For a Georgia Tech team that’s struggled mightily all season, Thursday’s opening game in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament is a shot at saving their season … and maybe their coach’s job, too.

The Yellow Jackets face Virginia Tech in the first round of the tourney in Greensboro, N.C., after finishing 11th in the 12-team ACC. The Jackets have won two games in a row, ending the regular season with victories over Wake Forest and Miami.

But that pair of victories, which bolstered the Jackets’ ACC mark to 5-11, could not take away the fact Tech’s season has been one miserable run. Starting with an 86-83 double-overtime loss Jan. 2 to UNC-Charlotte, the Yellow Jackets won just four times in 59 days. One of those victories came against the Hokies, a 72-57 triumph Jan. 25 in Atlanta fueled by Iman Shumpert’s triple-double.

For Tech coach Paul Hewitt, the tournament may be his final act as Jackets’ coach. Hewitt has drawn tremendous criticism the past three years, as the program has struggled to put things together. Tech did reach the ACC final last season and made it to the second round of the NCAAs, and a miracle late-season run this weekend might be required to save Hewitt’s job.

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There have not been a lot of highlights for Georgia Tech during its disappointing 2010-11 basketball season. But there has been nothing disappointing about the play of Iman Shumpert.

The junior guard earned selection to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference second team, getting the nod from the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.

Shumpert has been Mr. Everything for a Tech team that finished 11th in the ACC and is just 13-17 on the season. Shumpert leads the Jackets in scoring (17.5 points per game), rebounding (6.1 per game) and assists (3.5 per game). He will finish as just the seventh player in conference history to lead his team in all three categories.

Shumpert leads the ACC in steals per game and ranks in the top 10 in several categories, including free throw percentage, field goal percentage, scoring and assists.

Tech opens the ACC tournament on Thursday night against Virginia Tech in Greensboro, N.C. Shumpert recorded a triple double the last time against the Hokies earlier this season.

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After going 6-7 one season after reaching the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, Georgia Tech hopes for better times in 2011.

Seven home games, including a Thursday night contest against Virginia Tech, highlight the Yellow Jackets’ football schedule.

The Yellow Jackets open Sept. 1 at home against Western Carolina at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Also visiting Atlanta in September are Kansas and North Carolina (the ACC opener). Tech’s first road game is Sept. 10 at Middle Tennessee State.

Tech opens October at North Carolina State. After a home date with Maryland on Oct. 8, Tech plays back-to-back road contests at Virginia and at Miami. A home game with Clemson ends the October portion of the slate on Oct. 29.

Tech’s bye week is Nov. 5. The Yellow Jackets play host to Virginia Tech on Nov. 10 on Thursday Night Football on ESPN. After traveling to Duke on Nov. 19, Tech ends the regular season at home Nov. 26 against in-state rival Georgia.

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The sophomore suffered the injury during the team’s loss at Clemson. He is averaging almost 11 points and more than four rebounds per game.

Oliver is the team’s third leading scorer and is expected to miss at least three weeks, but it probably won’t matter anyway.

Georgia Tech is fighting for nothing than an NIT berth at best as they sit 10-12 on the year and 3-6 in conference play.

The Yellow Jackets did manage to pound North Carolina by 20, but have been unimpressive outside of that win.

Last year at this time, Georgia Tech was celebrating winning the Atlantic Coast Conference championship.

This year hasn’t been anywhere as successful for the Yellow Jackets. But the nation’s No. 1-rushing team will get to take on No. 2 in that category this bowl season.

Georgia Tech and Air Force, the top two rushing teams in the nation, will meet in the Independence Bowl on Dec. 27 at Independence Stadium in Shreveport. La.

Combined, the Yellow Jackets (6-6) and Falcons (8-4) completed just 136 passes. Both teams average more than 310 yards rushing per game: Georgia Tech is No. 1 in the nation at 327 yards, while Air Force is No. 2 at 317.9.

Georgia Tech’s rushing attack is led by running back Anthony Allen, who has 1,225 rushing yards and six touchdowns this season. Air Force is led in rushing by Asher Clark (1,001 yards, five touchdowns).

It also will be a reunion of sorts for Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson, who beat Air Force six times as coach of Navy. Tech, last year’s winners of the Atlantic Coast Conference, struggled due in part to the loss of quarterback Joshua Nesbitt to a broken arm. Nesbitt hopes to return to action for the bowl game.

