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Georgetown Basketball: February 2012 News Archive

End Of An Era Updated 2/29/12

Thirteen years ago, recently resigned Georgetown coach John Thompson took a part time role as an analyst for WTEM-AM during the NCAA tournament. That relationship grew into one of the station's most successful drive-time shows, The John Thompson Show. Now 70, Thompson announced his plans earlier this year to end the show by March. Wednesday marked his final broadcast, with a recap in this link to the Washington Post.

"If you remembered old D.C. — Petey Greene, Chuck Brown, even Elgin Baylor working his game at Turkey Thicket — Thompson transported you back," writes Mike Wise of the Washington Post. "If not, “The John Thompson Show” was taking you there anyway."

"Did I make a difference? I don't know,” said Thompson. “But I can say this: Thirteen years later, without trying to explain myself — because I don't think you ever totally reveal yourself to anybody — I feel like people know better who I really am."

In an era where sports talk show rigidly conform to specific themes and demographics, The John Thompson Show was anything but. News, sports, country music, food, and politics were all in the mix, and callers ranged from Redskins fans in Rockville to the time a U.S. Supreme Court justice called the listener line to get in a comment.

As was the case in 1999, the end of the show isn't a retirement, as Thompson will be covering upcoming NCAA tournament games, including the Final Four.

Earlier this week, Thompson came to the defense of an old foe, Lefty Driesell, telling his audience:

"Lefty was the one who came into this area and really has never been given the credit that he deserves, to tell you the truth, and gave us all a different perspective as to how to look at intercollegiate athletics. High school sports had a bigger platform in this town than college did before Lefty came here. But he gave us all the energy, the inspiration to look at this thing from a national perspective...

"I would never have admitted that when I was coaching...never had admitted it, because it wouldn’t make common sense. But I watched every move he made, how he made those moves and what he did. The man was one of the best that ever did it. I said it on the show before this stuff has come up, that he needs to be in the Hall of Fame. I don't give a damn whether he's won a national championship or has not won a national championship. The man was at the forefront of a lot of things that occurred, not only in this city but in this country...

"Thinking people need to get Lefty back in, and rejuvenate his expressions of creativity in education. That's me coming at you, telling you that. See I'm getting ready to go off the air on Wednesday, I can say all kinds of crazy damn things now."

Georgetown 59, Notre Dame 41 2/27/12

"That may be the best defensive team we played against this season."--Notre Dame coach Mike Brey

Henry Sims and Jason Clark combined for 25 points as the Georgetown defense completely shut down Notre Dame in a 59-41 win on Senior Night, helping the Hoyas to a lead in the race for the double bye entering the Big East tournament.

Georgetown followed its script from Saturday's win over Villanova and got off to a good early start, with a Jason Clark three pointer. Employing good spacing on the court, the Hoyas were able to get early jumpers from Hollis Thompson and Nate Lubick. The Irish led for brief stretches at 6-5 and 8-7, but both teams turned up the defense and the scoring was at a premium midway in the half.

Georgetown was held without a basket for nearly five minutes, but its defense was pitching a shutout on the Irish as well. An inside drive by Markel Starks keyed a 7-0 Georgetown run that established the tone for the first half, and ND was not able to pick up points of its own for over six minutes. An Eric Atkins layup at the 4:44 mark closed the lead to four, 20-16, but Georgetown responded with an 8-2 run to close the half, behind two assists by Henry Sims that led to a Clark layup and a Greg Whittington dunk. The Irish were left with one basket in the final four minutes, three missed jumpers, and two missed free throws to trail 28-18 at the half.

Georgetown's stats at the break were exemplary. The Hoyas shot 52 percent and owned a 16-6 advantage in the paint, and defensively held the Irish to 34 percent from the field and 1-6 from three. Notre Dame's leading scorer, Jack Cooley, was without a point at the break. Also key for the Hoyas: fouls. Georgetown committed only four fouls all half, and ND was a meager 1-3 from the line, and none in the bonus.

Following a dismal 4 for 31 effort from three point range Saturday versus St. John's, Notre Dame needed a spark from outside after going 1-6 from three point range in the first half of this game. Scott Martin opened the half with a three to close to 28-21, but ND would miss nine of its final 10 attempts from outside. The lead hovered at 10 for the first seven minutes of the second half, but at 39-29, the Hoyas' size and defensive adjustments simply overtook the Irish. Greg Whittington's steal at the 10:34 mark found Hollis Thompson driving for the layup, and in the next three possessions, Georgetown forced three consecutive turnovers and took a 48-29 lead.

Notre Dame had few options open to it. Sims had effectively contained Cooley, the guard play could not get open from outside, and turnovers were toxic. A pair of free throws broke a drought extending four minutes for ND, 48-31, but Sims powered inside for a turnaround jumper and fed Whittington with a slight of hand pass that sent Georgetown up 21 at the 5:18 mark, 53-42. Six minutes and forty seconds since its last basket, a Jerian Grant three saw the Irish down 18, but Whittington answered back with a three thereafter, 55-36. Georgetown picked up another four points at the foul line as the seniors left the Verizon Center court for a final time at the 1:43 mark.

 41
Tie for fewest pts
scored by ND in
Mike Brey era
(2000-pres.)

8-3
GU record vs.
RPI top 50

+12
GU adv.,
pts. in paint

+12
GU adv.,
bench pts.

+10
GU adv.,
rebounds

35.8%
ND 3-pt.
shooting avg.
Big East play

17.6%
ND 3-pt.
shooting avg.
vs. Georgetown

0-2
2 straight losses
with Brey not wearing
turtleneck sweater

Greg Whittington's 15 point effort was outstanding, hitting 5-6 from the field and 3-3 from three point range. Clark and Sims combined for 25 points and 12 rebounds, along with 10 rebounds from Otto Porter. For the game, Georgetown shot 52 percent, gave up only 11 turnovers, and committed just 13 fouls, which did not send ND into the bonus until the final minute of the game.

"I thought our defense was very good today," said Georgetown coach John Thompson III. "You play a team like that where they have so many good shooters, to go through a game and only allow them to take 17 threes is a big deal. Forget the fact they only made three, but the fact that they only took 17...something they are good at doing, something they try to do...I thought our guys were pretty attentive, our close-outs were good. We did a good job of protecting the three point line, but not staying spread out, so with penetration they had clear passes."

Thompson noted the particular challenges of ND's offensive sets.

"We discussed this a lot, you have to guard for 35 seconds. I told our team as we prepared for this game, they score with under seven seconds left in the shot clock better than any team in the country. What they do is they get you chasing, they get you chasing and then they attack. They're banking on the fact that you don't want to stick to your principles and you don't want to guard for the full shot clock. I think our guys were very good at for the whole possession we have to defend and then we have to go get the rebound, because they hurt you when you guard them for 30 seconds and they bang a three or you guard for 31 seconds, then they miss, get a rebound. Our guys did a good job of paying attention for all of that. "

ND entered the game ranked second in the Big East in scoring defense (61.6), but 13th in field goal shooting, and it showed. With no good options outside, the Irish shot 3-17, with Grant (averaging 12.8 ppg in Big East play) shooting 2-12. Cooley, a 62 percent scorer averaging 14.6 points per game in Big East play, shot just 1-5. Even more impressive was the lockdown on Cooley's rebounding. The second leading rebounder in the conference (10.6 rpg), Cooley had zero Monday, the first time he had been held without a rebound in a game this season.

"For him to play 25 minutes and not get a rebound is staggering." said Notre Dame coach Mike Brey.

Over its last ten games, ND had shot 45% from the field, 35% from three, and 34 rebounds a game. For this game, ND shot 33%, 17% from three, and its 23 rebounds tied a season low.

"The karma wasn't good tonight. A lot of that was Georgetown's doing," said Brey. "They got the 50/50 balls, put-backs, we couldn't defensive rebound. For Jack [Cooley] to go 25 minutes and not get a rebound, we've got to get him going. That's project number one when we get back."

"We may be a little human, which with the [nine game] run we had, I'm very proud of our group. We need some practice time, and it's a one-game season now. We've got one game left in the season to achieve something with the double bye."

With the win, Georgetown moves into a tie for the third seed pending the result of games later this week. Thompson wasn't thinking about the double bye, however.

"We have to win our next game," he said. "Forget all that [seeding talk], we have to prepare for our next game and after that we have to prepare for our next game. If we start thinking about double byes, single byes, seedings, this, that and the other, you forget to prepare for the next game. So we have to go and spend the next few days and put all of our energy into see if we can find a way to beat a very tough Marquette team on their home court."

The Georgetown half of the box score follows below:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Clark        33   4-5   1-2   2-2   6   1  1   13 
Porter       36   3-6   0-0   0-2  10   3  3    6
Thompson     28   2-5   0-2   1-2   6   0  2    5 
Lubick       16   2-2   0-0   0-0   2   2  1    4 
Sims         34   4-10  0-0   4-4   6   5  2   12
Reserves:
Whittington  24   2-3   3-3   2-2   1   0  1   15 
Hopkins       2   0-0   0-0   0-1   0   0  1    0
Starks       22   2-2   0-1   0-0   1   2  2    4
Bowen         1   0-0   0-2   0-0   0   0  0    0
Caprio        1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  0    0
Trawick       3   0-0   0-1   0-0   0   0  0    0
Injured: Adams, Ayegba
Team Rebounds                       1
TOTALS      200 19-33  4-11   9-13 33  13 13   59

Post game coverage follows below

Georgetown 67, Villanova 46 2/25/12

After seeing his team give up 61% shooting to Seton Hall on Tuesday, Georgetown coach John Thompson III wanted to make a statement about defense.

Notice was served.

