Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Atlantic Coast Conference (20-11, 8-8)
Seed: #10
Midwest Region
RPI: 52
Big Wins:
11/21 vs Memphis (92-85), 1/10 Duke (74-63), 3/4 Boston College (74-60)
Bad Losses:
12/3 at Miami (82-90), 1/30 at Wake Forest (75-85), 3/8 vs Wake Forest
(112-114)
Last NCAA
Appearance: 2005, Second Round loss to Louisville
Coach:
Paul Hewitt (6-4 in 4 NCAA appearances)
Probable
Starters:
Javaris
Crittenton, Freshman, Guard, 14.6 ppg, 5.7 apg, 2.0 spg
Anthony Morrow,
Junior, Guard, 9.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg
Jeremis Smith,
Junior, Forward, 8.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg
Thaddeus Young,
Freshman, Forward, 14.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.1 apg
Ra’Sean Dickey,
Junior, Forward, 8.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Key
Roleplayers:
Mario West,
Senior, Guard, 4.6 ppg, 1.7 apg
Mouhammad Faye,
Freshman, Forward, 3.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg
Alade Aminu,
Sophomore, Forward, 5.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg
Zach Peacock,
Freshman, Forward, 5.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg
Why They Can
Surprise:
The Georgia
Tech frontcourt has gone underappreciated, but Thaddeus Young, Jeremis Smith
and Ra’Sean Dickey play a huge role in the success of the Yellow Jackets.
Young, a 6-8 freshman, is a great talent and will bang inside and step
outside to hit the long ball. On the defensive end, his long arms make him
difficult to deal with and Young will pick off a few passes. Smith is
relentless on the glass and a decent scorer. Dickey is a fundamentally sound
back to the basket player and keeps the defense in the paint.
The depth up
front is plentiful with Zach Peacock, Alade Aminu and Mouhammad Faye.
Peacock, even as a freshman, will use his strength to make an impact on the
boards. Aminu has seen his minutes increase greatly as the season has
progressed and the 6-10 sophomore uses his length to alter shots and grab a
few boards. Faye is a great athlete and can handle the ball and shoot very
well for a 6-10 player.
Why They Can
Disappoint:
The suspension
of shooting guard Lewis Clinch 14 games into the season has left Georgia
Tech with limited options. Anthony Morrow started last year, but was slowed
down this year due to a lingering back injury. Morrow has a smooth stroke
and with the increase in playing time has gotten back to his old ways, but
having Clinch around would provide more scoring options for the Ramblin’
Wreck.
Who To
Watch:
Javaris
Crittenton is only a freshman, but the point guard makes this team go. He
leads the squad in scoring and dishes out 5.7 assists per contest. The
turnover numbers are a little high at 3.9 a game, but GT is a quick,
explosive offense when Crittenton is on the floor. Defensive specialist
Mario West has the senior leadership and is a quality backup point guard.
West is not flashy and will not score a whole lot, but West does run the
offense efficiently and does all the things that do not end up in the box
score. Led by Crittenton and West, Georgia Tech forces a lot of turnovers
and will get easy buckets on the other end. Because of the youth, GT is a
streaky team, but that can be good if the streakiness happens at the right
time.
Joel’s
Bracket Says: First Round loss to UNLV
