Bowser: No Money For Mystics
Political posturing continues in the war of words between Monumental Sports and the District government.In a paywalled article at the Washington Business Journal, mayor Muriel Bowser said that the $500 million budgeted for renovations to Capital One Arena is contingent on the NBA Wizards and NHL Capitals staying, whether by choice or returning to the table if a unfavorable vote follows in the Virginia General Assembly, and would not be invested without the lead tenants staying.According to reports, the mayor would consider razing the building for new development if the option is the WNBA Washington Mystics being the lead tenant in the existing arena. Yes, it's old fashioned political posturing. However, the "G" word continues as mysteriously absent from this conversation: Georgetown. By accident or design, take your pick, Georgetown Basketball is nowhere in this public discussion. For further thoughts, check the link below titled "Georgetown Needs A Plan", which is more optimistic than "Georgetown has no plan." CBS Sports: The Ed Cooley Experience
"I'm grateful to have an opportunity to do something where we're gonna prove everybody wrong," said Ed Cooley following Saturday's game. "It's just a matter of time."CBS Sports.com columnist Matt Norlander has some thoughts on where he sees what he calls "The Ed Cooley Georgetown Experience" could go."Cooley believes he will not only pull the Hoyas back into national relevance, but that he can do there what he did for PC: win multiple Big East titles, put together an NCAA Tournament appearance streak and ignite widespread emotional investment into Georgetown (a program on its way to another non-winning season, its eighth in a nine-year span)," he writes. Norlander suggests the rebuild at Georgetown was visible to anyone outside the program, but few within it, noting "a place with notorious dysfunction and outdated practices on how to operate a men's basketball program." "There are factors working in his favor and against," he continued. "He has a fantastic recruiting territory, but Georgetown has the worst home environment in the Big East. He'll never have in D.C. what he built at [Providence]. Georgetown is a job with a high ceiling, but the place is not wired for a quick turnaround. If Cooley gets the Hoyas into the NCAA Tournament by Year 3, it would be astounding. Will he have the patience for it? If we check in two years from now and Cooley is on his way to another season at or below .500, what then?" "The Ed Cooley Georgetown Experience is one of the sport's most curious storylines of the next couple of years." Providence 84, Georgetown 76
Devin Carter scored 29 points, including seven points in a 12 second span that spared Providence College a crushing home upset at the hands of a inspired but otherwise limited Georgetown Hoyas squad, 84-76, before 12,580 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.
POST-GAME ARTICLES
Billed in the Providence media and among select Big East reporters along the lines of the biggest sports confrontation in New England since Bill Laimbeer showed up at the Boston Garden, threats of civil disobedience never materialized, in no small part because this game, thanks to the Hoyas, never got out of hand to allow them to act upon it. In a regulation game that took a whopping two hours and 23 minutes to complete, every possession seemed important, every call meaningful, and every mistake halting, and for 38 minutes each team matched the other's intensity and performance. Wayne Bristol got the starting nod in this one to guard Devin Carter. It would be a difficult assignment from the start, as Bristol was out of position as Carter sank an opening three to set off the sold out crowd. The Hoyas answered with baskets from Jayden Epps and Supreme Cook, and a three from Ismael Massoud put the Hoyas up three six minutes in, only to be answered by a Carter three, 12-12. Carter scored 11 of the Friars' first 20 points. The early story of this game was not in the Friars' offense, but the Georgetown defense. With Georgetown shooting just 33 percent midway in the half, Georgetown built a 12-4 advantage in rebounding, which shut down second chance opportunities by the Friars. The defensive intensity came at a price, with the Hoyas picking up 10 first half fouls which brought PC in the bonus midway in the first half, of which they shot 8 for 11 from