Duke Blue Devils 81 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 74. Valiant Effort Tech

by Winfield Featherston on Jan 7, 2012 2:13 PM EST in Georgia Tech Basketball

A tough, but good game just wrapped up at Philips Arena against the Duke Blue Devils. After what I saw when Tech played against Northwestern and Alabama, I didn't think this game would amount to much. The Jackets came out and slugged Duke as hard as they could and gave them their best shot.

It was a good effort. Brian Gregory showed some emotion that I liked and the Jackets showed a style of play that I have not seen in a long time. So while disappointed, we can leave happy and hopeful.

Go Jackets!and I hope to see the team build off this game.

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Gregory, Emotion?

/likes
//reminds me of

Old Skoowl

You'd do it for Randolph Scott!
RANDOLPH SCOTT!

by DressHerInWhiteAndGold on Jan 7, 2012 9:51 PM EST reply actions

Duke won the same way they always win close games.

We missed four consecutive free throws at a crucial point in the game. Then Ryan Kelly hit eight straight to end our chance to win.

With Tech down 68-66 at the last TV timeout, Austin Rivers missed two FTs and Duke fouled Udofia. He could have tied the score with less than three minutes to play. At that point we were playing them even and looked very much like the team with momentum and passion. What happened? He missed them both, then turned the ball over aminute later and Rivers made a layup to stretch the Duke lead to four.

BG called a timeout and set up a play which got Glenn Rice to the line with a chance to cut the lead to two again, but he missed both tries. Even now we were not out of the game. After trading baskets we were down two points after Rice nailed a nice trey with 30 seconds to play.

Enter Ryan Kelly. Here is where he beat us. In the final half minute he swished eight straight FTS and put us in a desperate gotta foul situation that was losing ground with every foul.

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." - Seneca
"We have to distrust each other. It is our only defense against betrayal." - Tennessee Williams

by orientalnc on Jan 8, 2012 7:06 AM EST reply actions

It's hard to win when your opponents box score has the player R. Kelly listed

We would need K. Sweat in our lineup to counter it!

The free throws are one thing that is killing us, but more importantly to me is the lack of a solid post game. In my opinion we have the player for it to happen in Miller as he has solid footwork and a nice touch to take those short jumpers that typically most big men can’t make. He doesn’t have a ton of moves, but he has enough to score with that touch. The biggest thing he lacks is the command, something that Dorris Burke mentioned during the broadcast. Most of the game he just stood around watching the guards pass the ball around the perimeter and never tried to establish himself in the paint. He needs to fight for position and demand the ball. That will force the opponent to focus on him and open up our shooters.

And, while Udofia played a fairly solid game for the first 95%, he turned the ball over again when we least needed it. At this point, I think we should just let Jordan handle the PG position and let Udofia man the 2. He can score and I think he would be more comfortable not having to try commanding the offense. He might stop turning the ball over as much which would really be a nice improvement.

And really, no one has even bothered to mention Morris’ two wicked one-handed slams, one of which was a half-court lob that looked a little too long to begin with. I really like Morris last year and I think this kid could really be an exciting component of our team. He reminds me of Isma’il Muhammad in his random explosiveness. We need to run more plays for him and get him going.

My question is where was this type of effort against Mercer and Fordham? I like what CBG is doing and I like his character and energy on the sideline. It’s a much needed improvement over Hewitt. Hopefully this game is a sign of the players fully understanding what he wants of them and understanding the scheme. It will be interesting when he starts getting some players in that he feels fit his design for this team. Hopefully this continues through ACC play and we might just be pleasantly surprised with the final outcome of this season.

From The Rumble Seat -Drinkin' whiskey clear since 2008.

"You could spend the next fifteen seconds of your life watching a man and a tiger scream together, or you could be an idiot."
Fact.

by Jesse28 on Jan 8, 2012 9:33 AM EST up reply actions