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March 9, 2001
It is a familiar and oft-used clich? heard time and time again by those who follow college basketball closely – it’s tough to beat a team three times in one season. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets dispelled any truth there might be to this old sports adage as the Ramblin’ Wreck defeated the Virginia Cavaliers for the third time this season with a 74-69 triumph in Friday’s quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament. In fact, the Yellow Jackets appear to defy the theory, raising their ACC Tournament record to 8-1 when playing a team they have beaten twice in the regular season. Yet another close game between these two squads, neither team could extend their lead beyond six points.
“It was a very tough loss for our guys. We played very hard, and [this game] was a microcosm of the other two games against Georgia Tech,” said head coach Pete Gillen. “It came down to the last couple of minutes and they made just enough plays to beat us. In the first half we were a little hesitant and unsure of ourselves, and I thought a big part of the loss was [our play in] the first half.”
Indeed the Cavaliers got off to a slow start, shooting just 27% and scoring a mere 24 points in the first half. Both teams picked up the pace in the second half, but the Cavaliers were unable to finish things down the stretch.
“We stepped up second half and made some plays, but we just could not make stops [down the stretch] when we needed to,” said Gillen. “Give them credit, because we have had three wars with them, and they have won three close games. They are a very good team.”
Georgia Tech represents the only team to have beaten Virginia twice during the regular season, and Friday’s quarterfinal loss to the Yellow Jackets proves even harder to swallow.
“It is very frustrating that we were unsuccessful against Georgia Tech three times this season,” said Roger Mason, Jr. “They are a great team, and Alvin Jones is a big presence for them on the inside. They got the best of us in every game, and that is definitely discouraging.”
First-team All ACC Selection Alvin Jones proved dominating inside, finishing the game with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and six blocked shots. All afternoon, Jones forced the Cavalier guards to constantly alter their shots when they drove down the lane, and his physical play inside caused Travis Watson to foul out of the game late in the second half.
“He’s too big for us. We did not want to run a zone, because [Georgia Tech] shoots threes too well, so we tried to double down [on Jones] a little bit, but he made some big plays at the end,” said Gillen. When you cannot hit an outside shot and [Jones] is controlling the middle, you have problems.”
This season, little question remains Georgia Tech has represented the Achilles’ Heel of this year’s squad. Luckily, Virginia will probably not face Yellow Jackets in the 2001 NCAA Tournament.