After 21st-ranked Georgia Tech was forced into overtime in an exhibition game against Division II Indiana (Pa.), sophomore guard Iman Shumpert got some questions from fellow students.
"Everybody was a little worried," he said.
Shumpert wasn't. He thought the Yellow Jackets had just come out flat, and a dominant win over Florida A&M in the season opener supported his theory. But as Tech opens the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off on Thursday, the players know they have a lot to learn yet about what kind of team they really have.
For all the expectation of what four talented freshman can do for a team that finished last in the ACC last season, Tech has a chance to find out. The Jackets face No. 18 Dayton at 11:30 a.m.
Also lurking in the field is No. 5 Villanova, an upstart Final Four team last season that has the perimeter prowess to get back. In a relatively lopsided bracket, Tech could face Villanova in a semifinal game Friday, if the Jackets beat Dayton and Villanova beats George Mason.
Tech will finish the tournament with a game Sunday. They'll play three times, win or lose.
"It's a chance to play against quality teams in a short period of time, so you have a lot of information and a lot of tape to look at to figure out what direction you've got to go in as a team," Tech coach Paul Hewitt said. "… It's a great opportunity for our young guys, for our team to play a team like [Dayton]."
The Flyers return four starters and 10 of the top 11 players from a team that beat West Virginia in the first round of the NCAA tournament last season. They return their leading scorer, forward Chris Wright, who scored 25 points against Creighton in the Flyers' season opener.
Shumpert played with Wright at the LeBron James Skills Academy over the summer.
"If you get him on a breakaway, he's going to be a highlight clip," Shumpert said. "We're going to try to make him play a half-court game."
At the same time, Tech wants to improve its own half-court play. As happy as Hewitt was with the energy level in Tech's 100-59 win over Florida A&M, he thought the Jackets failed to play to their strengths -- getting the ball inside to Gani Lawal and freshman Derrick Favors.
Lawal went to the free-throw line only twice and Favors once. Hewitt wants at least three to four trips each.
"We did not do a good job of cutting to set up the plays," Hewitt said. "And we certainly did not get the shots that we're capable of getting out of the offense."
Shumpert said guards need to penetrate to create easy chances inside.
"A lot of times we throw it in there and stand and watch, and they get crowded a lot," he said of Favors and Lawal. "They can play through that, but we've got to make their job easier."
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