Georgia Dome Runs Out of Magic for Georgia Tech, Florida State Surging

ATLANTA—After yesterday's upset over No. 18 Clemson in the first round the ACC tournament, fans of Georgia Tech could not help but hope the tournament's venue would be gracious to the bottom-ranked Yellow Jackets.

After all, the Georgia Dome is where the Georgia Bulldogs (last season's bottom-ranked SEC team coming into the conference tournament) won the SEC tournament, bursting bubbles and winning a spot in the field of 65.

Georgia Tech, coming into the tournament at 2-14 in ACC play, needed to follow in the Bulldogs' footsteps to continue their season.  For most of Friday's game against No. 22 Florida State, the Yellow Jackets looked poised to do just that.

Lewis Clinch was phenomenal for the second straight game, hitting big three after big three and keeping Florida State from pulling away.  He scored 25 points, matching ACC Player of the Year runner-up Toney Douglas' output for Florida State.

"I just didn't want to lose and I was willing to do whatever it takes for my team to get the next game," said Clinch.

Gani Lawal was getting to loose balls and grabbing key rebounds, helping the Yellow Jackets take advantage of every Seminole miss.

Alade Aminu was a force on defense, blocking four shots and altering countless more.

With seven seconds left in regulation, Georgia Tech had the lead and it looked like the Georgia Dome was about to be the site of another unlikely in-state hoops story.

That is until Derwin Kitchen's reverse layup did what a tornado could not do last season—stop a last-seeded Georgia school from moving forward in their respective conference tournament by beating Georgia Tech 64-62.

That play marked the end of a season for Georgia Tech and the end of a career for seniors Lewis Clinch and Alade Aminu.

But while Friday's second ACC tournament game was the end of Georgia Tech's season, it looked like the beginning of an ACC tournament title run for Florida State.

After spending the last few seasons on the wrong side of the bubble, ACC Coach of the Year Leonard Hamilton's squad has emerged as a legitimate contender for the ACC tournament title.

Georgia Tech is one of the tallest teams in the ACC, but the Seminoles dwarfed them.

Florida State is tall, strong, and athletic.

They have one of the most electrifying players in the conference in Toney Douglas, and if his 25-point performance, shooting 11-for-16 from the field and 3-for-5 from long range, was any indication of things to come, the Tar Heels will have their work cut out for them on Saturday.

While teams like Clemson are squandering their NCAA seeding of late, the Seminoles are making the most of the last leg of their season.

They've won three of their last four games, losing only to Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Despite failing to make the tournament for the last several seasons, barely coming up short year after year, the Seminoles are looking at a No. 4 seed according to the latest bracketology report.

Beating North Carolina on Saturday could earn the Seminoles a No. 3 seed in Big Dance, and they certainly have the lineup to match up well with the Tar Heels, not to mention the desire to get the job done.

"We always want to play the top teams in the league or in the country," said Douglas.  "There's always motivation when you are playing the number one team in the country."

For now, Florida State looks like a team that belongs near the top of college basketball's most decorated conference.

If Toney Douglas can keep playing like he did today, the top of the ACC might be exactly where the Seminoles finish.