Georgia Tech thought this season would be different. With the arrival of consensus top 5 HS player Derrick Favors, and several other top 100 HS players including Mfon Udofia, Brian Oliver, and Glen Rice Jr. The Jackets sit 9-2, without a decent win except possibly the victory over the USC Trojans. The two quality teams Georgia Tech has played, Dayton in Puerto Rico and Florida State at home, they lost to. It looks like more of the same sloppy basketball that’s become indicative of recent Yellow Jacket basketball if you ask me. I was optimistic until I saw the Florida State performance.  Now, I don’t know. Is Head Coach Paul Hewitt on the hot seat? Should he even be on the hot seat? Let’s forget for the moment that he has a massive buyout. If Georgia Tech wants Hewitt gone at the end of the season they’ll find a way. You can make several arguments why Hewitt should or shouldn’t be on the hot seat. Here goes…

Why Paul Hewitt should be on the Hot Seat.

1) Since the NCAA tournament appearance in 2004-2005, Hewitt has exactly 0 NCAA tournament wins.

2) There has been 1 post-season tournament appearance since the 2004-2005 season, and that includes 0 NITs.

3) Including last Sunday’s loss to FSU, Paul Hewitt is 21-44 in regular season ACC games since the 2004-2005 season.

4) He has had a losing overall record at the end of the season three of the last four years.

Why Paul Hewitt shouldn’t be on the Hot Seat.

1) Despite the loss to FSU, it’s far too early to write this season off. This team can still be very good.

2) Paul Hewitt is a great representative of Georgia Tech, plays by the rules, and either graduates or gets players to the NBA.

3) He took Georgia Tech to the final 4 in the 2003-2004 season, and that should always count for something.

4) His recent struggles have more to do with unexpected early departures and injuries than his coaching ability.

For me, as the poll to right asks, if Hewitt doesn’t make the NCAAs a change needs to made. This year’s team is a mixture of talented underclassmen and experienced upperclassmen. He needs to find a way to mesh this squad into a cohesive unit. Unfortunately for Hewitt it is a “what have you done for me lately world?” If you agree or disagree please comment away.

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In last year’s 9-4 season there was one sour note at the end of year. It was a 38-3 loss to LSU in the Chick Fil a Bowl. I know because I was there. I was all pumped only to have the game over by halftime. I’m sure Paul Johnson and his team didn’t enjoy spending the entire off-season thinking about that game.

This year the Jackets are headed to the Orange Bowl to play a strong Iowa Hawkeye squad and Paul Johnson and Georgia Tech are looking for a different end to the season. Jeff Schultz talks about this in his latest article for the Atlanta Journal Constitution here.  Without getting into the particulars of the game yet, Schultz wonders if the result will be different this year.

The game is very important for many reasons. Paul Johnson has answered every question thus far about his offense. Can it win in major college football? Yes… Can he win after other teams see it more than once? Yes… Can he win when quality defenses have more than a week to prepare? Um well I’m not sure about that one.

My belief is last year had more to do with Georgia Tech coming into the Chick Fil a bowl little over confident after their 45-42 win over Georgia. I also think that was such a huge goal for the Yellow Jackets that they came into the LSU game satisfied with the season. This isn’t to take anything from LSU.  The Tigers dominated the Yellow Jackets at the line of scrimmage and played a tremendous game. The Jackets needed a much higher level of focus before playing the Tigers than what they came in with.

For Iowa I think you will find a much more focused Georgia Tech team. They may still lose, but it won’t be because they weren’t ready for the game. Paul Johnson will see to that.

For more articles about Georgia Tech, the ACC and other sport topics, please visit my blog All About Sports.

Georgia Tech is going to the Orange Bowl! What an epic game with the Clemson Tigers they played. That is what you call an instant classic. The Jackets won the game 39-34 when Derrick Morgan sacked Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker on 4th down, and Georgia Tech ran out the clock.

Clemson’s C.J. Spiller made a case for the Heisman trophy. I certainly hope he gets legitimate consideration; because college football doesn’t have a more exciting player. Let’s give Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt credit too. Nesbitt is the epitome of a leader. When Clemson took a 34-33 lead with 6 minutes left, Nesbitt led Georgia Tech on an 86 yard 4th quarter drive that would have made John Elway proud.

Paul Johnson came to Georgia Tech for exactly one reason, and that was to win championships. In just his 2nd year he’s done that with an ACC Title. This is Georgia Tech’s first major bowl appearance since 1966. The guy with the high school offense is going to the Orange Bowl. Is that the only reason it was a good day Georgia Tech?

The Jackets also had a basketball game Saturday. They defeated the USC Trojans 79-53 to move to 6-1 on the season. USC is not a great team, but what I saw Saturday convinced me the Yellow Jackets can get to the NCAA tournament. The Jackets had only 7 turnovers in the game. For a Paul Hewitt coached team that is unheard of. Hewitt teams have never been known for taking care of the ball, and that is a very good sign this year.

Mfon Udofia played an efficient controlled game at the point. That is something the Jacket’s haven’t at the point guard position in several years. Brian Oliver showed range on his 3 point shot and scored 18 points. Inside is the Jacket’s strength and Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors combined for 23 points and 17 rebounds.

I like the makeup of this team, and they should be 8-1 before Florida State comes to Atlanta on the 20th of December. With the bottom half of the ACC not very good and the top teams Duke, and North Carolina not unbeatable, Georgia Tech has a great chance to make some noise in the ACC this year.

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