ESPN.com - ncb - Hewitt knew ... now ACC is learning, too

The white-haired one is gone, and Bobby Cremins didn't seem to leave his replacement with much to work with. The Yellow Jackets went 13-17 (5-11 ACC) last season, and their best player, Jason Collier, graduated to the NBA. Meanwhile, Cremins' final recruiting class was unimpressive, with just one player (6-foot-4 Marvin Lewis) generally rated among the top 100 players in the country.


	Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt has his players -- and the ACC -- believing they can make the NCAA Tournament.

Enter Hewitt, who had gone 66-27 in three seasons at Siena. At his introductory press conference, Hewitt declared the NCAA tournament his goal -- right away. The media snickered, then picked Georgia Tech to battle Florida State for the ACC basement.

Thing is, Hewitt was serious.

"Look at our ball club. You're talking about veteran team," Hewitt says. "We've got a veteran point guard (junior Tony Akins) who's started every ACC game in his career, and (senior center) Alvin Jones, the leading returning rebounder and shot-blocker in the ACC. When you've got a solid point guard and I think the best center in the league, you should have a chance to win."

Er, he was right. The Jackets (14-9, 6-6) have made a mockery of preseason pundits and a shambles of the ACC standings, where they are tied for third even after losing Wednesday at Wake Forest.

"I think Paul Hewitt has done an outstanding coaching job," says Wake Forest coach Dave Odom, "Not only as good as there is in this league -- and there are some outstanding (ACC candidates) -- but you'd have a hard time finding a coach in this country who has done a better job than (Hewitt), especially in as short a period of time."

Georgia Tech has been everything right, and wrong, with the ACC this season. If this is the deepest conference in the country, as its coaches think, Georgia Tech deserves much of the credit. And if a number of ACC teams are inching closer than anyone dreamed of the dreaded NCAA Tournament bubble, as it would appear, Georgia Tech deserves some blame.

How much could Virginia (17-6, 6-6) use victories in the two games it lost to the Jackets? How about Wake Forest (17-7, 6-6), which lost earlier this season to Georgia Tech? Or Maryland (15-9, 6-6), which also split with the Jackets?

A spoiler no more, Georgia Tech has evolved from underdog to predator. Maybe everyone should have seen this coming in December, when the Jackets beat UCLA and Kentucky within seven days.

"If they'd had a poor (non-conference) performance, and then come into the league and done what they've done, then I would say (the Jackets are hurting the league)," Odom says. "In truth, they do not have a bad loss outside the league. They are a genuine team, and I think they've done nothing but help the league."

Jones is the anchor, averaging 14.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.3 blocks. His presence has helped the Jackets hold foes to 41-percent shooting. Akins is the motor, averaging 13.8 points and 4.4 assists and shooting 40 percent on 3-pointers. Everyone else is a role player: senior Shaun Fein spreading defenses with his shooting range; freshman Halston Lane coming off the bench to help Fein; senior Jon Babul grabbing rebounds and setting screens; Lewis scoring 10 points and grabbing five rebounds.

"We get a little something from everyone," Hewitt says. "I have not been surprised by this team yet."

You may be the only one, Coach.

Games of the Week

Providence at Boston College
Saturday
First place in the Big East's East, and all the postseason seedings that would come with it, is at stake in this first of two games on consecutive Saturdays between pleasant surprises.
Maryland at Wake Forest
Saturday
The sliding Terps simply have to win this game, because whoever loses slides toward the middle of the NCAA bubble, and is holding a sharp object. Maryland beat the Deacons 81-71 (Jan. 17) at Cole Field House.
Duke at St. John's
Sunday
St. John's hasn't been cowed by Duke's ACC domination, taking the Blue Devils to overtime two years ago and beating Duke last season in Durham. The Red Storm ought to have all the motivation in the world, too: A victory against the No. 3 Blue Devils will bolster its NCAA tournament hopes. Seton Hall at Notre Dame
Sunday
The once-mighty Hall is running out of chances to impress the NCAA tournament selection committee. A win on the road against the streaking Irish would do the trick. But would it be enough?

Respect for the elder
It doesn't take a brain surgeon, or even the basketball coach at Connecticut, to recognize what has happened in the Big East this season. All things being equal, and sometimes even when they are not, veteran teams with experience at point guard are separating themselves from younger teams with freshmen running the show.

"Look at the teams playing well," says Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun, who quickly runs down the Big East's top four teams and their point guards: Providence with junior John Linehan, Boston College with sophomore Troy Bell (and a veteran cast), Notre Dame with senior Martin Ingelsby, and Syracuse with senior Allen Griffin. "And then our story, much like with Seton Hall and St. John's, is we need someone to lead us."

Indeed, the Huskies, Red Storm and Pirates look to have as much top-to-bottom talent as anyone in the Big East, but all three rely heavily on freshmen, especially at the point, where the ballyhooed New York City trio of Taliek Brown (UConn), Omar Cook (St. John's) and Andre Barrett (Seton Hall) has played well enough -- but not, as Calhoun points out, led their teams to enough wins.

"Taliek Brown has played marvelous as a freshman, but he's our first freshman to be by himself," Calhoun says. "Ricky Moore had Khalid El-Amin, and then we had Kevin Ollie, Tate George and Chris Smith. There was always somebody to learn from."

Around the East

Repeat after us: Non-conference games in December matter. Non-conference games in December matter.

Check out the Atlantic 10, where two teams with splendid league records play Saturday in a game in which the only postseason berths at stake are from the NIT. That's the case Saturday when Temple (14-12, 8-4) plays at Massachusetts (11-11, 9-2), whose late surge has surely taken coach Bruiser Flint off the endangered coaches list. The Minutemen continued streaking Wednesday by beating Xavier 59-49 to move into second in the league.

After Duke's loss Wednesday at Virginia, Blue Devils senior Shane Battier remains two victories short of ex-Duke player Christian Laettner's ACC record of 122 career wins.

Maybe the domicile was the problem. After a five-game losing streak, Fordham coach Bob Hill began bunking on the Rose Hill campus -- he lives 40 miles away -- to be closer to his players (and their 6 a.m. practices). And what do you know? Fordham went out and beat Duquesne 91-84 Wednesday. Duquesne is in last place in the A-10, but still ...

Who's Hot

UNC guard Joseph Forte is averaging 24.5 points and 7.9 rebounds the last eight games

St. Bonaventure senior guard Kevin Houston is coming off his first Player of the Week honor for averaging 28.5 points, with a career-best 36 against Duquesne, and shooting 56.3 percent on 3-pointers.

Who's Not

Maryland has lost five of its last six games, including a disastrous home loss Wednesday to Florida State (7-17, 2-9), and is in serious danger of missing out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eight years.

Quote to Note
"It's like a boxing match. Our belly right now is by our larynx. They're pounding us. We're getting fed through the ear intravenously because our stomach is not located where it used to be."
-- Virginia coach Pete Gillen on the physical play in the ACC.

And also ...

"We brought them donuts. I might be selling donuts if we didn't win."
-- Gillen on the students who camped out for four days before the Cavaliers' 91-89 victory over Duke.

Gregg Doyel covers the ACC for The Charlotte Observer and is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.

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