Georgetown 68, DePaul 60
Georgetown-DePaul was everything you expected. And less.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
A pair of three point runs were the difference in a 68-60 Georgetown win at Wintrust Arena Saturday, as the Hoyas steered past another uninspired performance by DePaul, now 4-12 on the season. A concerted run in the second half put this game away, though the first half was anything but certain. Both teams started poorly, missing its first seven shots combined. Georgetown didn't get on the board for almost four minutes, but a run of two three pointers by Chudier Bile and a three from Donald Carey gave the Hoyas a 9-5 lead, an advantage they maintained throughout the remainder of the game. Turnovers dominated the first half - the two tams had eight between them in the first seven minutes and 13 midway through the first half. Since its opening salvo of threes, the Hoyas didn't score a two point goal until the 8:35 mark, 15-11, relying instead on free throws to extend the lead. Getting little in the first half from Qudus Wahab and Jamorko Pickett, a combined 0 for 3 between them, coach Patrick Ewing picked up a season high effort from graduate transfer Chudier Bile. From a meager score of 17-11 with 7:23 to halftime, Bile scored nine of the Hoyas' next 11 points, including 7 for 8 from the foul line, part of an 8-2 run that gave Georgetown a 28-18 lead with 2:46 remaining, only to see the Demons answer with an 8-2 run of its own to close the deficit to 30-26 at the half. The Hoyas shot just 31 percent in the first half while Bile (15 points) scored half of the team's points. The Blue Demons closed to one to open the second half on a Charlie Moore three, 30-29, but completely lost their touch soon thereafter, missing its next eight attempts while the Hoyas pulled away for good. The star of the second half was Pickett, led by a strong three minute run early in the second half. Up five, Pickett hit three consecutive threes and a trio of free throws from the foul line when attempting a fourth with 13:31 to play to stretch the lead to 48-29 with 13:367 to play. Pickett accounted for 12 of 14 points as part of an 18-0 run that all but closed the door on the Demons. Moore's 15 second half points kept the Blue Demons alive but they struggled to make any serious inroads into the margin. DePaul closed to 11 with 9:02 to play before Donald Carey answered with a three, 55-41, and narrowed the score to ten at the 2:38 mark before Jamari Sibley sank a jumper to extend the mark back to 12. Sibley's jumper was Georgetown's only field goal down the stretch, but DePaul's slower style of play offered few real opportunities to contend. Moore's layup with 18 seconds remaining was the closest DePaul had been since the 16:37 mark. Bile, Pickett and Harris each scored in double figures for Georgetown, who held four DePaul starters (excepting Moore) to a mere 13 points combined on 5 for 14 shooting. Moore's 22 points led all scorers. Georgetown's turnovers prevented this from becoming a complete runaway. The Hoyas finished with 21 field goals against 19 turnovers. Dante Harris' 14 points proved valuable in the absence of senior Jahvon Blair who was benched by Ewing without comment. "Coach's decision," Ewing replied twice to questions on Blair's status. The game also allowed Ewing to go deeper in the bench for play from freshmen T.J. Berger and Collin Holloway. "We didn't know if [Dante] was going to be able to play today," said Ewing, "so those guys had the opportunity in practice to show their stuff and I went with it." "Both bigs were in foul trouble. Malcolm came in, I thought he did a solid job. I put Collin in there for a stretch, he got the job done when he was in there. T.J. did a fantastic job then he was in there, and also Jamari did a good job. So, the guys, when they had their opportunities, I thought they took advantage of it, which is something they need to do, and they need to continue to do that going forward." The win, only Georgetown's second road victory of the season, marked its first win in Chicago since the 2017-18 season. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
D. Harris 38 5-11 0-2 4-5 1 1 2 14
Carey 34 0-2 2-5 0-0 3 3 0 6
Bile 32 3-4 2-5 7-8 10 3 2 19
Pickett 30 0-3 3-5 5-5 6 1 2 14
Wahab 23 3-9 0-0 1-1 7 0 4 7
Reserves:
Ighoefe 14 0-1 0-0 2-2 2 0 4 2
Sibley 11 2-2 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 4
Berger 11 0-1 0-0 0-0 2 0 1 0
Holloway 3 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2
Wilson 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 0 0 0
DNP: Blair, Azinge, Robinson, Clark, Muresan
Team Rebounds 5
TOTALS 200 14-34 7-17 19-21 40 8 15 68
Connecticut 70, Georgetown 57
