TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

FSU Wary Of Georgia Tech Going Into ACC Quarterfinal

ADVERTISEMENT

TBO.com

Published: March 13, 2009

Florida State comes into today's Atlantic Coast Conference tournament quarterfinal against Georgia Tech with an attractive résumé.

The Seminoles (23-8, 10-6) are ranked 22nd and earned their first bye ever in the conference tournament. The No. 4-seed Seminoles have the ACC coach of the year in Leonard Hamilton. Senior guard Toney Douglas is all-conference and the ACC's defensive player of the year.

But No. 12 seed Georgia Tech believes it has two things going for it: a little recent history and a hometown advantage. Is that enough for another postseason surprise?

Lewis Clinch set a career high with 32 points and the last-place Yellow Jackets pulled off the first upset of the ACC tournament, beating No. 17 Clemson 86-81 in the opening round Thursday at Atlanta's Georgia Dome, a stone's throw from the Georgia Tech campus.

The win has given the Yellow Jackets (12-18, 2-14) thoughts of repeating what their state rival, Georgia, did last year at the SEC tournament, also in Atlanta. The last-place Bulldogs won four straight games to earn an NCAA bid.

The Yellow Jackets matched the school mark for ACC losses during the season, but can equal their win total today against the Seminoles.

"We're clicking," backup center Alade Aminu said. "We're ready for them."

It doesn't hurt Tech that the tournament is essentially at home.

"It's a big positive, because you don't have to travel," Coach Paul Hewitt said. "This time of the year, as much rest as you can get is really important. We were fresh [Thursday], and we played like a fresh team. Mentally, I'm sure that we'll be very fresh [today] because our guys are excited to play."

Florida State defeated Georgia Tech, 62-58, at Tallahassee in the teams' only meeting Feb. 5. The Seminoles took the lead with five minutes remaining and held on to win. Clinch scored only five points in that game, but the senior guard has averaged 25.1 points in his past six games.

"I feel like I'm right in my backyard," Clinch said. "Campus is two minutes away. To be in Atlanta and not having the feeling of having traveled and going through baggage claim is great. To be home feels great."

Hamilton is aware the Seminoles can take nothing for granted, and that even last-place teams can get hot at tournament time.

"The nature of the ACC is every night out you've got to be mentally and emotionally ready to play and you can't take anybody for granted," Hamilton said. "We've got to respect everyone."

Today's game is scheduled to tip off at 2 p.m. on ESPN2.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT