old.wrek.org Ramblin' WREK Sports Show | WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM

Ramblin' WREK Sports Show

Sunday 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Genres: Talk, Sports
Hosts: Josh Idowu, George Burdell

An all Georgia Tech sports talk show featuring debate on the latest games and previews of upcoming ones. We also feature special guests from analysts around the country to players and coaches themselves. You don’t want to miss a minute of the fun, every Sunday 5-7 PM.

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WREK to carry Sunbelt League Baseball

Lawrenceville, Ga. – The 2014 Sunbelt Summer Season will see and more appropriately hear Sunbelt Summer Baseball on the air for the first time on a regular basis.  The inaugural season of the Sunbelt League Radio Network will put approximately 80 of the 95 regular season games, along with all of the playoff games in 2014.  Sunbelt Games online, and can be found on the Sunbelt League’s website,www.sunbeltleague.com.

The Sunbelt League will three play-by-play voices calling the majority of the games.  Colin Lacy, Voice of the Douglasville Bulls, joined the Sunbelt League team last season as Sports Information Director for the league and specifically the Bulls, and will follow the Bulls all season long at Norton Field and on the road for the entirety of the 2014 season.  Wiley Ballard, Voice of the Berkeley Lake Tides, is entering his third season with the Sunbelt League, and has been the Sports Information Director for the League for the past 2 seasons. Colin and Wiley also called the Sunbelt Game of the Week on 91.1 WREK last season.  The third voice on the air will be the Voice of the Atlanta Crackers, and the Windward Braves, John Morgo.  Morgo has been affiliated with the Sunbelt League for the past few seasons calling select Sunbelt action on iHigh Sports, and will be calling all of the action from Norcross High School (home of the Crackers and the Braves), and select road games for the 2014 Sunbelt season.  The Sunbelt League Radio Network will also feature a flurry of color analysts in 2014.

“We are very excited with the development of the Sunbelt League Radio Network. The SLRN will provide nightly broadcast that will enhance the growth of the Sunbelt League and provide entertainment to our fans,” says Vice President of the Sunbelt League, Todd Pratt.  “The Sunbelt League Radio Network will also provide an advertisement outlet for our sponsors to inform the public on their services or products.”

The Sunbelt Baseball League will also continue the partnership with 91.1 WREK-Atlanta with a select broadcast schedule of Sunbelt games this season.  The WREK broadcast will be a simulcast (same audio as) the Sunbelt League Radio Network’s call of the action.

A full broadcast schedule will be released as the 2014 season nears.

The Sunbelt Summer Baseball League has been providing premier summer baseball for the Southeast since 2005.  For everything around the Sunbelt League go online to sunbeltleague.com for news, scores, broadcast information, and much more and on Facebook and Twitter @sunbeltbaseball.

Friday, March 28, 2014 | Posted in Ramblin' WREK Sports Show | Comments Off on WREK to carry Sunbelt League Baseball

Monday Mornings from McCamish: 3/10

Welcome to another edition of Monday Mornings from McCamish. This weekly segment will be released on Monday mornings throughout the 2013-14 Georgia Tech’s Men’s Basketball season. We will revisit the previous week’s action as well as look ahead to the upcoming week’s games.

Last Week Recap:

For the first time under head coach Brian Gregory, Georgia Tech won back to back ACC games and improved to 15-16, 6-12 overall.

Tuesday 3/4: Georgia Tech 67 Syracuse 62

Tuesday night’s win over #7 Syracuse was undoubtedly the biggest in the Gregory era. Sure the Jackets picked up a road win over #6 Miami around this time last year, but considering the Orange pedigree it’s really not even close.

I spoke with a Georgia Tech Athletics representative who related the win to the 2003-04 win at Cameron Indoor against #3 Duke (who had won 41 straight home games). Syracuse on the other hand had only lost at home five times in the last three years. Not exactly 41 straight, but pretty darn close.

A myriad of complementing performances propelled the unworldly upset. The frontcourt of Daniel Miller (15 points, 6 rebounds) and Robert Carter Jr. (12 points, 9 rebounds) served as centerpieces.  Holsey complemented the pair with an efficient nine points on just four shots in only 13 minutes.

In the backcourt the Jackets were outstanding (one of our three keys last week). As a whole, Tech demonstrated superb passing by way of 18 assists while committing only nine turnovers. At the helm, Golden was his usual, dominant self as he posted 16 points including an eight for eight performance from the charity stripe – six of which came in the game’s final seconds.

