Sports Page Atlanta

The Georgia Tech men’s basketball team got a piece of good news from the NCAA yesterday as new graduate student, and former St. Francis University basketball player, Bassirou Dieng was given permission to play in the upcoming 2008-09 basketball season.

NCAA rules require student-athletes sit out one year when transferring, but the NCAA can grant a waiver when the student-athlete enrolls at an institution in a graduate program which is not offered by his previous school. Dieng, who received his undergraduate degree from St. Francis in the spring in Political Science and International Studies and will begin his graduate studies at Tech in the fall semester.

Dieng (pronounced BASS-uh-roo dee-ENG), who is 6-9 and 215 pounds, has one year of eligibility at Tech. In two years at St. Francis, he averaged 8.5 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game and shot 46.2 percent from the floor. Dieng also played one year at Norfolk State (2004-05) before moving to St. Francis, where he sat out the 2005-06 season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules.

Georgia Tech gave women’s basketball coach Machelle Joseph a new 4-year contract worth $1.3 million.

Joseph led the Yellow Jackets to back-to-back 20-win seasons and 2 straight NCAA Tournament appearances. She is 84-66 in her 5 seasons as the Georgia Tech head coach.
photo credit: normancjr

The Memphis Tigers are one win away from winning the NCAA Championship. Winning is something they are used to this season. Last night’s win was their 38th of the season, a NCAA single-season record, but I know what you are thinking…. did I log on to Sports Page Memphis by mistake? No, so here is your version…

Both Georgia and Georgia Tech have never came close to that 38 win total…

Georgia’s best happened in the 1982-83 Final Four season and in the 1996-97 season where they climbed to 24 wins.

Georgia Tech got even higher as the Yellow Jackets won 28 in 1989-90 and 2003-04.

For 70% of the game, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Virginia Cavaliers were locked in a heated, back and forth battle. But with 11:43 remaining in the second half, and the score tied 59-59, the Yellow Jackets decided to pull away, scoring on eight of their next nine possessions and eventually prevailing 94-76.

Anthony Morrow and Jeramis Smith led Tech in scoring with 18 points each, and a total of five Yellow Jackets reached double digits in scoring. Morrow also lef the team in rebounds with seven, in what will be his final ACC tournament. Next for the Jackets… the Duke Blue Devils.

Georgia Tech lost to Duke in February by 13 points, 71-58 and have lost 22 of the 24 games played against the Blue Devils. The last time these two teams met in the ACC Tournament was 2005, and Duke won that match 69-64. Pushing those glum statistics aside, many feel that Georgia Tech is playing the best basketball of the year, right now.

Time to face the Evil Empire. Duke will be a challenge. They are a 3-pt taking machine. We need Coach Hewitt to design another effective defense. That will be a challenge, because you can’t key on one guy. We need to push the tempo and we need to establish some inside game.

This team can do it. They are capable. They are playing their best ball of the year. Can it continue for one more night? Abso-freakin-lutely!!!!

And AJC columnist Mark Bradley also thinks that Georgia Tech has a fighting chance tonight.

I can see Georgia Tech beating Duke Friday.

I can see the 16-loss Jackets playing on Saturday in the ACC tournament.

I can see the team that cannot reach the NCAA tournament as an at-large invitee giving itself a fighting chance to get there as an automatic qualifier.

I can see all these things happening. Maybe you see none of the above. I understand if you don’t. I’ve watched Tech all season, same as you. But what I’m seeing now isn’t the team I watched lose those seven home games. What I’m seeing now is something close to the team I thought this could/should be.

The Yellow Jackets are going to have to continue with their hot streak, and in fact play near flawless basketball to beat the top-10 ranked Blue Devils tonight. A win tonight, and continued winning through the weekend, is Tech’s only shot at an NCAA birth.

Game time is 7:00 and you can catch the action on WATL or on 790 The Zone.

It’s true, as I posted earlier, that the two games between Virginia and Georgia Tech were pretty close. But I read a story in the AJC just a minute or two ago that had me perplexed. Matt Winkeljohn, you might be crazy…

Winkeljohn’s article goes into the GT/Virgina match-up and talks about how both teams, even thought they are the #7 and #10 seeds, could surprise some people in the ACC tournament.

The Cavaliers spent much of the season in last place, but have won four of their past six games, and Tech won three of its past four — losing only on a 3-point shot to Virginia with four seconds left.

Virginia’s first-team All-ACC point guard Sean Singletary is as healthy as he’s been, and the 15-14 Cavs — like the 14-16 Jackets — are playing as if they have nothing to lose. They might, however, lose an NIT bid. Tech?

“As much as we’re saying we’re playing with more intensity and energy, Georgia Tech can say the same thing,” said Virginia’s Dave Leitao.

Maybe crazy was a tough word to use as the Yellow Jackets have won three of their last four in ACC competition. But what about the seven games prior where the only won once. Add those together with their last four and Tech has only four wins in their last 11 games.

No matter which teams keeps “rolling” after their mini hot streaks of late, there is a huge obstacle in the way come Friday evening. Are either of these two teams hot enough to roll through Duke?

Other Georgia Tech News:

• Morrow Comes Full Circle [CSTV]
• Tech’s Morrow aims to deliver [AJC]
• Tech travels one day later [TechBlog - AJC]
• What memories of Jeremis, A-Mo have you? [TechBlog - AJC]
• Voice Mail: ACC Tournament Expectations? [Georgia Tech Sports Blog]

It’s Thursday, and that means tournament time for all you ACC Basketball fans. The 55th ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament will be help in Charlotte this weekend, at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

Georgia Tech will play in game #3 tonight at 7:00 PM against the Virginia Cavaliers (ACC Tournament Bracket). The two teams split their season series, each winning on the other team’s court. Both games were very competitive, as the Yellow Jackets won in overtime in January, and Virginia needed a late three-pointer to beat Georgia Tech in regulation in February.

What does the winner of this #7 versus #10 seed match-up receive? A trip to play Duke on Friday!

Listen to the game on WQXI-AM (790 the Zone) or watch it on ESPN2.
photo credit: johntrainor