Georgia Tech picked up a remarkable eighth conference win on Tuesday evening, taking down the Pitt Panthers by a final score of 61-52 at McCamish Pavilion in front of yet another raucous crowd. That matchup just so happened to be the first true “must-win” of the season, and Tech delivered with a very strong performance against an improving Pittsburgh team — one which very well could be a difference maker when it comes time to reveal the bracket. Of course, Tech’s tournament hopes still hinge on this weekend’s game at Syracuse. Win that and a conference tournament game or two, and it would be incredibly hard to leave the Jackets out. Lose, however, and the blow would be just about insurmountable for a team with just one ACC road win on the year.
Unfortunately for us, the Syracuse game will also be a must-win for the Orange if they hope to make an NCAA Tournament appearance of their own. Jim Boeheim’s team currently sits at 17-13 overall and 9-8 in the ACC but is planted just as firmly on the bubble as Georgia Tech at this point, needing a win to close out the season plus another in the ACC Tournament to secure a spot for certain. The Orange are on a bit of a slide late this season, having lost four of their last five games in ACC play against Louisville (twice), Pittsburgh, and Georgia Tech. The last game for Syracuse was a 20-point blowout at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, but the one before that was a tight win over Duke at the Carrier Dome. They haven’t been particularly consistent this year, so it will be interesting to see what version of their team shows up.
Georgia Tech’s baseball game against Kennesaw State was cancelled due to inclement weather yesterday, stripping Tech of another opportunity to make a power move in the state of Georgia. The schools are currently working to reschedule the game, but nothing bothers me more than looking at a season schedule and seeing “cancelled” under the final score for a game. It just messes up the flow, honestly. Thanks a lot, thunderstorm that never happened.
I’ll leave you today with the tale of a man named Mark Cuban who recently bullied “media” giant Bleacher Report into submission after they offended him with a tweet about Dirk Nowitzki. There was really nothing wrong with the tweet in question, but Cuban took it upon himself to send an NSFW email to the company’s owner expressing his displeasure. I learned early on never to link to Bleacher Report and never forgot that lesson. Thanks, Mark, for attacking those sideshow-making demons. head on.
In the meantime, though, maybe Mr. Cuban should take some social media relatability classes. Perhaps Jerry Rice could teach him a thing or two about what the kids are into these days?
Cash me ousside #HowBowDah Just joking have you guys seen the video. pic.twitter.com/406KMIIUDT
— Jerry Rice (@JerryRice) March 1, 2017