Bertrand takes game over for Illini

It started when Brandon Paul stole the ball and hit Bertrand with an outlet pass, resulting in a gliding fast break layup that closed Georgia Tech's lead to 58-56.

At that instant, Groce turned to the Assembly Hall crowd and began windmilling his arms, begging the fans to crank up the volume.

"I don't do that a whole lot with the crowd, but I thought it was a heck of a play and we needed them," Groce said. "It makes a huge difference. The energy in the building went up another notch or two and our players feed off that."

Tupper