the line in the first half. From a 14-14 tie, Carter scored six straight to put the Friars up one, 20-19. A three by Dontrez Styles regained the lead for Georgetown, but PC went inside for two layups and dunk to regain the lead during a run where the Hoyas shot 0 for 8 from the floor. A three pointer from Rich Barron threatened to blow the game wide open at 33-24 with 4:05 remaining, but Georgetown answered with a 9-2 run and ended the half down four, 37-33, finishing the half with as 10-0 advantage in second half points amidst shooting 35 percent, and allowing the Friars 20 points in the paint, led by a 14 point, 6 for 6 effort from PC center Josh Oduro. Following a shaky opener to the second half where the teams traded four turnovers to open play, both teams refocused on the interior. Each of the first six baskets of the second half were by layup, and PC extended its lead to eight, 45-37, at the first media time out. With no outside shooting by Georgetown, Supreme Cook was the only reliable scoring option for GU, scoring all the team's points of the first seven minutes of the second half. A key story line for Georgetown's second half hopes was the poor shooting of Jayden Epps. After opening the game two for his first three, Epps was 2 for 11 to finish the first half and 0 for 5 from outside. He opened the second half 0 for 5, including four misses from outside. Eight minutes into the second half, the Hoyas were down 11, 53-42, as Epps was shooting 5 for 22 (0 for 9 from outside) compared to the rest of the teams shooting 12 for 25. With Cook in foul trouble the Friars regained the boards, with a 10-3 advantage after halftime. "As the minutes whittled away in the second half, an unease settled over the thousands. To the surprise of most inside Amica Mutual Pavilion, a presumed waltz to victory against a lowly Georgetown team had turned to a creeping moment of hesitation in this most urgent hour of pride and payback." -- Matt Norlander, CBS Sports.com.Free throws by Carter put the Friars back up two, and a dunk inside by reserve center Rafael Castro gave PC a four point lead soon thereafter. After 35 minutes of poor shooting from outside, Georgetown rediscovered the outside touch. In a second half where the Hoyas were just 1 for 7 from deep and 4 for 18 for the game, GU needed a run and got it. Epps answered Castro's dunk with a step back three to give GU its first lead since the 9:04 mark of the first half, 64-63. Carter answered with a jumper, and Massoud answered with a three, 66-66. Following the media timeout, Dontrez Styles had a key steal which allowed Heath to fed Epps for an open three, 69-66, with 2:57 remaining. Getting a lead has been a challenge for this Georgetown team and holding on to them has been even more challenging. Four games this season saw the Hoyas lose a lead in the final two minutes, including Holy Cross, TCU, Xavier and Seton Hall. This game was a textbook example of a team that wants to win, but does not quite have the personnel to close the door. After Oduro went inside for a layup at the 2:32 mark, 69-68, things began to crumble. Cook was tied up under the basket and PC regained the ball on the alternate possession rule. With nothing inside on PC's next possession, Carter launched a 35 footer from well beyond the arc, 71-69. The late game mental struggles of Jay Heath continued, as he was picked off by Carter on the next series and fouled Carter with a three point play at the 1:41 mark. Upon review, Heath did not go for the ball and the call was deemed a flagrant foul, giving Carter the basket, the foul, two foul shots, and possession: seven points in 12 seconds elapsed time. "A little bit of me was #$%$@ at him," Cooley said about Carter. "A lot of me was happy for his success, you know, you don't just recruit kids and forget about them." Cook fouled out on the next play and PC finished the game shooting 5 for 5 in the final 2:32. The rowdy fans left happy but without the ability to revel in a big win over Cooley and the Hoyas. This was a close game, and they knew it. "Our team has to learn how to close out games," said Cooley in post-game remarks. "We have been in some close games and normally I think the staff, we do a really good job in close games... our players need to learn how to win. We've been in three or four Big East games right down to the last two minutes and unfortunately we haven't been able to