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Georgetown Basketball: March 2005 News Archive

Georgetown Grads Visit Hong Kong 3/31/05

As many readers are aware, 2004 graduates Courtland Freeman and Omari Faulkner are on an international goodwill tour sponsored by the U.S. State Department. This article from the Hong Kong Standard discusses the positive impressions left by these Georgetown graduates at a middle school in Kowloon.

"Students seldom get a chance to see a real American basketball player," said teacher Rebecca Pun. "It's real excitement."

Washington Times Discusses 2004-05 3/28/05

Over the weekend, the Washington Times had a review on the successful 2004-05 season.

Coach Thompson, wrote the Times' Barker Davis, "took a program that was fast becoming a Big East punch line and restored its dignity."

"There's no excusing the Feb. 20 road loss to a woeful St. John's squad," Davis continued. "But in reality, that was the team's only true stinker of the conference season. There's no denying the Hoyas didn't close the season like they hoped, but they opened well beyond anyone's hopes. "

Statistical Recap 3/28/05

Here's a review of the numbers in 2004-05:

  • Scoring: With a more methodical offense, scoring numbers were predictably lower. In fact, Georgetown ended the year scoring only 64.4 points per game. The 61.1 points allowed per game was the lowest since the 1984-85 team, which allowed only 57.7 points per game.
  • Field Goal Shooting: Brandon Bowman (15.1 ppg) and Jeff Green (13.1) led all scorers. Green's 13.1 average was the highest for a freshman since Kevin Braswell in 1998-99. Overall, Georgetown shot 45.2% per game, up from 2003 and the best shooting mark since 1995-96.
  • Three Point Shooting: Georgetown set new team records for three pointers made (252) and attempted (690), with the best team shooting percentage from three point range (.365) since 1989-90.
  • Free Throw Shooting: Among starters, Jonathan Wallace's 78.8% average led the Hoyas, which as a team shot 70.4%, down slightly from 2003.
  • Rebounding: Green led the Hoyas with 6.6 boards per game. Overall, the Hoyas collected only 31.2 rebounds per game, the lowest in well over 30 years.
  • Assists: Jeff Green's 93 assists led the team, and Green is the first power forward ever to lead the team in this category.
  • Steals: Brandon Bowman led the team with 42 steals but the team collected only 218, down from 283 last season.
  • Blocks: Jeff Green led the Hoyas with 52 of the team's 148 blocks, up from 99 last season.

Here are player totals for points, rebounds, and assists:

Player Points Rebounds Assists
Bowman 15.1 6.1 2.2
Green 13.1 6.6 2.9
Cook 10.8 2.8 2.5
Owens 7.2 3.0 1.6
Wallace 6.5 2.1 2.2
Hibbert 5.1 3.5 0.9
Reed 2.4 1.6 1.5
Crawford 2.4 1.2 0.3
Ross 2.0 1.1 0.3
Guibunda 1.5 0.8 0.0
Dizdarevic 1.4 0.7 0.0
Kilkenny-Diaw 0.9 0.9 0.3
Izzo 0.2 0.0 0.0
Beal 0.0 0.0 0.0
Total 64.4 31.2 14.4
 

Here's how GU finished among 12 Big East schools in each category:

  All Games Big East
Scoring 10th 9th
Scoring Defense 1st 2nd
Field Goal % 6th 5th
Three Point % 3rd 7th
Free Throw % 8th 9th
Rebounds 11th 10th
Assists 7th 8th
Steals 7th 8th
Blocks 4th 5th
     
 
Efficiency Ratings 3/28/05

How did individual players fare this season? One efficiency measurement is points per field goal attempt:

  Points Per FG Attempt
Green 1.65
Dizdarevic 1.56
Bowman 1.41
Owens 1.34
Hibbert 1.27
Crawford 1.19
Wallace 1.17
Cook 1.12
Kilkenny-Diaw 1.06
Ross 1.03
Guibunda 1.00
Izzo 1.00
Reed 0.99
Beal 0.00
 

A more detailed statistic is points per possession, defined as the sum of total shots - offensive rebounds + possessions that end in a turnover. The ratings follow below:

  Points Per Possession
Green 1.70
Dizdarevic 1.56
Guibunda 1.50
Owens 1.36
Bowman 1.32
Ross 1.24
Crawford 1.19
Hibbert 1.16
Kilkenny-Diaw 1.13
Izzo 1.00
Cook 0.97
Wallace 0.95
Reed 0.78
Beal 0.00

Overall, the 2004-05 Hoyas averaged 1.22 points per possession, up 12% from 2003-04 (1.09). In fact, as noted earlier in the season, the Hoyas' record has a strong correlation to its points per possession versus opponents. In games where it had a higher points per possession total than its opponents, Georgetown was 18-0. In games where it trailed on points per possession, Georgetown was 1-13.

