Georgia Tech: post mortem

I was in Jacksonville for the Georgia - Florida football game this year, and I didn't have anything red to wear, so I bought a t-shirt.  I wore the shirt for that game (yuck) and the Chattanooga basketball game (ugh).  I decided to give it one more chance today, and it got it done.  This was a big win for my t-shirt:

• I didn't get a chance to put up a "gut feeling" post, but everything I was going to say would turn out to be wrong.
• I thought Charles Mitchell was going to have a big day: wrong.  I thought James White was going to have a big day: wrong.  I thought Georgia Tech was going to win the game: wrong.
• Admit it, though...when Quinton Stephens banked in that 3-pointer in the first half, you flashed back to last year and thought, "Oh no, not again."
• Going into the locker room down only 1 after getting nothing from Gaines in the first half actually felt pretty good.
• Starting the second half on a 9-0 run felt really good.  That's two games in a row where Georgia has come out smoking in the second half.  I'd love it if that became a habit.
• Georgia only shot 14 3-pointers, and I think that's a recipe for success - especially when J.J. Frazier hits 6 of them.
• Houston Kessler had good and (very) bad moments, but 5 offensive rebounds will always get you praise around these parts.
• Derek Ogbeide struggled like you'd expect a freshman playing his first real minutes to struggle, but the talent is evident.  He and Maten are going to be a scary pair in the post for the next two years.
• Less turnovers, more assists, and even on the boards.  I'll take that every single night.
• When Adam Smith hit those three bombs in quick succession and Georgia came out of it unscathed, that's when it felt like it might just be the Dawgs' day.
• Nick Jacobs is a large man.  Yante Maten did a fantastic job of denying him the ball, and I loved the quick double every time Jacobs got his hands on it.  It was obvious Fox didn't believe the Jackets could win the game from the 3-point line.
• And seriously, Yante Maten is a grown man.  He had an off night at the line, but it's easily forgiven considering everything else he's doing for this team.  And I love the fact that he threw that shot into the stands with .4 seconds left on the game clock instead of giving up the layup.  Play to the whistle.
• I also love the press Georgia showed in the last 4 minutes.  It caught Tech by surprise, ate some clock, and generated at least one turnover.  Excellent coaching.
• In fact, for a team that has struggled to close out games for years, Georgia did a fantastic job today.  There was very little drama.  They didn't turn the ball over, they (Frazier) hit their free throws, and they forced long possessions.  It was great to see.
• Brandon Young: on the board.

This was a good game, and Georgia can be so much better.  Will we see the typical after-finals surge out of the Bulldogs?  Let's hope so.  For now, it's just nice to be back on top of the nerds.