ATLANTA - Many expected Georgia Tech to take the initiation paddle to Miami on Thursday in the Hurricanes' Atlantic Coast Conference debut.
Added to the league this year because of its football prowess, Miami was predicted to be the most-spanked men's basketball team in the ACC this season.
Miami received a proper welcome at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, losing 80-69 to the No. 9 Yellow Jackets. The drubbing never materialized, though, as the Hurricanes rallied from a 14-point deficit in the second half and kept the score close until the closing minutes.
"Miami has a very good basketball team, and it showed," Georgia Tech forward Anthony McHenry said. "They're a good addition to the conference."
Georgia Tech (10-2, 1-0) dealt with subtraction in the game. Playing without injured star B.J. Elder, the Jackets responded much the same way they did in last year's NCAA Tournament, when an ankle injury hobbled Elder.
Four players scored in double figures, led by guard Will Bynum, who started in place of Elder. He scored 21 points and dished out seven assists without committing a turnover.
Luke Schenscher added 15 points followed by Jarrett Jack with 14 points and nine rebounds. Elder is expected to miss the Jackets' next three games with a strained hamstring.
"(B.J.) can carry us on any given night," Jackets coach Paul Hewitt said. "We made up for him tonight."
Georgia Tech also recanted for Saturday's overtime loss to Kansas, a game Hewitt called one of the toughest regular-season losses he'd ever experienced.
It played aggressive defense throughout and was more efficient on offense, shooting 48 percent from the field.
Miami's Guillermo Diaz kept Jack and the rest of the Yellow Jackets' guards focused on defense Thursday.
The sophomore swingman from Puerto Rico scored a game-high 27 points and showed he can be considered among the ACC's best players.
Diaz scored just five points in the final 13 minutes, however, as Georgia Tech gradually stretched a four-point lead to double figures. Jack hit a 3-pointer with 2 minutes, 23 seconds left to boost Tech's advantage to 75-64.
The win is the first for the Georgia Tech in an ACC opener in Hewitt's five-year tenure. The Jackets have now won five straight regular-season ACC games.
"We're into ACC play now and parity is going to be evident, just like this game," Jack said.
Reach Adam Van Brimmer at (404) 589-8424 or adam.vanbrimmer@morris.com.
Up Next for Tech
WHO: Virginia Cavaliers (9-2 overall, 0-1 ACC)
WHEN: 8 p.m., Saturday
WHERE: Alexander Memorial Coliseum, Atlanta
Noteworthy: Five of Virginia's 11 games have been decided by five points or less. The Cavaliers have won four of those games.
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