close them out. I think it's a big stepping stone for our men, I think it's a trust thing, I think it's a belief thing and hopefully this elevates us a little bit." Carter and Oduro combined for 51 points as the Friars shot 57 percent, the highest percentage allowed by a Georgetown defense since Xavier shot 60 percent on December 16, 2022. The 57 percent gets even worse when realizing PC was just 5 for 19 from three point range; thus the Friars shot 23 for 30 from two point range, or 76 percent. The Friars were 15 of 16 from the line after halftime. Epps led the Hoyas with 26 points on 9 for 27 shooting. The rest of the team shot 51 percent on the afternoon but defense, or the lack thereof, was the story: Georgetown allowed 46 points in the paint. Much of the post-game was about Cooley. "Providence College is a very special place, and it will hold something in my soul to the day I die," he said. "I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to be the head coach here. And I think everybody should embrace that. And then also, don't worry about the person that left. Embrace the young, bright coach that you have. You got a dynamite coach, a fantastic coach, who's that young and you get a chance to develop with him? That's what I would concentrate on, not the [coach] who left." The loss was Georgetown's 28th in its last 30 road games dating to February 2021 and its ninth loss in ten games at Providence since 2014. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Epps 40 6-14 3-13 5-5 4 6 1 26
Heath 27 1-2 1-2 0-0 2 3 3 5
Bristol 32 1-3 0-1 2-2 2 1 4 4
Styles 18 0-3 1-2 1-2 4 0 4 4
Cook 27 7-10 0-0 1-5 4 0 5 15
Reserves:
Brumbaugh 16 1-1 0-0 2-2 0 1 2 4
Fielder 5 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2
Mutombo 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Massoud 34 1-2 4-8 2-2 7 0 4 16
Team 8
DNP: Asadallah, Montgomery, Bacote, McKenna, Kazor
TOTALS 200 18-36 9-26 13-18 31 11 23 76
Butler 90, Georgetown 66
They didn't call it "Turn Back The Clock Night" at Capital One Arena Tuesday night, but they might as well have.Primo Spears? Meet Jayden Epps.Brandon Murray? Meet Dontrez Styles. Bryson Mozone? Meet Ismael Massoud. Jay Heath? Meet Jay Heath. Georgetown's worst loss in the Ed Cooley era was a unwelcome redux of the Patrick Ewing era, where a winnowing fan base was left with watching a team where defense was left at home and basic teamwork was a forgotten concept.
POST-GAME ARTICLES
"I can't point to one positive thing Georgetown did today, not one, other than we put on an incredibly nice looking uniform and we had a great bus ride over, we had an incredible pregame meal, and everybody's still on scholarship," said Cooley, who has run out of things to say about a team in a free fall. A total of 4,625 remained quiet in a thorough and dispiriting team performance redolent of the worst efforts that Patrick Ewing's teams engendered just ten months ago. "That this would be a challenging season is hardly a surprise for a team without a surplus of size or experience and with limited depth," wrote Patrick Stevens in an article at the Washington Post, a newspaper which no longer covers the Hoyas with a beat writer. "But Tuesday represented considerable regression compared with the three losses that preceded it." "No distractions from the fans, no energy in here for Georgetown." --Jim Spanarkel, Fox Sports 1Within the first five minutes of this game, Epps took shots on five of the Hoyas' first seven possessions in a 10-10 tie after the first media time out. A pair of threes from Jay Heath gave Georgetown a 18-16 lead, but the Hoyas did not make a field goal for almost three minutes thereafter. Free throws and a Supreme Cook jumper at the 9:31 lead gave GU a 23-20 lead before Butler went to work and the Hoyas stood and watched. The Bulldogs began one of the more remarkable runs in any Big East game this season. On its next 11 possessions over an eight minute stretch towards the end of the half, it made 11 consecutive shots: a short jumper from Jahmyl Telfort, two threes and a jumper from Pierre Brooks, a Brooks layup, a Brooks three. And there was more. Baskets by Jalen Thomas, another Brooks three, baskets by Thomas, guard D.J. Davis, and Telfort were all part of the run that extended the lead to 15, 44-29, at the 1:55 mark. Georgetown shot 2 for its last 10 and did not make a single two point field goal in the final nine