Georgia Tech Sends A Message -- Yellow Jackets Upset Louisville, Win Shootout

BAYAMON, Puerto Rico - Matt Harpring said Georgia Tech was sending a message.

"I know the ACC is pretty good this year, but there's no way we're a last place team," Harpring said yesterday after the Yellow Jackets upset No. 19 Louisville 73-69 to win the Puerto Rico Shootout. "We're going to make believers out of a lot of people."

Harpring, the tournament's Most Valuable Player, scored a game-high 18 points. In Tech's 77-65 win over St. John's in the semifinals Friday, Harpring made a 79-foot three-pointer at the end of the third quarter.

Louisville (2-1), the only ranked team in the tournament, got 25 points from its freshman backcourt combination of Cameron Murray (14 points) and Marques Maybin (11).

The Cardinals struggled to defeat both Hofstra and Illinois in advancing to the championship game.

"We got a long ways to go, but we got a lot of time to do it," Louisville Coach Denny Crum said. "That's what makes these games so valuable."

Freshman Dion Glover also had 18 points and Michael Maddox had 16 to lead Tech (4-0). Both were selected to the all-tournament team.

Freshman Cameron Murray scored 14 for Louisville, and Marques Maybin added 11 points.

Tech opened a 56-49 lead midway through the second half on the strength of its three-point shooting and 19-of-25 shooting from the free-throw line. Alvin Jones, a 6-foot-11 freshman center, had a game-high 10 rebounds, five points and three blocked shots.

The score was 20-20 after the first quarter and 38-38 at halftime. Despite a size disadvantage, Louisville outrebounded Tech 38-35.

Nate Johnson and Maybin also were selected for the all-tournament team.

Other men's Top 25 games

Arkansas 70, No. 12 Fresno St. 69 - Tarik Wallace broke a tie with a crucial three-pointer, and Nick Davis added a key free throw for Arkansas in the first game of the Premier Classic in Phoenix. Wallace broke a 66-66 tie with 1:58 to play and made the first shot of a one-and-one 42 seconds later. Davis finished with 15 points and Wallace 14. Fresno's Willie Farley sank a three-pointer with 1:01 left for the final points of the game.

With 10 seconds to play, Wallace stepped on the line for a turnover. The Razorbacks had two fouls to give, and used them in the next six seconds. After Fresno's final in-bounds pass, Demetrius Porter missed an off-balance 13-footer, and the buzzer sounded as the ball came off the rim. Arkansas improved to 4-0 for the first time in four years.

Wisconsin 75, No. 18 Oklahoma 64 - Duany Duany scored five of his 13 points during a 12-0 fourth quarter run to lead Wisconsin's upset of Oklahoma (3-2) in a consolation game at the Big Island Invitational Tournament in Hilo, Hawaii. Duany scored on a three-point play to break a 50-50 tie moments into the fourth quarter. Duany added another basket during the deciding run, and Sean Daugherty hit a three-pointer in the spurt.