By Bud L. Ellis
Derrick Favors came into Georgia Tech for his freshman season with a lot of hype. Many people wondered if this season would be his only one in college before leaving for the NBA.
While it’s too early to speculate about this, we can say this much: Favors has been really solid for Tech.
The freshman produced another good week last week, earning the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Rookie of the Week honor for the fourth time this season. Favors earned the honor after his best game as a collegian: scoring a career-high 21 points with a career-high 18 rebounds on Saturday against Maryland.
Favors hit 9-of-15 shots against the Terps, including a short jumper in the lane with three seconds remaining that gave the Jackets a 74-73 lead. Tech would lose the game on a 3-pointer at the buzzer, 76-74.
Earlier last week, Favors helped spark Tech to a 68-51 win over North Carolina. In that game, Favors scored 13 points and pulled down nine rebounds. He finished the week averaging 17 points and 13.5 rebounds in two games.
Favors leads all ACC freshman in scoring (11.5 points) and rebounds (8.5), as well as field-goal percentage (59.5) and blocked shots (51). Favors looks to spark Georgia Tech in the final three games of its regular season, starting Saturday against Boston College at home.
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Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 8:29 pm by bud
Tags: Boston College, Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Maryland, North Carolina
By Bud L. Ellis
Georgia Tech hits the final week of February with 18 wins, an ACC record one game under .500 and on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament.
Ah, what could be for a team that’s dropped four games by a total of 10 points.
Yes, 10 points: A four-point loss against Dayton early in the season, and a trio of two-point losses in the ACC (at Florida State, at Miami, at Maryland).
Win two of those three in ACC play, and the Jackets would be tied for fourth in the conference. Instead, the Jackets are seventh and most likely will be playing in the opening day of the ACC tournament.
Win all four of those games, and Tech’s overall record of 18-9 would be 22-5. In that situation, there would be no doubt the Jackets would be NCAA bound.
Tech looks to finish strong with its final three games before the ACC tournament: at home against Boston College on Saturday, at Clemson on March 2 and at home against Virginia Tech on March 6.
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Monday, February 22, 2010 at 8:13 pm by bud
Tags: Atlantic Coast Conference, Boston College, Clemson, Dayton, Florida State, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Maryland, Miami, Virginia Tech
By Bud L. Ellis
Derrick Favors played like the all-world freshman Georgia Tech has expected all season on Saturday.
It’s a shame Cliff Tucker and the Maryland Terrapins ended up with the ball last.
Tucker’s 3-point basket from the left wing as the buzzer cried doomed the Jackets to a 76-74 defeat. Tech (18-9, 6-7 ACC) still sits in seventh place in the conference standings with three games left before the ACC tournament begins.
Favors established career highs in points (21) and rebounds (18). He gave Tech a 74-73 lead with three seconds left, on a bucket from the lane. But Maryland moved the ball to midcourt, called timeout and drew up a play for Tucker.
Tucker delivered, rolling off a screen to pop in the game-winning shot from the left wing as the horn sounded.
Iman Shumpert added 17 points for the Jackets. Tech struggled at the free-throw line, hitting just 11-of-20 attempts.
The Jackets play host to Boston College on Saturday, play at Clemson March 2 and at home against Virginia Tech on March 6 before the conference tournament begins March 11 at Greensboro, N.C.
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Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 8:34 pm by bud
Tags: Atlantic Coast Conference, Boston College, Clemson, Cliff Tucker, Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Iman Shumpert, Maryland, Virginia Tech