minutes of the first half. Free throws closed the gap to 44-32 at the break, with the Bulldogs overcoming a slow start to finish shooting 62 percent from the field. For its part, Georgetown missed 13 of 18 attempts from outside en route to a 32 percent effort, with just two assists on 10 field goals and no points from a combined 26 minutes off the bench. And this was the good half. An optimist could look at the score and, with equal parts hope and supplication, proclaim that Butler wasn't going 11 of 11 again and had taken its best shot. Returning to the inside, where the Hoyas had an advantage, could bring GU back into this game. For the first four minutes of the half, that was the plan and it showed promise. Three layups to open the game, a foul shot and a three pointer brought the Hoyas to 42 points within four minutes of the opening of the second half, except that its defense continued to allow the Bulldogs easy access to the basket. Georgetown's run took just two points off the margin at 52-42, and was as close as they would be remainder of the game. The Hoyas hung around for the next two minutes staying inside, with inside play by Styles, Massoud, and Cook to trail 62-51 at the 10:22 mark. The Bulldogs responded with a 13-0 run with four for four from layup distance and five for five at the line. The Hoyas did little but watch. A basket by Jayden Epps, his only field goal of the second half over nine attempts, ended the run at the 7:14 mark, 75-53. Georgetown then missed its next eight attempts and stood at 1 for 12 from three in the second half as Butler pushed the lead to 29, 84-55, with 3:05 remaining. The Hoyas answered with four of its last five scored in futility, with three unexpected three pointers to narrow the margin but little else. All five members of the Butler starting lineup finished in double figures: 20 from Brooks, 17 from Davis, 16 from Telfort, 11 from center Jalen Thomas, and 10 from guard Posh Alexander. Only a meager 1 for 6 shooting from outside prevented the Bulldogs from crossing the century mark on the road, posting its most points in any Big East game this season, its first 90 point game in conference play since a February 2019 home game with DePaul, and its most in any game this season since a 96-74 win over Division II Saginaw Valley State on December 15. Jayden Epps led all Georgetown scorers with 16, but just one basket after halftime. Supreme Cook's 12 points and 12 rebounds was the only ray of sunshine in 40 minutes of darkness, all the more maddening because neither Epps or Styles fed him the ball in the final 9:22 of play. The ever-inconsistent Jay Heath finished with nine, all in the first half, as he was 0-4 thereafter. Further down the lineup, slumps persist. Dontrez Styles is now 1 of 12 from three point range in his last five games, while Rowan Brumbaugh is 0 for 10 from the field in his last four. Ismael Massoud's shooting has dropped to 31 percent on the season, and his defense is lacking, contributing to 42 points in the paint for Butler in this game. An exasperated Cooley opened the bench late in the game, with the first appearance of the season by grad student Jonathan Kazor, who contrtibuted an assist to sophomore Austin Montgomery's late three. This was the fifth consecutive loss in the star-crossed teal jerseys over the last two seasons and an eighth consecutive loss to Butler at Capital One Arena dating to 2015. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Epps 32 2-6 2-13 6-7 0 3 2 16
Heath 30 0-2 3-6 0-0 2 2 2 9
Styles 36 4-6 0-4 3-3 9 1 2 11
Massoud 20 2-3 1-2 0-0 2 0 0 7
Cook 29 5-10 0-0 2-4 12 0 3 12
Reserves:
Brumbaugh 9 0-2 0-1 0-0 1 1 3 0
Montgomery 3 0-0 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 3
Bacote 8 0-1 1-1 0-0 0 1 0 3
Fielder 14 0-1 0-3 0-1 1 0 2 0
Bristol 20 1-1 1-3 0-0 2 0 3 5
Kazor 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0
Team 3 1
DNP: Asadallah, McKenna, Mutombo
TOTALS 200 14-32 9-34 11-15 32 9 18 66
Xavier 92, Georgetown 91
Georgetown's best game of the season came crashing down in an exceptionally poor late game decision that cost the Hoyas a 92-91 loss at Xavier.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