A generation ago, this was the kind of game Georgetown teams won--defense, defense, and more defense. But this time, it was Connecticut that toughed it out, pulling away late in a 70-57 win at McDonough Gymnasium that was essential for UConn's at-large NCAA hopes.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
The Connecticut defense was front and center to begin this game. The Hoyas were forced into three early turnovers before it could even take its second shot of the game, and the Huskies raced to a 10-0 lead. Active on ball screens, the Huskies took the air out of the Hoyas from deep, and looked to be poised to build a big lead until their own shooting imploded, as the two teams struggled mightily in a first half where the teams combined for 19 field goals and 18 turnovers. Georgetown climbed back in the game at the foul line, where UConn sent GU to the bonus for the final 6:38 of the half. The Hoyas were 7 for 9 from the line down the stretch, a welcome relief from a shooting desert that saw the Hoyas earn just two field goals in the final seven minutes, the latter being a late three from freshman Jamari Sibley to put Georgetown ahead at the break, 26-25. The Hoyas led for just 43 seconds in the first half. The halftime numbers were sobering: Georgetown shot 4 for 16 from two point range, 3 for 11 from three, and committed nine turnovers. The Hoyas had seven layup attempts, missed three, and had four blocked. Jahvon Blair and Jamorko Pickett were a combined 2 for 12 from the field, 1 for 6 from three point range. But it wasn't any better for the visitors. From its 5 for 6 start, UConn finished the period shooting 7 for 28 from inside the arc, many missed at point blank range, without a three point shot in five attempts, and just one free throw. More importantly, at least at the break, UConn gave up 11 turnovers which resulted in 10 Georgetown points. The Hoyas opened up stronger in the second half, as Blair and Pickett scored the first eight for Georgetown, and neither team led by more than two points over the first six minutes of the second half. The Huskies' first three of the evening regained the lead at 41-39 at the 13:57 mark, but five straight by Dante Harris tied the score at 44-44 midway in the second half. The game turned ever so slightly on Gerogetown's next series, an interior foul on Wahab which put Georgetown in the bonus with nearly 10 minutes remaining and Wahab at the line. He missed the front end of the one and one, and more importantly, UConn's defense began to close the door inside, which had previously allowed Wahab easy access to the ball and/or the foul line. For the next seven minutes, Georgetown did not return to the foul line, and the Huskies went to work. An offensive rebound and put-back brought UConn up three, 47-44. With nothing inside, Georgetown went outside, missing from three, and UConn went inside for its next three baskets and a seven point lead, 53-46. The Hoyas went back outside and missed on three consecutive three pointers before a Blair floater closed to seven with 5:41 to play, but the Huskies were patient and continued to own the second chance opportunities. An Isaiah Whaley layup off an offensive board and a R.J. Cole jumper in the paint pushed the lead to 11 with 4:32 to play, and for the first time all season, a double digit lead seemed completely out of any reach for a Georgetown team that could otherwise strike back on a moment's notice. "We were right there in the first half," said Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing in post-game remarks. "We took our foot off the gas." Three field goals, three free throws, and three turnovers formed the remainder of the evening for GU, as the Huskies extended the lead to as many as 14, holding the Hoyas to just four points over a seven minute stretch. Connecticut committed only three turnovers after halftime, methodically narrowing the Hoyas' ability to mount any comeback late. UConn won this game inside, with 50 of its 70 points in the paint. James Bouknight had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Huskies, along with 17 from Howard transfer R.J. Cole--the two combined for 28 of Connecticut's 45 points after the break. Cole, who had averaged 22 points in two games when the Bison played the Hoyas from 2017-19, carried the Huskies in the second half while Bouknight rested midway in the second half, and allowed Bouknight to excel when the time was right. Cole's stat line was a shining light to those in Storrs: 34 minutes, 17 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 6 steals, 1 foul, no turnovers. "This was a good win, those guys were playing really well, Patrick is just doing a great job," said UConn head coach Dan Hurley. "To come on the road and struggle through parts of the game and win comfortably felt good." Qudus Wahab finished with a career high 18 points but the Hoyas' second half shooting never stepped forward. Georgetown was 1 for 8 in the second half from three point range, with Blair and Pickett finishing a combined 1 for 11 from outside for the game. The tale of the tape was on the boards, however, as GU was doubled on the offensive glass, 18 to 9, by the smaller Huskies' line and outrebounded 46 to 30 overall. After two weeks in the friendly confines of McDonough Gymnasium, Georgetown goes on the road Saturday to face DePaul. The Blue Demons (4-10) are guaranteed a last place finish for the fifth consecutive season and 11 in the past 13, but upset St. John's last week, 88-83, for its second Big East win of the 2020-21 season. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
