GREENSBORO, N.C. — Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner identified Jose Alvarado as the point guard he wanted to build his team around in no small part because winning was more important to him, Pastner thought, than breathing.
The journey of the coach and his trusted guard reached its peak Saturday night, as Alvarado drove the Yellow Jackets to the team’s first ACC championship since 1993. With their 80-75 win over the No. 2-seed Florida State, the fourth-seeded Yellow Jackets won the team’s fourth ACC title with unrelenting defensive pressure and just enough offense to get to the finish line.
In a riveting game in which neither led by more than nine points, Alvarado was the catalyst for Tech. With the ACC’s defensive player of the year leading the charge, Tech forced a season-high 25 turnovers out of Florida State, giving the Jackets a much-needed surplus of possessions given the difficulty they were having scoring on the Seminoles’ defense.
Because of its defensive pressure, Tech was able to take 62 shots to Florida State’s 50. With the trouble that the Jackets were having scoring against FSU’s half-court defense, each time with the ball was critical. Tech shot 43.5% (27 for 62) to FSU’s 56.0% (28 for 50).
With his defensive pressure and quick hands, Alvarado was key in the effort, and his five steals (along with 13 points, five rebounds and three assists) don’t fully paint the picture of his impact. Guard Michael Devoe led the Jackets with 19 points, his ninth consecutive game in double figures.
To a season that has already surpassed the expectations of nearly all, Tech (17-8) piled on some hardware that has rarely come its way. FSU (16-6) fell short in its bid for a repeat championship after being awarded the 2020 championship having finished first in the regular season as the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.
Wright and Alvarado, the lone remaining members of Pastner’s first signing class, exulted with teammates as confetti shot out of canons and balloons fell from the Greensboro Coliseum rafters. Alvarado fell to the ground as time expired. The two struggled and grew through back-to-back seasons in the ACC as freshmen and sophomores before achieving the team’s first winning record in ACC play since 2004 last year, joined by transfers Bubba Wright and Jordan Usher.
Whatever happens in the NCAA tournament — the team will learn its place in the bracket Sunday — their place in Tech basketball history is secure. The path to the title was highly unordinary, as the Jackets beat only 13th-seeded Miami in the quarterfinals before advancing to the final when top-seeded Virginia withdrew because of a positive COVID-19 test. Still, on Saturday night, the Jackets took down a team with Final Four potential to claim the trophy, and did so for the second time this season, no less.
Pretty good work for a team picked to finish ninth in the conference.