The 2023-24 Hoyas have become the "little engine that can't" because of two ongoing story lines: its inability to play interior defense and visibly poor decision-making late in games. Each was on display in this Friday evening game, despite some remarkable individual achievements.Opening early in a 2-3 defense which had proven effective in Sunday's game at 4th ranked Connecticut, the Hoyas shut down Xavier early, holding the Musketeers to 1 of 6 shooting in the first four minutes, including 0 for 5 from outside. Three pointers from Jayden Epps and Ismael Massoud paced the Hoyas to a surprising 10-3 lead with 16:18 to halftime, increased to eight when Jay Heath made one of two free throws 36 seconds later. Heath's first shot of the game missed, but the Hoyas made the next 20 in a row from the line, a sterling performance that kept them strong throughout. Struggling from the outside, Xavier went back inside, and discovered a formula which would serve them well all evening. Three layups in four possessions brought the Musketeers to 21-17 midway in the half, with 12 of its first 17 points in the paint. A three minute stretch was Georgetown's best run of the game, if not the season. Opened by a three from Drew Fielder, fans were treated to a career-best run by Heath, who sank four consecutive threes over a 1:50 second burst, taking the Hoyas to a 14 point lead, 33-19. Heath's remaining shooting was poor (he missed 9 of his next 10 attempts) but the run established Georgetown is a position of strength which it held until the final 30 seconds of play. Xavier wasn't through, however. The Musketeers shot just 5 of 16 from three point range in the first half but sank thee straight in a 70 second run to close the margin to five, 33-28. A pair f Drew Fielder blocks late in the half preserved a five point lad at the break 43-38, with a season's best eight first half threes and 13 assists on 15 made field goals masking poor inside shooting for the Hoyas (7 for 22) and 16 points given up in the paint on defense. The outside artillery which defined the first half went silent after the break, with no threes over a nine minute stretch early in the period. What the Hoyas lacked outside they gained with a tremendous second half from sophomore Jayden Epps. Following a run where the Musketeers went inside for three baskets and connected on free throws to close to four, 56-52 at the 15:05 mark, Epps scored eight straight and kept the Hoyas up six, 58-52, even as X continued to clean up on inside play. With Supreme Cook, Drew Fielder, and Ismael Massoud each tagged in foul trouble, Xavier clawed back at the foul line before the inside game returned. A Quincy Olivari dunk and a Dayvion McKnight three point play brought Xavier to 66-65 midway in the half, and tied at the foul line 23 seconds later. An Epps miss from outside set up Xavier freshman Trey Green, who entered the game shooting 50 percent from outside (14 for 28). Green made only one field goal in four minutes of play but the one that hit gave Xavier a brief lead that was answered by free throws from Heath and Epps, beginning a strong three minute run that appeared to put Georgetown in the driver's seat. Georgetown shot 7 for 10 in the run, highlighted by threes from Massoud and Epps, back to back baskets by Dontrez Styles, and a key offensive rebound and putback by Supreme Cook to put the Hoyas up five, 87-82, with 3:16 to play. Off a Xavier time out, a key defensive change put pressure on the Hoyas offensively, moving 6-6 Desmond Claude to guard Epps and setting up a defensive mismatch on Claude. Georgetown's next series set the tone for what was to come. Epps tried to drive but was stuffed inside, and Xavier fed Claude for a layup at the 2:57 mark, 87-84. Styles missed a jumper and Claude fed McKnight for the layup, 87-86. Georgetown scored its next four at the line, 91-88, with 1:18 to play, only for Claude to split past Epps for layup at the 1:06 mark, 91-90. After Epps missed a layup with 41 seconds remaining, Xavier could hold for a last possession. Thanks to Georgetown's woeful defense, it didn't take long.
A photo from Fox Sports magnified the epic lack of defensive presence by the Hoyas on the play.
Off its final time out, Georgetown took over with 28 seconds to play. With Epps defended at midcourt, he passed to Jay Heath in the right frontcourt with 14 to go. Heath missed an decidedly open Dontrez Styles on the wing and Wayne Bristol flashing untouched to the corner, instead drove for a frontal assault at the basket in double coverage. The layup missed, with attempts by Bristol and Cook to secure it were unsuccessful.
