St. Louis ? Perhaps nothing says more about Georgia Tech than the fact the Yellow Jackets survived the NCAA Sweet 16 without their leading scorer.

B.J. Elder, a 6-foot-4 junior guard averaging 15.8 points a game, logged a mere three minutes on the floor after rolling an ankle Friday night, yet Tech clipped Nevada, 72-67, in the Edward Jones Dome.

Now, after fewer than 48 hours of treatment, it appears Elder will be available when the Bees battle Kansas University this afternoon for the right to advance to the Final Four.

“He’s sore, but there is no swelling,” Tech coach Paul Hewitt said Saturday. “He is getting treatment around the clock.”

Elder wouldn’t start, Hewitt said. How much Elder will play, Hewitt added, “will probably be a game-time decision.”

Georgia Tech, 26-9 and the No. 3 seed in the St. Louis Regional, hasn’t been aesthetically impressive during its three-game run into today’s showdown with the Jayhawks.

While Kansas has won its first three tourney games by an average of 22.0 points, the Yellow Jackets’ average margin of victory has been a mere 4.3 points. Tech beat Northern Arizona and Nevada by five points each, and Boston College by just three.

Hewitt credits playing in the powerful Atlantic Coast Conference for the success in close games.

“One thing that I’ve learned coaching in the ACC,” Hewitt said, “is that you have to go out and make plays and good things will happen.”

Georgia Tech guard B.J. Elder answers questions from the media in the Yellow Jackets' locker room in Edward Jones Dome. Elder Saturday said his injured ankle would not keep him from playing in today's game against Kansas University.

Losing Elder against Nevada also proved Hewitt had plenty of players who could make good things happen.

“We have guys on this team who can step up and get points for us,” forward Anthony McHenry said. “But B.J. is a tough player and these are tough times, so we believe if he can be ready to go, he will.”

At the same time, Hewitt and his players are throwing rosebuds at the Jayhawks.

“With the talent Kansas has,” point guard Jarrett Jack said, “they were capable of being a No. 1 seed. The Big 12 is a tough, physical conference like the ACC. This will be a matchup of two tough teams.”

The Jackets will focus on KU big man Wayne Simien, who scored 30 points in Friday’s 100-74 rout of UAB.

“Hopefully, we can keep Simien under 30 points,” Jack said. “But they have great depth in their frontcourt and (Aaron) Miles is a good floor general. We have to limit Kansas to one shot.”

Hewitt, who came to Georgia Tech from Siena four seasons ago, tossed bouquets at KU’s defense.

“They will guard you right away,” he said. “They are not going to let you score easily.”

Hewitt knows all about limiting opponents’ scoring. His team led the ACC in field-goal percentage defense. Foes shot under 40 percent against the Yellow Jackets, in part because Hewitt uses multiple schemes.

“We are going to play a lot of different styles of defense, probably a halfcourt and some three-quarters,” he said. “That’s one of our strengths. If something isn’t working, then we tinker with it until it works.”