Collegiate Times

ATLANTA — Zabian Dowdell just can’t help hiding his smile.

After leading his team to its second straight victory on the road, Dowdell grinned from ear to ear. He may not be the leading scorer in the Atlantic Coast Conference or lead the league in assists, but that can take a backseat. His Hokies are in first place in the ACC. 

Like Dowdell, fellow senior Jamon Gordon is surprised to stand alone atop the best basketball conference in the country.

“I wouldn’t anticipate that we would be a first place in the ACC, but I knew we would at least be in the top four,” Gordon said. “I just kept believing that.” 

Now all Hokies near and far can believe it. Tech is now in the heart of conference play and is now earning the attention of more than just teams in the ACC.

Even though the Hokies have beat every ranked team they have faced this season, they will never forget the five spot in the loss column. Each loss is a battle scar in the war to make it to the big dance, and can not be forgotten. 

Those losses to the likes of Western Michigan and Marshall have shaped this senior-laden squad to what it is today. The adjustments from the inbound press to the man-to-man defense have all been made because of those losses, which have led to big wins.

Big wins. It’s tough to believe that after watching these seniors cut their teeth against teams like Syracuse and Connecticut in the Big East. 

So much has changed in those three long seasons. The first big win was against No. 24 Providence in 2004 and then the upset of No. 7 Duke in 2005. After last season filled with tragedy, this year's team has earned big win after big win.

Iowa became Tech’s first big win. Wake Forest became the next, starting the ACC season on the right foot. Duke had its obvious reasons for being big, as did beating No. 1 North Carolina. 

But it doesn’t stop there. Miami was bigger than most would think. Georgia Tech was just as big as Duke in the long run. That means N.C. State on Wednesday night has the potential to be big. Each win, whether Duke or N.C. State, carries the same weight when it comes to the ACC tournament.

The Hokies are climbing a fragile ladder to the NCAA Tournament. Each win gives the team a chance to climb another rung, but a loss could lead to a broken step and a long fall back into the depths with Maryland, Clemson and Virginia. 

Zabian Dowdell and Jamon Gordon very well may be the safety net keeping their team from dropping.

“Ever since we were freshmen, the team has been ours,” Dowdell said, sitting next to Gordon in the locker room at Georgia Tech. “We’re doing a better job of controlling what is going on out there than we did last year. Everything that goes on out there is a product of me and him. We just try to control the tempo and the game.” 

This team is more focused thanks to senior leadership. It is such a far cry from one season ago. Every member of the team has managed to stay healthy and contribute to the current three-game winning streak.

“This year right here is last year’s dream,” Gordon said. “We knew we could have done this last year, but we had so much going on off the court. Bad things happened, but not this year. We’re playing hard.” 

It still is hard to believe this team is as successful as it is after watching all of the close losses from a season ago. Now those close losses have turned into close wins. Most could not have imagined the ride after the countless tragedies from a year ago.

“We play as a team better than last year. We’re sort of like a band of brothers out there,” Dowdell said, with a smile. “We’re fighting for each other and helping each other out.” 

Stretch that grin a little more, Zabian. The view is always better from the top.