D. Harris 37 3-5 1-6 1-2 3 3 2 10
Blair 33 3-5 1-5 0-0 0 1 0 9
Bile 25 0-6 1-2 2-3 4 0 5 5
Pickett 38 3-7 0-5 4-4 3 3 3 10
Wahab 32 5-6 0-0 8-12 10 1 2 18
Reserves:
Ighoefe 8 1-3 0-0 0-0 2 0 0 2
Carey 16 0-2 0-0 0-0 3 1 0 0
Sibley 9 0-0 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 3
Berger 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0
DNP: Azinge, Robinson, Holloway, Clark, Wilson, Muresan
Team Rebounds 5
TOTALS 200 15-34 4-19 15-21 30 9 13 57
Georgetown 81, Seton Hall 75
The Georgetown Hoyas may have played the role of NCAA spoiler for Seton Hall's NCAA tournament hopes, ending the Pirates' four game win streak in an 81-75 win at McDonough Gymnasium Saturday.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
"When you play against a team that's coming off a bye week, you've got to make sure you're coming in and execute defensively," said Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard in post-game remarks. We just didn't execute defensively." Georgetown could not long afford a slow start which wrecked their effort against the Pirates in December, and so came out with inspired offensive play. Four of the five starters each hit a three point shot in the first four minutes of play, hitting nine of its first 14 shots of the half and keeping the Pirates offense in check. From a 16-15 duel in the first seven minutes of the first half, a 12-1 run Georgetown run leveraging close in shooting and better defense opened up the game. Six different players scored as Georgetown carried a 28-16 lead midway in the firs half, to which the Pirates spend the remainder of the half chopping away at the deficit. Seton Hall was largely ineffective from outside in the first half, putting them at a significant disadvantage. The Pirates were just 2 for 10 from three until late in the first half when senior forward Sandro Mamukelashvili, averaging 19 points per game but held to just two points to date in this game, hit back to back threes to cut the deficit to three at the end of the half, 38-35. Mamukelashvili would will the Pirates back to form to open the second half. He scored 10 of the Pirates' first 16 points of the second half, giving the Hall its first lead of the game at the 19:10 mark, 40-38, and extending it to as many as five, 51-46. Georgetown was not going away quietly, however. With just one three After just one three pointer added since its early blitz, the Hoyas returned to the air attack. A there by Chudier Bile toed the score at 51, and Dante Harris three gave GU a 57-53 lead midway in the second half. But it was two unusual threes that gave Georgetown the eventual six point margin of victory in this game. Georgetown led by four, 59-55, approaching the eight minute mark. Following back to back blocks by Georgetown's Tim Ighoefe and Seton Hall's Ike Obiagu, Jahvon Blair found guard Donald Carey on the left wing. Carey was clipped by Seton Hall guard Shavar Reynolds on a three point play, earning a rare four point swing and a 63-55 score. Four minutes later, with the score tied, the ball was back in Carey's hand and this time Mamukelashvili got whistled for the same play, with Carey sinking a three and a foul, 71-67. In both cases, the contact was well after the shot, and there is no case in recent memory where the Hoyas had two four point plays in a half, much less with four minutes and with the same player. Seton Hall's last run was frought with problems. Closing to two, 71-69 with 4:22 to play, Georgetown's defense forced the Hall into two turnovers and a shot clock violation in its next four possessions, while Georgetown answered with baskets by Qudus Wahab and Dante Harris to go up six at the 2:32 mark. Seton Hall closed to four, 75-71, and picked up a turnover on a backcourt traveling violation by Carey, but Mamukelashvili's drive to the rim was stuffed by Pickett, who answered with a jumper at the 0:54 mark to put the game out of reach. Pickett's 20 points on 8 for 11 shooting was one of his best efforts of the season, but his defensive effort on Mamukelashvili did not go unnoticed. Mamukelashvili had 14 points in the second half and 22 for the game, but he was held