One shining moment
Georgia Tech senior Marvin Lewis, who scored a big doughnut in Tech's first-round game against Northern Iowa and had just nine points against Boston College in Round Two, picked a good time to pad his tournament average. His 23 points against Nevada -- just one point short of his season high -- included two 3-pointers down the stretch that took Tech from a one-point deficit to a five-point lead with 5:20 remaining. With just over a minute to go, Tech point guard Will Bynum, who hadn't scored all half, made an acrobatic, off balance reverse layup that moved Tech into the lead for good. "My first thought was to dunk it," said the debatably 6-foot Bynum later. "But I took what I could get."
Player who impressed me
Althought Lewis was the high scorer for both teams, he made his points -- except for the two 3s mentioned above -- rather quietly. Much more riveting to watch were Nevada's two stars, senior point guard Todd Okeson and junior swingman Kirk Snyder. Snyder did not have his best offensive night (6-20 from the field; 1-6 from the arc) but he is a terrific athlete who seems to be involved in every play. Okeson's stats were nothing to crow about, either: a 37 percent 3-point shooter, he hit just five of 19 from the field and two of 10 from beyond the arc, and despite some sharp passes, he had no assists. But he was absolutely fearless going inside in the second half. Though he got knocked on his rear more often than he scored (or drew a foul), he was the most entertaining player on the floor for much of the game.
Courtside confidential
In the Georgia Tech locker room after the game, Bynum talked about the difficulties Tech has had with offensive consistency this year. "We have to rely on our in-your-face defense to win games," he said. "There hasn't been a point all season where our offense has been really clicking. We're not happy with the offense tonight, but we're happy to get the win." He added, "Marvin played really big for us tonight. We need someone to step up for us every night."
Championship formula
Tech has two big issues going into the game against Kansas. One is the status of leading scorer B.J. Elder, who may be out or limited by a right ankle sprain he sustained early in the Nevada game. The other is finding an answer for 6-foot-9 Wayne Simien, who scored 30 (including 18 of 20 free throws, which broke Wilt Chamberlain's school single-game NCAA record of 14) against UAB. Tech has good depth and employs good defensive intensity, but Kansas also has good depth, and the Jayhawks are such a good passing team that they had little problem with UAB's vaunted "40 minutes of hell." Kansas is peaking at the right time -- "We're playing better this time of year than we've played all year long," says coach Bill Self -- while Tech doesn't look completely in synch. Kansas is the third program Self has taken as far as the Sweet 16; the Jayhawks should be the team to carry him to the Final Four.