The #9-ranked Hoyas held Villanova to just one field goal in the final 10:29 in a 67-46 win Saturday before a season high 19,277 at Verizon Center. Excepting a five minute break towards the end of the first half, the Hoyas held the Wildcats to 31 points for the remainder of the game.

Things started poorly for Villanova even before the game began. Freshman forward JayVaughn Pinkston, averaging 17 points a game, slipped on a loose ball in warmups and twisted his ankle-he played only two minutes, limped noticeably, and did not score. Thirty four seconds into the game, more bad luck followed the Cats. On Georgetown's first possession, following a basket by Hollis Thompson, Villanova forward Maurice Sutton popped Otto Porter in the mouth with an elbow, sending Porter to the ground bleeding. A flagrant foul followed, and Porter sat on the bench for the next five minutes. Following a free throw, Georgetown retained possession and Nate Lubick hit a three pointer, and suddenly the Wildcats quickly trailed 6-0.

With Pinkston hurt, and guard Maalik Wayns returning a step slow from a knee injury, Villanova has no answers inside or outside. The Wildcats missed 14 of its first 17 shots as Georgetown extended its lead. Senior guard Jason Clark scored seven straight points to put the Hoyas up 11, 17-6, and despite early foul trouble on Clark and Hollis Thompson, the Hoyas kept on rolling. Freshman Otto Porter, making the start at guard in this game, returned to action and led the Hoyas on an 8-2 run that extended the score to 25-8 with 5:30 to play.

Villanova caught a second wind with the shooting touch of Maurice Cheek. As Georgetown gave up consecutive turnovers, Cheek picked up a foul shot and a dunk, 25-11. With Georgetown's starters taking a break, Villanova made the most of it, closing to nine at 27-18 with back to back threes from Wayns and Cheek. A GU turnover and missed dunk was quickly converted to a Markus Kennedy jumper and a Cheek three, and the lead had quickly evaporated to 27-23 with 1:20 left.

The Hoyas needed some spark to end the half and found it with Otto Porter. Porter's three with 48 seconds to intermission took a tall bounce off the rim but settled in the net to extend the lead to 30-23, and the Georgetown defense stopped the Cats on two possessions in the final 35 seconds without a point, a sign of things to come.

"We tried, at halftime, to make it a positive and got it back to seven, but that was a big play [from Porter] because it was the end of the shot clock that we had a good defensive possession," said Villanova coach Jay Wright in post-game comments. "We just gave him a little too much space there and that was, it was a big shot." At the break, Villanova shot just 32 percent for the half, with Cheek shooting 4-7 and the remainder of the team combining for 4-18.

The lead swayed between seven and nine points for the first five minutes of the second half. Georgetown had begun to exercise control inside and was adept at offensive rebounds, but struggled at the free throw line and unable to extend the lead. At the 15:20 mark, a jumper from Maurice Sutton closed the lead back to seven, 38-31, but it would be the beginning of the end for Villanova's offense. The Wildcats managed just two field goals thereafter.

A key sequence at the 14 minute mark turned the tide and may have worn out the Wildcats in the process. Leading by seven, Georgetown missed four straight shots but picked up five offensive rebounds, finally getting a Henry Sims tip-in to get the lead back to double digits at 43-33, and the Wildcats would come no closer. With the Hoyas still struggling at the foul line, consecutive turnovers allowed GU to drive inside, pushing the lead to 15, 48-33, before guard Ty Johnson answered with a basket and foul at the 10:29 mark, 48-36. Villanova missed its next five shots over a four minute period, while jumpers by Clark and Porter pushed the lead to 16, near where it was before the first half struggles.

 46
Fewest pts
scored by Villanova in
regular season game
vs. GU
since 1984

21
Largest margin
of victory in series
since 1996
(GU, 106-68)

3-17
VU shooting,
first 15 mins.

9-13
VU shooting,
next 10 mins.

2-20
VU shooting,
final 15 mins.

+17
GU adv.,
rebounding

+16
GU adv.,
pts. in paint

6-14
Combined 3-pt
shooting,
both teams,
1st half

0-11
Combined 3-pt
shooting,
both teams,
2nd half

8-2
GU record vs.
Villanova since 2007

Free throws kept the Cats around 15 heading into the final five minutes, but Georgetown was beginning to find the basket with greater regularity. Jumpers by Thompson and Porter pushed the lead to 19, followed by a Trawick drive and a free throw to go up 22, 61-39. Cheek ended the eight minute field goal famine with a jumper to close to 20, 61-41, only to be met with a driving layup from Aaron Bowen, who has come off the bench to score in each of the last two games. Bowen added a second basket in the final minute, and the Verizon Center crowd almost raised the roof when sophomore walk-on John Caprio drove the lane for a dunk that narrowly missed, but in response Villanova characteristically missed a layup in return. In the final five minutes, Villanova missed six of its final seven shots, one of 13 in the final ten.

Balanced scoring from the starters and valuable minutes from the reserves was a winning recipe for the Hoyas. Porter and Clark combined for 30 points, with 12 from Sims and 10 from Thompson. Freshmen Greg Whittington and Jabril Trawick combined for 44 minutes off the bench and helped support a stellar effort defensively, exploiting Villanova's offensive weakness without Wayns or Pinkston at full strength.

"I'm proud of them, they play hard for us, but playing hard isn't enough you've got to be able to execute against good teams like this," said Wright.

Villanova's stat sheet was a car wreck. Cheek (19 pts) was 6-13 from the field, the rest of the team was 8-37. In his first game back, Maalik Wayns played 36 minutes but was held to 1-10 scoring, while center Mouphtaou Yarou was only one basket better, 2-10. Villanova shot 25 percent for the half and missed all six field goal attempts. Villanova had three rebounds in the first ten minutes of the second half and were outrebounded 29-12 after intermission versus an even split on the boards in the first half.

Coach Thompson was otherwise pleased with the response following the Seton Hall game.

"I thought it was a team effort today," he said. "If you look at the scoring and the rebounding also, I thought everyone came to play. I thought the guys did a good job of piggy-backing off of the first response, they did a very good job of protecting each other and having each other's back at the defensive end. Otto got some shots right there in the middle and he makes that shot almost all the time.

Coach Wright was quick to praise Jason Clark's effort.

"I think he's one of the best players in the country, I really do. If his goal was to get 30 a night, he could, but I think his goal is to win and I think his goal to lead his team and set an example."

"[We're] just playing together, communicating, having each other's backs," said Clark. "We've stressed it all season, but we've definitely stressed it the last few days after our last game.

With such a definitive outcome, the only question mark following the game was the status of sophomore Markel Starks, who did not start and was the only healthy player not to see action in the game. The source of Starks' absence may be tied to an item by the Washington Post's Tarik El-Bashir, who noted that Starks, who shot 1-9 versus Seton Hall, began to walk off the court in the final moments of the Seton Hall game instead of staying on defense as Coach Thompson had directed. When asked if Starks would see action against Notre Dame, Thompson only added, "We'll see."

With the win, Georgetown moves into a half-game lead for the fourth seed and a double-bye in the upcoming Big East tournament pending the result of Sunday's games. Georgetown needs to win its final two games and get at least one loss from Cincinnati, the one team of the four vying for the fourth seed that has a tiebreaker over Georgetown. The win also assures that Georgetown (11-5 Big East) can finish no lower then seventh, clinching at least a first round bye.

The Georgetown half of the box score follows below:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Clark        33   4-9   1-5   4-4   6   1  2   15 
Porter       31   5-9   1-2   2-2   6   2  2   15
Thompson     27   4-7   0-4   2-6   6   4  2   10 
Lubick       29   0-0   1-1   0-0   1   3  3    3 
Sims         24   4-5   0-0   4-6   6   0  4   12
Reserves:
Whittington  23   0-1   0-0   1-2   6   0  5    1
Hopkins       7   0-1   0-0   2-2   2   0  2    2
Bowen         3   2-2   0-0   0-0   2   0  1    4
Caprio        2   0-1   0-0   0-0   0   0  1    0
Trawick      21   2-4   0-1   1-1   2   0  0    5
DNP: Starks
Injured: Adams, Ayegba
Team Rebounds                       4
TOTALS      200 21-39  3-13  16-23 41  10 22   67

Additional coverage follows below.

Senior Salute: Jason Clark 2/24/12

By the time his college career concludes, Jason Clark will be among the top 20 scorers in Georgetown history, and among the top four in three point field goals, but without much of the fanfare that followed teammates over the years with similar numbers.

A two time All-Met from Bishop O'Connell HS and the 2008 All-Met Player of The Year, Clark arrived at the Hilltop in the fall of 2008 amidst a deep contingent of guards, including Jessie Sapp, Chris Wright, and Austin Freeman. Clark played in every game as a freshman, averaging 18 minutes and 5.2 points per game off the bench, with a season high of 12 points versus Syracuse. Sapp graduated in 2009 and Clark took over in the starting lineup, where he has been ever since.

In his first game as a starter, Clark scored 13 points and had five assists against Tulane, part of a sophomore season which saw him score in double figures 15 times, including 20 against Seton Hall and 24 versus Villanova. Averaging 16 points a game in the first three games of the 2010 Big east tournament, Clark's hot hand fell one game short, shooting just 1-5 as Georgetown lost by two in the championship game. A week later, Clark was held to just even as the Hoyas fell to Ohio in the NCAA tournament.

As a junior, Clark continued his solid play in non-conference play, with 23 points versus Connecticut and a season high 26 versus Missouri, averaging 12 points per game. By the time he was aa senior, it was his team, and Clark has put together the best basketball of his career in 2011-12.

Clark was a scoring force in the 2011 Maui Invitational, averaging 23 points per game. He hit for 22 versus Alabama, and 26 in the Hoyas' big win over Marquette to open January, with a 15 point average to lead all scorers this season. His career 48 percent shooting percentage has given Georgetown a valuable option from mid and long range, as Clark is not afraid to take the long three when required. Averaging just under 10 shots a game, a big night for Clark usually signals a big night for the Hoya offense.