scoreless in the final five minutes of the game. Another string defensive effort was registered by senior Jahvon Blair, holding Pirate guard Myles Cale, who had scored a career high 30 versus Georgetown in December, to just eight points on the afternoon with 3 for 10 shooting. As with Mamukelashvili, Cale was scoreless for the Pirates in the final five minutes. Despite Georgetown's strong play inside, Seton Hall actually held a 40-24 advantage in the paint, but this game was lost on the perimeter. Where Georgetown was held to seven threes at its first meeting with Seton Hall, the 10 threes gave GU to room it needed to step up the defensive pressure, forcing the Pirates into 13 turnovers and limiting second chance possessions. The Pirates could not say the same--in December, it held GU to five points off nine turnovers, but Saturday Georgetown netted 11 points from 13 turnovers. "I thought there were some chances where we could have got to the free throw line, but we didn't," Willard said. Sometimes you just don't make the plays that you need to play, and we had a couple of turnovers late in the game. Again, to play the way we did and battle the way we did after all these games, the energy was great. I thought the effort was great, we just didn't have it from a mental standpoint today." The win was just the third Georgetown victory against Seton Hall since 2015, all at home. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
D. Harris 37 3-9 2-3 2-2 7 8 0 14
Blair 39 0-2 1-4 0-0 2 5 1 3
Bile 32 3-8 3-4 1-2 3 1 4 16
Pickett 34 6-9 2-2 2-3 7 3 3 20
Wahab 30 4-7 0-0 3-6 11 0 4 11
Reserves:
Ighoefe 9 1-3 0-0 4-4 4 0 1 6
Carey 16 1-2 2-3 3-4 0 1 0 11
Sibley 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
DNP: Azinge, Robinson, Berger, Holloway,
Clark, Wilson, Muresan
Team Rebounds 3
TOTALS 200 18-40 10-16 15-21 37 18 13 81
Last Call
Saturday, Georgetown welcomes Seton Hall to McDonough Gymnasium in the midst of a pandemic. Cardboard cutouts stand in place of fans. A recording of the fight song welcomes players on and off the court. Of course, it wasn't always this way.February 20 marks the anniversary of the greatest on-campus game in Georgetown basketball history: the Hoyas' upset of #4 ranked Missouri before a national TV audience in 1982. It's reflective of a different time at Georgetown University, the time just before admissions took off, before Patrick Ewing was a household name, and before Georgetown ascended to the top of the college basketball stratosphere.Without knowing it, it was approaching the end of an era, and the beginning of another. Read more about the Missouri game from the Georgetown Basketball History Project. Georgetown 78, Butler 63
The Butler Bulldogs aren't a very good team, and Georgetown took advantage in a 78-63 walkover at McDonough Gymnasium.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
The Bulldogs took an 4-0 lead when Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing went to an early time out to shake the dust out of the offense. The Hoyas responded with an 11-0 run, with consecutive threes from Dante Harris, Jamorko Pickett, and Jahvon Blair, 11-4. "We didn't come out with the energy or the effort we needed to," said Butler coach LaVall Jordan in post-game comments. "Our early turnovers led to three-pointers for them and that dug a really big early hole." Despite hitting five of its next six shots, the Bulldogs could not retake the lead. Trailing 18-12 midway through the first half, Butler went cold and Georgetown went on a second run, scoring the next 11 unanswered and extending the lead to 17, 29-12. The story of the first half was three pointers, in which Georgetown turned in one of its busiest halves from long range. Consecutive threes a the end of the half from Donald Carey ands Jahvon Blair raised the margin to eight threes by halftime and a 38-22 lead. Butler's shooting was especially poor, making only 5 of 15 from two point range and four of nine for three. While Georgetown's three point shooting returned to more manageable numbers after halftime (3 for 8), the Hoyas were never threatened. What was threatening was a rising tide of turnovers which kept the Bulldogs closer than they otherwise deserved. In a five minute stretch, senior Jahvon Blair gave up five turnovers en route to nine for the game; a statistic that is not regularly tracked, this may be the most turnovers by a single Georgetown player in over 25 years. Georgetown led by as many as 25 in the game and much of the game was on the free throw line, for Georgetown at least. The Hoyas were 17 for 19 from the line in the second half while Butler's first visit to the line did not come until the 7:44 mark of the second half, finishing 8 for 9. Butler is known for its comebacks, including a rally down from 16 to defeat St. John's in overtime last