Opponent Score Hoyas Opponent Diff.
Temple 57-75 1.08 1.32 (0.24)
Citadel 69-34 1.50 0.72 +0.78
at Davidson 76-51 1.55 1.09 +0.47
Penn St. 66-53 1.14 0.93 +0.21
Illinois 59-74 0.98 1.32 (0.34)
San Jose St. 58-40 1.16 0.78 +0.38
vs. Oral Roberts 53-81 0.90 1.56 (0.66)
vs. CS Long Beach 57-51 1.21 1.00 +0.21
vs. Clemson 75-60 1.39 1.05 +0.34
Norfolk St. 78-70 1.26 1.09 +0.16
Howard 79-56 1.34 0.88 +0.46
at Pitt 67-64 1.26 1.28 (0.02)
UConn 59-66 0.95 1.20 (0.25)
Rutgers 62-55 1.27 1.06 +0.21
at Villanova 66-64 1.22 1.28 (0.06)
at Syracuse 73-78 1.40 1.53 (0.13)
Notre Dame 55-54 1.15 1.10 +0.05
St. John's 66-57 1.38 1.04 +0.34
at BC 49-64 0.88 1.28 (0.41)
Seton Hall 61-51 1.30 0.89 +0.40
at Rutgers 61-56 1.30 1.12 +0.18
W. Virginia 67-60 1.26 1.03 +0.23
at Notre Dame 64-70 1.16 1.56 (0.39)
at St. John's 67-76 1.16 1.52 (0.36)
Villanova 56-67 0.97 1.40 (0.43)
at UConn 64-83 0.98 1.38 (0.40)
Providence 65-68 1.35 1.55 (0.20)
vs. Seton Hall 56-51 1.17 0.96 +0.21
vs. UConn 62-66 1.11 1.18 (0.07)
Boston U. 64-34 1.08 0.59 +0.51
CS Fullerton 74-57 1.19 0.88 +0.32
at South Carolina 66-69 1.25 1.50 (0.25)
 
South Carolina 69, Georgetown 66 3/24/05

Despite a career high 26 from Darrel Owens, Georgetown's NIT run came to an end in a 69-66 loss at South Carolina Thursday night.

Georgetown started off slow, missing nine of its first 12 shots, but only trailed 10-7. Frustrated by a lack of scoring inside, the Hoyas began to use the three pointer effectively, taking a lead midway in the half and building it to as many as ten, settling for a 34-26 lead at intermission.

The Gamecocks (18-13) opened the half with three straight layups to close to two, 34-32. Georgetown led 47-40 when the Hoyas began what had become a regular feature in Big East road games...the scoring drought. Beginning at 12:44 to play, the Hoyas went 6:17 without a field goal, committing six fouls and missing four shots as South Carolina went on a 13-0 run to lead 53-47. A second drought followed the Hoyas to the 3:10 mark, as the Gamecocks extended the lead to 60-52.

Owens, who may have played his last game for Georgetown, wasn't going out without a fight. Owens scored three pointers on three of the next four possessions, scoring ten straight Georgetown points to close the lead to 64-63 with 1:10 left. A Jeff Green foul led to two SC free throws, 66-63, whereupon three point attempts by Owens and Brandon Bowman missed, and Carolina made three of four free throws, 69-66. Bowman added a three with ten seconds left, 69-66, and South Carolina missed two free throws to give the Hoyas a last chance, but Bowman's three was wide and the homestanding Gamecocks won their 16th home game this season.

"I think USC just played much better," said coach Thompson. "We had a phase where we had open looks but we missed or the shot was blocked. It's disappointing to lose and for our season to end. We lost to a very good team, a very well-coached team. They made the plays when they had them to get over the hump."

Owens' effort was exceptional and helped the Hoyas navigate through some rough stretches from two of its more dependable offensive options. Guard Ashanti Cook was 0-6 from two point range and finished with nine points, while Jeff Green was held to three field goals and eight points.

The Hoyas' interior defense was unable to stop South Carolina. The Gamecocks, who entered the game shooting 45% from the field, shot a season high 69% (22 for 32) from inside the arc and 59% overall, thanks to 30% outside shooting. By contrast, the Hoyas fared poorly from inside (8 for 24) but 48% from three (14-29). Excepting the first and last two minutes of the game, Georgetown shot a sterling 57% (13-23) from three, but 1 of 6 to begin and end the game.

"Georgetown is as well coached, disciplined, and composed as any team we played this year," said South Carolina coach Dave Odom. "They don't get rattled. That just makes the win sweeter to me, because we beat a very well coached and talented team. We did some very good things tonight."

The Georgetown half of the box score follows below:

          MIN   2FG  3FG   FT  REB   A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Wallace     28   0-0  1-3   0-0   1   3   3    3
Cook        36   0-6  3-5   0-0   2   1   2    9
Owens       38   2-4 7-12   1-1  10   3   5   26
Bowman      31   2-4  2-6   2-4   8   5   3   12
Green       30   3-6  0-1   2-2   6   2   4    8
Reserves:
Reed        16   1-2  0-0   1-2   1   2   1    3
Crawford    10   0-0  1-2   0-0   2   0   3    3
Kilk.-Diaw   1   0-0  0-0   0-0   0   0   0    0
Hibbert     10   0-2  0-0   2-2   1   2   2    2
Team Rebounds                     3
DNP: Izzo, Ross, Guibunda, Beal, Dizdarevic  
TOTALS     200  8-24 14-29 8-11  34  18  23   66

Post-game coverage follows below. The Washington Post used the Associated Press recap below.