“Jason Clark is one of the most underrated players in the country,” said Villanova coach Jay Wright. He's seen it first hand: in his three prior starts against the Wildcats, Clark has averaged 16.3 points per game.

Clark's other attribute is defense--lots of it. Georgetown has been especially effective in guard-oriented defense because of Clark, who in 2009 told the Georgetown Voice: "I want to accept the responsibility of being a defensive stopper. I don’t want to look to score first. I want to be a defensive stopper and be an energy guy for my team.” But as he has grown, Clark has been able to become both a defensive stopper and an offensive force, and the fate of the 2011-12 Hoyas will follow if Jason Clark is to further elevate his game over the final few weeks of a standout career in blue and gray.

"We don't care about who's going to score points," Clark said. But fans know who has done much of the heavy lifting to make this season a success to date.

His statistics entering this weekend are below:

Yr

GP

GS

Min

FG

FGA

%

3FG

3GA

%

FT

FTA

%

Off

Reb

Avg

PF

Ast

Blk

Stl

Pts

Avg
Fr 31 0 568 57 115 49.5 17 50 34.0 30 36 83.3 30 80 2.5 53 25 6 20 161 5.2
So 34 34 1137 121 255 47.5 67 158 42.4 47 62 75.8 38 131 3.9 90 67 6 49 356 10.5
Jr 32 32 1081 204 429 47.5 51 147 34.6 57 74 77.0 34 130 4.0 71 56 7 47 384 12.0
Sr 26 26 832 129 264 48.9 41 120 34.2 78 107 72.9 23 106 4.1 54 48 8 46 377 14.5
Total 123 92 3867 511 1063 48.0 176 475 37.0 212 279 75.9 125 447 3.6 268 196 27 162 1278 10.3

The son of Audrey Clark, Jason Clark will be honored Monday night versus Notre Dame. Congratulations to Jason and his family for his four seasons on the Hilltop.

Senior Salute: Henry Sims 2/23/12

"Life moves pretty fast," said Matthew Broderick in the 1986 movie, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". "If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

So too, a college basketball career. The first three years of Henry Sims' career at Georgetown University went by quickly, and to some, without much progress. Sims' ability to emerge in his senior season has been one of the major success stories in turning what was thought to be a 10th place entrant to start the season into one of its four top contenders moving into the final week of the season.

The 6-10 Sims committed to Georgetown a month after the Hoyas' 2007 Final Four, still a junior. "When I visited, I really appreciated coach Thompson's honesty about getting to play right away," Sims told the Baltimore Sun. "Coach Thompson told me that if I worked hard, I would get a chance as a freshman." But by the 2008-09 season, Sims was clearly not ready, and as Greg Monroe settled into the starting center position, Sims saw limited action, averaging just 1.9 points and 1.7 rebounds a game, a major change from the competition Sims had faced when averaging 19 points and 13 rebounds at Mt. St. Joseph's HS, where he led the Gaels to three MIAA championships.

The 2009-10 season was much of the same. With Greg Monroe and Julian Vaughn taking control on the court, Sims took root on the bench, averaging 1.4 points with just eight points in the entire Big East portion of the season. By his junior season, Sims increased his time on the court to 14 minutes a game, but still as a reserve, averaged only 3.6 points a game. A popular member of the team and in the Georgetown community (having finished as a runner up in the student association elections), Sims' basketball potential seem to have faded over his three seasons. Or as head coach John Thompson III once was quoted as having said, Henry "enjoyed college a little too much."

Sims would make sure his last season in college would be a better example of his skills and motivation. "I rededicated myself and fell back in love with the sport. I kind of got away from that the last few years. The reasons for that? I'm not 100% sure why. But it happened."

His running improved, his shot blocking, his free throw shooting, For the first time in his career, he became the go-to guy inside. Once a quiet figure on the floor, Sims took it upon himself to making the defensive calls for his teammates. Thought to be the biggest question mark in the starting lineup entering the season, Sims has been the exclamation point in a season where his play has become vital for the Hoyas' success.

"I've definitely learned to open my mouth on the court more, I understand the importance of it more now than I did in the past," said Sims. "As the center and as a big man in general, you see a lot behind the play. The least I can do is talk to my guards and talk to my teammates and let them know what is going on."

Sims' on-court transformation has been remarkable, a tripling of his point average from junior to senior year. In the Big East era, only two other players have elevated their statistics so dramatically in their final season: Ralph Dalton (1982-86) went from 3.2 points to 7.7, while Cheikh Dia (1993-97) went from 2.5 points as a junior to 7.4 as a senior. Sims has scored more in his last 25 games than his first three seasons combined, and has accomplished something Dalton and Dia did not--for the first time in four years, Henry Sims is being discussed as a serious NBA prospect.

"God says things happen for a reason," Sims said. "I'm not too upset at all. Better late than never."

His statistics entering this weekend are below:

Yr

GP

GS

Min

FG

FGA

%

3FG

3GA

%

FT

FTA

%

Off

Reb

Avg

PF

Ast

Blk

Stl

Pts

Avg
08-09 30 0 275 21 52 40.3 2 12 16.7 10 17 58.8 16 48 1.6 27 8 16 8 54 1.9
09-10 28 0 190 13 26 50.0 0 3 0.0 13 23 56.5 10 38 1.3 26 7 12 3 39 1.4
10-11 32 0 449 48 83 57.8 0 1 0.0 19 38 50.0 27 101 3.1 67 38 21 9 115 3.6
11-12 26 26 695 98 219 44.7 0 0 0.0 97 135 71.9 44 142 5.5 68 92 40 20 293 11.3
Total 116 26 1363 180 380 47.3 2 16 12.5 139 213 65.2 97 329 2.8 188 145 89 40 501 4.3

The son of Henry and Brenda Sims, and the stepson of Terry Awkward, Henry Sims will be honored Monday night versus Notre Dame. Congratulations to Henry and his family for his four seasons on the Hilltop.

Leading The Score 2/23/12

Tuesday's 73-55 loss to Seton Hall may have set a scoring record of a different sort.

In the Big East era (1980-present), no Georgetown game until Tuesday featured a leading of scorer of less than 10 points, including low scoring wins over Columbia in 1982 (38-26) and SMU in 1984 (37-36). So when was the last time a leading scorer led the Hoyas with less than double figures?

According to the records as they currently exist at the Georgetown Basketball History Project, Greg Whittington's nine point total was the first single digit game for a leading scorer since Jan. 23, 1954, when sophomore Bill Cowley scored nine in the Hoyas' 77-52 loss to St. Francis (NY).

Reports: Temple In Talks To Join Big East 2/23/12

As the Big East struggles to fill the gap in its 2012 football schedules with the loss of West Virginia, it may have found someone ready for the challenge.

Sources tell CBSSports.com that a deal to add Temple University in all sports to the 2012-13 schedules is "done", though neither side has confirmed this and other reports say the talks have not concluded. The timing is especially important because each Big East football team is short one conference game with WVU's sudden departure.

Previous efforts to add Boise State a year early stalled over exit fees of over $10 million to do so. By contrast, the exit fees for Temple to leave the Mid-American Conference in football and the Atlantic-10 in other sports would be half that, per the report.

Temple would also provide the Big East an insurance policy of sorts, as sources continue to push Louisville as a Big 12 expansion candidate at some point; Louisville is likely to avoid such talk until the extent of the Big East television negotiations is concluded. Louisville coach Rick Pitino lobbied for both Memphis and Temple, saying that these were two schools which could help the basketball half of the conference continue to excel.

Temple has been an Atlantic 10 member since 1982 and played in the Big East in football from 1991 to 2004 before being dropped over attendance issues. From a low of 4,406 per game at Veterans Stadium in 1995, last year's Owls drew 28,060 a game at Lincoln Financial Field. In basketball, the Owls are 22-5 and ranked #22 in this week's Associated Press poll.

If accepted for 2012-13, the Owls would return Big East membership to 16, which will grow to 18 the following season with the expected early departure of Pitt and Syracuse and the arrivals of Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, and Southern Methodist.

Seton Hall 73, Georgetown 55 2/21/12 11:00 pm EST

Jordan Theodore scored a career high 29 points as Seton Hall rolled over an uninspired #9-ranked Georgetown team, 73-55, at Prudential Center Tuesday night.

The seeds to this game were sown early. Georgetown lost its inside game in the first two minutes of the first half, as Nate Lubick got into early foul trouble and sat for most of the first half. With no inside touch from henry Sims, Seton Hall's defense forced Georgetown to the perimeter, of which there was fleeting success. The Hoyas hit four of its first five from the three point arc to keep the score close, tying the count at 22-all. When the threes went away, so did Georgetown.

The Pirates entered the game ranked last in the Big East in two point shooting, yet nevertheless shot 59 percent for the first half--inside, outside, and all around. Key to this effort was Theodore, with 12 first half points and a sticky defense that took Jason Clark out of the game early. Clark's three with 5:56 in the first half was his last field goal of the game.

The 5:56 mark was a turning point in the game. Clark's three was followed by Herb Pope's second foul, but the hoyas could not take advantage offensively. The Pirates went on an 8-2 run to push the lad to 30-24 with 2:18 in the half, as the Hoyas missed its next rive field goal attempts. Baskets by Hollis Thompson and otto Porter closed the lead to five late, but Theodore was fouled with 1.3 seconds remaining in the half and the 82% free throw dutifully added two more to the halftime score, 35-28. The margin of eight was the exact margin of Seton Hall's advantage on points off turnovers, with 10 points to Georgetown's two.

