Monday, April 05, 2004
Newsday.com - College Sports
Title Fight: A look at how UConn and Georgia Tech match up
NEIL BEST
April 5, 2004
GUARDS
Tech's Jarrett Jack and UConn's Taliek Brown are strong, tough playmakers with iffy outside shots, but Jack is the more dangerous scorer. That is important, because Marvin Lewis is erratic. He scored 23 points against Nevada, one against Kansas, then 15 in the first half Saturday and none in the second. UConn has a more reliable shooting guard in Ben Gordon. Technically, Will Bynum is a backup for the Yellow Jackets, but tell that to the three opponents he has ousted with clutch shots. He is fearless, sometimes to a fault.
FORWARDS
Swingmen B.J. Elder of Tech and Rashad Anderson of UConn are key scorers. That is a problem for the Yellow Jackets, because Elder is hobbled by an ankle sprain and has two points in his past three games. He will give it another try tonight. Anderson is a brilliant shooter whose three-pointer ignited UConn's late charge Saturday, but his defense can be shaky. Tech calls 6-7 Anthony McHenry "X-factor" because of his versatility, but at 6-10, UConn's Josh Boone creates more problems for opponents.
CENTERS
The title game's throwback showcase features UConn's Emeka Okafor against Georgia Tech's Luke Schenscher, a pair of skilled low-post players in a time when athletes like them usually are stolen away by the NBA. Okafor is as polished a center as they come in this era and one of the best defensive players ever, but Schenscher has come on recently and presents problems on offense because of his sound fundamentals and offensive moves, including an impossible-to-block hook that he can bank in from odd angles.
BENCH
The Yellow Jackets have as good an array of reserves as any team. Isma'il Muhammad, Theodis Tarver, Clarence Moore and Will Bynum come at opponents in waves. Muhammad is a dynamic leaper but might be slowed by knee tendinitis. He expects to play. The Huskies' strength is their height off the bench in 6-11 forwards Charlie Villanueva and Hilton Armstrong. Denham Brown provides scoring punch, but if Ben Gordon or Taliek Brown is lost for a chunk of time, there could be problems in the thin backcourt.
COACHES
Jim Calhoun, a wise-cracking, hyper-intense Bostonian, is looking for his second title and more cache as one of the greats of the modern era. He has the loyalty of players despite an in-your-face style that makes him appear out of control at times. Paul Hewitt is a cool customer who could complete a meteoric rise into the sport's elite by delivering the school's first title at age 40. He once was runner-up for the St. John's job to Mike Jarvis. He seems to have recovered nicely from the disappointment.
Tipoff
Georgia Tech (28-9)
vs. Connecticut (32-6)
Title Fight: A look at how UConn and Georgia Tech match up
NEIL BEST
April 5, 2004
GUARDS
Tech's Jarrett Jack and UConn's Taliek Brown are strong, tough playmakers with iffy outside shots, but Jack is the more dangerous scorer. That is important, because Marvin Lewis is erratic. He scored 23 points against Nevada, one against Kansas, then 15 in the first half Saturday and none in the second. UConn has a more reliable shooting guard in Ben Gordon. Technically, Will Bynum is a backup for the Yellow Jackets, but tell that to the three opponents he has ousted with clutch shots. He is fearless, sometimes to a fault.
FORWARDS
Swingmen B.J. Elder of Tech and Rashad Anderson of UConn are key scorers. That is a problem for the Yellow Jackets, because Elder is hobbled by an ankle sprain and has two points in his past three games. He will give it another try tonight. Anderson is a brilliant shooter whose three-pointer ignited UConn's late charge Saturday, but his defense can be shaky. Tech calls 6-7 Anthony McHenry "X-factor" because of his versatility, but at 6-10, UConn's Josh Boone creates more problems for opponents.
CENTERS
The title game's throwback showcase features UConn's Emeka Okafor against Georgia Tech's Luke Schenscher, a pair of skilled low-post players in a time when athletes like them usually are stolen away by the NBA. Okafor is as polished a center as they come in this era and one of the best defensive players ever, but Schenscher has come on recently and presents problems on offense because of his sound fundamentals and offensive moves, including an impossible-to-block hook that he can bank in from odd angles.
BENCH
The Yellow Jackets have as good an array of reserves as any team. Isma'il Muhammad, Theodis Tarver, Clarence Moore and Will Bynum come at opponents in waves. Muhammad is a dynamic leaper but might be slowed by knee tendinitis. He expects to play. The Huskies' strength is their height off the bench in 6-11 forwards Charlie Villanueva and Hilton Armstrong. Denham Brown provides scoring punch, but if Ben Gordon or Taliek Brown is lost for a chunk of time, there could be problems in the thin backcourt.
COACHES
Jim Calhoun, a wise-cracking, hyper-intense Bostonian, is looking for his second title and more cache as one of the greats of the modern era. He has the loyalty of players despite an in-your-face style that makes him appear out of control at times. Paul Hewitt is a cool customer who could complete a meteoric rise into the sport's elite by delivering the school's first title at age 40. He once was runner-up for the St. John's job to Mike Jarvis. He seems to have recovered nicely from the disappointment.
Tipoff
Georgia Tech (28-9)
vs. Connecticut (32-6)
