaliers’ savvy and ruthless crew ushered the No. 10 seed Jackets out at the quarterfinal round with a 72-52 decision at the Verizon Center.
Tech, which gained momentum and confidence with come-from-behind wins over Notre Dame, Clemson, Pittsburgh and Clemson again on Wednesday in the second round, was unable to play consistently enough on either end of the floor to mount a charge against the Cavaliers. Virginia took advantage of Tech mistakes and picked the Jackets apart on offense, building a two-point halftime lead throughout the final 20 minutes.
One night after coming back from 18 points down with 8:30 to play in regulation to beat Clemson in overtime, Tech (19-14) hampered any comeback attempt by turning the ball over on seven of its 28 possessions in the second half and repeatedly failing to secure the defensive glass. The Cavaliers scored 21 of their 42 second-half points off of turnovers or on shots extended by offensive rebounds. The 20-point margin was the most decisive loss of Tech’s season.
Playing in front of a virtual home crowd and energized by nearly a week’s rest, Virginia (25-6) more than redeemed itself for its 68-64 defeat to Tech at McCamish Pavilion in January. Greater Atlanta Christian High grad Malcolm Brogdon, the first player in ACC history to be named its player of the year and defensive player of the year, poured in a game-high 26 points on 10-for-15 shooting.
Tech was led in scoring by guard Adam Smith, who had 16 points on 6-for-14 shooting from the field. Guard Marcus Georges-Hunt, who suffered a lower-back contusion early in the second half but returned, scored seven points on 1-for-8 shooting, often challenged by Brogdon.
The Jackets will now return home and likely receive an at-large bid to the NIT on Sunday. It would be Tech’s first postseason appearance since 2010.
Athletic director Mike Bobinski will have a decision to make on coach Brian Gregory’s future. Indications going into the tournament were that he had yet to determine whether or not to retain Gregory for a sixth season.
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