In games this season, Seton Hall was 14-1 when leading at the half, and nothing Georgetown offered in return was going to threaten that statistic.

As he did to open the game, Henry Sims scored the first basket of the half, but nothing from the field for the remaining 19 minutes. Sims was ineffective in the short and mid-range shots which only emboldened the Pirates to shut down a Georgetown offense that missed nine of its last ten shots from three. Lubick picked up his third foul with 16:10 in the game, and the inside game all but disappeared. A Theodore three with 15:55 to play pushed the lead to double figures and it was never challenged. Good shots went in, bad shots went in, lucky shots went in--Herb Pope even got a basket and foul after what appeared to be a four step drive to the basket, 54-50, midway in the half.

From a 12 point lead, the Pirates went on runs of 8-2 and 7-2 with little interference, pushing the lead to as many as 22 in the final two minutes with its starting lineup remaining in the game late. The score briefly threatened to unseat the largest modern margin of defeat within this 94 game series, a 75-48 denouement in the last weeks of the Craig Esherick era. A Georgetown lineup of mostly freshmen closed the lead to 18 at the end, but Georgetown looked like matadors aside Theodore and the inspired Pirates.

 29
Points, Seton Hall
guard Jordan Theodore

24
Points, entire
GU starting 5

8-11
FG shooting,
Seton Hall guard
Jordan Theodore

8-28
FG shooting,
entire Georgetown
starting five

59%
Seton Hall shooting,
1st half

62%
Seton Hall shooting,
2nd half

4-5
First five
3-pt attempts,
GU

1-10
Next ten
3-pt attempts,
GU

The Georgetown starters turned in their worst collective performance of the year, combining for just 22 points on 8-28 shooting. In addition to the aforementioned two field goals, Henry Sims missed all four shots from close range and and failed to collect a defensive rebound. Nate Lubick played nine minutes and did not take a shot. Hollis Thompson scored once after halftime. Jason Clark was beaten defensively most of the evening and failed to score in the second half. Markel Starks, who was no match for Theodore on either side of the ball, shot 1-9.

Georgetown's freshmen saw the bulk of the second half action. Greg Whittington led all scorers with nine points, with eight each from Otto Porter and Jabril Trawick.

Georgetown's poor effort is no slight on how well Seton Hall came to play, however. With an NCAA at large bid on the line, the Pirates stepped up in a big way, shooting 60% for the field, 61% from three point range, and 71% from the line against one of the conference's best defensive teams. The Pirates got 12 points from Herb Pope and ten each from Fuquan Edwin and Aaron Cosby, but Theodore was the star of the show: 8-11 from the field, 5-5 from three, and 8-8 from the line.

“Jordan Theodore played one of the better games we've seen all season. He didn't make any mistakes. He totally controlled everything and we didn't have any answers for him,” said coach John Thompson III. “He hit a lot of open shots, but he took shots that were contested that went in. Whether we played man or zone, when a good player has a game like that, he's hard to stop.”

Nevertheless, Thompson called the Hoyas' defense "atrocious". “We didn't find a way to make their shots difficult. They shot the cover off it and we didn't respond.”

About the only thing that didn't go as planned for the Hall was a student effort to rush the court, which was repelled by Prudential Center security, according to USA Today.

With the loss, Georgetown falls out of the top four seeds for a double-bye in the upcoming Big East tournament.

The Georgetown half of the box score follows below:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Starks       26   1-5   0-4   0-0   2   1  1    2
Clark        29   1-1   1-3   2-2   1   2  0    7 
Thompson     32   1-5   2-4   0-0   6   2  2    8 
Lubick        9   0-0   0-0   0-0   3   0  3    0 
Sims         25   2-6   0-0   3-6   3   2  2    7
Reserves:
Whittington  25   2-3   1-2   2-2   1   0  2    9
Hopkins      11   2-2   0-0   0-0   2   1  1    4
Porter       24   3-6   0-1   2-2   6   1  2    8
Bowen         2   1-1   0-0   0-0   0   0  1    2
Trawick      17   1-3   1-1   3-3   1   0  1    8
DNP: Caprio
Injured: Adams, Ayegba
Team Rebounds                       1
TOTALS      200 14-32  5-15  12-15 26   9 15   55

Post game articles follow below.

Maryland's "Odd" Approach 2/21/12

A day after Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson's ultimatum to Georgetown went unheeded, head coach John Thompson III offered a measured response to the issue at hand.

"I find it extremely odd that a competent athletic director would choose that method to try to schedule a game," Thompson told the Washington Post.

"If we're going to play people, particularly somebody in our own region, they should be able and willing to play us in everything," Anderson told the Post on Monday. He did not elaborate whether that would extend to football, where the Division I-AA Hoyas (8-3 in 2011) and the Division I-A Terrapins (2-10) have not met since the 1950 season.

"Maryland's problem, " writes Rick Snider at the Washington Examiner [is that] nobody cares whether the nonrevenue sports teams meet....Anderson needs the money but is gambling with an empty hand. Georgetown doesn't need the basketball rivalry. It's a perennially ranked program, something Maryland once was."

The elder John Thompson had a few words about the issue too, per Dan Steinberg's blog at the Washington Post. Recommended reading.

Maryland: Schedule Us...Or Else 2/20/12

Without much progress in his efforts to add Georgetown to future men's basketball schedules, and mindful of mounting red ink for athletics at College Park, University of Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson has turned to a new tactic: threats.

The Washington Post reports that Anderson will not allow Maryland to schedule Georgetown in any sports unless it agrees to his terms for a men's basketball game. In 2011-12, however, the schools currently schedule each other in just three team sports: men's lacrosse, women's basketball, and women's lacrosse.

Sports information director Mex Carey told the Post, "We do not make a habit of commenting on the scheduling practices of other schools.”

30 Years Ago: McDonough's Big Finale 2/20/12

Georgetown's 1981-82 season would be the last in which games were regularly scheduled at McDonough Gymnasium. Few would have predicted that, 30 years later, the gym would be much the same as it was on Feb. 20, 1982.

As a result of a scheduling conflict with the Ice Capades, the Capital Centre could not host the nationally televised game between #13 Georgetown and #4 Missouri, whereupon Georgetown moved the game to McDonough. Missouri was the sixth top 10 team to play at McDonough in its 30 year history, but the first from outside the Northeast. That unfamiliarity was the backdrop to a decision Missouri coach Norm Stewart would not soon forget.

Stewart knew nothing of the GU campus, and when he heard the game was being moved to someplace called "McDonough Arena", he assumed it was akin to the moderately sized campus arenas which dotted the Big 8 Conference. Arriving to DC, Stewart passed on a Friday night shootaround, arriving instead the morning of the game. Missouri's players were visibly stunned at what they saw.

"I knew they played in a small place, but I had no idea it was like this," said forward Greg Cavender, as their first look at the "arena" took place before over 4,000 fans who were let into the building two hours ahead of game time. Stewart was irate that GU had talked him into scheduling the game at such a place, and the #4-ranked Tigers never quite adjusted to the surroundings as game time neared.

NBC analyst Al McGuire loved it. "I feel like I'm in an wine cellar!", McGuire yelled into the microphone as the student cheers overwhelmed the NBC national broadcast. Play by play announcer Dick Enberg tried to explain to the television audience that the building was called an "arena" but the sign out front said "gymnasium", and that "Norm Stewart would love to get Georgetown in Columbia [Missouri]", but Stewart would have none of it following the 63-51 loss before a record 4,620 at the gymnasium, with as many as 5,000 probably in attendance. Said McGuire, famously: "The fire marshal must be out of town today."

(The game is also remembered for a notable campus marketing stunt. Before the season, Georgetown had contracted with Busch beer to be an official sponsor of the Hoyas, and the company provided various giveaways to fans before each game, such as caps and buttons. As the crowd waited outside, the campus rep for Miller beer drove up with hundreds of "#1" foam-hands emblazoned with the Miller logo, and were snapped up by students. Georgetown officials were none too pleased when the Miller foam hands--in Missouri yellow, no less--were seen throughout the game on NBC.)

The game was important for a much different reason, however. Coming off a tough loss at Boston College, the 20-6 Hoyas needed some momentum with the end of the season approaching. The Missouri win was so convincing, the subsequent attention elevated the Hoyas into the national spotlight. From its win over Missouri, Georgetown won ten straight, sweeping the 1982 Big East Tournament and riding the "Hoya Express" all the way to the Final Four in New Orleans.

For Missouri, it was a great season as well. The Tigers finished #5 nationally with a 26-4 record, won the Big 8 title, and advanced to the regional semifinals, falling to Houston 79-78. It may have been the greatest team in Missouri history, but for one Saturday in February, 1982, they lost at a place they'll not soon forget.

IAC Drawings Posted Online 2/20/12

On Friday, The HOYA published conceptual drawings of the proposed Intercollegiate Athletic Center (aka Athletic Training Facility), which is awaiting architectural approval and fundraising.

"We feel good about the projected building, how it looks, where it is, who it will serve," said athletic director Lee Reed in a related article.

The facility, discussed as early as 2000, has been identified as a priority in the current campaign but Georgetown has not announced any major gifts to date.

Big East Attendance 2/20/12

Approaching the final weekend of the home season, Georgetown home attendance is down 17.3%.