Chicago Recruit Shows Interest In Hoyas 3/24/05

With the Hoyas in the post-season, Georgetown is still getting some interest from unsigned recruits for the Class of 2009. Here's a recap of a Chicago all-star game discussing the Hoyas in this link to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Georgetown 74, Cal State Fullerton 57 3/22/05 11:30 pm

"This is where we practice, this is our real home." --Brandon Bowman

Jeff Green and Brandon Bowman combined for 39 points as the Georgetown Hoyas advanced in NIT play with a 74-57 win over a gritty Cal State Fullerton team at McDonough Gymnasium Tuesday. The first on-campus post-season game in 12 years and the first nationally televised game from the old gym since 1982 drew an overflow crowd of 2,604, although the early box scores credited Georgetown with 6,604.

With a healthy amount of support on its home court, the Hoyas came out strong, but Fullerton (21-11) never gave up. The Titans held an 18-15 lead midway through the first half when the Hoyas answered with a 12-0 run to lead by nine, 27-18. The lead varied between seven and ten points throughout much of the half, and the Titans had closed to eight in the final minute when Jonathan Wallace hit a three pointer as time expired to sent the Hoyas to the locker room with an 11 point lead, 41-30. The Hoyas shot 57% for the half and held Fullerton to just 31% shooting and 3 from 13 shooting from behind the three point line.

Georgetown opened the second half with an 8-3 run that the Titans were not able to overcome, but this was never a blowout. Fullerton was adept at offensive rebounding (out-boarding the Hoyas 14-5) and forced Jeff Green into foul trouble midway in the second half. The Titans cut a 17 point deficit to 11 with Green on the bench, but no closer. The Titans matched their three point shooting of the first half to finish 6 for 26, and as the outside shot failed the Titans, the Hoyas were able to continue to go inside for easy baskets.

Green fouled out with 4:57 to play with a game high 18 points, eclipsed at game's end by 21 from Brandon Bowman. Darrel Owens turned in another strong effort with three three pointers and 11 points, while Ashanti Cook picked up a career high 10 rebounds to lead the team. The starting five was a solid 17 of 24 from two point range and 10 of 20 from three, with 20 of the Hoyas' 28 field goals coming via assist.

Much as their NBC predecessors did a generation go, the ESPN announcers took note of the tremendous noise that bounced between the McDonough walls by a loud and boisterous student section. The Associated Press wrote that "their chants and roars tested the limits of decibel tolerance in a way never heard at MCI [Center]."

A lot of credit is due to Cal State Fullerton. Down to only eight players and with the loss of its leading scorer, they never quit, and showed the ESPN national audience that this is a team on the upswing. College basketball fans may have seen the Titans for the first time on TV in 15 years Tuesday night, but they'll be seeing more of this team in the years to come.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:

          MIN   2FG  3FG   FT  REB   A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Wallace    28   2-2  2-4   0-0   3   1   0   10
Cook       36   2-6  1-3   2-4  10   6   2    9
Owens      34   1-2  3-6   0-0   1   2   4   11
Bowman     32   6-7  2-3   3-3   6   3   0   21
Green      23   6-7  2-4   0-0   2   3   5   18
Reserves:
Reed       16   1-2  0-0   1-2   1   3   1    3
Ross        1   0-0  0-0   0-0   0   0   0    0
Crawford   13   0-0  0-3   0-0   3   0   1    0
Kilk.-Diaw 10   0-1  0-0   2-2   3   2   1    2
Dizdarevic  1   0-0  0-0   0-0   0   0   0    0
Hibbert     6   0-1  0-0   0-0   1   0   2    0
Team Rebounds:                   4
DNP: Izzo, Guibunda, Beal
TOTALS   200 18-28 10-23  8-11  34  20  16   74

Game articles appear below:

The Decline of Washington Basketball 3/22/05

Tuesday's Washington Times has an article on the decline of Washington high school basketball in recent years. Whether a result of academics, social issues, AAU, or any number of other factors, the impact is felt across the region.

Martin Featured In Hometown Paper 3/22/05

Meanwhile, Tuesday's New Orleans Times Picayune has a great story on former Georgetown forward Steve Martin (B'79), talking about his recruitment at Georgetown and why he didn't pursue an NBA offer when drafted out of college. Instead, Martin went into a business career and today is the senior vice president of the New Orleans Hornets.

Looking Back: 1982 3/22/05

Tuesday's game marked the first nationally televised game scheduled at McDonough since Feb. 20, 1982, one of the classic games in Georgetown basketball history.

A scheduled game between Georgetown and Missouri was scheduled for Capital Centre, but an Ice Capades show got in the way. Georgetown officials persuaded Missouri to hold the game in "McDonough Arena", even though the Big 8 school had never seen it before. Over 4,600 fans packed the gymnasium to see the #4-ranked Missouri Tigers and All-America center Steve Stipanovich on NBC's Game of the Week.

NBC's Al McGuire, only five years removed from the NCAA title at Marquette, marveled at the sound emanating between the walls. "It feels like a wine cellar in here," he said, later adding "I sound like I'm in an oil drum." But it was another line, "The fire marshal must be out of town today!" that summed up the exuberant, over-stuffed crowd.

