ATLANTA, GA – Another upset bid was not to be. Despite carrying a 7 point lead over #17 Louisville into the locker room at halftime, the Yellow Jackets were unable to stave off the Cardinals at home Saturday afternoon. Strong games from Damion Lee (17 points) and Anas Mahmoud (15 points, 4 rebounds) led the way for Louisville.

“Without question the key to the game was going to Anas Mahmoud,” said Louisville head coach Rick Pitino. “Anas is the best passing big man, his length bothers people, but more importantly he’s got a great low post game.”

It was clear Louisville found something they liked in Mahmoud who played a career high 27 minutes. During the game’s final 10 minutes Mahmoud scored 7 of his career-high 15 points, using his length and quickness in the post to get around Georgia Tech’s big men. Mahmoud’s previous high was 7 points.

Georgia Tech led 55-50 before Mahmoud and Louisville took over during the final 10 minutes.
Continue reading "Tech Falters Late Against #17 Louisville"

ATLANTA, GA - Sparked by the resurgent Quinton Stephens and a dominant effort on the glass, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets upset the #4 Virginia Cavaliers by a final score of 68-64 at McCamish Pavilion.

Stephens, a junior captain who saw only 3 minutes of playing time off the bench in the Jackets’ prior game in Pittsburgh, was told he’d start against Virginia before practice following the Pittsburgh loss.

“I was a little bit surprised,” said Stephens. “But I was really forward to the opportunity so I just tried to make the most of it. On top of that my teammates had my back, they were excited for me, and they let me know that. It actually meant a lot to me.”

He did not disappoint. Stephens ignited the Jackets with a jumper just 11 seconds into the game en route to 10 points in the game’s first eight minutes. The Jackets led 17-9 at the under-12 minute media timeout.
Continue reading "Jackets Jump #4 Cavaliers in Atlanta"

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A Trip Down Memory Lane

Tomorrow Tech tips off against Virginia Commonwealth in their final non-conference run of the season. It’s one that many are projecting forward as the key indicator for success for the remainder of the season. Stringing back-to-back wins against VCU and Georgia would be meaningful in its own right. It could mean even more for the Jackets’ confidence heading into ACC play in January.

Reflecting on the big picture this year led me to reminiscing about seasons past. Nostalgia is a beautiful thing for those who can file away the bad and vividly replay the good. For those who cannot, hopefully this can.

With 24 hours before tipoff against VCU, let’s look closer at arguably the best pick-me-up we have: the 2003-04 NCAA championship game season. With transfers all the rage in NCAA basketball today, what better way to remember 2004 than with one of the best single plays ever by a transfer from Arizona?

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