No. 3 Cardinal Looks To Cut Georgia Tech Down To Size
Height may be a factor in this weekend's men's basketball battle.
  Mark Madsen could see action against the Yellow Jackets this weekend, his first since straining his hamstring in the season opener. |
Dec. 10, 1999
ATLANTA (AP) -- Minus 'Mad Dog,' No. 3 Stanford faces a tall task in Georgia Tech at the
Delta Airlines Classic for Kids on Saturday.
Mark Madsen, a 6-foot-9, 240-pound force down low for the Cardinal, has been
out of action since the first game of the season and will only play if needed
against the Yellow Jackets (3-3), said Stanford coach Mike Montgomery.
Still nursing a strained right hamstring suffered against Duke in the season
opener, Madsen will likely watch 6-10 Jarron Collins and 6-7 Ryan Mendez battle
Georgia Tech's twin towers, 7-0, 260-pound forward Jason Collier and 6-11,
265-pound center Alvin Jones.
"A lot of the stuff they're doing - fast break and early O - is similar to
what we're doing," said Montgomery, who has guided Stanford to a 5-0 mark this
year. "They're really trying to establish a presence at the block. Jones is
probably as good a shot-blocker as we'll see. So it's going to be
interesting."
The well-rested Cardinal have not played in two weeks because of exams. They
are coming off a 67-58 victory over then-No. 2 Auburn in the Wooden Classic on
Nov. 27. Freshman Curtis Borchardt hit a 3-pointer to snap a tie with just over
a minute remaining. Borchardt and Jarron Collins combined for 13 of Stanford's
final 15 points.
Georgia Tech boasts sophomore point guard Tony Atkins, who will look to
penetrate and create space for shooting guards Jason Floyd and Shaun Fein.
The Yellow Jackets are coming off a 70-68 loss on Wednesday to rival Georgia
after a questionable basket by Shon Coleman with 1.9 seconds left. Officials
waived off the basket, apparently thinking the 35-second shot clock had run out
before the shot left Coleman's hands. Since the controversy involved a timing
play, the officials were able to look at a replay of the sequence.
Georgia Tech trailed throughout the game until Jason Collier finished off a
barrage of 3-pointers, hitting from outside the arc with 37.7 seconds remaining
to even the score at 68. Collier finished with 26 points for the Yellow
Jackets, who shot only 38 percent (27-of-71) and trailed by as many as 13
points in the second half.
This is only the second meeting between Stanford and Georgia Tech.
Montgomery's first game as Cardinal head coach was against the Yellow Jackets
in November of 1986, a 67-65 loss in the opening round of the Central Fidelity
Classic in Richmond, Va.
Stanford is just 5-12 against ACC schools, including the season-opening
80-79 win over Duke that sent Madsen to the sidelines.
The Cardinal have already beaten three top-10 teams this season.
"Sure, you're surprised to be 5-0 with the caliber of competition we've
played," Montgomery said. "But as long as you defend and board, you can win
games."