One shining moment
It looked like it was Jarrett Jack time, but in the Georgia Tech huddle other plans were being designed.
Oklahoma State's John Lucas III had just hit his latest clutch 3-pointer from the right wing to tie the score at 65 with 28 seconds left, and the decidedly partisan Cowboys crowd was delirious with visions of yet another thrilling win.
The Yellow Jackets called time and everyone in the building was assuming that the play was to get the ball to Jack, Tech's All-ACC sophomore point guard, clear out and let him do his thing. But before coach Paul Hewitt could say a word to his team, senior Marvin Lewis gave his recommendation: "Let's get the ball to Will."
Who? Will, in case you haven't been following the Yellow Jackets' thrilling NCAA tournament ride, is Will Bynum. He's a backup point guard who has morphed into an assassin since leading scorer B.J. Elder went down with a badly sprained ankle against Nevada in the second round. The play was simple: get the ball to Jack, and then try to get it to Bynum on one of the wings. The Cowboys came out with fullcourt pressure and the Yellow Jackets struggled to get it across the timeline.
Eventually Tech got the ball in Jack's hands at halfcourt with 15 seconds left. He dribbled left and passed to Bynum on the left wing. Luke Schenscher set a high screen and Bynum took off and streaked toward the basket. The Cowboys didn't switch and suddenly Lucas was a step behind, with Bynum sprinting toward the hoop. Cowboys forward Ivan McFarlin came over for the block, so Bynum leaned in for the contact, but it never came. He kissed it off the glass and over the rim for two: Georgia Tech 67, Oklahoma State 65. All the Cowboys could manage was a 75-foot heave from Lucas as time expired.
"I didn't really feel any pressure," Bynum said. "The pressure was going to be going back into the locker room after the game and facing my teammates."
The big hoop wasn't the first tourney highlight for Bynum, who left Arizona last December because he couldn't crack the Wildcats' rotation. In wins over Nevada in the Sweet 16 and Kansas in the Elite Eight, Bynum made what ended up being the winning baskets.
"I just kept telling him to stay patient and you'll get your chance," Hewitt said of Bynum's struggle to get minutes before Elder's injury. "He has an element of toughness. This a kid who thinks he can take anybody in the country."
Player who impressed me
Luke Schenscher. With a floppy orange 'do and long arms, the 7-foot-1 center inspires images of Sesame Sreet's Big Bird. Against Oklahoma State he constantly got position down low against the overmatched, outsized McFarlin en route to scoring 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Despite his above-average scoring performance, Schensher's greatest contribution was probably on the defensive end, where he did the things that don't show up in the stat sheet. Simply put, he played big. The Cowboys like to convert everything around the rim with slashers like Tony Allen, Joey Graham and McFarlin -- and Shenscher's presence made that difficult to the point where the Cowboys could only get good scoring opportunities in transition.
"It was in the back of mind that I really wanted to play well," Shenscher said. "My whole town back home [Hope Forest, Australia] was watching the game. I had to play well."
Courtside confidential
About 25 rows above the Georgia Tech bench, former Yellow Jacket stars John Salley and Dennis Scott sat next to each other and took in the game. Scott, who helped lead Tech to the Final Four in 1990 with Kenny Anderson and Brian Oliver, must have liked what he saw in the first half with the Yellow Jackets' 3-point barrage (they hit all seven of their 3s in the first half). Scott is Tech's all-time leader in 3-pointers made with 351. We wonder why the former star didn't have a better seat. ... Nike CEO Phil Knight took in the game from behind the Oklahoma State bench, but he probably wasn't favoring Nike school OSU. His company has deals with every Final Four program. ... Sixty-eight-year-old Eddie Sutton scowled throughout the first half and mostly stayed seated as assistants James Dickey and Sean Sutton, Eddie's son, roamed the sideline. The coaching legend always looks like he's in pain watching his team play. Looks must be deceiving, because the guy wouldn't have lasted this long.
Championship formula
Georgia Tech was billed as the team that didn't belong with three heavyweights at this Final Four. The reality is that this is one of the deepest teams in the country with seven guys playing over 15 minutes a game and two others averaging at least seven. Against UConn, the Yellow Jackets will have an edge in the backcourt -- even with an injured Elder, but will need strong performances from big men Theodis Tarver, Anthony McHenry and Schenscher to win it all.