week, but there was no such rally Saturday. The Butler staff tried all sorts of lineups without effect, even briefly going to a five guard lineup which was promptly dispatched by a Qudus Wahab dunk at the 5:22 mark, 65-46. Excepting grad transfer Donald Carey, Ewing went with the starters throughout the game, and did not empty the bench in one of the last competitive opportunities for the Hoyas to work the clock with reserves in relative ease. Jahvon Blair and Chudier Bile led the Hoyas with 17 each, with Bile's 7 for 7 from the line a pleasant surprise from his 68 percent average this season. Georgetown held a commanding 38-20 lead on the boards which limited the Bulldogs to a woebegone four second chance points. The strong likelihood of a rout was tempered by a total of 23 turnovers for the Hoyas, one short of the number of field goals it made for the game. It was the seventh road loss in eight games for Butler, with three of its next four coming at home before closing the season at Connecticut. The Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
D. Harris 34 3-5 1-3 0-0 6 4 1 9
Blair 37 3-6 3-8 2-3 7 6 2 17
Bile 31 2-4 2-3 7-7 6 2 4 17
Pickett 37 1-1 3-5 2-2 7 4 3 13
Wahab 29 4-5 0-0 4-6 9 0 4 12
Reserves:
Ighoefe 8 0-2 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0
Carey 18 0-1 2-2 4-4 2 0 0 10
Sibley 6 0-0 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0
Wilson 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
DNP: Azinge, Robinson, Berger, Holloway,
Clark, Muresan
Team Rebounds
TOTALS 200 13-24 11-22 19-22 38 16 15 78
Two For The History Books A unique confluence has added two names to its list of career scorers with 1,000 or more points.Seniors Jahvon Blair and Jamorko Pickett stand ready to become the first teammates from the same graduating class to reach 1,000 points since Chris Wright and Austin Freeman from the Class of 2011. Blair reached the total on a three with six seconds remaining in the first half, while Pickett cleared 1,000 with a three at the 16:07 mark of the second half.
Blair and Pickett were added as the 48th and 49th members of Georgetown's 1,000 point club, led by Eric Floyd's 2,304 points from 1978-1982. Owing to player turnover, there are no other 1,000 point career candidates on the horizon. Mac McClung's 710 points in two seasons (2018-20) would have been a likely 1,000 point entrant had he had not transferred, leaving Qudus Wahab (352 points in two seasons) as the closest to either Blair or Pickett. No one else on the active roster has more than 130 points to date. Creighton 63, Georgetown 48 Fans can find a game recap on YouTube from the basketball office with Georgetown's highlights in Tuesday's game versus Creighton. It totals 64 seconds and even that may be generous.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
The Hoyas were no match for its 40 minutes of self-induced misery at McDonough Gymnasium, missing an opportunity for a statement game against the #19 Bluejays in a 63-48 loss. Following three consecutive games where the Hoyas were playing at their best, the team regressed noticeably in a game that renews the deeper concerns about this program as its struggles down the path to the 2020-21 finish line.Georgetown never led in this game, nor frankly should it ever have. The Bluejays scored the first six points out of the gate on consecutive Chudier Bile turnovers before Patrick Ewing resorted to his NBA-style quick timeout, which appeared to realign the Georgetown offense into a unusual approach - despite a four inch height advantage inside, Georgetown instead shot threes at nearly every opportunity. Three three pointers later, Georgetown had closed to 16-14 after seven minutes, but had left the back door open - Creighton had 10 of its points from baskets in the paint. Midway in the first half, the Hoyas had combined for one two point field goal, and when Creighton was able to turn up the perimeter defense, the bottom dropped out of Ewing's plans. Georgetown missed its next 10 shots as Creighton slowly built a lead, slow being the operative word. Creighton was unusually poor from outside and missed 11 of 14 three point attempts by halftime, but could do no worse than a 12 point lead at the break, 33-21, thanks to Georgetown's 8 for 30 shooting (3 for 10 from two, 5-20 from three) and 13 first half turnovers, matching its turnover total from the entire game last week. Creighton scored 8 of the first 11 points to open the second half before Ewing went to the quick whistle for a second early timeout, down 17 at 41-24. A pair of threes from Jamorko Pickett were answered by long range artillery from CU marksman Mitch Bullock, and the Hoyas closed to 16, 46-30. It was the closest GU would get until the final 11 seconds of the game. Georgetown missed its next nine shots with numerous possessions