While the Orange received another outstanding 28 point-40 minute performance from C.J. Fair along with 18 points and seven assists from Tyler Ennis, Syracuse displayed puddle-like depth as Boeheim’s bench netted a pitiful four points. On the other hand, the Georgia Tech reserves contributed a difference-making 17 points highlighted by Holsey’s nine.

Coach Gregory wisely and correctly refused to label the game a marquee or signature win. After all, the season has been disappointing in the eyes of many. But the value of a tangible victory over an elite team cannot be overstated. The terms “great effort”, “getting closer” and “moral victory” close loss after close loss get old very quickly. But in Georgia Tech’s 67-62 win, the previously abstract progress finally translated into a concrete victory.

Saturday 3/8: Virginia Tech 51 Georgia Tech 62

Fresh off a dramatic and exhilarating win over the Syracuse Orange, many Tech fans held their breath entering the season’s final regular season game. As Ken Suguira of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution pointed out, a loss against the Hokies on Senior Day wouldn’t discredit the Syracuse win entirely, it would just ruin a lot of it.

Thankfully Tech didn’t disappoint.

Trae Golden hit a three late in the first half to give the Jackets a 19-18 advantage and they never trailed again. The lead ebbed and flowed as is the nature of basketball, but ultimately the Hokies never brought it to within single digits in the final 15 minutes (save one instance). That one instance came on a three pointer from Ben Emelogu that capped a 17-6 gobbler run and trimmed the Tech lead to 58-50. But less than 20 seconds later, the senior Golden sank a trey of his own to answer back. The Hokies never approached striking distance again.

Poetically the two most consistent performers, seniors Trae Golden and Daniel Miller, led the charge in their final home game in their collegiate career. Golden scored 14 and compiled a season-high eight assists. Starting his 124th career game (only three behind the all-time Georgia Tech record of 127 held by Malcolm Mackey), Miller again delivered with 14 points and nine boards.

And although it was the seniors’ day, the sophomore Carter Jr. led the Jackets in scoring with 16. It marked the fourth consecutive game the forward has reached double figures and a served as a nice rebound performance after scoring just one point in Tech’s most recent home game – a loss to Clemson.

The regular season-ending victory gave Coach Gregory his first ACC winning streak and also put the Jackets at 6-12 in the ACC (the same mark as in 2012-13). The mini win streak will hopefully serve as a spring board for Tech to make a run in the ACC tournament next week.

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Looking Ahead:

Click here for the complete 2014 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament Bracket

Wednesday 3/12 7:00pm: 14 Boston College (8-23, 4-14) vs 11 Georgia Tech (15-16, 6-12)

Winning five games in five days is near impossible unless you are the Connecticut Huskies who made an improbable title run in the 2011 Big East tournament (not to mention they ended up winning the national title a month later). That shouldn’t be the goal for the Coach Gregory and the Jackets.

Instead Tech needs to build upon its strong recent play and compete in every game this week regardless of how many they play. That being said, I’d be lying if I didn’t think we had a chance to make a little noise.

After all, each of the top four seeds have lost in the past week (three to unranked teams). But if Tech wants to make a run it will begin with the Boston College Eagles.

Tech will take the floor at Greensboro Coliseum on Wednesday night looking to beat the Eagles for the third time in as many meetings. The last time the Jackets beat a team three times in a single season was the 2009-2010 clean sweep of the Tar Heels. That third win over Carolina also marks the last time Tech won an opening round ACC tournament game.

The most recent conference tournament loss came, in fact, against Boston College. For those of you who do not remember, consider yourself lucky. It was a demoralizing 84-64 defeat that came after Tech jumped out to an early 15-0 lead. The comeback was spearheaded by a 41 point eruption from then-freshman Oliver Hanlan.

Hanlan has built upon last season and has upped his per game average to 18 points. Junior forward Ryan Anderson also bears a heavy offensive burden for BC and has averaged over 14 points in each of the last two seasons. Unfortunately beyond Hanlan and Anderson, there aren’t many threats.