Eleven of 16 Big East schools are below last year's averages heading into the final two weeks of the season:

Team 2011-12
Avg.		 2010-11
Avg.		 Chg.
Syracuse 22,954 22,312 +2.8%
Louisville 21,400 21,832 (-2.0%)
Marquette 14,050 15,586 (-4.5%)
Connecticut 12,969 11,569 +12.1%
Georgetown 10,481 12,675 (-17.3%)
Pittsburgh 10,229 10,843 (-5.8%)
W. Virginia 9.753 11,529 (-16.4%)
Villanova 8,731 10,511 (-17.9%)
Notre Dame 7,904 7,785 +1.5%
St. John's 7,772 8,431 (-7.9%)
Providence 7,686 7,043 +9.1%
DePaul 7,613 7,676 (-0.9%)
Cincinnati 7,546 7,344 +2.7%
Seton Hall 7,324 7,937 (-7.8%)
Rutgers 5,230 5,602 (-6.6%)
S. Florida 3,219 4,230 (-24.0%)
 
Georgetown 63, Providence 53 2/18/12 11:00 pm EST

Seven weeks ago, Providence scored on only 13 field goals versus Georgetown and fell to the Hoyas by nine. This time, one better wasn't enough, and the Friars fell by ten, 63-53.

The Hoyas set the early tone for the game from outside, scoring three pointers on each of its first three field goals. and taking a 9-4 lead. Defense, however, proved the Hoyas' best weapon for a Providence team with no good answers inside or outside in the first half.

From a field goal at the 17:21 mark to close to 6-4, the Friars missed their next 20 shots, but Georgetown could not pull away through an effective Providence zone that bottled up the middle, and an aggressive perimeter defense that saw Georgetown give up five turnovers and fail to convert on the front of two one and one opportunities. Foul shots kept PC hanging around, and by the time Vincent Council broke the hex with a three pointer at the 3:21 mark of the half, the Friars trailed by only seven. A 9-2 Providence run closed to 23-20 at the 1:36 mark, whereupon Georgetown scored the final eight points of the half, none more important when, following a defensive stop with 4.4 seconds left, Hollis Thompson sank a 25 footer to end the half with a 31-20 lead.

Georgetown's offensive sets worked at its best in portions of the halves where Sophomore forward Nate Lubick was able to guide the attack. Lubick, who welcomed nearly 100 family and friends to the game from his nearby home in Massachusetts, scored six of the Hoyas' first 16 points in the first half before being sidelined by foul trouble with 7:32 until halftime. In the second half, the Hoyas maintained its double digit lead until Lubick picked up his fourth foul with 16:08 remaining, and PC answered with six straight to close to four, 36-32.

Once again, the Hoyas went outside when it counted. Three pointers from Hollis Thompson and Jason Clark pushed the lead back to ten, 42-32. After middling success piercing the Friars' internal defense, Georgetown went inside on each of its next four scoring possessions, with three layups and a Henry Sims free throw to push the lead to 14, 49-35, midway in the second half.

With Providence's Ron Giplaye having fouled out, Henry Sims began to pick up the pace inside. After PC had sliced the lead to ten, Sims scored on three consecutive possessions to give the Hoyas a 15 point lead, 55-40 at the 4:49 mark. A pair of Vincent Council three pointers narrowed the count to 58-50 inside the final two minutes, but no closer.

Clark and Thompson each had 13 points to lead all scorers, followed by 10 from Sims and nine from Lubick, as Georgetown shot 45% from the field, 46% from three, and a less than notable 60 percent from the line. Despite 12 Georgetown turnovers, the Friars only managed five points off those turnovers, another sign that th4 defense was especially tough when recovering from mistakes.

 93
Combined pts.
for Providence,
2 games versus GU

4
PC field goals,
first half

25.5%
PC shooting,
Dec. 31 game

25.9%
PC shooting,
this game

+7
PC advantage,
off. rebounds

+7
PC advantage,
free throws

+12
GU advantage,
points in paint

27
Number of
20-win seasons
in GU history

Vincent Council's 13 points were the best of a low night for the Friars all around. Georgetown's defense was especially tough on freshman LaDontae Henton, whose 13 point, 11 rebound effort versus the Hoyas on Dec. 31 was all but forgotten in this game. Henton was held to 1-9 from the field and one offensive rebound, while guard Bryce Cotton shot just 3-17 for the game. As a team, PC shot 25% from the field, 20% from three, and missed 10 of 31 free throw attempts.

It is of little consolation to the Friars, now 2-13 in conference play, that despite its horrid shooting, it was within four points of the #10 Hoyas at two key points of the game. In both circumstances, Clark and Thompson scored two three pointers each that kept the Hoyas ahead for good.

The Georgetown half of the box score follows below:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Starks       31   1-1   1-2   1-2   6   3  2    6
Clark        37   1-4   3-7   2-3   6   4  1   13
Thompson     34   3-9   2-4   1-2  10   0  2   13 
Lubick       19   2-2   1-1   2-4   1   3  4    9 
Sims         35   4-7   0-0   2-5   7   5  3   10
Reserves:
Whittington  14   1-1   0-0   1-1   1   0  2    3
Hopkins       3   0-1   0-0   3-4   0   0  0    3
Porter       17   2-4   0-1   0-0   2   1  3    4
Trawick       9   0-2   0-0   2-2   2   0  2    2
DNP: Bowen, Caprio
Injured: Adams, Ayegba
Team Rebounds                       2
TOTALS      200 14-31  7-15  14-23 37  16 19   63

Post game articles follow below.

Pitino To Big East: Take Temple 2/17/12

Louisville coach Rick Pitino wants the new-look Big East to thrive. To do so, it needs Temple as an 18th school, he told the Asbury Park Press.

"If they want to expand further there is no better school, no better program,” Pitino said. “Temple is an ideal fit. It’s an inner-city school, great tradition in basketball, great culture for the other sports. It fits the dynamics.”

The Home Stretch 2/16/12

A year ago today, Georgetown was ranked #9 with a 20-5 record. Few would have predicted the team would win one of their final seven games.

A year later, with a 19-5 record and a #10 ranking, the Hoyas seek to make its case for a high seed in the NCAA tournament.

"I don’t think they are going to be a one [seed], but a two is possible, they're not that far off,” said RPI columnist Jerry Palm in this link to the Washington Times. “There’s still a lot of range left. They could be a two, or tank and be an eight."

"It’s big for us,” said senior guard Jason Clark. “We have to hone in and focus on everything that we’re supposed to do. The defense has to get tighter, the offense has to get tighter. But we’re a confident team."

Georgetown 71, St. John's 61 2/12/12 4:00 pm EST

Nate Lubick and Greg Whittington led a team effort as Georgetown shook off a determined St. John's squad with a 71-61 win at Verizon Center.

Georgetown got off to a quick start and a 7-2 score looked encouraging early. For its part, St. John's closed off the middle early in the game, forcing Georgetown outside for a number of errant three point shots and early foul trouble on senior center Henry Sims. Georgetown's 15-7 lead at the 12:10 mark of the first half would be its largest for much of the next 25 minutes, as an undermanned St. John's team never gave in.

Led by freshmen Moe Harkless and D'Angelo Harrison, the Redmen closed to 15-14 with 7:31 to play but as was the case all afternoon, Georgetown came up with a response when it needed it. In this case, it was a 6-0 run capped by a Hollis Thompson three, but overall the Hoyas' shots were not consistent and St. John's picked up its shooting. The Hoyas managed only two field goals in the final four minutes of the half, one coming at the beginning of the stretch, one at the end, but a 6-6 effort at the foul line helped the Hoyas as St. John's made eight of its last 11 shots of the half to close to five at the break, 31-26.

Nate Lubick and Henry Sims rallied the Hoyas to start the second half, scoring the first nine points of a half that saw Clark and Thompson both pick up their third foul early in the half. Helping themselves at the foul line, the Redmen closed to 44-42 midway in the half after Sims picked up his 3rd foul, but Markel Starks hit a big three to go up five, 47-42. Hollis Thompson picked up his fourth as the Redmen closed to three at the 6:02 mark, but Whittington sank a big three that put Georgetown up six, 54-48. St. John's continued to rely on good outside shooting and inside fouls to stay close, and closed back to three, 56-53, with 4:19 to play.

The game may have turned on consecutive plays entering the last four minutes of the game. Up three, Georgetown needed a big play and got it when Clark, who had not hit a basket since the 13:34 mark of the first half and was 0-6 from three point range, sank a three pointer, 59-53. The Hoyas regained possession 24 seconds later, where a three point attempt by Clark missed, but Lubick picked up the offensive rebound, fed it to Otto Porter, who delivered the ball inside to Clark for a basket and the foul, 62-53. A Moe Harkless three brought the Redmen to six, 62-06, but Georgetown again had the mettle from outside, as Starks sank his third three of the half, 65-56, with 2:26 to play. Although the Hoyas were just 4-10 from three point range in the second half, every one of them came at a big point in the game.

St. John's closed to six with under a minute to play, but fouled out three players in that final minute and could not close thereafter.

 44
Combined pts.,
SJU's Moe Harkless &
D'Angelo Harrison

17
Combined pts.,
rest of team

4-18
GU 3-pt shooting,
first 34 mins.

3-5
GU 3-pt shooting,
last 6 mins.

2-7
SJ 3-pt shooting,
last 6 mins.

+21
Advantage,
GU bench

+6
Adv., GU
pts. in paint

17
GU assists
on 24 field goals

8
GU turnovers

0-10
SJU record
vs. ranked teams

Whittington turned in a career high 12 points for the game, while Lubick was all over the stat sheet, scoring seven points, eight rebounds, five assists, and four blocks.

"They had a good game," said coach John Thompson III. "Greg hit some big shots. We had a group that down the stretch worked well together. Hollis was on the bench, Henry was on the bench, and coming down the stretch [Nate and Greg] wouldn't be in there, but the group we had in there worked well on both ends of the floor so we stayed with it and these two were instrumental in that."

Georgetown picked up 11 points each from Markel Starks, Jason Clark, and Otto Porter, as the Hoyas shot 60 percent in the second half and 49 percent for the game, with just eight turnovers all afternoon.

"Coach mentioned to us before the game that people were still praising us after the [Syracuse] loss, " said Lubick. "That's something that we can't look at. We needed to bounce back fast, that's how you do well in this league. To come back and grit out a big win was important."

