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Georgia Tech
Road to the Final Four.............................................................................................
In a season full of ACC surprises -- the rise and fall of Maryland and Wake Forest, mainly -- the Jackets probably were the biggest surprise of all. Frankly, they weren't supposed to get into the NCAA tournament. They weren't even supposed to get into the NIT, not after finishing 13-17 last season and losing not only coach Bobby Cremins to retirement, but also leading scorer and rebounder Jason Collier to the NBA. Paul Hewitt arrived from Siena, and the wins started mounting. The Jackets beat UCLA and Kentucky in the same week in December. They beat Virginia and Wake Forest within four days of early January. They beat Maryland and Virginia in five days in February. Pretty soon, Georgia Tech had an NCAA tournament resume that lacked only one thing -- a really awful loss. The Jackets have their share of losses, but only one came to a team that didn't enter March in NCAA tournament contention -- a Jan. 16 defeat at N.C. State. Georgia Tech atoned for that a month later, beating the Wolfpack by 16. The Yellow Jackets lost out on a chance to prove just how good they are against Stanford, losing a squeaker to St. Joseph's in Round 1 of the NCAAs. Player to Watch Senior center Alvin Jones has been, at times, dominant this season. His shooting from beyond five feet remains an adventure, but he has hit enough shots to average 14 points plus 10 rebounds -- tops in the ACC -- to go with his usual number of blocked shots (this season, 3.4 per game). Jones, fourth all-time in the ACC in blocked shots, is the main reason opponents are shooting just 40.6 percent against Georgia Tech. With the Ball Junior point guard Tony Akins has cut back on his turnovers and added to his shooting percentage, and the result is a balanced offense that can hurt from many angles. Akins shoots three-pointers, but teams can't load up on him, because Shaun Fein (43.2 percent on threes) or freshmen Marvin Lewis and Halston Lane will make open looks. Jones has improved as an inside scoring presence, but it all starts with Akins (14.2 points per game), whose penetration is a weapon. Defending the Ball The Jackets aren't exactly ball hawks. They didn't place anyone among the top 15 in the conference in steals -- the only ACC school missing -- but the Jackets are aggressive enough to force 16 turnovers per game, among the ACC's leaders. Once an opponent gets past token pressure up top, Georgia Tech's plan is to funnel the ball toward Jones, who affects many more shots than he blocks. Seed Analysis Exceeding the Seed Playing to Expectation Falling Short BRACKETOLOGY SCORE: .920 (1.000 is playing exactly to a team's historical seeding) Bracketology Report1985-2000: The Yellow Jackets have not been a good tournament team over the years. Only twice has Georgia Tech played beyond its seed, and there have also been several early-round losses to double-digit seeds (1993, 1989, 1988, 1987). Tech has not been to the dance since 1996, however, and new coach Paul Hewitt has no tournament history with the school. The Jackets thus return to NCAA play with a clean slate.Roster
 NCAA Basketball Championship Week It's March, which means the madness has started and invitations are being reserved throughout Championship Week.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |  |
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