Missouri entered the game ranked #4 in the nation after having been knocked out of the #1 position two weeks earlier by Nebraska. The Tigers were outhustled at every turn and Georgetown won rather handily, 63-51. A classic at game's end saw freshman Patrick Ewing missing a dunk, but as the ball caromed off the rim it soared high into the McDonough air. The miss was actually replayed three more times in the final minute as the announcers marveled at the young center's strength and potential.

Missouri coach Norm Stewart was not pleased over the home court advantage, as the Tigers had won 12 straight on the road before Georgetown. There was no return game in the series, and the two schools have not played since.

"Everyone talks about that game, and those of us who were here definitely remember that game," coach John Thompson III told the Washington Times. "I was a sophomore in high school, and I sat right over there [in the front row of the bleachers]. ... Hopefully, fans will come out and be loud and we can recreate that atmosphere."

This Feb. 26, 1982 column from The HOYA (reprinted with permission of the author) captures the memories of a game that still resonates today:

It was a great day to be from Georgetown.

In its thirty-one years, McDonough Memorial Gymnasium had never seen anything like it. Neither had Missouri. Beaten to Landover by the Ice Capades, the nationally ranked Tigers walked from the comfortable 12,500 seat world of Big 8 basketball into a relic of the past.

No individual seats. A stage on one end, a hole-in-the-wall concession stand on the other. Where the air is filled not with Muzak but with cheap beer and the sounds of a "pep" band. The Missouri Tigers had misscheduled themselves into a nationally televised, 4,400-seat nightmare. Forget the red-coated, "W. Bell and Co." world of the Capital Centre, folks. This was Hoyadom at its very finest.

With Pat Ewing's defense sending Steve Stipanovich gunning for the bench, and the tandem of Erics (Smith and Floyd) leading the way offensively, the fourth-ranked Tigers were rooted right out of a pompom waving, foam-rubber-fisted McDonough, 63-51. Deep down, AI McGuire enjoyed every minute of it.

For a student body that forgets its bus tickets more often than not, the game was a sight to behold. Wall-to-wall two and a half hours before game time, the Tigers came out on the floor of this Cold War relic to be met by thousands of roaring students and alumni. We all knew that it was a fluke that the game was on campus, but it didn't matter. Millions of Americans were witness to big-time basketball in a small-time setting.

This wasn't pre-packaged television sports, but old-fashioned rah-rah college athletics. It was blue hair and yellow "#1" foam hands. It was cowbells and newspapers at the intros. It was cymbals crashing during foul shots and a parade of homemade bed sheet signs. Even a sign like "Spewing for Ewing" seemed at home. Staring out into a sea of blue, John Thompson must have felt proud. Norm Stewart wished that it was all a dream.

But of course, it really was. "Home" isn't next to Canal Road anymore, it's Exit 17 on the Beltway. The move to Landover has meant added comfort, added prestige, and most of all, added revenue to the Hoya program. But there is something missing out in Prince George's county that was all too evident last weekend... McDonough, with all its lack of facilities, is still the sentimental home of Georgetown basketball.

Unfortunately, after the game last week, what team would be crazy enough to settle for a game in [McDonough] anymore? Think about it. It will be all too easy in 1983 when students are told that all home games next year will be played at the Capital Centre. After all, a big-time program can't look respectable in a "gym," now, can it?

No one expects all games to be played in a place in which it is numerically and financially impossible to play. But for those whose job it is to set up the schedule, don't turn your backs on us McDonough devotees. Bring some Ivy schools in, or local teams like Navy and George Mason... Just one or two games [a year] as a favor to us bus-weary fans. The difference in a half-empty student section in Landover and last Saturday's crowd is plain to see. After all, there are still some things money and 19,000 seats can't buy.

 
Looking Back: 1993 3/22/05

A decade later, McDonough Gym was the home for another classic game, this time in the second round of the NIT in a 71-44 win over Texas El-Paso. Neal McCluskey (C'95) sent in this account of what it was like that evening, and what it could be like again:

"I grew up addicted to Georgetown basketball. When I was a kid, I posted a picture of Patrick Ewing, which I'd removed from my father's alumni magazine, in my bedroom. I'd forged Ewing's autograph on it. Growing up I followed the team through 14 straight NCAA appearances. Georgetown was college basketball to me.

When I arrived at the Hilltop it was Alonzo Mourning's senior year, and though Georgetown hadn't been quite as dominant the past few seasons as it had been in the mid-eighties, it was still among the nation's premiere programs. Hoya Paranoia was at worst a very recent nightmare in the collective psyche of college basketball. We were still the mighty Georgetown of old -- but you'd never know when you entered cavernous, lifeless, USAir Arena, the forebear of today's Phone Booth.

USAir was a dank hole, and worse, far too large a dank hole for the basketball team of a small, academically-oriented university located miles away. Try though many students did, it was simply too large to be infused with the atmosphere of a Phog Allen Field House, a Cameron Indoor Stadium, or even Villanova's Pavilion. It was too easily rendered a neutral or even hostile court by opposing fans, especially those of hated rivals like UConn or Syracuse. And it was far too inhospitable to students, who were corralled behind the baskets and constantly harassed by arena personnel whose sole function seemed to be to hassle students so the "grown ups" who bought the good seats wouldn't accidentally have their pulses raised.