Xavier ended the game 6 for 6 from the field in the final 3:32, with five consecutive baskets in the paint. Georgetown ended the game 1 for 5 in that same span, missing the final three attempts, and Epps going 1 for 4 in the final 9:42 of play. The late struggles do not diminish a career game for Jayden Epps, with his first career double-double (30 points, 11 assists), and a perfect 11 for 11 from the line, managed only seven other times in school history. Four players scored in double figures as the Hoyas were one short of its season's best in assists adn two short of a season high in threes. Defensively, the Hoyas were embarrassed inside. The Musketeers shot 56 percent in the second half and 61 percent from inside the arc on (24 for 39), with 16 layups, and held a 20 to 5 on fast break points. Xavier managed assists on 27 of its 32 field goals. If head coach Ed Cooley was angry, he kept it out of an otherwise upbeat post-game press conference. "I thought we competed at an elite level in an incredible and hostile atmosphere," he said. "Sometimes in the process, there's going to be several disappointments but the growth and the development of our young men and their fight and their will...Our young men grew up today. I'm super, super proud, this is the best we have played all year." "We just came up a little bit short and you've got to give Xavier all the credit." The loss was its ninth in 10 previous meetings at Cintas Center and its fifth in six road games this season. In its last 30 road games, Georgetown is a program worst 2-28. Few were as winnable as this one, however. The Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Epps 38 5-13 3-5 11-11 2 11 3 30
Heath 40 1-9 4-8 4-5 6 6 2 18
Styles 40 6-12 0-2 2-2 10 0 2 14
Massoud 19 0-2 3-6 0-0 0 2 4 9
Cook 18 5-6 0-0 3-3 8 1 4 13
Reserves:
Brumbaugh 3 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 1 0 0
Bacote 2 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Fielder 16 1-1 1-2 0-0 3 1 4 5
Mutombo 3 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0
Bristol 21 1-1 0-0 0-0 3 0 2 2
Team Rebounds 4
DNP: Asadallah, Montgomery, McKenna, Kazor
TOTALS 200 19-47 11-23 20-21 38 22 22 91
Connecticut 80, Georgetown 67
Four year ago this week, en route to a four game losing streak with a starting lineup that included names such as Christian Vital, Josh Carlton, and Alterique Gilbert, Connecticut lost at #14 Villanova. In post-game comments, Dan Hurley minced no words.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
Weathering a pair of horrid shooting runs to open and close the game, Georgetown never gave up nor gave in to the Huskies in a matchup that was within contention until the final five minutes, despite the Hoyas being 20 point underdogs entering the game. "I was proud of our guys. I thought we got better today." said Georgetown coach Ed Cooley. "We didn't win the game but I thought we continued to fight and build." With an opening basket from Supreme Cook, Georgetown led for a mere 23 seconds in this game, quickly dispatched by back to back three pointers from Connecticut playmakers Cam Spencer and Alex Karaban. This back and forth between Cook inside and the Huskies outside became the subplot for an competitive and compelling first half. Georgetown had to battle back from a second consecutive game where it did not show up offensively to begin the game. From Cook's initial field goal, the Hoyas missed its next six attempts before a Cook tip-in four minutes later. Yet, despite this drought, the Huskies were held to a 6-4 lead as the Hoyas' interior defense held the game close. Cook scored the Hoyas' first 10 points of the first half, with a three point play to close to 14-10 midway through the first half and was the only bright light amidst 12 minutes of near darkness to open the game. The Hoyas' offense wasn't merely odious, it was absent. Rowan Brumbaugh missed three shots in the first two minutes and was parked for most of the first half as a result. Jayden Epps missed his first five shots. Twelve minutes in, the Georgetown players other than Supreme Cook were a combined 1 for 14 from the field. As the Hoyas stumbled, Alex Karaban stepped up. Taking advantage of defensive mismatches with Ismael Massoud and Drew Fielder, Karaban scored 14 of the Huskies' next 21 points: a two and a three to put UConn up seven, 19-12, a three to go up nine, 27-18, a pair of free throws, and then a three at the 3:32 mark, 33-22. As the shooting continued to flatline, the Hoya stayed close at the line. Free throws accounted for all of Georgetown's points for a five minute stretch late