The Georgetown half of the box score follows below:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Starks       27   1-2   3-5   0-0   2   4  1   11
Clark        36   3-5   1-8   2-3   6   3  3   11
Thompson     31   2-3   1-3   3-4   4   0  4   10 
Lubick       27   3-3   0-0   1-3   8   5  3    7 
Sims         20   3-4   0-0   3-4   2   3  3    9
Reserves:
Whittington  25   3-4   2-4   0-0   2   1  1   12
Hopkins       4   0-1   0-0   0-0   0   0  1    0
Porter       26   2-4   0-2   7-10  8   1  0   11
Trawick       4   0-0   0-1   0-0   0   0  0    0
DNP: Bowen, Caprio
Injured: Adams, Ayegba
Team Rebounds                       1
TOTALS      200 17-26  7-23  16-24 33  17 16   71

Post game articles follow below.

NCAA: UConn Ineligible In '13 2/11/12

The NCAA has recommended that the University of Connecticut be declared ineligible for the 2013 NCAA Tournament as a result of chronically low graduation rates, reports the Hartford Courant .

"Under the new standards, a team is barred from post season play if it falls short of an average 930 APR score over the most recently recorded four academic years," writes the Courant. "Because the benchmark is going from 900 to 930, schools can remain eligible for 2013 if they have a four-year rolling average of 900, or a two-year average of 930. UConn's most recent four-year average, released last spring, was 893. Its 2009-10 score was 826. Those numbers make it impossible for the Huskies to hit either 900 over four years, or 930 over two years."

UConn had proposed playing four fewer games (out of 30) as punishment, but the offer was declined. UConn officials say they will appeal. The decision could force additional early exits from players and could impact incoming recruiting.

The tournament ban may also extend to the 2013 Big East tournament, which failed to invite St. John's when that school was ineligible because of NCAA violations, and the conference would want to avoid a situation if UConn were to win the Big East but be ineligible to the autobid. The conference has not commented but if the NCAA decision stands and the Big East declares UConn ineligible as a result, only 14 schools would be in the tournament next year, minus West Virginia.

Reports: WVU Settles With Big East, Joins Big 12 2/10/12

How bad does the Big 12 want West Virginia University in its conference this fall? According to the Charleston Gazette, the Big 12 schools will pay $9 million of a $20 million settlement with the Big East to release the Mountaineers two years early from their agreed-to buyout. The Big 12 will announce its football schedule Friday with WVU included.

"In that proposed scenario, WVU's $11 million payment would cover three things: The Big East's $5 million exit fee, Boise State's $5 million buyout fee, and $1 million to match what [each] Big 12 school is paying," writes the Charleston Daily Mail.

The impact to Big East football, now with seven schools in 2012, is a sidebar to the story. Efforts are being made to persuade Boise State to take West Virginia's place in the Big East lineup in 2012, though this is not a part of the WVU settlement. Boise officials said last week it was "too late" to reorganize its schedules and move its non-football sports out of the MWC, but talks continue.

Boise State has already announced scheduling deals with Memphis and Connecticut for basketball, which was part of its agreement to join Big East football, reports KIVI-TV.

If finalized, the Big East would field 15 teams in basketball in 2012-13. Neither Syracuse nor Pitt have given indications they want out in 2012, though talk will inevitably surface about paying a similar penalty to leave one year early in July 2013 when Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, and SMU arrive.

Hunter Released From Hospital 2/10/12

Assistant coach Kenya Hunter has been released from Georgetown University Hospital following tests that caused him to miss Wednesday's game at Syracuse. Additional coverage is found in this link to the Associated Press.

Roy Hibbert: NBA All-Star 2/10/12

Congratulations to Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert (C'08), named to the NBA All-Star team on Thursday. The fourth year center is averaging 13.9 points and 9.9 points per game.

Syracuse 64, Georgetown 61 (OT) Updated 2/9/12

Whether or not the Georgetown Hoyas return one day to the Carrier Dome, one thing is certain: #12 Georgetown and #2 Syracuse put on a game as good as any of their predecessors, with a Kris Joseph three with 26 seconds in overtime the margin of victory in a 64-61 overtime win, the 20th straight home win for the Orangemen, and the fifth overtime loss in as many games for Georgetown at the House That Jim Boeheim Built.

The game was a mix between a chess match and a heavyweight fight, with the measured tones of ESPN analyst Bob Knight showing the choreography of each play. Georgetown started 1 for 6 in the game but trailed by no more than two early, thanks to a relentless effort on rebounding which limited second chance points by Syracuse and gave the hoyas extra opportunities it had not enjoyed in previous games. Georgetown held early leads of 4-2, 6-4, and 11-10, but found rough going inside on the Syracuse zone and four early turnovers.

A 6-0 Georgetown run midway in the fist half earned the Hoyas a 17-12 lead, but it was not for long. Forward Kris Joseph, en route to a career-high 29 points this evening, rallied the Orangemen with a three pointer at the 9:35 mark and a second two minutes later to close the lad two, 20-18. Syracuse took a 21-20 lead before Hollis Thompson responded with a three pointer, and back and forth they went. baskets by Otto Porter and Jason Clark extended the Hoyas to 29-23, but Syracuse cut the lead to two at the 1:05 mark, 29-27. Free throws from Greg Whittington allowed the Hoyas to enter halftime up four, 31-27.

Georgetown's rebounding was spectacular even if their shooting was not. Both teams hovered around 35% for the half, and outside shooting was at a premium. The same would hold true in the second.

The Hoyas caught a pair of bad breaks in the first minute of the second half via the foul route, as Jason Clark and Henry Sims each picked up their third foul within 24 seconds of each other. Syracuse went on an 8-0 run to lead 35-31 at the 17:56 mark, but a freshman-dominant lineup including Otto Porter, Mikael Hopkins, Greg Whittington, and Jabril Trawick fought back, with consecutive baskets by Trawick and Porter to tie the game at 35.

Neither team led by more than two points for the next five minutes. A Joseph thee was answered by Hollis Thompson to tie the score, 40-40. Threes from Dion Waiters and Kris Joseph pushed the Orangemen to a 46-44 margin, but Sims answered with two at the line, as his inside play otherwise proved ineffective against the Syracuse defense much of the evening. Twelve seconds after the free throws, Sims picked up his fourth foul as the orangemen went back up three, 49-46, but Mikael Hopkins answered with two big free throws, 49-48, and the serve and volley continued.

As Coach Knight observed on ESPN, this wasn't a case of poor shooting but superior zone defense on both sides, and the low scoring belied a game where every mistake mattered. With 7:13 to play, Georgetown gained possession on a held ball, but Hopkins was called for charging, which Syracuse converted on its next possession via a Fab Melo dunk, 51-48, at the 5:25 mark. A Hoya traveling call on the next series set up Joseph for a three, 54-48, with 4:37, a turning point of the game in a surprising way--with its largest lead of the half and the support of the home crowd of 27,820, it was Syracuse's last basket of the half.

Georgetown began its climb back in dramatic fashion. Jason Clark launched a long three and suddenly the Hoyas trailed by only three, 54-51. Joseph missed one of two free throws at the 2:35 mark, 55-51, where Sims also missed inside but GU picked up a steal. Sims was stuffed on his next possession inside, but the Hoyas held defensively, opening the door for Clark to send a 28 footer into the basket to close the mark to one with 1:55 left, 55-54.

Despite its poor outside shooting sans Joseph, Syracuse looked outside, but Dion Waiters missed badly from three at the 1:01 mark and Greg Whittington was fouled, making one of two, 55-all. Off the miss, Whittington grabbed the offensive rebound, but Sims was again stuffed inside by Melo and Syracuse had the last possession, whereupon Waiters missed another long three and the game headed into overtime.

Georgetown appeared to have caught a break on its opening possession of the extra period when a free throw missed by Otto Porter was ruled as basket interference by Melo, giving GU a 57-55 lead. Again, the Orangemen looked to Joseph, who tied the score at 57. Sims was again bottled up inside and Syracuse took a 59-57 lead on the next possession. Defensively, Georgetown was successfully cutting off the inside game and held Syracuse scoreless in consecutive possessions, as free throws by Sims and a basket by Porter gave Georgetown a 61-59 lead with 2:20 to play. This would be Georgetown's last points of the evening.

With 1:51 to play, Joseph's three point shot was in and around, but GU failed to capitalize when Hollis Thompson's basket was waived off on a charge going inside. Two free throws from C.J. Fair tied the score at 61 with 1:20 to play, and a key Georgetown possession came up short when both Sims and Porter failed to get good shots inside. Syracuse came down the floor and point guard Scoop Jardine found Kris Joseph open on the left wing. With Whittington out of position on defense, an open Joseph nailing his sixth three of the game with 21 seconds left, 64-61.

 2-20
GU shooting,
Sims, Hopkins

19-43
GU shooting,
rest of team

39%
GU shooting,
1st half

29%
GU shooting,
2nd half

16%
GU shooting,
overtime

4
Missed FT's
by both teams,
combined

16
GU assists
on 21 field goals

15
GU turnovers

+8
GU advantage
offensive rebounds

+17
GU advantage
total rebounds

+10
SU advantage
pts. off turnovers

6
Blocks, Fab Melo

6
Blocks, GU team

15
Ties

18
Lead changes

9
Different GU
players with at
least 1 rebound

880
Career wins,
Jim Boeheim

35-35
Boeheim record
vs. GU

8-21
GU record at
Carrier Dome

0-5
GU overtime
record at
Carrier Dome

On its last possession, the Hoyas could not win off or on the court. Off the court, the Hoyas were unable to get Hollis Thompson in the game off the time out, as Thompson was deemed late to report to the scorer's table. On the court, GU could not get a good look at a three, and with time dwindling down, Jason Clark lost the ball out of bounds with 4.9 seconds remaining. The Orangemen missed two subsequent free throws with 1.2 left, but without enough time for a game-tying response.