To me and the friends of mine who were able to get past that deadened atmosphere and still bring enthusiasm to Hoya-fandom, it was clear that much of our failure to make the 1993 NCAA Tournament could be chalked up to barely having a home court, much less a home court advantage. We simply couldn't produce the sort of deafening din that can destroy the ability of enemy point guards to hear, or even think. We couldn't provide the raw electricity needed to spur on furious Hoya comebacks. The arena was simply too big, and the Georgetown student body too small.

So in 1993 we were relegated to the tournament we'd always thought had been for "other" teams. To my friends and me, it was practically a joke. In our dorm we hung a pathetic copy of the NIT brackets, a Bizzaro-World facsimile of the NCAA brackets that held the prominent position on our Harbin cluster wall, and with which we, and the rest of America, were primarily engrossed. Posting NIT pairings was gallows humor at best.

Perhaps as a concession to Georgetown, which had done so much for college basketball in the fourteen preceding years, the NIT granted the Hoyas a home game - a real home game at McDonough Arena. Despite the fact it was in the NIT, a tournament for which we had little but disdain, and a low-point for one of the nation's most highly successful programs, it was by far the greatest Georgetown game that I, and probably every other student in attendance, had ever attended.

By tip-off, the students had been packed into tiny McDonough for well in excess of an hour, our opponent's bus having gotten caught in D.C. traffic. The band was playing. The chanting had long since begun. The bleachers shook. The roar was deafening. Real college basketball had arrived for the student fans of Georgetown University. And the payoff was clear.

Once the game got underway, the students were a mighty Sixth Man, superior to the Cameron Crazies in every way but sheer numbers. The overwhelming, unified voice of throngs of ecstatic students jammed into a tiny concrete box packed to the rafters destroyed the composure of a solid University of Texas - El Paso team. Their point guard, demoralized by incessant chants of "Opie! Opie!," near the end of the contest turned to the students and thrust at them the sort of gesture that would certainly have shocked Andy Griffith, but was the ultimate compliment to the fans at whom it was directed.

By the end of the game, UTEP coach Don Haskins was irate. The stated reason for his anger was that his team had to fly to Washington, D.C., got caught in traffic, and had to take on the Hoyas in a tiny, circa-1950 gym. But one couldn't help but surmise that his real issue wasn't the travel, or the size of the gym per se, but the devastating atmosphere in which his team was humiliated 71-44. He had experienced first hand what a real Georgetown home game can be like, and he was beside himself.

Tonight, Georgetown will play its first NIT game at McDonough since UTEP twelve years ago. This year, though, it will be on national television, and features a program on its way up, not down. Yet as I'm writing, many student tickets remain unsold. Non-student tickets, in contrast, have been sold out for days, and the athletic department has formed a lengthy waiting list for members of the general public still trying to get in. No doubt many of those still waiting are alums, a large number of whom were present in 1993, and, like me, will never forget that exhilarating game, played in that "other tournament," in a tiny gym long-since abandoned for a lifeless professional arena that provides the students with none of the comforts - and opponents none of the horrors - of a true "home" court.

Tonight, the students of 2005 have a chance to experience what Georgetown basketball can, and should, be. For their sakes, I hope they take advantage of it. It could end up being their greatest college memory of all.

Hoyas To Play At McDonough 3/14/05

Georgetown will host an NIT game for the first time in 12 years, ending an impasse that began after a 1993 NIT home game scheduled at McDonough Gymnasium was criticized by Texas El-Paso coach Don Haskins.

With MCI Center available due to the NHL lockout (the Capitals would have hosted Columbus on Wednesday had the season been continued), the two sides were able to complete the deal. However, the NIT is heavily dependent on ticket sales and Georgetown fans really need to step up and buy tickets as a sign that Georgetown will be able to host future games as the team advances.

Additional details follow below from the GUHoyas.com release above:

"As the Hoyas return to post-season play we have set up the following system for tickets:

  • Hoop Club members can buy priority seat locations by calling (202) 687-2449. Tickets are $20 each.
  • All other Hoyas can buy tickets through TicketMaster by calling (202) 397-SEAT or online at www.ticketmaster.com . Tickets are $20 and $15 each.
  • Student tickets cost $10 and will go on sale Monday afternoon from 12:00 - 5:30 pm for student season ticket holders. Non-season ticket holders can purchase tickets beginning Tuesday at 12:00 noon."
Georgetown 64, Boston University 34 3/17/05

Darrel Owens and Jeff Green each scored 17 points as Georgetown shut down Boston University 64-34 at MCI Center in first round National Invitation Tournament play. The win was John Thompson III's first post-season win, having lost in three games while at Princeton, while the 34 point finish was the lowest point total for a BU team since 1946.

Boston University (20-9) entered the game having defeated Michigan and a near upset of crosstown rival Boston College earlier in this season, but its shooting woes never led it contend past the first few minutes. BU held its only lead at 9-7, whereupon Georgetown called a time out at the 10 minute mark and never looked back, outscoring BU 25-2 to pull ahead 32-11, leading 34-15 at the half.

