Virginia Virginia/Georgia Tech Ga. Tech Men's College Basketball recap on ESPN

The Yellow Jackets, picked to finish near the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference, knocked off another ranked team Sunday, beating Virginia 62-56 as Tony Akins scored 19 points and freshman Halston Lane hit two key baskets.

First-year coach Paul Hewitt told his players from day one that his goal was an NCAA bid, even though Georgia Tech hasn't been to the tournament since 1996.

"That's our goal," said Akins, who also did a smothering defensive job on Virginia guard Donald Hand. "Coach told us if we don't make the tournament, we haven't accomplished anything. If we keep it up, that's where we're going to be."

The Yellow Jackets (14-8, 6-5 ACC) defeated their second ranked team in five days and fourth of the season. They are tied for third in the conference after sweeping the season series from Virginia (No. 9 ESPN/USA Today, No. 6 AP).

Georgia Tech also has victories over Kentucky and UCLA to enhance its RPI rating, but senior center Alvin Jones downplayed all the postseason talk.

"If we lose the rest of our games, we're not going to be in anything," he said. "We've still got five games left and the ACC tournament."

The Cavaliers (16-6, 5-6) again struggled on the road in league play, losing their second in a row and dropping to 1-5 for the season.

"We're definitely different on the road, for whatever reason," said Hand, who went 0-for-9 from the field and managed only two points. "We did a good job on defense. We just didn't get any shots to fall."

Before the game, Hewitt challenged his point guard to shut down Hand.

"Donald is a great player, don't get me wrong," Hewitt said. "But I told Tony, 'Play like you're better than him.' "

Akins followed his coach's instructions to the letter. Not only did he hit seven of 10 shots – making him 23 of 39 over the last three games – he set up the biggest basket of the game.

Drawing a double-team as he dribbled along the 3-point arc, Akins flipped a pass to Lane. The freshman swished a wide-open 3 with 1:14 remaining for a 58-54 lead.

"He's a shooter," Akins said. "I don't know why they left him open, but I'm glad they did."

Actually, Lane had a rough day from long range, missing his first four 3s before hitting the one that mattered most.

"I got some good looks at the basket, but my 3 wasn't quite as good as it's been in the past," he said. "I was open and I finally knocked down the shot."

Hand was blocked at the other end by Jones and Virginia was forced to foul after Akins scooped up the loose ball. He made both free throws with 58 seconds to go, sealing the victory.

"You need your point guard to have a real good game, especially on the road," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "Obviously, Donald didn't have his best game."

Lane, who scored 15 points, also made the basket that put Tech ahead for good. His 15-foot jumper after a timeout gave the Yellow Jackets a 55-54 advantage with 2:33 remaining, the eighth and final lead change of the second half.

After the teams traded turnovers, Virginia had a chance to go back in front. But Travis Watson missed a pair of free throws with 1:40 to go, epitomizing his team's struggles at the line. Overall, the Cavaliers made only 9 of 18 foul shots after entering the game with the ACC's best percentage (74.5).

"Our guys scratched and clawed," Gillen said. "But they made bad decisions down the stretch and did not do a good job of shooting free throws."

Akins and Jones have sparked Tech's resurgence this season. The Yellow Jackets already have more overall and ACC victories than all of last season, the finale for longtime coach Bobby Cremins.

Akins, who also had four assists and three steals, came through with another strong performance after scoring 28 points in Tech's 72-62 victory over Maryland on Tuesday night.

Jones, who picked up his fourth foul with more than 10 minutes remaining, managed to stay on the court and came up with 14 rebounds, four blocks and two steals.

Roger Mason had 17 points but the Cavaliers couldn't overcome 22-of-57 (39 percent) shooting in losing again to the Yellow Jackets, who handed Virginia its only home loss of the season, 73-68 on Jan. 9.

"You have to match their intensity," Mason said. "We haven't done that when we've played them."

ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard

Virginia Clubhouse

Georgia Tech Clubhouse