resulting in the teams liberally trading turnovers. The two teams combined for 22 turnovers in the final 20 minutes, as Creighton's own three point shooting woes would have otherwise doomed them on any other night. Bullock aside, the team shot just 1 for 7 in the second half and 2 for 16 for the game. But the Hoyas had no absolutely answers in this game as long as they were leaking like a sieve in the post. Creighton center Christian Bishop, who was besieged by Qudus Wahab in last week's game in Omaha, shot 8 for 11 from the field and fell two points short of a career high. Wahab shot just two attempts after halftime, making one. "I was just able to get easy layups and I give credit to [our] guards for that," Bishop said after the game. The Bluejays led by as many as 20 midway in the second half, and the Hoyas were approaching some historic lows as the game progressed. It had only 34 points with five minutes to go, and had not even taken a foul shot. Up 24 at 58-34, Creighton coach Greg McDermott went to the bench and the Hoyas closed the margin in garbage time, going to its own bench with little changing from what Ewing had seen with the starters. Despite the Bluejays shooting 6 for 25 from three point range and allowing a season high 17 turnovers, they were never threatened, picking up 19 steals, a school record. The 48 points is also the fewest allowed by any Creighton team since joining the Big East in 2013. Jamorko Pickett's 16 points was the only bright spot on a dismal stat sheet. Jahvon Blair had just one basket by halftime and shot 25 percent for the game, Dante Harris missed five of his seven three point attempts, and some weren't even close. Chudier Bile, who carried the Hoyas to victory a week earlier with 17 points against only one turnover, reverted to the Bile fans had groaned through in December, with six points and six turnovers in 24 minutes. Two turnovers in four minutes were all one could say for 7-0 Tim Ighoefe, who also struggled to contain Creighton inside. The cavalry did not ride in to save the starters. Georgetown's bench combined to go 1 for 9 in a combined 46 minutes of play, with a layup from freshman Collin Holloway with 1:12 to play meriting GU's only basket from the bench. Georgetown's 27 turnovers, one for every three possessions on the evening, was a season high. "I just know we weren't ready to play," Ewing said in post-game remarks relayed on social media. "We didn't play with the same energy and the same effort as the first time we played them." "To a man, everyone was selfish." The Hoyas remain home Saturday versus Butler, who rallied to upset St. John's in overtime earlier this evening. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
D. Harris 29 1-3 1-5 2-2 5 2 2 7
Blair 35 1-4 2-8 0-0 3 5 2 8
Bile 24 0-1 2-7 0-0 6 2 3 6
Pickett 38 1-5 4-9 2-2 12 0 1 16
Wahab 25 3-7 0-0 0-0 8 0 2 6
Reserves:
Ighoefe 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0
Carey 18 0-3 0-2 0-0 2 3 0 0
Sibley 9 0-2 0-0 3-4 2 0 0 3
Berger 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0
Holloway 5 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2
Clark 3 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0
Wilson 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
DNP: Azinge, Robinson, Muresan
Team Rebounds 2
TOTALS 200 7-27 9-31 7-8 41 13 12 48
Scheduling: Time Is Running Out Georgetown has four COVID-postponed games still to reschedule. Time is running out.Xavier (six games) has played the fewest games in conference play this season, while five schools have played 13 of 14 available games and Creighton has already played 14. With four weeks to play, the idea of Georgetown playing 11 more games seems unlikely at best.Sunday's game with Villanova was moved up from Feb. 17 when the Wildcats' scheduled opponent, Xavier, went on hold. Following that change, Georgetown's only open window on the current schedule, Feb. 16-17, sees eight of the ten Big East schools in action, with the two teams not playing that GU will have already concluded its series with (Villanova, Creighton). Barring scheduling back to back games with Depaul and Xavier, it's hard to see how these games get rescheduled, while visits to Providence and Marquette seems even more unlikely without some major surgery to the entire Big East schedule. Another option: scheduling games on Monday, March 8, ahead of the conference tournament beginning March 10. However, that would address just one of the four postponements. The postponements favor some teams and not others. Having postponed three road games, Georgetown will be at home for its next four games, while Marquette now has five straight road games until its season finale on March 6. Big East officials have noted that in lieu of normal tiebreakers, winning percentage will be used to determine seeding; for example, a 6-7 team in conference play (.461) would be seeded ahead of a 9-11 team (.450). Villanova 84, Georgetown 74 An inspired effort by Georgetown fell short in the final five minutes, losing to #3 Villanova 84-74 at the Finneran Pavilion.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
