Jackets ride longest losing streak of Hewitt era

The seven-game losing streak for the men’s basketball team is the longest under Head Coach Paul Hewitt for the Jackets. The previous long losing streak was six games during Hewitt’s second season. Also, this is the first time Tech has lost seven games in a row since the 1996-97 season.

“When you’ve lost six in a row, there’s no big picture,” Hewitt said. “You’ve just got to get a win and snap the streak. What we have to play for is, we have to win the next game. If they are unmotivated because of postseason and things like that, then I’ve got the wrong guys in that locker room,” Hewitt said, as reported on ajc.com.

The Jackets must end the season, including the ACC tournament, with at least a .500 record to become eligible for the NIT. With an RPI of 123, the Jackets likely have to win the ACC tournament in order to advance to the NCAA tournament.

The most recent loss came at home to Miami on Saturday in a 70-53 loss. The Jackets dropped to 9-11 overall and 2-7 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The largest lead for the Jacket was just two points when Anthony Morrow hit a three-pointer with 3:24 left in the first half to put the Jackets up 30-28.

Miami opened up the second half on a 15-4 run and held the Jackets to just two baskets in a 12-minute span during the second half. Tech was outscored 37-20 in the second half. Morrow scored 12 of Tech’s 20 second-half points en route to leading all scorers with 27 for the game.

Ra’Sean Dickey had 13 points and four rebounds while his counterpart Jeremis Smith went 0-8 from the field and scored three points during the contest.

Guillermo Diaz led Miami with 19 points and was among five Hurricanes to score in double figures against the Jacket defense.

In the first half, Tech managed to battle back from an early deficit to tie the game at 33 heading into the locker room for the intermission.

“We have to play more aggressively in the second half,” senior Theodis Tarver said. “We score most of our points in the first half and right now we are a first half team, and we have to become more of a second half team.”

In an effort to shake things up a bit, Hewitt will be trying out his sixth different starting lineup of the year against the Florida State Seminoles on Thursday, Feb 9. Lewis Clinch, Mario West and Tarver will join Morrow and Dickey.

“Walking into the locker room after the game,” Morrow said. “It’s like six or seven straight losses; this is the worst feeling I’ve had in my entire life. It’s something where we have to dig down deep inside ourselves and look at ourselves before we look at anybody else.”

The results of Tech’s Thursday night game at Florida State was unavailable at deadline. However, a Tech loss would extend the losing streak to the longest since the 1980-81 season. In the year before former head coach Bobby Cremins took over, the Jackets had a 13-game losing streak at the end of the season.

The next game for the Jackets is a home game Sunday at 1 p.m. against N.C. State.