Remember when Georgia Tech made it to the championship game in 2004? I think most considered it a fluke because the next year, no one was picking them to be a national title contender, let alone win the ACC. But that team had a lot of talent and had a good chance to be a threat: Jarrett Jack was a sophomore, Luke Schenscher, Will Bynum, and Isma’il Muhammad were all juniors, and Mario West was a freshman (This was in the 2003-2004 season). They had a lot of talent, but it was a fluke because they finished the next year 19-11, with an 8-8 record in the ACC. Granted, they did oust North Carolina from the ACC tournament, but that was probably their lone highlight of the year.
It is an understatement to say that things have been better for GA Tech, but I loved watching this particular game. I thought everything looked sharp. Sure I could nit-pick and such, but when you win an ACC game by 30 (I don’t care who your competition is), you should be happy and I am. Imagine if Thaddeus Young and Javaris Crittenton were still around for the Yellow Jackets. Scary, huh? They would be juniors on this team and I can guarantee they would be a lot better than their current 1-13 record now.
But needless to say, they aren’t there anymore and GA Tech could have used them. Without further ado, I present my likes and dislikes.
Things I liked:
-The Bigs. They had 30 of the 46 points at half. They were active on the boards and tipping rebounds to each other. For the game they finished with 46 of the team’s 104 points, which I like.
*Deon Thompson – I liked how he was aggressive with his shot early. He only shot 4 of 10, but he was aggressive and was looking for his shot and didn’t try to do it all on his own. I thought the shots he took were good and within the flow of the game.
*Ed Davis – I think Ed is an underrated passer. He works the high-low pass exceptionally well. He had 3 assists in today’s game and no turnovers. I could go on about how good this kid is going to be, but I’ll save that for a later day.
*Tyler Zeller – Looked good on offense. Still looked shaky on defense. He was aggressive on the offensive boards and that jump hook from 10 feet out looked awesome!
*Tyler Hansbrough – Hansbrough really set the tone after Maurice Miller fouled him and laid him out early in the game. After that, he had 28 points and 10 rebounds. Typical work-man like effort from the man we call Psycho-T. Compared to the Maryland game, he only had one more shot against GA Tech, but was 10 of 13 as compared to 4 of 12. I thought the guards were looking for him early and often. I feel that if the big men are involved early, it opens more up as the game continues. I also liked that he was bringing the ball up the court. That is one of the most unique feelings as a fan (Yeah go, but don’t turn it over!). Congratulations to #50 with setting the NCAA record for most free throws made.
-The Defense. Even though Georgia Tech shot 44% for the game, I thought the defense was pretty solid. North Carolina had 12 steals and forced 18 turnovers. I thought the team did a great job of playing help defense, especially in the post as they double teamed quite a bit. GA Tech shot 43% in the first half, but 5 of 10 from 3-point land, which kept them in the game as long as they were.
-Rebounding. As mentioned earlier, rebounding looked good from the big men and the guards were doing a good job keeping the ball alive by tipping. Wayne had another good rebounding game with 7.
-Assists. Maryland game total assists – 5. GA Tech game total assists – 26. Ty had 11 and no field goals. If you tell me we will win by 30 without Lawson making a shot from the field, I probably won’t believe you, but he played great, even without scoring. He’s been fun to watch this season.
Things I didn’t like:
Wasn’t a lot because I thought it was a good game overall, but here are some thoughts.
-Players getting hit in the air. We know what happened to Zeller this year. Hanbrough 2 years ago. Well, with Hansbrough getting laid out early in the game and then when Wayne went down hard in the 2nd half, it just concerns me. I don’t like watching the games, specifically fast breaks, and wondering if they are going to be able to walk after the play is over. When Wayne went down, I thought it was over and our backcourt shrunk again, but thankfully he was ok. Sure you could argue that Ellington shouldn’t be going in for a fast break lay-up when they’re up by 25, but I’m pretty certain that UNC runs a fast break offense. The defender was not going after the ball (usually you try and block a shot with one hand, not two) and was just trying to hit someone. Go play football if that’s how you want to play. I know they talked about this on Gameday last week and that Jay Bilas also wrote an article, so hopefully this will get some attention before it is too late. (For the record, I don’t think the Zeller foul was a dirty play)
-It was one of Tyler Hansbrough’s last games at the Dean Dome. Only one more remains. It’s sad to think about. We have been spoiled as a fan base to watch him. He has set so many records at UNC, which will stand for a long time. Enjoy him while you can.
