All the preseason talk was about Connecticut center Emeka Okafor and the Huskies. They were the consensus No. 1 team in the country, and they seemed unbeatable with all of their returning players. They possess an unbelievable amount of talent. Maybe even too much.

That’s why it’s not surprising that UConn overlooked then-unranked Georgia Tech, losing, 77-61, in the Preseason NIT semifinals.

The 2002-2003 Yellow Jackets were built around freshman standout Chris Bosh, the NBA’s No. 4 draft pick, whose freshman season was overshadowed only by Syracuse’s Carmelo Anthony. After last year’s postseason NIT quarterfinal run, Bosh, now of the Toronto Raptors, declared for the NBA draft. And Tech’s other former ACC player of the year, Ed Nelson, transferred to UConn. But the shift in focus from its frontcourt is precisely what enabled Tech to beat the Huskies and jump out to an early 6-0 record and a No. 13 ranking.

‘Without Bosh and Nelson, they spread the ball around,’ Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora said. ‘They’re very tuned in to their roles. (Head Coach Paul Hewitt) has them buying into the system; they play hard and they play together.’

This year’s team features five talented guards who play a fast-paced, run-and-gun style of basketball. Junior B.J. Elder, who scored 22 points against Connecticut, and sophomore Jarrett Jack led the team to win the preseason NIT. Jack was named ACC player of the week on Nov. 24 after averaging 14.7 points and 10 assists per game, including back-to-back double-doubles against Lafayette and Hofstra. In Tech’s first road game of the season, Jack tied a career high with 21 points while dishing out eight assists to defeat Cornell, 90-69.

‘This is the type of team we’ve been recruiting to,’ Hewitt said. ‘Interchangeable parts on the perimeter with long arms, very quick feet and good anticipation. I think we’re a good defensive team.’

Junior Isma’il Muhammad has become a spark plug off the bench at forward. He scored 38 points and grabbed eight rebounds in only 38 minutes in the whole NIT tournament. Muhammad was instrumental in Georgia Tech’s win over Connecticut, finishing with 22 points and six rebounds. His efforts were good enough to earn NIT Most Valuable Player honors and ACC player of the week for Dec. 1.

‘Muhammad is very active on both sides of the ball,’ Cornell head coach Steve Donahue said. ‘He is especially quick on the offensive boards.’

In the NIT championship game against Texas Tech, the Yellow Jackets once again shocked the nation with an upset over Bobby Knight’s then-No. 25 Red Raiders. Senior guard Marvin Lewis chipped in with 13 points, and senior forward Clarence Moore scored 10.

‘We warned them about how good Georgia Tech was,’ said assistant coach Pat Knight, Texas Tech head coach Bobby Knight’s son. ‘We beat Georgia Tech last year in the NIT, so (the Texas Tech players) think it’s going to be the same team.’

Georgia Tech’s early success broke it into the Top 25 rankings for the first time since December of 1997.

In the immediate future, the Yellow Jackets should only get better – junior guard Will Bynum will be eligible to play in mid-December after transferring from Arizona. Last year for the Wildcats he averaged 7.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and two assists per game in eight appearances, including two starts.

‘Their best player is sitting on the bench,’ Donahue said. ‘How well Bynum can mesh in will determine how good Georgia Tech can be. They are a top 10 or top 15 team right now, but other teams in their league will start to figure them out.’

Boiling over

After Georgia Tech’s upset of No. 1 ranked Connecticut, Duke was ready to claim the throne from its No.2 perch. But once again, an unranked and unsuspected opponent spoiled the glory.

The Blue Devils were defeated, 78-68, by Purdue on Sunday in the title game of the Great Alaska Shootout. The Boilermakers feature a balanced attack that includes a strong team defense.

‘They are a very physical basketball team,’ Texas State head coach Dennis Nutt said. ‘They have a lot of size, and they keep coming at you.’

Senior forward Chris Booker dominated in the post with 20 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Boilermakers (5-0), while sophomore guard David Teague chipped in with 19 points and six rebounds. Though junior guard Brandon McKnight only had six points in 31 minutes of play, Nutt believes he is the heart of the team.

‘McKnight is an unsung hero,’ Nutt said. ‘He really keeps the team together. He can score from the outside, or he can slash to the rim and get to the foul line.’

In his 24th season, legendary Purdue head coach Gene Keady sees this year’s team as one with potential.

‘I like this team a lot, because they are coachable,’ Keady said. ‘They leave their egos at home and they don’t have any hang-ups about it. If you get after them, they don’t take it personally. They just see it as a constructive, improvement situation.’

Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette saw how well the Boilermakers played together in Purdue’s first game of the season. Purdue crushed the Bulldogs, 66-50, while playing all 14 players on its roster.

‘They won’t beat themselves,’ Tillette said. ‘Some other team will have to step up and beat them.’

Purdue’s win over Duke earned them the No. 20 ranking in this week’s AP Poll, while the Blue Devils fell to No. 6.

‘Now we just have to build from that and not be overconfident,’ Keady said. ‘It was a nice stepping stone, but it’s only temporary.’

Player of the Week Kenneth Lowe, G, Sr., Purdue

After redshirting during the 2001-2002 season because of surgery on his right shoulder, Lowe did not play to his full potential in his junior campaign. During this past offseason he had surgery again, but this time on his left shoulder. Now in his fifth year at Purdue, Lowe is finally getting national attention.

Lowe has been instrumental in Purdue’s five-game win streak, averaging 19.6 points per game.

After scoring 22 points and holding opposing guard Daniel Ewing to nine points on 2 of 9 shooting in the win against Duke, Lowe was named the most outstanding player at the Great Alaska Shootout. Lowe also earned Co-Big Ten player of the week honors with Iowa’s Greg Brunner after scoring a career-high 26 points against Texas State.

‘I’ve been excited all year, and I said that before the season, but people probably didn’t pay much attention to it,’ Lowe said. ‘This team is very unselfish. We have a lot of guys that can play. Since we can only play five guys at a time, our depth is really going to surprise some people throughout the year.’

Published on December 3, 2003 at 12:00 pm