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Nobody outside of Kansas saw this coming, and certainly not Georgia Tech.

The No. 15-ranked Yellow Jackets traveled to Kansas to face a Jayhawks’ team that lost to FCS school North Dakota State in week one. They left with a stunning 28-25 defeat that raised several questions about Tech’s execution.

Indeed, Tech was a mess. The Jackets committed nine penalties for 91 yards, had a 13-yard punt, a kickoff that sailed out of bounds and otherwise looked off in nearly every facet of the game.

The Jackets did rush for 291 yards, including rushing TDs from Joshua Nesbitt of 9 and 14 yards. Nesbitt passed for 116 yards and a score.

But Kansas ran all over Tech’s defense for 407 yards of total offense, breaking an eight-game losing streak.

Tech has to regroup quickly, as the Atlantic Coast Conference opener looms Saturday at North Carolina. The Jackets won the ACC title last season.

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Joshua Nesbitt picked up where he left off last season, and that’s a very good thing for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

The defending Atlantic Coast Conference champions had little trouble in a 41-10 rout of South Carolina State in the season opener Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Nesbitt, the Tech quarterback who busted through with a breakout 2009 season, kept on keeping on in his first act of 2010.

The senior rushed for 130 yards and three touchdowns, darting around and past the overmatched South Carolina State defense. Roddy Jones added two touchdown runs for the 16th-ranked Jackets.

Nesbitt, who surpassed 1,000 yards passing and rushing last season, wasn’t very sharp through the air (1-for-6, 8 yards, one interception). But he more than made up for it with his legs.

Tech hits the road this Saturday for Kansas, followed by the ACC opener on Sept. 18 at North Carolina.

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Game week finally is here for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and we’re about to find out if this year’s version of the black and gold is good enough to successfully defend the Atlantic Coast Conference championship.

It begins Saturday with a non-conference matchup against South Carolina State. And while the Jackets are a big favorite and figure to have little trouble with Bulldogs (no, not those Bulldogs), it nonetheless is important to play well on opening day and build momentum as the season starts.

Tech, coming off an 11-3 campaign that featured the highs of winning the ACC title but the lows of losing to Georgia and an Orange Bowl defeat to Iowa, will have several areas of focus.

Senior quarterback Josh Nesbitt, who topped the 1,000-yard mark last season in rushing yards and passing yards, is a Heisman Trophy candidate in some people’s minds. For those people, the Tech athletic department is launching a new web site – www.nesbitt4heisman.com – on Tuesday.

While Tech’s vaunted triple-option offense figures to be very good again, the Jackets are hoping for better times on defense. New defensive coordinator Al Groh is installing the 3-4 scheme, in an effort to try and slow down opposing offenses in 2010.

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As far as The Associated Press and its preseason rankings go, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will start 2010 in almost the same spot as they began 2009.

The Jackets certainly would not mind a repeat of last season. The defending Atlantic Coast Conference champions appear at No. 16 in the AP’s first rankings of the season, released Saturday.

Tech started last season ranked No. 15, moved into the top 10, and finished at No. 13 after falling to Iowa in the Orange Bowl.

The Jackets, who open the season Sept. 4 at home against South Carolina State, are one of five ACC teams in the top 20, joining No. 10 Virginia Tech, No. 13 Miami, No. 18 North Carolina and No. 20 Florida State.

Tech plays those first three teams this season, along with No. 23 Georgia. In the USA Today preseason coaches poll, released earlier this month, the Jackets are ranked No. 17.

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The first intrasquad scrimmage of the preseason for the defending Atlantic Coast Conference champions featured some of the trends that lead to a successful 2009.

Joshua Nesbitt rushed for a 2-yard touchdown and hit Stephen Hill on a 6-yard scoring strike, and took the brunt of a couple of big hits as Georgia Tech shook off the offseason rust and ramped up preparations for the 2010 season in front of an estimated 2,000 fans Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Nesbitt, one of the top quarterbacks in the nation due to his potency both running and passing, engineered a 70-yard scoring drive on the opening series. Kevin Cone caught a 1-yard touchdown from Jordan Luallen, Orwin Smith rushed in for a TD from 1 yard out, Richard Watson scored on a 10-yard run and Justin Moore booted a 45-yard field goal.

Defensively, the Jackets got interceptions from Louis Young and Julian Burnett.

Tech opens the season Sept. 4 at home against South Carolina State.

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