College Basketball Roundup : Georgia Tech Climbs From Last to the Title in Just Four Seasons

It took four years and nearly 40 minutes, but Georgia Tech has gone from the bottom to the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Yellow Jackets captured their first ACC tournament championship Sunday by rallying to beat North Carolina, 57-54, on their home turf in Atlanta.

“I’m just really proud of this group,” Coach Bobby Cremins said. “It’s great for Atlanta and our program.”

Cremins inherited that program after Tech went 4-23 in the 1980-81 season, including an 0-16 ACC record. The Yellow Jackets are 65-49 since Cremins took over.

Mark Price dropped in four free throws in the final 22 seconds after Tech’s Yvon Joseph hit on one foul shot with 52 seconds left to give the Yellow Jackets (24-7) their first lead of the game, 51-50.

Tech, which shot only 38% in the game to North Carolina’s 50%, fell behind, 14-3, but recovered behind the shooting of Price and John Salley.

“The first thought in my head at that point was let’s stay calm and not take crazy shots,” Price said. “I hit a couple of shots and then we got it inside to John for a couple more and we were back in it. I think at that point, we showed some maturity.”

Said North Carolina Coach Dean Smith: “We had our chances. A tough game like this can go either way. Georgia Tech was better, but I thought we played awfully well.”

After Joseph gave Tech its first lead, he missed his second foul shot but Salley grabbed the rebound. With 22 seconds left, Price was fouled while driving to the basket and converted both shots for a 53-50 lead.

Kenny Smith, who had 16 points for North Carolina (24-8), hit a 15-foot jumper with 14 seconds left, but Price was fouled again and made two shots with eight seconds left.

Bruce Dalrymple intercepted a long pass by North Carolina and made two more free throws. Brad Daugherty, who also had 16 points for North Carolina, hit a layup at the buzzer.

Texas Tech 67, Arkansas 64--Quentin Anderson scored all 17 of his points in the second half, including two free throws with 15 seconds left, to give the Red Raiders the Southwest Conference tournament championship with a victory over the Razorbacks at Dallas.

Joe Kleine scored 36 points for Arkansas (21-12), but missed a free throw that would have tied the game with 44 seconds to play. Bubba Jennings scored 23 points for the Red Raiders (23-7) and hit two free throws with 34 seconds to go that gave Tech a 65-62 lead. Then Anderson iced it.

Arkansas fell behind by 10 points early in the second half, but Kleine took charge, scoring eight-straight points to keep the Hogs in the game.

The Red Raiders, who have won 11 straight games, fell behind, 18-7, before a technical foul on Texas Tech Coach Gerald Myers.

Myers spiked a towel and stopped referee Jim Harvey during play to protest calls going against Tech. The Red Raiders scored the next 10 points to get into the game.

Michigan 73, Indiana 71--Freshman Gary Grant picked his own blocked shot out of the air and scored with one second left to give the third-ranked Wolverines a Big Ten victory over the Hoosiers at Bloomington, Ind.

The Wolverines (25-3, 16-2) won their 16th straight game--longest streak in the nation--and handed Indiana (15-13, 7-11) its sixth loss in its last seven games.

Grant, scoreless in the first half, scored 18 points in the second half as the Wolverines rallied from an 11-point deficit.

It was Michigan’s first victory at Indiana since 1966 and the first ever in the Hoosiers’ 14-year-old Assembly Hall. The Wolverines lost by 25 points to Indiana in their conference opener at home.

Uwe Blab had 23 points and Steve Alford 22 for the Hoosiers.