In a different time, this would be the kind of games that would have brought a full house at Wells Fargo Center to its collective feet many times over. Instead, an empty gym at Villanova's Finneran Pavilion was the site for a career performance by senior Jermaine Samuels. It was Samuels who scored Villanova's first five points, 12 of its first 17, and 15 of its first 20, helping the Wildcats stay ahead of a Georgetown team that was every bit as strong on the road. The Hoyas connected on eight of its first 10 shots, and trailed by just two, 20-18, midway in the half. Villanova went on its best run of the half, a 10-2 spurt keyed by a rare block of Georgetown center Timothy Ighoefe, whose dunk was denied by a soaring 6-4 Justin Moore, and the Cats went to work. Four different players scored as Villanova went out to a 30-20 lead, but it was Georgetown, not Villanova, that rose to the occasion. Baskets in the paint by Jamorko Pickett and Qudus Wahab closed to six, followed a pair of baskets from Chudier Bile that brought the Hoyas to one, 30-29. A basket by Bile gave the Hoyas a 35-33 lead at the 2:54 mark, part of a run where the Wildcats were just 2 for 14 of the field. Bile picked up his third foul 25 seconds later, and the Wildcats scored the final four points of the period to lead 37-35 at the break. Villanova shook off some early turnovers to open the second half, and an 8 for 11 shooting effort to open the half cleared any cobwebs from the slumber that ended the first half. From a 46-45 lead at the first media timeout, Villanova's 11-4 run put the Wildcats up eight midway in the second half. But Georgetown was not done, and soon went to work. The Hoyas answered with a 9-3 run, keyed by threes from Jahvon Blair and Dante Harris, to closet to 60-58 with nine minutes to play. baskets by Harris and Wahab were matched by baskets from Samuels, putting Villanova up 66-64 with 6:00 to play. Blair answered Samuels with a three of his own, and Georgetown held a 67-66 lead with 5:44 to play. To regain the lead for good, the Cats went inside while the Hoyas were ineffective outside. Baskets by Jerome Robinson-Earl and Colin Gillespie put the Wildcats up three, 70-67. A rolling jumper in the lane from Blair closed to 70-69 with 4:22 to play, but it was as close as GU would come this afternoon. Villanova put the game away for good with a Cole Swider three with 2:01 to play, 78-71, and completed the game out at the foul line. The plaudits in this game went to Jermaine Samuels, whose six threes in seven attempts nearly matched his total for the entire season (eight). He finished with 32 points on 10 for 17 shooting, 6 for 6 from the line, and six rebounds. "His 30 points is not what hurt us," said Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing, citing offensive rebounds and turnovers as deficiencies. The Wildcats shot 65 percent in the second half, 60 percent from three point range, with 13 threes for the game and 21 assists on its 27 field goals. Still, Georgetown played better than many would have expected. The Hoyas shot 50 percent for the game, but just 7 for 20 from three point range, including a 4 for 13 scattershooting from Jahvon Blair, who finished with 18 points. Qudus Wahab, largely untouched inside by the Villanova defenses, scored 17. Good defense and effective inside shooting kept the Hoyas close for 35 minutes, but no further. "We're still making too many mistakes." "That was a really tough Big East game against a Georgetown team that is playing really well," said Villanova coach Jay Wright in post-game remarks. "They are really well-coached, so intelligent offensively and long and physical defensively. So that was a good victory for us." One week removed from its upset of #15 Creighton, Georgetown welcomes the Blue Jays at McDonough Gymnasium on Tuesday for the rematch. The Georgetown half of the Villanova box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
D. Harris 37 2-3 1-3 0-0 1 4 2 7
Blair 39 3-7 4-13 0-0 4 5 3 18
Bile 25 2-4 2-3 2-4 3 2 5 12
Pickett 36 4-7 0-1 4-4 8 3 2 12
Wahab 28 8-11 0-0 1-2 7 0 2 17
Reserves:
Ighoefe 5 0-2 0-0 0-0 2 0 1 0
Carey 21 3-3 0-0 2-2 0 1 1 8
Berger 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Sibley 6 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 0 0 0
Wilson 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
DNP: Azinge, Robinson, Holloway, Clark, Muresan
Team Rebounds 5
TOTALS 200 22-37 7-20 9-12 32 15 16 74
Ewing Jr. Moving To Ottawa
