MEN’S BASKETBALL Today, 7 p.m. v. George Tech
Maui, Hawaii
LAHAINA, Hawaii “”mdash; A day after playing easily their
toughest game of the season, the Bruins now have less than 24 hours
to prepare for the very talented No. 19 Georgia Tech team. The
Yellow Jackets feature two probable NBA players in 6-foot-9-inch
freshman forward Thaddeus Young, and 6-foot-5-inch freshman guard
Javaris Crittenton. They advanced to the championship game by
making an improbable comeback against No. 12 Memphis 92-85 in the
precursor to the UCLA-Kentucky game. “I haven’t really
seen them play at all,” coach Ben Howland said. “But
the way they came back against Memphis should tell us they will be
a tough matchup.” The key for the Bruins tonight will be
their ability to carry the momentum of their first two victories in
the Maui Invitational. In both games, the Bruins let huge early
leads slip away only to come back and win the game. Against the
Yellow Jackets, they want to keep the intensity throughout.
“It’s a championship game,” junior guard Arron
Afflalo said. “If you can’t keep the intensity for
that, something is wrong. We knew coming in we would have to play
three games in three days.” In their matchup against the
Memphis Tigers, in which the Yellow Jackets trailed by 16 points,
Georgia Tech was able to use its front-court size to get back in
the game. Forwards Jeremis Smith and Ra’Sean Dickey, both
over 230 pounds, each scored in double-digits and had nine rebounds
or more. The key for the Bruins will be limiting the output of
both. “I have to be just as physical as I can,” junior
center Lorenzo Mata said. “They are a really good team and
they are going to try to get the ball inside.” Another major
concern for the Bruins will be the overall stamina of their
players. Players who have been injured in the preseason, such as
Mata, have only had limited practice time and are not used to
playing on three consecutive days. “I don’t know how
the NBA players do it,” Howland said. “It will be a
true testament to our team to see how we come out tomorrow.”
The Bruins’ lack of stamina already showed in the Kentucky
game as the Bruins shot very poorly from the three-point and
free-throw line. Luckily for the Bruins, they were able to receive
valuable minutes from their bench players freshman guard Russell
Westbrook and sophomore center Ryan Wright. “Those guys were
phenomenal tonight,” Howland said after last night’s
game. “We will definitely need them (against Georgia
Tech).” Regardless of whether the Bruins use their bench
tomorrow or not, Afflalo feels that the championship game will
eventually determine whether the Maui Invitational is a successful
trip for the Bruins. “We came here to win three games, and we
won’t be happy if we don’t do it,” Afflalo said.
“Last season, we had a lot of trouble against ranked teams,
and (tonight) will be a good indicator of how we have improved from
last season.”
YELLOW JACKETS: The Yellow Jackets are definitely on the upswing
after a few mediocre seasons in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The
Jackets this season had one of the top recruiting classes in the
nation with high school McDonald All-Americans Young and
Crittenton. Both players are starting as freshmen for Georgia Tech.
“They are both excellent players,” Howland said.
“I have seen both play, and they are going to be
special.”
MATCHUP: Tonight’s matchup will only be the fourth ever
for the Bruins against the Yellow Jackets. The teams last played in
the 2000 John Wooden Classic, with Georgia Tech winning 72-67.
Overall, the Bruins hold a 2-1 advantage in the series history.