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Georgia Tech has
started the season with 11 wins only once in school history. The fourth-ranked
Yellow Jackets will look to match that mark when they host Marist on Tuesday.
Ranked in the top five for the first time since the 1985-86 season, the Yellow
Jackets (10-0) are trying to tie the program record of 11 season-opening wins
set in 1962-63.
They are outscoring opponents by an average of 24.0 points.
Junior guard B.J. Elder, who is averaging a team-leading 15.1 points, has been a major reason for Georgia Tech's early success. Elder scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half Sunday as the Yellow Jackets pulled away from St. John's 79-66.
However, Elder also committed five turnovers and Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said the 6-foot-4 guard must learn to be more consistent on both ends of the floor.
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``B.J. is a great player,'' Hewitt said. ``He's one of the best two-way players,
in terms of offense and defense, that I've ever been around. I wish at some
point he'd realize that he can play at a very high level, both offensively and
defensively, every time down the floor.''
Junior center Luke Schenscher and sophomore guard Jarrett Jack each added 12 points Sunday for Georgia Tech, which led by just six at halftime.
Although the Yellow Jackets shot 50 percent from the field and dominated most of the statistical categories against the Red Storm, Hewitt said there is much room for improvement.
``We're happy that we're 10-0 but we realize there's a lot of work left to be done for this team,'' Hewitt said.
One area that has pleased Hewitt so far is the Yellow Jackets' defensive intensity. They held St. John's to 39.7 percent shooting, and their opponents are shooting just 34.5 percent for the season.
``But I'm very pleased with the fact that our team continued to defend,'' Hewitt said Sunday. ``We held them under 40 percent. It just became apparent during the second half that we were going to have to win the game on the defensive end.''
Georgia Tech should have little trouble tying its best start against Marist (1-6).
The Red Foxes have dropped three straight, including a 62-57 loss to Vermont on Sunday. Junior guard Brandon Ellerbee scored a career-high 29 points, but the Red Foxes shot just 36.5 percent from the field.
Ellerbee leads Marist with 12.0 points per game.
Georgia Tech has won all three of its previous meetings with Marist.