Boston College is consistently, often insurmountably, under-sized due in large part to the season-ending injury to the injury-prone seven-footer Dennis Clifford. As a result, the Eagles night in and night out are at the mercy of their three point shooting. Junior Lonnie Jackson, the Eagles premier long-range shooter, has logged point totals of 10, 2, 0, 12, 6, and 2 in the last six games. In those half-dozen games, the Eagles are 2-4 with both wins coming in Jackson’s pair of double figure performances.

Overall, Coach Donahue’s club has won just four ACC games this season. A season sweep over cellar-dweller Virginia Tech, a road win over Wake Forest and a Thermopylae-like overtime upset over undefeated Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. In their win over the Orange, the Eagles hit 11 of 22 treys and inexplicably outrebounded the #1 team in the country.

With Robert Carter Jr. back to his peak level of performance and the Jackets riding a two game win streak, Tech simply needs to maintain its high level of intensity in the paint both at the rim and on the glass to pick up its third consecutive win over the birds from Chestnut Hill.

Tip-off is at 7 pm and will be broadcast on 106.7 FM and televised on ACCN or ESPN2/U

Be sure to check back next week for a new edition of Monday Mornings from McCamish, but in the meantime follow @WREKSports on Twitter and like us on Facebook (under “WREK Sports”) to receive in-game updates and analysis.

Monday, March 10, 2014 | Posted in Ramblin' WREK Sports Show | Comments Off on Monday Mornings from McCamish: 3/10

Monday Mornings from McCamish: 3/3

Welcome to another edition of Monday Mornings from McCamish. This weekly segment will be released on Monday mornings throughout the 2013-14 Georgia Tech’s Men’s Basketball season. We will revisit the previous week’s action as well as look ahead to the upcoming week’s games.

Last Week Recap:

Georgia Tech’s losing streak has reached four as the Jackets dropped two conference road games to fall to 13-16 and 4-12 in the ACC.

Wednesday 2/26: Georgia Tech 62 Notre Dame 65

In what seems to be the recurring theme of 2013-2014 season, Georgia Tech seesawed back and forth between its outstanding potential to inexplicable dysfunction.

The Yellow Jackets led by eight with four minutes remaining in the first half only to trail by two after the first 20 minutes. The Irish pulled away, leading by nine, but Tech swung the game back in their favor to cut the deficit to a single point with less than six minutes remaining. Then following another defensive stop, Tech had the ball with a chance to take their first lead since the opening period. In painfully predictable fashion the Jackets produced an empty possession culminating in a Marcus Georges-Hunt turnover despite two open looks followed by two offensive rebounds.

The Irish took advantage of the Ramblin’ Wreck’s missed opportunity and built a 63-56 lead with just over two minutes remaining. Tech fought back to cut it to one and again had the ball with a chance to take control, but Robert Carter Jr. had it stolen away only moments later. And while Carter and the Jackets had two looks at the buzzer to force overtime, Tech had missed too many prior opportunities to argue that it had a right to win anyway.

The sophomore trio highlighted the Yellow Jacket box score: Carter (19 points, 10 rebounds), Georges-Hunt (13 points, 3 assists) and Chris Bolden (9 points by way of going 3 for 3 from deep). Carter’s performance was notably encouraging considering his trying effort on Saturday against Clemson in which he scored just once – a made free throw in the final five minutes.

Yet the weak performances from Trae Golden (which ESPN so kindly reminded us of every five minutes by displaying his woeful numbers) proved insurmountable. In 31 minutes Trae Golden’s play was a sour goose egg: 0 for 10 from the field, 0 for 5 on treys, and a not-so-consoling two assists. It should be noted at this time that the Jackets would be eons worse than they are today without Trae, but his performance in South Bend left much to be desired.

Sunday 3/2: Georgia Tech 71 Florida State 81

Georgia Tech arrived in Tallahassee on a season worst three game losing streak (which in itself speaks highly of this team’s ability to put losses behind them). Nonetheless, Georgia Tech left Tallahassee late last night with the streak still intact.

Unlike Wednesday night, the Georgia Tech starting five produced across the board. Daniel Miller (11 points and 13 rebounds) posted his sixth double-double of the season while his front court partner Robert Carter Jr. scored 20 points – just one shy of his career-high. Trae Golden (16 points) and Marcus Georges-Hunt (8 points in 18 minutes) also provided high-caliber performances in supporting roles on Oscar night.

