BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The “second season” is fully in vogue. The ACC Tournament tipped off at noon on Tuesday. Both teams naturally wanted to extend their seasons. Boston College, entering at 17-14, appeared to have the best opportunity and a little more to play for as a win in the ACC would in all eventuality lock up an NIT bid. Georgia Tech entered Brooklyn a disappointing 13-18. Josh Pastner’s group did come in on the heels of wins over NC State and Wake Forest. In this ACC opener Georgia Tech fell behind by as much as 20, fought nearly all the way back and ultimately fell to Boston College 87-77.
The points of emphasis:
The importance of getting off to a good start is a given. Boston College got on track by “winning” those first four minutes 7-4. Sometimes overlooked, still important, is the four minutes that close the half. In this case it deserved mention. At the under-4 minute media timeout, the Eagles held a 28-19 lead. An opportunity to gain further separation presented itself, and BC did not significantly extend the lead. Georgia Tech wasn’t able to cut into it, either. At the half the Eagles led 36-26.
The Eagles presented a defensive problem. Jim Christian ran the guards off a high post screen set by Nik Popovic. Given just a little daylight, Ky Bowman was able to utilize his quickness attacking the basket, often finishing. Georgia Tech struggled to defend that set all afternoon.
The stretch run got a little unnerving. The under-4 media timeout saw Boston College ahead 68-53. Their ticket to the second round and a meeting with NC State was almost punched. At that point, Georgia Tech came alive. They employed full court pressure. The press did not necessarily rattle, but did force the Eagles into making some poor decisions. Tech began attacking the basket and hitting a few threes, and with 2:31 left the deficit was down to seven. BC regrouped. Georgia Tech could get no closer as the Eagles closed it out on the line. “I thought we stopped guarding and started giving up layups,” Christian said regarding the Tech run. “We made a few turnovers but it happens. They’re not going to go down early in March, nobody is.” Tech outscored the Eagles 24-19 over those final four minutes.
Possessions: BC 87, Georgia Tech 86
Offensive efficiency: BC 100, Georgia Tech 90
Leading scorers:
Tadric Jackson, Georgia Tech, 29.
Ky Bowman, BC, 26.
Boston College shot 2 of 14 (14 percent) from long range. Christian took notice, commenting on how satisfying it was getting the win despite shooting so poorly from long range. Georgia Tech was 5 of 20 for 25 percent. Pastner also alluded to three-point shooting, noting his group has struggled shooting long range for two seasons now. Finding a deadly perimeter shoot, or two, will be a recruiting priority for Pastner and his staff.
