Marcus Georges-Hunt, Charles Mitchell and Adam Smith combined to score 56 points and Mitchell also had 18 rebounds to lead Georgia Tech past Arkansas 83-73 in the NIT Season Tip-Off at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Thursday afternoon.
In the second semifinal, 11th-ranked Villanova (5-0) defeated Stanford (2-3) 59-45 and will play Tech at 3 p.m. Friday. Stanford plays Arkansas for third place at 12:30 p.m. Friday. Tech is 4-1 against Arkansas, and had not played the Razorbacks since the 1984 Rainbow Classic, a 72-52 Yellow Jackets win. Georgia Tech is 4-1; Arkansas fell to 2-2.
Four observations from the victory:
1. Long-range shooter: A year ago, Tech was the gang that couldn't shoot straight. But the transfer Smith, who led the ACC in 3-point shooting a year ago at Virginia Tech, has changed the dynamics as a transfer. He made 5 of 7 in his 19-point barrage Thursday. Georges-Hunt made 3 for 5 beyond the arc.
2. Domination in the paint: Mitchell's 18 points and 18 rebounds, 11 on defense, were two off a career-best in scoring and one off a career-best in rebounding. He has 17 double-doubles in his career, 12 since transferring from Maryland, and has done it in all five games this season. The Jackets out-rebounded Arkansas 50-26.
“Chuck has always been a great offensive rebounder because he just goes,” coach Brian Gregory said. “He has not been a great defensive rebounder because it’s a different dynamic. He should have had 20 rebounds. … He’s bought in to me really having high standards.”
Razorbacks coach Mike Anderson is a believer: “They took advantage of us. I thought our lack of physicality was very evident.”
3. Looking toward March: These Jackets are positioned to be Gregory's best team at Tech and got back on track with the victory after losing in a 69-68 home setback Sunday against visiting East Tennessee State. The non-conference victory against Arkansas may not look like much now, but once the basketball committee that selects the NCAA field in March digs into results to help eliminate teams from postseason consideration, victories they own at this time of the season against SEC squads such as Tennessee and Arkansas can help immensely.
4. Finishers: The mission for Gregory and these Jackets will be learning to close teams out, something they struggled to accomplish a season ago. They dominated the Razorbacks for stretches, building double-digit leads in both halves only to see Arkansas rally.
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