Georgetown started a bit slow (2 for 8) in the 2nd half, but the Terriers could close to no fewer than 15, 36-21. The Hoyas built a 22-4 advantage in points off turnovers to lead 52-29, whereupon the reserves saw action for the final minutes of the game. A big cheer was raised by the MCI faithful for freshman Cornelio Guibunda, who saw action for the first time since Dec. 11 and doubled his season totals with a four point, two rebound effort in the final two minutes of play.

The Hoyas excelled where the Terriers did not: three point shooting. Georgetown was 10 of 29 from three point range, the Terriers just 1 of 13. Boston University entered the game with the nation's 2nd ranked field goal defense, but the Hoyas prevailed with 45% shooting compared to just 24% for the Terriers, who have lost 11 straight post season games dating to the 1959 NCAA's.

The attendance for the game was announced at only 2,797, a low number for a first round NIT game. Still, coach Thompson thanked the fans, especially the students, for their support this season. "Hopefully it will carry over to next year," Thompson said. "The fans have been great all year."

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:

         MIN   2FG  3FG   FT  REB   A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Cook      27   1-1  2-6   0-0   1   2   0    8
Wallace   26   1-3  0-3   0-0   1   6   1    2
Owens     32   1-1  5-7   0-0   5   4   3   17
Bowman    23   3-3  0-5   0-0   4   2   1    6
Green     27   6-8  1-2   2-2   7   2   1   17
Reserves:
Izzo       2   0-0  0-0   0-0   0   0   0    0
Reed      20   0-2  0-0   0-0   4   1   1    0
Ross       6   0-0  0-1   0-0   0   0   2    0
Guibunda   2   2-5  0-0   0-0   2   0   1    4
Crawford  10   0-0  1-3   0-0   2   0   0    3
Beal       2   0-0  0-0   0-0   0   0   2    0
Kilk.-Diaw 3   0-0  0-0   0-0   2   0   0    0
Dizdarevic 5   0-0  1-2   0-0   2   0   1    3
Hibbert   15   2-6  0-0   0-0   5   1   2    4
Team Rebounds                   3
TOTALS   200 16-29 10-29  2-2  38  18  15   64

Game articles appear below:

USA Today Discusses Big East 3/15/05

In other news, USA Today discusses the role of the Big East Conference in the growth of the NCAA tournament, past and present.

The move to 16 teams is also discussed. "The thing I'm just trying to get a lot of people to understand is that we're on an historic trek," said conference commissioner Mike Tranghese. "We can do this one of two ways. We can all get on the same bandwagon and promote the heck out of this thing, or we can fuss."

Georgetown Accepts NIT Bid 3/13/05

Georgetown University has accepted a bid to the 2005 National Invitation Tournament, opening play Wednesday against Boston University (20-8) at MCI Center.

"Given the way the season unfolded and we finished, however, it's difficult not to be somewhat disappointed at the result," said coach John Thompson III at the Washington Times link below. "That said, there are an awful lot of people that aren't fortunate enough to be playing any longer, so we're very excited about this opportunity."

The Hoyas join Notre Dame as the Big East's two NIT entrants. Both schools were hurt by late season losses, especially after Notre Dame was upset by #11 seed Rutgers in the opening round of the Big East tournament. Six Big East teams (Syracuse, UConn, BC, Villanova, Pitt, and West Virginia) received NCAA bids, along with two bids from teams entering the league next year (Cincinnati, Louisville).

Links to coverage of the announcement follow below.

Connecticut 66, Georgetown 62 3/11/05

A recap of the game was not psoted to the site during the Big East tournament. Here's a game recap from The HOYA.

Georgetown 56, Seton Hall 51 3/10/05

A recap of the game was not psoted to the site during the Big East tournament. Here's a game recap from The HOYA.

Attendance Update 3/6/05

Georgetown ended its home season with an attendance average of 8,522 per game, a 1% increase over last season (8,431).

Here are the final averages for the soon to be 16 Big East schools:

Team Avg. Team Avg
1. Syracuse 24,108 9. DePaul 9,015
2. Louisville 18,746 10. Georgetown 8,522
3. Connecticut 13,771 11. W. Virginia 8,510
4. Marquette 12,504 12. Villanova 8,258
5. Cincinnati 11,305 13. Seton Hall 7,301
6. Pittsburgh 10,565 14. Rutgers 6,809
7. Notre Dame 10,694 15. St. John's 6,569
8. Providence 9,601 16.S. Florida 3,157
 
BB&T: No Room For Georgetown 3/6/05

It's not even the off-season yet, but the BB&T Classic has already found a way not to invite Georgetown for a 12th straight year. Writes the Washington Post: "Georgetown, which considered playing for the first time in the event's 11-year history, apparently didn't move quickly enough in weighing the merits of playing one of five possible opponents."

"We have to move on without them," said tournament chairman Pete Teeley said.

Tournament Scenarios 3/5/05

A reader sent in this PDF file with the various scenarios that await Georgetown this weekend. It appears Georgetown will be the seventh seed barring some losses above them.