It is an understatement to say that things have been better for GA Tech, but I loved watching this particular game. I thought everything looked sharp. Sure I could nit-pick and such, but when you win an ACC game by 30 (I don’t care who your competition is), you should be happy and I am. Imagine if Thaddeus Young and Javaris Crittenton were still around for the Yellow Jackets. Scary, huh? They would be juniors on this team and I can guarantee they would be a lot better than their current 1-13 record now.
But needless to say, they aren’t there anymore and GA Tech could have used them. Without further ado, I present my likes and dislikes.
Things I liked:
-The Bigs. They had 30 of the 46 points at half. They were active on the boards and tipping rebounds to each other. For the game they finished with 46 of the team’s 104 points, which I like.
*Deon Thompson – I liked how he was aggressive with his shot early. He only shot 4 of 10, but he was aggressive and was looking for his shot and didn’t try to do it all on his own. I thought the shots he took were good and within the flow of the game.
*Ed Davis – I think Ed is an underrated passer. He works the high-low pass exceptionally well. He had 3 assists in today’s game and no turnovers. I could go on about how good this kid is going to be, but I’ll save that for a later day.
*Tyler Zeller – Looked good on offense. Still looked shaky on defense. He was aggressive on the offensive boards and that jump hook from 10 feet out looked awesome!
*Tyler Hansbrough – Hansbrough really set the tone after Maurice Miller fouled him and laid him out early in the game. After that, he had 28 points and 10 rebounds. Typical work-man like effort from the man we call Psycho-T. Compared to the Maryland game, he only had one more shot against GA Tech, but was 10 of 13 as compared to 4 of 12. I thought the guards were looking for him early and often. I feel that if the big men are involved early, it opens more up as the game continues. I also liked that he was bringing the ball up the court. That is one of the most unique feelings as a fan (Yeah go, but don’t turn it over!). Congratulations to #50 with setting the NCAA record for most free throws made.
-The Defense. Even though Georgia Tech shot 44% for the game, I thought the defense was pretty solid. North Carolina had 12 steals and forced 18 turnovers. I thought the team did a great job of playing help defense, especially in the post as they double teamed quite a bit. GA Tech shot 43% in the first half, but 5 of 10 from 3-point land, which kept them in the game as long as they were.
-Rebounding. As mentioned earlier, rebounding looked good from the big men and the guards were doing a good job keeping the ball alive by tipping. Wayne had another good rebounding game with 7.
-Assists. Maryland game total assists – 5. GA Tech game total assists – 26. Ty had 11 and no field goals. If you tell me we will win by 30 without Lawson making a shot from the field, I probably won’t believe you, but he played great, even without scoring. He’s been fun to watch this season.
Things I didn’t like:
Wasn’t a lot because I thought it was a good game overall, but here are some thoughts.
-Players getting hit in the air. We know what happened to Zeller this year. Hanbrough 2 years ago. Well, with Hansbrough getting laid out early in the game and then when Wayne went down hard in the 2nd half, it just concerns me. I don’t like watching the games, specifically fast breaks, and wondering if they are going to be able to walk after the play is over. When Wayne went down, I thought it was over and our backcourt shrunk again, but thankfully he was ok. Sure you could argue that Ellington shouldn’t be going in for a fast break lay-up when they’re up by 25, but I’m pretty certain that UNC runs a fast break offense. The defender was not going after the ball (usually you try and block a shot with one hand, not two) and was just trying to hit someone. Go play football if that’s how you want to play. I know they talked about this on Gameday last week and that Jay Bilas also wrote an article, so hopefully this will get some attention before it is too late. (For the record, I don’t think the Zeller foul was a dirty play)
-It was one of Tyler Hansbrough’s last games at the Dean Dome. Only one more remains. It’s sad to think about. We have been spoiled as a fan base to watch him. He has set so many records at UNC, which will stand for a long time. Enjoy him while you can.
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