Unfortunately for the White and Gold, Florida State, squarely on the tournament bubble, didn’t leave anything to chance. The Seminoles shot a scalding 52% from the floor including 62% after halftime. The Jackets didn’t do themselves any favors by sending the Noles to line 36 times (to Tallahassee’s credit they made 31 of them). Just as dooming as Florida State’s frequent free throws was the five for 27 performance from Georgia Tech beyond the arc. As a rule of thumb, when shooting below 20% it’s not wise to shoot three times your season average in attempts.

Georgia Tech’s loss is their ninth straight to the Seminoles – a program most would equate the Jackets to. And things will not get any easier come Tuesday night when the Jackets travel to the Carrier Dome.

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Looking Ahead:

Tuesday 3/4 7:00pm: Georgia Tech (13-16, 4-12) at #7 Syracuse (26-3, 13-3)

On Tuesday night the Carrier Dome will play host to two struggling teams. Of course the term struggling is relative. The host Syracuse Orange have lost three of their last four, but still sit securely in the AP’s Top 10. The visiting Yellow Jackets have lost each of their last four and haven’t sniffed the Top 25 this season.

So while Cuse may not be playing its basketball of late, an off night for the Orange may still be better than a good night for Tech.

With all of that acknowledged, if the Jackets hope to take down #7 Syracuse in a hostile environment, Tech must do a few things:

  1. Improve guard play dramatically and rapidly. Syracuse is in the top 20 in steals per game with over eight. Furthermore the Orange are ranked fifth in fewest total turnovers and average fewer than nine per game. Georgia Tech on the other hand has had tremendous difficulty handling and applying pressure and consequently ranks outside the top 150 in both categories (278th in country with 5.2 steals per game and 170th with 12.4 turnovers per game).
  2. Contain C.J. Fair. Fair, a senior forward, was named the ACC’s Preseason Player of the Year (which considering he had never played a game in the ACC prior to this season is quite remarkable). But conference realignment snark aside, C.J. Fair personifies what can be described as the perfect college player. He brings big-time playing experience in both the Big East, ACC and the 2013 Final Four. He also is a model for consistency scoring double figures in 27 of 29 games this season and averaging 39.4 minutes in conference play. He’s the Phidippides of ACC basketball and given his track record it’s highly unlikely Tech will be able to do much more than slow him down, if that.
  3. Lastly, Tech will need Syracuse to take its nose-dive on an even steeper decline. Even though Syracuse has lost three of their last four, only one defeat has been a true head scratcher – Boston College. But given that Syracuse had been flirting with disaster in the prior games and that they had had every break known to man go their way until that point maybe the BC loss is understandable. The other two losses came on the road against what are now top 10 teams in Duke and Virginia. A win for Tech on Tuesday night would be nothing short of shocking.

That being said, crazier things have happened in college basketball and the old adage of “that’s why you play the games” bears mentioning here because quite frankly little else does. It’ll take a miracle, but then again the calendar has flipped to March.

Tip-off is at 7:00pm and will be broadcast on All News 106.7 FM and televised on RSN.

Saturday 3/8 2:00pm: Virginia Tech (9-19, 2-14) at Georgia Tech

Coming off an upset at 7th ranked Syracuse, Georgia Tech looks to close out the regular season on a two game winning streak as Virginia Tech comes into McCamish Pavilion this Saturday, March 8th.  The Jackets have had what most would consider a disappointing season as they have been ravished by injuries throughout the season.  Players to have extended time this season include Trae Golden, Robert Carter Jr., and Travis Jorgensen; all of whom have contributed or were expected to contribute on some level this season.  By winning against Virginia Tech this Saturday, the Jackets will have their first ACC win streak under head coach Brian Gregory right before the start of the ACC tournament.

In order to win, the Jackets will need to slow down the Hokies’ two top players, Jarell Eddie and Devin Wilson.  Eddie, a senior from Charlotte, is averaging 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while Wilson, a freshman from Mckees Rocks, Pennsylvania is putting up 9.5 points and 4.8 assists per game.  The Hokies have had a lack-luster season as they are only 2-15 in the ACC and 9-19 overall.  Georgia Tech will hope to extend Virginia Tech’s losing streak to 6 straight games and close the season out on a positive note! Not to mention wrap up the careers of Daniel Miller, Trae Golden and Kammeon Holsey.

Tip-off is at 2:00pm and will be broadcast on All News 106.7 FM and televised on ESPN2.

