Undermanned Yellow Jackets routed by UNC
Georgia Tech’s season of unrelenting agony received one more ignominious blow.
In their final regular-season game, the Yellow Jackets lost forward Marcus Georges-Hunt, their leading scorer and unquestioned leader, about three minutes into the game with a foot injury and proceeded to unravel, the night ending in an 81-49 defeat to No. 19 North Carolina on Tuesday night at McCamish Pavilion.
Among the few graces portioned the Jackets on this night was that they didn’t lose another last-minute game. The 32-point margin of defeat tied for the largest in coach Brian Gregory’s four-year tenure.
Tech (12-18, 3-15 ACC) already was without Georges-Hunt’s backup at small forward, Quinton Stephens, who was held out with an abdominal strain suffered in the loss to Clemson on Saturday.
Georges-Hunt’s injury “kind of threw us out of sorts a little bit,” Gregory said. “We had guys playing different positions than they’ve really ever played before, some guys who haven’t played much having to play.”
Georges-Hunt suffered a right-foot injury running upcourt. After going down to the court, he got up and hobbled straight to the bench, where he applied an ice bag before he was fitted with a walking boot. Gregory was uncertain of his availability for the ACC tournament, which begins next Tuesday in Greensboro, N.C., but said he will be X-rayed Wednesday.
“You hope for the best, but my experience tells me, in situations like that, it didn’t look good,” he said. “He didn’t get hit, didn’t step on anybody, and unfortunately, sometimes those are the worst.”
Gregory likewise wasn’t sure about Stephens’ availability. After missing two days of practice with a virus, Tech guard Josh Heath also struggled through 14 minutes.
The injuries and North Carolina’s up-tempo pace forced Gregory into some lineup fixes on the fly. He tried forward Robert Sampson, who has played at power forward all season, at Georges-Hunt’s small forward spot. Sampson and fellow big men Demarco Cox and Charles Mitchell played together on the court for the first time all season, Sampson and Cox said.
Also without suspended guard Chris Bolden, Gregory gave minutes to walk-on guard Brooks Doyle and little-used freshman Abdoulaye Gueye.
Against swift and talented North Carolina (21-9, 11-6), the results were not unpredictable. The Jackets turned the ball over 11 times in the first half, at one point giving the Tar Heels the ball on five consecutive possessions. UNC cashed the 11 turnovers in for 21 points. The Tar Heels jetted away from Tech with an 11-0 run to take a 27-11 lead with 7:31 left in the half, surging on a diet of Tech turnovers and their own barrage of 3-pointers. The outcome was never in doubt after that.
“I just think a huge part of the game was the injuries and how short it left Brian’s club,” North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. “Those guys have been so competitive all year. I think they ran out of gas.”
It may have been the final home game for Gregory, whose job security is in question after four seasons and a record of 55-70, including a conference record of 19-51. As he left the court, he stopped to shake hands with school president G.P. “Bud” Peterson and share a hug with Peterson’s wife Val.
Despite significant difference in depth and talent, the Jackets refused to yield. At one point in the second half, they tried to mount a comeback against the mighty Tar Heels with a lineup that included four freshmen — center Ben Lammers, guards Tadric Jackson and Travis Jorgenson and Gueye — and Doyle, the walk-on. In the second half, Tech fought for 13 offensive rebounds and played the Tar Heels even for about the first 14 minutes before giving way.
“You can say a lot of different things, but you can never question (the effort) with these guys,” Gregory said. “You can’t question their fight.”
About the Author
Ken Sugiura is a sports columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Formerly the Georgia Tech beat reporter, Sugiura started at the AJC in 1998 and has covered a variety of beats, mostly within sports.
