Iman Shumpert is trying to become the seventh player in ACC history to lead his team in scoring, rebounding and assists.
He has averaged 17.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists this season as Georgia Tech prepares to host Virginia on Wednesday. But is the Yellow Jackets' need for him to do everything for them to have a chance to win taking its toll on the point guard?
Though Shumpert, a junior, hasn't made a 3-pointer in the past two games, and the players he was assigned to cover in his past two ACC games combined to score 61 points, neither Shumpert, his teammates nor his coach see any signs of him slowing down.
"I'm just going to go out there and continue to play hard," Shumpert said. "I don't feel any pressure."
Shumpert said Tech coaches have stressed that he stay aggressive, which is something he learned in high school. The more things he could do there meant more time spent on the court.
He'll have to continue to try to fill the stat sheet after the news Tuesday that Brian Oliver, who has missed the past four games, likely won't return until March 4, according to coach Paul Hewitt. Oliver, a sophomore, suffered a small fracture in the base of the thumb on his non-shooting hand in a loss to Clemson on Feb. 5. He was re-examined Tuesday, and the doctors elected to leave the pins in his hand. The team is 1-3 since he went to the sideline. Oliver has averaged 10.9 points and 4.5 rebounds this season.
"It would have been great to have him back, but we were planning ahead on not having him back," Shumpert said.
They will need more solid performances from Shumpert, espcially against Virginia guard Mustapha Farrakhan, who scored 23 points in the teams' first meeting this season, a 72-64 win for the Cavaliers.
Statistically, Shumpert's defense in the past two ACC games hasn't supported his reputation as one of the conference's best stoppers.
Virginia Tech's Malcolm Delaney and Duke's Nolan Smith scored 33 and 28 points respectively. Hewitt attributed the high point totals to Tech's poor 3-point shooting, saying many of their baskets came off long rebounds, which led to layups. Plus, both of those players are really good.
"I think both of those guys are first-team [all-conference] type players," Hewitt said. "Nolan might be the player of the year. Delaney got off to a great start shooting the ball and rode it from there.
"No question that Iman, I think, is better than the numbers that those guys posted, but at the same time, I'm not sure it is all on him. I think it is more having to do with our offense as well hurting our defense in transition."
On offense, Tech will need even more from him Wednesday because the Cavs like to slow games, which means every possession must be maximized.
Shumpert is making 40.2 percent of his field goals, but only 26.2 percent of his 3-pointers. He is 0-for-7 on those in the past two games and hasn't made more than half of his attempts in a game since the win against Wake Forest.
"He's probably a little tired from the season, but Iman is a competitor," Moe Miller said. "He likes the bright lights and likes to make plays. I don't think there's too much pressure on him at all."
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