Be sure to check back next week for a new edition of Monday Mornings from McCamish, but in the meantime follow @WREKSports on Twitter and like us on Facebook (under “WREK Sports”) to receive in-game updates and analysis.

Monday, March 3, 2014 | Posted in Ramblin' WREK Sports Show | Comments Off on Monday Mornings from McCamish: 3/3

Monday Mornings from McCamish: 2/24

Welcome to another edition of Monday Mornings from McCamish. This weekly segment will be released on Monday mornings throughout the 2013-14 Georgia Tech’s Men’s Basketball season. We will revisit the previous week’s action as well as look ahead to the upcoming week’s games.

Last Week Recap:

Georgia Tech now sits below .500 for the first time this season (13-14, ACC 4-10) following a disappointing 0-2 week

Tuesday 2/18: #5 Duke 68 Georgia Tech 74

After a weekend off, Tech hosted its highest ranked foe since the 2011-12 season in the fifth-ranked Duke Blue Devils. The end result wasn’t pretty.

Duke used lethal long range shooting to jump out to a 12-3 advantage in the opening four minutes. The deficit grew to a full 18 points before the half and Tech never recovered.

A couple highlights for the Jackets:

1) Robert Carter Jr. put up 13 points and pulled down eight rebounds each of which were personal bests since his double-double performance against Kennesaw State back in December.

2) Chris Bolden reached double figures for the fifth time this season and third time in his last five games. Most notably, Bolden went to the free throw line seven times (his previous season high was a meager three attempts). While this may not seem like a significant observation, Chris has struggled mightily on the offensive end this season and any way to pick up easy points can be a boost to his confidence. He’s trending in the right direction and that could mean good news for Georgia Tech.

But to be fair, it’s rarely any use discussing such a lopsided defeat. As Coach Gregory said in his postgame press conference, “most lessons in life, you have to live them, not talk about them or watch them. We lived one tonight.” In other words, as often as a coach teaches, elaborates and coaches so much, there are very few methods of teaching more effective than getting your butt kicked. Those are hard to forget.

Saturday 2/22: Clemson 63 at Georgia Tech 55

As discouraging as Tuesday night’s loss was from start to finish, Tech showed signs of life in the second half. The same could not be said on Saturday as the Yellow Jackets dropped their ninth straight to the Clemson Tigers after holding a nine point lead in the second half.

In the final seven minutes Clemson seized its fourth ACC road win of the season with a 13-2 run. The surge was sparked by a pair of threes from Damarcus Harrison. Harrison, who has been criticized for his lack of effort, punctuated the run with a steal -“and-1” combo to give Clemson a seven point lead with just two minutes remaining.

Meanwhile Tech’s offense struggled mightily, particularly inside. After scoring 10 points and shooting five of seven in the opening half, Daniel Miller was eliminated in the second half – only four points and one field goal attempt (which came in the half’s first 30 seconds). As a whole the Jackets were outscored 40-26 in the final 20 minutes and shot 37.5% after shooting 50% before intermission.

The loss gave Tech its second consecutive loss and completed a 1-3 homestand. Tech has four games remaining in the regular season including three straight on the road beginning this Wednesday in South Bend.

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Looking Ahead:

Wednesday 2/26 7:00pm: Georgia Tech (13-14, 4-10) at Notre Dame (14-14, 5-10)

Georgia Tech and Notre Dame stage their inaugural meeting in South Bend as ACC foes (a matchup that is figured to be seen for years to come as Notre Dame is Tech’s newest home and away partner replacing Wake Forest).

While the Jackets aren’t playing their best brand of basketball, the Fighting Irish are in a comparable slump. Notre Dame has lost two straight including a 70-49 debacle this past weekend. The roof caved in on the Irish around the 12 minute mark when Virginia staged a 30-5 run – a run that bore eerie similarities to the 20-1 run the Cavs poured on Tech just over two weeks ago.

The Jackets picked up their first ACC win of the season back in January against the Irish by a score of 74-69. Although the win came without the aid of Robert Carter Jr., Tech had success stifling Notre Dame’s leading scorer, C Garrick Sherman, who was held scoreless until the final 10 minutes.

Come Wednesday however, it might not be Sherman that the Jackets need to worry about. Junior Pat Connaughton has led Notre Dame in points each of the last three games including a lethal shooting performance against Miami where he put up 22 points and hit six of seven treys. Not too shabby for a future top pick in the Major League Baseball draft as a right handed pitcher.