Providence 68, Georgetown 65 3/6/05

"I got a lot of easy buckets that way. [Georgetown] didn't box out too well and it was easy for me to get in there."--Providence's Randall Hanke

"It doesn't matter who is on the floor, you can't get beaten like that on the boards. I don't really know what to say or how to explain it." --John Thompson III

On February 20, Georgetown stood 8-4 in the Big East, 37th in the RPI, and about to play a St. John's University which had lost 12 of its last 14. Two weeks and 57 places in the RPI rankings later, Georgetown's hopes for only its second NCAA bid since 1997 were swept away with a 68-65 loss to Providence on Senior Appreciation Night at MCI Center. The loss extends the Hoyas' losing streak to five games, tying the second longest losing streak since 1972; the longest being last year's nine game slide to end its season.

Both teams started out with unusually good shooting: Georgetown hit eight of its first 10 shots, Providence 9 of 11. With 7:15 to play, Georgetown led 29-24. For the fourth time in the last five games, the offense ground to a halt and the coaching staff could not make adjustments. Providence scored 13 straight points while the hoyas could do nothing, taking a 39-33 lead into intermission. The Hoyas were embarrassed on the boards, with Providence holding a 23-5 edge on rebounds.

The second half followed a familiar script: the Hoyas blew open the doors to start the half, outscoring PC 14-4 to lead by three, 49-46, but fouls slowly wore away the Hoyas. Jeff Green picked up his 4th foul with 13:18 to play, tied, and Roy Hibbert picked up his fifth with just over 11 to play. With no deterrent inside, forward Ryan Gomes (26 points, 20 in the second half) and Randall Hanke (a career high 18 points and 12 rebounds) dominated inside.

Georgetown held its last lead on an Ashanti Cook three pointer with 4:00 to play, 62-61. The Hoyas would make only one field goal the rest of the game. A pair of Gomes free throws gave the Friars the lead, answered by one of two tosses by Jeff Green. After a Hanke two gave the Friars the lead, 65-63, Brandon Bowman tossed an airball and a turnover in the Hoyas' next two possessions, but the defense held PC without a point as well. A Jeff green drive with :24 tied the score, but PC went inside to Gomes with 1.8 seconds left where he was fouled by Bowman and made the basket and free throw, 68-65.

Georgetown's 15 individual rebounds was the lowest output of its kind in the Big East era (1979-present). Adding in three "team rebounds", the 18 total rebounds was the lowest since the 1985 NCAA final, which was due largely to 22-27 (78%) shooting by Villanova.

Entering the game Providence was 9th in rebounds in the league, but outrebounded Georgetown by 20 (38-18) and by 17 (21-4) on the offensive boards. This is the fewest offensive rebounds in modern Georgetown history and likely a Big East record as well. The 2004-05 Hoyas are now averaging 30.7 rebounds a game, 10th in the league, and the lowest average since at least 1976.

That the Hoyas could win two games in the tournament after an poor season finale is unlikely but not without precedent. In in the 2000 season finale, Georgetown was flattened by Notre Dame in one of the worst home court losses of the last 20 years, 77-54. In the tournament, GU upset West Virginia and Syracuse en route to the semifinals.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.

         MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Cook       35   3-4   2-5  0-1   2   5   0   12
Wallace    30   0-1   3-3  0-0   4   2   0    9
Owens      19   3-3   0-3  0-0   0   1   1    6
Bowman     40   4-6   3-7  2-3   5   2   3   19
Green      23   6-7   0-0  3-4   2   1   4   15
Reserves:
Reed        8   0-0   0-1   0-0  0   0   0    0
Crawford   13   0-0   0-1   0-0  0   2   1    0
Kilk.-Diaw 11   2-3   0-0   0-1  0   0   1    4
Dizdarevic  4   0-0   0-1   0-0  0   0   0    0
Hibbert    17   0-2   0-0   0-0  1   2   5    0 
DNP: Izzo, Guibunda, Beal
Team Rebounds:	                 3
TOTALS    200 18-26  8-21   5-8 18  15  15   65

Post game links follow below. The Providence Journal article is subscription-based and not included.

Class of 2005 3/4/05

When four freshmen arrived at Georgetown in 2001 following a NCAA regional semifinal run, hopes were high that the program was back on its feet for national renown. Despite the troubles over four years, the Class of 2005 will be honored at pre-game ceremonies at Saturday's regular season finale.

Darrel Owens, '05Of the four, only Darrel Owens (C'05) remains. A versatile small forward who started all 28 games as a junior, Owens has been a reserve for much of the season but has returned to the starting lineup late this year. He scored a career high 20 against Boston College his sophomore year, and hit a big three pointer in the Hoyas' last win so far this season, a 67-60 win over West Virginia that could be crucial if the two teams tie in the league standings.

Year     G    FG      FT    REB AST STL BLK  PTS  AVG.
2001-02 Did Not Play
2002-03 32  26-63    27-35   66  42  23   4   80  2.5
2003-04 28  89-179   18-28  106  58  55   5  227  8.1
2004-05 26  50-118   14-21   73  40  17   6  145  5.6
Totals  86 165-397   59-84  245 140  95  15  452  5.2

RaMell Ross, '05Also scheduled to be honored Saturday is RaMell Ross (C'05), who was originally recruited to prep a year and then join the class of 2005, but was called up to the team in August 2000 when recruit Luke Martin failed to qualify (Martin transferred to Texas-El Paso, played a year, then signed a contract to play basketball in Australia.)