The Georgetown half of the box score follows below:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Starks       22   2-2   1-8   0-0   1   1  0    7
Clark        33   3-3   2-5   0-0   2   1  3   12
Thompson     37   2-4   2-5   0-0  10   2  4   10 
Lubick        7   1-2   0-0   1-2   3   0  0    3 
Sims         25   1-12  0-0   4-4   8   3  4    6
Reserves:
Whittington  29   0-0   0-2   3-4   6   4  2    3
Hopkins      19   1-8   0-0   2-2   4   0  2    4
Porter       40   5-9   0-0   4-4  13   3  2   14
Trawick      13   1-2   0-1   0-0   1   2  0    2
DNP: Bowen, Caprio
Injured: Adams, Ayegba
Team Rebounds                       4
TOTALS      200 16-42  5-21  14-16 52  16 17   61

Post game articles follow below.

Confirmed: Memphis To Join Big East 2/8/12

A press conference Wednesday confirmed the University of Memphis as the 17th member of the Big East conference, effective in July 2013.

"This is an historical day for the University of Memphis," said school president Shirley Raines. "We are pleased to be renewing some old rivalries that our fans enjoyed in years past, and we look forward to competing against other formidable opponents from the Big East."

Memphis had been a candidate for a number of years, but had to decide whether to move to the big East or help consolidate a Conference USA roster that will add three former schools to the Big East roster in 2013. Memphis becomes the fourth in the latest reorganization of the conference.

"Over the past decade, the University of Memphis has demonstrated an unwavering commitment of competing at the highest level in college sports," said Big East commissioner John Marinatto. "The University has positioned itself for long-term success by upgrading facilities and investing wisely in various areas of the athletic department including coaching and administration. We are confident that the addition of this outstanding athletics program located in a top 50 media market and in the heart of the nation's largest conference footprint will further propel the Big East and the University of Memphis to even greater levels of success in the future."

Best known to Georgetown fans for basketball, Memphis sponsors 19 sports and all Big East-sanctioned sports but swimming and lacrosse. The school has struggled mightily in football (3-21 since 2010) but hopes the change in scenery and the potential for the conference to retain a major bowl invitation could revitalize the Tigers' gridiron fortunes.

Media reports suggest Memphis will pay a $6.6 million fee to leave Conference USA, which includes a loss in accumulated TV revenues from the conference.

The addition of Memphis would mark the ninth former Conference USA school to join the Big East since 2005, joining Central Florida, Cincinnati, DePaul, Houston, Louisville, Marquette, South Florida, and Southern Methodist.

Additional coverage follows below.

Reports: WVU Negotiating $20M Buyout 2/8/12

Never a dull moment in the conference realignment business, where CBS Sports' Brett McMurphy picked up his second scoop in as many days, with news that West Virginia would offer $20 million to get out of its obligations with the Big East conference and leave for the Big 12 Conference two years early, on or about June 30, 2012.

McMurphy reports that the parties are negotiating a deal contingent on the Big East securing a school to replace WVU on football schedules this fall, which could be pending entrants Boise State or San Diego State, to maintain scheduling order if WVU is not on the various schedules. With a June 26 court date in Morgantown, WV weeks before the season, neither side wants the exposure should a legal decision be made, effectively leaving one conference hanging with millions of dollars in unrealized revenue should WVU be enjoined to stay or free to go.

"Acting Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas recently told the West Virginia media that the Big 12 would consider assisting the Mountaineers financially with their exit fee, if the school asked," McMurphy wrote.

West Virginia reportedly paid the Big East $2.5 million of the then-scheduled $5 million buyout for departing schools, and claimed in a local court in Morgantown, WV that this was a tacit acceptance of their move. The Big East denied that assertion and filed suit in Rhode Island Court to require WVU to stay through July 2014 per the terms of the bylaws WVU's president approved weeks earlier.

Reports: Memphis To Join Big East 2/7/12

CBS Sports is reporting that the University of Memphis has agreed to join the Big East conference for all sports in the fall of 2013. The move would eventually give the conference 12 schools in football and 17 in basketball. A press conference has been announced for 1:00 pm Wednesday to "detail the future of Tiger athletics", according to that's school's web site.

The move to expand now comes following unsuccessful efforts to bring Brigham Young University or the U.S. Air Force Academy on board as a 12th school for football playoff purposes, and to head off concerns that Louisville may seek an audience with the Big 12 Conference, still two schools short of its moniker.

The Big East's preemptive move comes amidst three separate but related issues affecting future alignments.

The conference is in mediation with West Virginia University to determine some sort of settlement with West Virginia's unilateral efforts to leave the conference before its previously agreed 2014 deadline. The Big East and Big 12 faces a game of "chicken" if WVU begins to schedule its games with Big 12 schools, leaving empty games on Big East schedules, but raises the dilemma that it may or may not be able to honor its entrance agreement with the Big 12, either. A related issue then revolves around Pitt and Syracuse, scheduled to leave in 2014 as well. Adding four schools for all sports (Central Florida, Houston, SMU, and now Memphis) in 2013 and/or WVU's ability to leave early could give Pitt and Syracuse cover to negotiate its own moves a year earlier, otherwise the Big East would undergo an awkward 13 team football/19 team basketball schedule that season, with Navy not scheduled to join until 2015.

Third, the move appears to support Louisville's insistence that a basketball-strong school be invited to join, and may have headed off any interest by Louisville in pursuing a move with WVU to the Big 12 conference. Louisville and Memphis were rival schools in four different conferences from 1968 through 2005, including the Conference USA, Great Midwest, Metro, and Missouri Valley conferences, and while Memphis' football program has struggled, its basketball brand is still prominent.

For Georgetown, a 17 team Big East could lead to a 16 game regular season (eight schools at home, eight away) or an 18 game configuration (all schools once, two series home and away). The annual Big East tournament would likely invite all 17 teams, with an extra first round game the opening Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

This does not preclude additional expansion if the right team is out there. The conference earlier reported it has an 18 team scenario already mapped out as a contingency.

Surprising The Nation 2/8/12

On the eve of Wednesday's game, USA Today looks at the growth of the 2011-12 Hoyas as one of the surprising stories of the season to date.

"Our team was an unknown nationally," said coach John Thompson III. "As a coach, I liked and still like our pieces...It's a group that's been extremely unselfish. It's a group that cares about winning and doesn't care how we do it, who gets the attention."

Senior Henry Sims knows that heightened expectations can be difficult down the stretch.

"In that locker room [last year after the VCU game], I felt bad for Austin [Freeman] and Chris [Wright] because that's not how they wanted to go out at all," said Sims. "I told myself I don't want to go out like that. I don't want to say avenge them, but I want to make them proud. They're like brothers to me. I want to be able to do better."

"As a group — and this has been a strength of this group in general — we can come up with answers," Thompson said.

1972: Changing Of The Guard 2/8/12

Wednesday marks the 40th anniversary of the resignation of men's basketball coach Jack Magee, which set in motion the search committee that eventually brought a 30 year old coach named John Thompson to the Hilltop six weeks later.

The 1971-72 season was notable not only for the Hoyas' dismal 3-23 record but for the public bickering between Magee and athletic director Robert Sigholtz, which reached a low point in January 1972 when Sigholtz held his own press conference to refute Magee's claims that the program's recruiting budget was underfunded. Some held Magee responsible for the Hoyas' poor showing in the two years since the 1970 NIT, others criticized Sigholtz for creating a grueling 1971-72 schedule (with nine straight road games from Dec. 13 through Jan. 22) that essentially set Magee up for failure. Many simply blamed both of them.

With a 2-15 mark in early February 1972, Sigholtz would not renew Magee's contract and Magee chose to resign; Sigholtz himself would be forced out nine days later. In their place would come two giants of Georgetown's athletic history, basketball coach John Thompson and athletic director Frank Rienzo.

"Everything's in the past now and I don't want to talk about it any more. My problems are over," Magee told the Washington Post that day, and that's been the case ever since. Magee, now 76, has never returned to the Hilltop in any public capacity, declining offers to attend a reunion of the 1970 NIT team and the 100th anniversary banquet in 2007. A former guard at Boston College, Magee was occasionally seen on Big East TV broadcasts in the 1980's from the stands at BC's Roberts Center, watching the Eagles play Georgetown. Magee was selected to the BC Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1986.

End Of An Era? 2/7/12

>Wednesday's game at #2 Syracuse is the 29th in a road series that dates to the 1980-81 season, but fans of the other Annoying Orange may have no more than one (or two) more chances to see the oft-hated Hoyas visiting the frozen tundra of Syracuse.

If Syracuse moves to the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2014-15 as promised between the parties, the two schools can expect no more than two games in Syracuse after Wednesday, depending on whether the 2012-13 season returns a single game to Washington or the teams return to play home and away, as they have in 23 of the last 32 seasons. (In the nine seasons where the schools played only one game within a season, Syracuse has hosted six of these games.)

However, if West Virginia adjudicates its way out of its 27-month wait with the Big East to join the Big 12 conference this fall, there may be pressure on Pitt and Syracuse to cut and run on the Big East after 2012-13, when Houston, SMU, and Central Florida will move in. If that scenario takes place, next season may be the last year in the series regardless of whether Syracuse gets another home game next season or not.

Syracuse athletic director Kevin Gross has expressed public interest in adding some Big East teams to its home schedule after it joins the ACC, as Syracuse plays as many home games as possible in December; however, it's unlikely the Orangemen would give up Carrier Dome revenue to play some combination of Georgetown, UConn, or Villanova on the road. An alternate strategy may be to schedule a home and away with St. John's, taking full advantage of the self-proclaimed "New York's College Team" and its ability to draw friendly crowds at Madison Square Garden.