The junior brings both size (6-5, 214) and athleticism to the table which makes him a tough matchup for either Carter Jr. or Georges-Hunt. It is critical the Jackets consistently apply pressure to Connaughton.

The advantage for the Jackets, as usual, is on the boards. Last time the two teams met they split the battle on the boards right down the middle with 28 apiece. But that came without Carter Jr. and a consequently fatigued Daniel Miller. With Carter Jr. in the rotation, look for Tech to return to its bread and butter in Indiana this Wednesday.

Tip-off is at 7:00pm and will be broadcast on All News 106.7 FM and televised on ESPN2

Sunday 3/2 6:00pm: Georgia Tech at Florida State (16-11, 7-8)

The one and only meeting between the Jackets and Seminoles comes late in the season and with two teams in starkly different positions. While Tech is staving off the ACC cellar, Florida State has their sights on the NCAA tournament.

The Noles picked up a critical, resume-boosting 71-66 win at Pittsburgh last night and now have a full week off before hosting the Jackets this Sunday evening.

The last time the two teams met, the contest went down to the wire before three time All-ACC selection Michael Snaer scored the game-winning basket at the buzzer to send McCamish Pavilion home unsatisfied. This season Tech needn’t worry about Snaer and his “smh”-inducing five ACC buzzer beaters (the former Seminole is currently playing abroad in Italy).

Instead, the Jackets will need to shift their focus to a tandem of Tallahassee guards in Ian Miller and Aaron Thomas.

Miller, a senior, brings a lot more than just experience to the table. He leads the team in scoring (13.6 ppg), assists (3.0 apg) and three pointers made (51 – at 40% clip). It is worth noting at this time, that Trae Golden leads the Jackets in treys made this year with just 35 – at a 33% clip. Miller is noticeably hot as of late scoring totals of 13, 25, 22, and 19 in his last four games since returning from an ankle injury.

Thomas, a sophomore, is a rising scorer in full bloom. He’s reached double figures in eight straight games including a double-double (19 points, 14 rebounds) in a win at Winston-Salem. What was particularly impressive by the Ohio native was the way he continued his scoring streak last night at Pitt. He went just one of nine from the field but found his way to the free throw line 12 times, making 11. He also boasts a 41% shooting percentage from beyond the arc. Bottom line, he can score in a variety of ways.

With a tournament berth on the line, a full week off and home court advantage, the scales are tipped heavily in favor of Florida State this week. Tech will need to bring its ‘A’ game to Tallahassee if they are looking to pull the upset.

Tip-off is at 6:00pm and will be broadcast on All News 106.7 FM and televised on ESPNU.

Be sure to check back next week for a new edition of Monday Mornings from McCamish, but in the meantime follow @WREKSports on Twitter and like us on Facebook (under “WREK Sports”) to receive in-game updates and analysis.

 

 

 

 

Monday, February 24, 2014 | Posted in Ramblin' WREK Sports Show | Comments Off on Monday Mornings from McCamish: 2/24

Monday Mornings from McCamish: 2/17

Welcome to another edition of Monday Mornings from McCamish. This weekly segment will be released on Monday mornings throughout the 2013-14 Georgia Tech’s Men’s Basketball season. We will revisit the previous week’s action as well as look ahead to the upcoming week’s games.

Last Week Recap:

Georgia Tech now stands at to 13-12, 4-8 following a 1-0 week with a dramatic victory over Boston College.

Tuesday 2/4: Boston College 71 Georgia Tech 74

During Atlanta’s second snowy, icy debacle of 2014, Georgia Tech again hosted an ACC contest. Unlike the first-go-round, the Jackets came away with a conference win. Marcus Georges-Hunt’s buzzer beater triggered an eruption inside McCamish Pavilion, but it was just the exclamation point to a hard fought battle.

The Jackets’ victory, like many this season, was rooted in rebounding dominance. Tech obliterated the Eagles on both ends of the boards. Tech outrebounded BC 36-19 overall, 14-4 in the second half and perhaps most impressively Tech had 13 offensive rebounds to only 12 Eagle defensive rebounds. Georges-Hunt, Robert Carter Jr. and Quinton Stephens each had five while Daniel Miller, the team’s second-leading rebounder, had only one. Instead it was another redshirt-senior who stole the show.