Few have endured as many medical hardships as Ross has. His senior year at Lake Braddock HS was lost to shoulder surgery. The entire 2001-02 year was lost to foot surgery, and Ross played only one game before being sidelined for the rest of the 2003-04 season with shoulder surgery. Ross concludes his Georgetown career this season, but has set an example for endurance and effort that all Hoyas can be proud of.

Year     G  FG        FT    REB  AST STL BLK PTS  AVG.
2000-01  12   6-19    12-17  16    4   4   0  24  2.0
2001-02  Injured-Did Not Play
2002-03  14   5-20     6-6    9    2   3   1  17  1.2
2003-04   1   0-0      0-0    0    0   0   0   0  0.0
2004-05  17  19-39     2-3   23    7   4   1  41  2.4   
Totals   44  30-78    20-26  48   13  11   2  82  1.8
Connecticut 83, Georgetown 64 3/3/05

For the third time in the last four games, a first half scoring drought paved the way for a Georgetown loss, an 83-64 loss to #15 Connecticut Wednesday night in Storrs, CT for Jim Calhoun's 700th career win. Once considered a lock for its first NCAA at-large bid in four years, the Hoyas have dropped four straight.

The Hoyas started with a bang against the Huskies, hitting five threes in the first eight minutes of the half to lead 19-17. From that point, the offense stalled while the UConn engines were in full throttle. Georgetown managed only one field goal in a 12 minute period as UConn went on a 20-3 run to put the game out of reach by halftime, shooting 69 percent from the field. Connecticut forward Rudy Gay led all scorers with 16 first half points, looking to wrap up the conference's Rookie of the Year honors with his 20 point effort Wednesday.

Georgetown never seriously contended thereafter. The Hoyas closed to 14 in the second half, as reserve players from both teams saw extended time and some UConn fans were so indifferent that a number were seen on TV leaving Gampel Pavilion at the 4:00 time out. In addition to Jeff Green's 17 points over a full 40 minutes of play, strong efforts were turned in off the bench from Roy Hibbert (12 points, 8 rebounds), Tyler Crawford (9 points in 9 minutes off 4 for 4 shooting), and Sead Dizdarevic (4 points in a career high 13 minutes of action).

Guards Ashanti Cook and Jonathan Wallace fared poorly, and combined to shoot 3 for 15 with seven turnovers. Forward Brandon Bowman picked up two fouls in the first 2:50 of play and finished the game with one point in 15 minutes of action, his lowest output since January 12, 2003 versus West Virginia.

Connecticut has won nine straight over Georgetown since 1997, becoming the first school since the great St. Joseph's teams from 1956-67 to ring up as many consecutive wins against the University.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.

          MIN  2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:  
Cook       22   0-3   1-5   0-0   0   1   1    3
Wallace    35   1-2   1-5   0-0   0   0   3    5
Owens      21   0-1   3-4   0-0   1   2   2    9
Bowman     15   0-1   0-2   1-2   0   2   3    1
Green      40   2-4   3-6   4-4   6   3   1   17
Reserves:
Reed       17   2-5   0-0   0-0   4   3   1    4
Ross        1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0   0    0
Crawford    9   3-3   1-1   0-0   3   2   2    9
Kilk.-Diaw  2   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0   1    0


Dizdarevic 13   2-2   0-0   0-0   1   0   2    4
Hibbert    25   4-8   0-0   4-5   8   1   4   12
Team Rebounds:                    1
DNP: Izzo, Guibunda, Beal
TOTALS   200  14-31  9-23  9-11  24  14  20   64

Post-game links follow below.

NCAA Releases APR Figures 3/1/05

The latest acronym in college sports, APR, is front page news.

APR, or Academic Progress Rate, is a benchmark of each men's and women's sports team at schools. A 1,000 score connotes a 100% graduation rate. The rate consists of one point for each eligible student-athlete and one point for each graduated student-athlete. Once a team's score dips below 925 on a rolling average, the scholarship of any student that fails to graduate will not be available until that student would have graduated. Scores below a rate of 925 (which equates to a 50% graduation rate) subject the school to a possible loss of up to 10% of scholarships after December 2005. Tuesday's numbers are an interim report but sets the table for scholarship losses at a number of major institution.

All Georgetown teams scored well above the standard. Ten of 25 teams (Men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, women's swimming, men's golf, men's indoor track, men's outdoor field hockey, volleyball) rated a perfect 1,000 on the survey. Football scored a 980, with men's basketball at 975 and women's basketball 955. Locally, 12 percent of local District teams scored below the minimum, with at least one score below 925 at each area school other than Georgetown and the U.S. Naval Academy, according to reports.

Nine of 16 Big East schools posted men's basketball scores below the 925 mark, including four of the five newcomers to the conference:

School APR School APR
Villanova 1000 Cincinnati 916
South Florida 1000 West Virginia 911
Seton Hall 979 Pittsburgh 885
Syracuse 977 Rutgers 881
Georgetown 975 Connecticut 852
Providence 960 Louisville 833
Notre Dame 957 St. John's 826
Marquette 920 DePaul 808
 

Here are links to additional coverage.

 

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