Jackets hit road quickly

IOWA CITY, Iowa - There's not much time for Georgia Tech to savor its most dramatic victory of the season.

Hours after the Yellow Jackets topped Iowa 79-78 on a final-second shot by B.J. Elder in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament, the players were back in class and preparing for another road trip, this one to Texas Tech tonight.

"I hope that the NIT takes into consideration that we are in school and how hard it would be if we had a one-day turnaround and had to play on the road," Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said.

Hewitt's pleas fell on deaf ears. The NIT schedule is already set, and so the Yellow Jackets, worn and weary, will travel to Lubbock, Texas, for a date with Bobby Knight's rested Red Raiders. Texas Tech beat San Diego State on Friday at home.

Still, Hewitt and the Yellow Jackets are getting what they wanted out of the NIT - positive results to build on. They beat Ohio State at home in the first round and then earned its second road victory of the season by topping Iowa.

The Yellow Jackets actually led 36-18 in the first half, but the Hawkeyes, playing before a lively crowd of more than 9,000 fans, rallied and took the lead in the second half. Iowa grabbed its final lead with 17 seconds remaining before Elder's game-winner.

"For those of you that have been following us this season, you know this was a rare occurrence. It shows we're getting better," Hewitt said. "I'm glad we've had this opportunity to play in the NIT. Hopefully we can keep it going. We've had two great experiences."

The Yellow Jackets played an up-tempo style, taking advantage of their superior depth and forcing 14 Iowa turnovers. Georgia Tech got solid bench minutes from Isma'il Muhammad (11 points, seven rebounds) and needed contributions from Luke Schenscher and Anthony McHenry.

But the tournament experience has been most beneficial to Tech's freshmen - Chris Bosh, Jarrett Jack and Theodis Tarver, who earned his second consecutive start. Jack, who still plays like a freshman at times, had nine assists in the win and kept his composure after a spate of mistakes late in the first half.

While the Yellow Jackets (16-14) are playing for next season, hoping to gain momentum for a young squad, Texas Tech (20-12) is trying to redeem a disappointing season. The Red Raiders missed the NCAA Tournament largely because of a 6-10 record in the difficult Big 12.

Knight returned his $250,000 salary to the school, saying that he and his team did not perform up to his high expectations. But Texas Tech was just a clock malfunction away from beating Oklahoma - a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament - and had they finished the Big 12 schedule 7-9, the Red Raiders surely would be playing in the Big Dance.