Kammeon Holsey scored 15 points (2nd on team behind Miller’s 18) and pulled down a Yellow Jacket best 9 rebounds – including 4 on the offensive glass. Holsey’s performance was just as critical to the victory as Georges-Hunt’s four point play.

Another critical figure is 77.8 – Tech’s second half field goal percentage. Tech made 14 field goals in both the first and second half, the difference being that the White and Gold took 16 fewer shots in the second half than the first. For all of the Yellow Jacket’s shooting woes this season, they sure have periods where they seriously cannot miss (see 1st half at Boston College).

All in all, Tech picked up an ACC win at home and in the process avoided falling below .500 for the first time this season. And after dropping back to back games to Boston College to end the 2012-13 season. Tech flipped the script in 2013-14 by sweeping the Eagles.

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Looking Ahead:

Tuesday 2/18 9:00pm: #8 Duke (20-5, 9-3) at Georgia Tech (13-12, 4-8)

After a pleasant twilight tip last Thursday afternoon, Tech will face #8 Duke in a late, 9pm game on the ACC Network. With a #8 ranking in the AP poll, the Blue Devils will be the highest ranked team that McCamish Pavilion has ever hosted in its brief history.

Duke arrives in Atlanta having won eight of nine and three consecutive. That said, the Dukies have a daunting stretch ahead that includes three games in five days. On the road at Tech and North Carolina, then at home to host presently undefeated Syracuse. While fatigue may not play a factor in Tuesday’s game, perhaps the Blue Devil will be caught overlooking the Jackets with Carolina and Syracuse on the horizon. But perhaps that’s wishful thinking given the Duke-Krzyzewski pedigree.

As for more tangible analysis, it’s simple. Duke can score as well as any team in the country. They average over 80 points per game and have three players averaging double figures (super-freshman Jabari Parker at 19.3, Rodney Hood at 16.3, and Quinn Cook at 12.1) and two more averaging over nine (Andre Dawkins at 9.2 and Rasheed Sulaimon at 9.3).

The glass is Duke’s only glaring weakness. They are outside the top 150 in the category, but even if they lose the board battle it’s still an uphill climb for their opposition. Just ask the Maryland Terrapins who notched 43 rebounds and held Duke to 69 points, but still came up short on Saturday night.

Duke will be a heavy favorite entering Tuesday night as they should be. But given Tech’s style of play (rebound focused), a possible return of Trae Golden, Duke’s upcoming schedule and a raucous home court (*cough*I’m talking to you students *cough*), an upset shouldn’t be thought of as impossible.

Tip-off is at 9:00pm and will be broadcast on All News 106.7 FM and televised on ACCN

Saturday 2/22 12:00pm: Clemson (15-9, 6-6) at Georgia Tech

Approximately two weeks ago the Clemson Tigers won their eighth straight game over the Yellow Jackets. Given the nature of the last three defeats (3 points, 3 points, and 4 points) it’s time the Jackets finished the job and snapped the streak.

To do so, Tech must break the 50 point barrier. The Tigers this season are 8-0 when holding opponents on the short side of the semi-centennial mark. Tech’s biggest problem this season when it comes to scoring has been the simple task of knocking down shots. So far creating good looks hasn’t been a regular problem (that’s not to say it hasn’t happened), but even that will be doubly difficult facing a gritty and disciplined defense – Clemson ranks eighth in the country in fewest fouls committed.

Two things do bode well for the Jackets this coming Saturday. Odds are Marcus Georges-Hunt will not shoot 1 for 13 as he did two weeks ago. And Robert Carter Jr. will play after not being available at Clemson earlier this month. But by the same token, it is highly unlikely that Clemson forward K.J. McDaniels (17.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg and 2.7 blocks per game) will be held to a pitiful eight points and 21.4% from the floor.

As the season winds down and with the remaining schedule, this game is pivotal for Tech for the sole reason that it is one of the few remaining games that can be confidently dubbed “winnable.”

Tip-off is at 12:00pm and will be broadcast on All News 106.7 FM and televised on RSN.

Be sure to check back next week for a new edition of Monday Mornings from McCamish, but in the meantime follow @WREKSports on Twitter and like us on Facebook (under “WREK Sports”) to receive in-game updates and analysis.

 

 

 

 

Monday, February 17, 2014 | Posted in Ramblin' WREK Sports Show | Comments Off on Monday Mornings from McCamish: 2/17
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