Three reasons OSU will win, lose NCAA game
Published: 3/18/2010 2:58 PM
Last Modified: 3/22/2010 11:26 AM
Three reasons OSU will beat Georgia Tech in a first-round NCAA Tournament game:
1, Georgia Tech could be a stage fright candidate.
OSU players have 249 minutes of NCAA Tournament experience. Georgia Tech has only 31 minutes of NCAA Tournament experience. Zachery Peacock played 19 minutes and D’Andre Bell got 12 minutes of court time in the Yellow Jackets’ last NCAA Tournament game, a first-round loss to UNLV when they were freshmen in 2007.
2, Fumble!
Georgia Tech ranks fifth nationally in total turnovers (557) and 23rd nationally in turnovers per game (16.4). Among teams in “power” conferences, only Florida State averages more turnovers than the Yellow Jackets.
3, Showdown wanted
College basketball fans deserve to see a showdown between All-American guards James Anderson and Evan Turner (of Ohio State) in the second round. Anderson has nine career games of 30 or more points. OSU’s NCAA Tournament single-game scoring record is 32 (by Bryant Reeves in a 1994 loss to Tulsa). The Cowboys will likely move on if Anderson flirts with Reeves’ record.
Three reasons Georgia Tech will beat OSU in a first-round NCAA Tournament game:
1, Anyone know how OSU will react in a close game?
Only one OSU game (a victory over Stanford) was decided by three or fewer points. Five Cowboy games were decided by five or fewer points. Georgia Tech played an ACC-high 13 games decided by five or fewer points, winning eight of them.
2, Defense.
Georgia Tech ranks fifth nationally in field goal percentage. Only two opponents shot better than 45.5 percent. The Yellow Jackets limited ACC Tournament foes to 60.2 points, 34.1 percent shooting and 21.3 percent shooting.
3, Don’t call us, we’ll call you.
After going 2-5 to end the regular season, Georgia Tech players were asked to ditch their cell phones at the ACC Tournament by coach Paul Hewitt. Senior D’Andre Bell told the Macon (Ga.) Telegraph that going phone-less helped the Yellow Jackets become closer because players talked with each other instead of texting or calling people outside the program. The Yellow Jackets charged to the ACC title game -- and they decided to continue the phone ban.
--Jimmie Tramel.
For more on the NCAA Tournament, visit ncaa.com.
Written by
Jimmie Tramel
Sports Writer