It's no given Georgetown would want to play Syracuse moving forward, either. Georgetown has not scheduled games with any of the three schools which previously left the Big East including Boston College, a school Georgetown use to schedule annually since 1958-59, but not since the Eagles flew south.

For college basketball fans, enjoy these games while we can. Change is around the corner.

Memphis? Boise State? Air Force? 2/5/12

The latest spin of the conference realignment discussion wheel returns to the Big East, after Providence Journal writer Kevin McNamara reported last week via Twitter of talks to add the University of Memphis as a 17th school to the conference. Both the Big East and Memphis have avoided any substantive comment.

Sunday, the Memphis Commercial Appeal looks at the potential of UM being the big fish in what's left of Conference USA, or being a middle of the road Big East program.

Meanwhile, Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News suggests it's Boise State, not Memphis, that is being pushed to join in the fall of 2012, as a hedge against West Virginia's leaving June 30 and the potential of Pitt and Syracuse to follow suit. Wilner also commented by Twitter that Air Force, not Memphis, is the expected 12th team.

Of course, there's a lot of wild speculation, too. Earlier in January, a West Virginia blog posited that as many as five ACC teams (including soon to be ACC entrant Pittsburgh) would break ranks to join the Big 12, but that conference is not pursuing expansion at this time.

Georgetown 75, South Florida 45 2/5/12

For a second straight game, Georgetown's defense neutralized its opponent, holding South Florida to a season low 45 points in a 30 point win, 75-45, the largest margin by a Georgetown team in Big East play in four seasons.

Both teams entered the Saturday morning contest ranked in the top two in field goal percentage defense, and the early play reflected it. Georgetown's height and length on defense forced South Florida into a number of bad passes and poor shot selection, and following a 5-4 USF lead, the Bulls committed turnovers on three straight possessions and Georgetown gained a 10 point lead with 11:00 in the half, 15-5. US ended up committing turnovers on the next six possessions, but the Hoyas could not convert on any of them, failing to make a field goal for over eight minutes in the half.

From the 11:00 mark, neither team made a basket for nearly seven minutes, with six misses and a turnover before USF's Gus Gilchrist hit a three at the 4:12 mark to close to 18-8. Missing at close range and from outside, Georgetown's next field goal didn't come until the 1:31 mark of the half, and the Bulls outscored the Hoyas 10-5 down the stretch to close the Georgetown lead to eight at the half, 23-15. The two teams had combined to shoot 14-46 from the field and 2-14 from three point range.

Georgetown regrouped at the break and opened the second half strong, scoring eight of the first ten points and pushing the lead to 14, 31-17. As USF coach Stan Heath tried a number of substitution patterns to no avail, GU began to get better shots and feed the ball inside to senior center Henry Sims. An 8-2 run gave Georgetown a 20 point lead with 13:30 left, and USF never moved within 15 the rest of the game. Georgetown shot 65 percent from the half, hit 18-22 from the free throw line (including 13 in a row), now allowing any chance of a South Florida comeback. A Nate Lubick dunk (and subsequent technical foul for holding on the rim) and a late game assist from reserves John Caprio to Aaron Bowen provided the later highlights of a half where the outcome was decided early.

The Hoyas had five players in double figures and strong efforts from many of the reserves, including Otto Porter, Jabril Trawick, and Mikael Hopkins, with Greg Whittington getting limited time due to foul trouble.

Despite the scoring lull, "I thought we had good energy in the first half," said Georgetown coach John Thompson III. "I don't think we had better energy in the second half, I just think the ball started to go in. As with life and basketball you make a couple and it starts to get easier."

"We weren't frustrated [in the first half] because we were playing good defense," said senior Jason Clark. "We just needed to keep playing defense and we knew our shots would eventually fall. "

South Florida finished with 16 field goals and 17 turnovers.

"It's been our recipe for lack of success," said USF coach Stan Heath. "We did the same thing against Marquette we had 22 [turnovers] in that game. When we've had losses that's typically the magic number that sticks out for us and that happened again."

The in moved Georgetown into a tie for second place in the league.

The Georgetown half of the box score follows below:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Starks       27   2-2   2-4   0-0   4   1  3   10
Clark        33   3-5   1-2   2-2   4   2  1   11
Thompson     25   3-5   0-2   1-1   3   0  0    7 
Lubick       18   2-4   0-0   1-1   4   1  1    5 
Sims         31   3-7   0-0   7-10  9   5  2   13
Reserves:
Whittington   9   0-1   0-1   1-2   1   0  4    1
Hopkins       9   0-1   1-1   1-2   1   0  3    4
Porter       27   4-6   0-1   4-4   4   4  2   12
Bowen         3   1-1   0-0   0-0   0   0  0    2
Caprio        2   0-1   0-0   0-0   0   1  0    0
Trawick      16   0-2   1-1   7-8   1   2  0   10
Injured: Adams, Ayegba
Team Rebounds                       3
TOTALS      200 18-34  5-12  24-30 34  16 16   75

Post game articles follow below.

WVU v Big East: No Resolution 2/3/12

A West Virginia judge has denied motions to stay or dismiss efforts to enforce the Big East's bylaws requiring West Virginia University to stay through 2014, but the case won't move to his court until June 26.

"These matters can be tried as easily in West Virginia as in any alternate forum," wrote judge Russell Clawges, whose court is located near the plaintiff university.

A Rhode Island ordered mediation between the parties on Feb. 9, but the WVU court holds that its court proceeding, albeit in June, should control.

Meanwhile, the Big 12 has finalized a 2012 schedule with the Mountaineers, but has not publicly released it. One of the two conferences will have eight games to fill under short notice, depending where WVU is allowed to play.

Georgetown 58, Connecticut 44 2/2/12

In the Jim Calhoun era, Connecticut is 19-0 versus Georgetown when it scores 70 or more points against the Hoyas, 5-17 when it fails to do so.

The Huskies never came close to 70 in this one, as the Georgetown Hoyas held the Huskies to a season low 30 percent shooting, earning an important Big East win, 58-44, keeping it among the upper tier of schools entering the first weekend of February.

Connecticut (14-7, 4-5 B.E.) entered the game having dropped three straight by a combined eight points, and coach Jim Calhoun chose to shake up his starting lineup by benching starters Alex Oriakhi and Shabazz Napier for sophomore Roscoe Smith and freshman Ryan Boatright, respectively. The Huskies took off to open the game, hitting six of seven shots and Boatright earning on assists on three of them, as UConn led 13-7 in the first five minutes of the game. At that point, Georgetown began to cut of the middle, UConn could not score from outside, and the Huskies embarked on a silent stretch where it missed 12 straight attempts over an nine minute stretch of the first half.

For its part, Georgetown did not overpower the Huskies in response, and did not take the lead until a Hollis Thompson three with 8:37 in the half, 18-15. A layup by UConn's Tyler Olander broke the ice, and trailing by only one had to give the Huskies some hopes of turning the game around in short order, but the shooting woes continued. Connecticut made only one basket in the final 6 minutes of the half, while Hollis Thompson and henry Sims combined for all 13 of Georgetown's points down the stretch to take a 31-21 lead at the break. From its 6-7 start, the Huskies missed 20 of its next 22.

Flailing from the outside (1-10 from three point range in the first half), UConn moved back inside to open the second half. A 13 point Georgetown lead was cut to nine on consecutive dunks by Tyler Olander and Andre Drummond, 37-29, but Georgetown responded with a Hollis Thompson three to go back up 11. Lamb answered with a three pointer, UConn's only long range shot of the half to close to eight midway in the half, but Georgetown again answered with two from Thompson. A third UConn run closed to six, 45-39 with 7:45 to play, but Georgetown answered for good with a 10-2 run that all but neutralized the Huskies and put the game away, led by a Henry Sims dunk that put the exclamation point on the game.

 9-12
UConn shooting,
Andre Drummond

9-48
UConn shooting,
rest of team

1-8
UC FG's,
last 5 min.,
1st half

1-8
UC FG's,
last 5 min.,
2nd half

10%
UC 3-pt %

15
GU turnovers

4
UC fast
break pts.

The Hoyas scored on 44 percent of its shots, led by 18 from Hollis Thompson, 13 from Henry Sims, and 11 from Jason Clark. UConn's Andre Drummond (9-12) and Jeremy Lamb (a season low 4-18) accounted for 32 of UConn's 44 points, with its three remaining starters combining to shoot 1-9. In the final 7:45 when the Huskies had closed to six, it scored only two baskets the rest of the game. Lamb's poor shooting was only one piece of the puzzle Jim Calhoun will attempt to solve, with former starting point guard Shabazz Napier shooting 0-9, Ryan Boatright 0-4, and power forward Alex Oriakhi taking one shot in seven minutes of play.

The Georgetown half of the box score follows below:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Starks       17   0-1   0-0   2-2   1   1  0    2
Clark        33   4-7   1-2   0-1   5   2  3   11
Thompson     37   4-8   3-7   1-1   9   1  3   18 
Lubick       18   1-1   0-0   1-2   2   2  3    3 
Sims         32   4-10  0-0   5-6   4   3  4   13
Reserves:
Whittington  15   0-4   1-2   0-0   2   1  0    3
Hopkins       8   2-2   0-0   0-0   1   1  1    4
Porter       33   1-1   0-2   2-3   4   1  3    4
Trawick       7   0-1   0-0   0-0   1   1  1    0
DNP: Bowen, Caprio
Injured: Adams, Ayegba
Team Rebounds                       8
TOTALS      200 16-35  5-13  11-15 37  13 18   58

Post game articles follow below.

 

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