Former director of basketball operations Patrick Ewing Jr. (C'08) has been named assistant coach of the Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League."Pat is a fantastic addition to our coaching staff," said head coach Charles Dube-Brais in this link from the Ottawa Citizen. "He is passionate, defensive minded, demands commitment and possesses strong family values. Pat and I are going to make a terrific tandem."For the last three seasons, Ewing Jr. has served as the alumni relations coordinator for men's basketball. Georgetown 86, Creighton 77
Georgetown earned its first win over a Top 25 opponent this season, outplaying #15 Creighton at CHI Health Center in Omaha, 86-79.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
One would be hard pressed to see Georgetown playing a better first half on the road, probably its best since the SMU game of a season ago. The Hoyas started 9 for 11 from the floor, leveraging a significant height advantage inside with four interior buckets and a three to go on an 11-0 run and an eight point lead, 21-13. The teams traded baskets (and turnovers) through much of the half, with Georgetown further building its lead with three consecutive three pointers to go up 42-31 at the 2:55 mark.Creighton closed to 44-39 at the half, where the Bluejays' six threes and 50 percent shooting paled in comparison to eight threes in 13 attempts and 57 percent shooting for the visiting Hoyas. Jahvon Blair had 13 points and six assists in the first 20 minutes, his best half of the season. Georgetown cooled off to start the second half, with a unusual shot clock violation in its opening possession and missing its first three shots of the period. A three by Blair kept the Hoyas ahead, 47-44, but all signs pointed to a tighter game on both sides of the court. Georgetown shot just 33 percent to open the second half, but Creighton was little better at 37 percent. From a 57-54 lead at the 11:55 mark, GU went on a 10-3 run, returning to its advantage inside with baskets by Qudus Wahab, Jamorko Pickett, and Chudier Bile to go up 10, 67-57, at the 7:51 mark. Creighton could return fire but never retook the lead. The Bluejays closed to six, 72-66, but its three point shooting in the second half was poor (4 for 14), and the taller Hoyas returned inside with ease, picking up baskets by Bile and Wahab to return to a ten point lead at the 3:09 mark, 76-66. Creighton closed to 76-70 at the 2:25 mark, but a disputed three by Jahvon Blair as the shot clock was running out was ruled good, 79-70, and the Hoyas never looked back. Statistically, both teams were very close. The teams were dead even in threes (10), assists (16) and fouls (20), but the Hoyas prevailed where it did Saturday versus Providence: second half turnovers. From 10 in the first half, Georgetown only lost the ball twice after halftime compared to six in the second half for the Jays, and were a +4 on points off turnovers. Add in Blair's late three, and that's the difference in this one. Blair led the Hoyas with 22 points and seven assists, with 15 second half points from Chudier Bile coming up big against an admittedly smaller Creighton lineup. Blair's late three was one of only two in eight attempts after halftime. Creighton got only six points off its bench and led for just 1:48 in the entire game. The Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
D. Harris 35 1-3 0-2 6-6 4 5 4 8
Blair 39 1-5 5-8 5-7 2 7 2 22
Bile 30 7-11 0-2 3-4 6 1 1 17
Pickett 37 1-4 4-6 2-3 7 3 3 16
Wahab 31 5-9 0-0 2-4 8 0 4 12
Reserves:
Ighoefe 8 3-4 0-0 0-0 3 0 4 6
Carey 16 1-1 1-3 0-0 1 0 2 5
Sibley 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0
DNP: Azinge, Berger, Robinson, Holloway, Clark,
Wilson, Muresan
Team Rebounds 2
TOTALS 200 19-37 10-21 18-24 34 16 20 86
Confirmed: Schedule Change
Five Weeks To The Big East Tournament... Maybe
Following our story Monday, some discussion from the Big East as to the status of the conference tournament.On Wednesday, columnist Jon Rothstein reported that "all systems are go" for Madison Square Garden to host the tournament Mar. 10-13, but would still preclude fans in attendance. That's a major financial hit to the conference, which generally earns over $4 million in revenue for the week, but its business interruption insurance payout from 2020 would help soften the blow. The last public event held in New York (sports, theater, parades, etc.) was the 2020 Big East tournament, of which only the Wednesday night games were held before paying attendance.The NCAA tournament is already trying to figure out what to do to avoid teams dropping out before the 68 team event starts the following week, with CBS Sports.com reporting that "the NCAA is asking teams with "high probability" of being selected as at-larges to stay in their conference tournament location between the end of their league tourney and the bracket reveal." |