Georgia Tech vs TCU

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Josh Pastner and Jamie Dixon both got their wish.

Both coaches wanted one more opportunity to teach their teams.

Georgia Tech and Texas Christian will meet for the NIT title on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.

But in order to win the title, Pastner and Dixon will have to go head-to-head.

"We love coaching these guys all year long and we just want two more days with them, so they gave us that. We'll look forward to getting ready for Georgia Tech," Dixon said after TCU's 68-53 win over Central Florida in the second NIT semifinal game Tuesday night.

"We don't want the season to end. I think that might be more the motivation than anything," Dixon said. "These guys are practicing hard. You talk to my assistants, you can't believe how much energy they have brought to (each and every) practice. I think more than anything, we don't want the season to end.

"They love going to practice and they love being around each other, and the celebration in the locker room was, you could just see the joy. We're going to enjoy it for about a couple more hours and then we'll get ready for Georgia Tech."

That Georgia Tech and TCU have advanced to the NIT title game is a testament to the coaching jobs Pastner and Dixon did in their first year with their new programs.

Neither TCU nor Georgia Tech were expected to be competitive in 2016-17. Texas Christian was picked to finish last in the Big 12 preseason poll. Georgia Tech was picked 14th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Instead, Georgia Tech went 21-15, and Texas Christian went 23-15.

"I've said it many times: It's a modern miracle. I can remember like yesterday watching our first workouts. If you told me we're playing on Thursday for the NIT championship, I would say you're crazy," Pastner said after Georgia Tech's 76-61 win over Cal State Bakersfield in the first NIT semifinal Tuesday night.

"So it's been a heck of a season, and as I said, it's a great lesson for me that these guys, to see it all unfold, the power of team. That gets thrown in words a lot, team and chemistry.

"But to really see it and how we have been able to beat teams that are more talented than we are, because that night we were the better team on different games throughout the season."

Strong defense has lifted both teams. Entering Thursday night's championship game, TCU has allowed 68 points per game and Georgia Tech has allowed 61.75 points per game in the NIT.

And on the offensive end, the Horned Frogs and Yellow Jackets have made progress. TCU has averaged 78.5 points per game during the NIT, while the Yellow Jackets have scored 74 points per game in the tournament.

"We've been an elite defensive team all year long," Pastner said in a conference call on Wednesday.

"We are playing our best offense we have had all year long in the NIT. But we have been offensively challenged throughout the season. We have been an elite defensive team and that's what we did, and if you look at our numbers, we're in the top.

"I think five now in Ken Pom ratings in defensive efficiency. We've led the ACC in dribble percentage defense, and to be able to do that, you've got to be an elite defensive team."

 

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TCU?s Herrion could be key to NIT prep for Georgia Tech




TCU men?s basketball coach Jamie Dixon is hoping the presence of special assistant Tom Herrion on the Horned Frogs? staff will be a difference-maker in preparing for Thursday?s NIT championship game against Georgia Tech in Madison Square Garden (7 p.m., EPSN).

Herrion, a former Dixon assistant at Pittsburgh (2007-2010), is in his first season at TCU after spending the last two seasons on the staff at Georgia Tech (2014-16). Herrion recruited some of the players on the Yellow Jackets? roster and has provided Dixon some insights about 6-foot-10 center Ben Lammers, a junior from San Antonio who has averaged 14.2 points and 9.4 rebounds this season.

Georgia Tech (21-15) also played in last year?s NIT but lost in the third round to San Diego State.

In his role at TCU, Herrion breaks down lots of video footage for scouting reports. He?s also overseen men?s basketball programs as the head coach at College of Charleston (2002-2006) and Marshall (2010-2014).

?He told me how good this kid was. We had recruited him back when I was at Pitt,? Dixon said of Lammers. ?Tom is one of my best friends in coaching and ? was a big part of Georgia Tech having a great year last year. He watches a lot of film with his position and he can do a lot of different things. He brings a lot of knowledge.?

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TCU men?s basketball coach Jamie Dixon has employed a simple but effective strategy to deal with the absence of freshman point guard Jaylen Fisher during the team?s three-game surge to Thursday?s NIT championship game: more Kenrich.

The Horned Frogs? first-year coach plans to play the Kenrich Williams card one more time, in a big way, when TCU (23-15) meets Georgia Tech (21-15) to decide the NIT championship at 7 p.m. at Madison Square Garden. Thus far, Williams has been TCU?s postseason ace.

Williams, the Horned Frogs? 6-foot-7 guard and double-double machine, has delivered in ways Dixon could not have imagined when the season began in November. The junior from Waco, who missed last season because of a knee surgery, also sat out the Frogs? first two contests this year before returning to the floor after 618 days between games.

He has more than made up for lost time with 18 double-doubles, including three in a row since Fisher was lost for the season with a broken wrist sustained in a 66-59 victory over Fresno State in the team?s NIT opener. He has also emerged as a key distributor with Fisher on the sideline.

Williams actually has more assists in the Frogs? last three games (23) than point guard Alex Robinson (22). He has also contributed 13.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per game during that stretch, filling out some eye-catching stat lines and elevating the efficiency of a TCU offense that has averaged 82.7 points per game without Fisher, the highest-rated recruit in program history who led all Big 12 freshmen in assists this season (140).

?Kenrich getting healthy was huge for us,? Dixon said Wednesday, less than 24 hours after Williams contributed 14 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists in TCU?s 68-53 win over Central Florida in the semifinals. ?He?s just finding his legs, getting better. He?s too good an athlete and too good a decision maker not to use him, and he?s getting better.

?We?re finding ways to play through him and play with him. We?re playing through him in the post. We?re playing through him on the perimeter as well.?

Williams? totals for rebounds and assists against UCF were team highs and followed his milestone performance during last week?s 86-68 rout of Richmond. In the game that sealed TCU?s trip to New York, Williams produced the second triple-double in school history (11 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists). During Fisher?s absence, Williams is averaging a team-high 7.7 assists per game. His season mark is 2.8.

?I?m getting the ball more,? Williams said. ?I?m being more aggressive in finding my teammates. It has something to do with our point guard missing, me stepping up and Jaylen missing. Just me being more aggressive and finding open guys.?

It?s also a result of a recent Dixon edict as the Frogs seek to cap their turnaround season with an NIT title after finishing 12-21 last year.

?We?re telling him to be more aggressive. Straight line drives, just go by people,? Dixon said. ?In the second half [against UCF], he just kind of took over in all sorts of different ways. Passing, finishing, offensive rebounding. We just let him go and do his thing.?

Williams? increased impact as a distributor has not limited his contributions as a scorer or rebounder. They have blended nicely with a recent spike in production from Robinson, who has averaged 12 points and 7.1 assists per game in Fisher?s absence. As a team, TCU has committed only 30 turnovers since Fisher left the lineup (10 per game).

The numbers suggest TCU is playing its most efficient offense of the season when the stakes have been highest: during the deepest postseason tournament run in program history. Williams has been a big part of that, but he?s had help. He?s part of a team that embraces the opportunity to bring home an NIT championship banner to Schollmaier Arena.

?If we?re able to do that, it would really be a dream come true for me,? said guard Brandon Parrish, a senior from Arlington Seguin who will play in his school-record 136th game in a TCU uniform. ?Just thinking about our time here and how low some of our moments have been, for us to end on a moment so high, it would be so special. Especially for the seniors. And it would be great for our program to help our young guys to start off with success and give them the success. Give them the momentum to achieve greater things than this.?