in the fist half until a Wayne Bristol three closed the gap to 36-26 with 1:39 to halftime. A pair of free throws by Epps closed to eight, 36-28. Off a Connecticut time out with 0:51 in the first half, Karaban got open again and nailed a three, 39-28, and the Huskies took a nine point lead at the break, 40-31. Karaban finished with five threes and 19 points by halftime. Supreme Cook went to the break with the best 20 minutes of any Georgetown center since Jessie Govan: 16 points, 10 rebounds, 8 for 11 from the foul line. The rest of the team combined for 15 percent shooting on 3 for 20 attempts, 1 for 5 from outside, and just one assist between them. Were it not for a season-high 16 first half free throws, this game would have been over. "I'm proud of [Cook] because he's in there battling," Cooley said. "We need some other battering rams in there." It wasn't over, in no small part of the Hoyas ability to keep the game from spiraling out of control. Karaban was sterling at 19 points, but the remainder of the UConn lineup was held to 38 percent from the field and gave up eight turnovers which led to 15 points. Uconn went back to the three early in the second half. Threes from Stephon Castle and Cam Spencer put UConn up 11 three minutes into the second half but the Huskies could simply not shake the Hoyas. A Dontrez Styles three brought GU back to eight, 48-40, but it was his only field goal of the second half. Consecutive dunks pout UConn up 12, 52-40, but a basket from Jay Heath and back to back scores by Jayden Epps brought the Hoyas within six, 52-46. As was the case in the first half, UConn simply had no peer on the three point shot today and the Hoyas' defense was ill-suited in response. Cam Spencer countered the GU run with a three at the 11:55 mark to go back up nine, 55-46, while Hassan Diarra matched a Jay Heath three midway in the second half to go back up 11, 62-51. Heath would not be denied, however, and hit a second three to close to 64-56 with 8:26 left, only to see Spencer match it 27 seconds later, 67-56. Georgetown's defense stepped up its efforts down the stretch, holding UConn without a field goal for four minutes, but with little in return. A basket by Epps and free throws by Massoud closed the margin to 68-60 with 5:31 remaining, but Cook fouled out and the Hoyas ran out of gas, finishing 0 for 5 to end the game. An exchange of free throws kept the game in range until Karaban's sixth three of the game at the 3:41 mark put the game away for good. Cook led all Georgetown scorers with 18, while Karaban and Spencer combined for 11 threes and 46 points between them for Connecticut. Georgetown shot just 25 percent from three point range (4 for 16) and finished with just four assists. That said, Connecticut is the heir apparent to the #1 ranking and the Hoyas overperformed from a 1-5 Big East team that has not defeated a single team this season with a winning record. The loss is Georgetown's seventh consecutive versus Connecticut since it rejoined the Big East and its 20th loss to the Huskies in the last 28 dating to the 1997-1998 season. The Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Brumbaugh 7 0-3 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0
Epps 37 5-14 0-5 6-9 2 1 2 16
Styles 30 1-5 1-2 6-6 3 0 3 11
Massoud 31 0-1 0-1 4-4 5 0 3 4
Cook 31 5-7 0-0 8-13 13 1 5 18
Reserves:
Heath 31 2-4 2-4 3-4 2 1 5 13
Fielder 15 0-0 0-2 2-2 2 1 1 2
Bristol 16 0-0 1-1 0-0 0 0 2 3
Team Rebounds 4
DNP: Asadallah, Montgomery, Bacote, McKenna, Mutombo, Kazor
TOTALS 200 13-34 4-16 29-38 31 4 21 67
Big East Update
From David Borges at CT Insider, some comments from Big East commissioner Val Ackerman on the state of the conference:
Does Georgetown Need To Downsize?
The debut of a 7,500 seat basketball arena at Baylor University has Matt Norlander at CBS Sports.com asking which programs need to reconsider playing in an oversized arena. Not surprisingly, Georgetown tops his list."On Tuesday night, Baylor had its first big matchup in its new home," writes Norlander. "What seems obvious one week in is that the school has landed in the coveted territory of playing in an arena that feels intimidating for opponents but shouldn't suffer from swaths of empty seats."Norlander lists 12 schools he feels are playing in oversized arenas, with Georgetown at the forefront. "A lot of places could learn from [Baylor]," Norlander adds. "Let's see if any are ambitious enough to follow suit and make a change by the end of the decade." For myriad reasons, Georgetown seems unlikely to display such ambition. Potomac Yard: Gridlock
While plans continue for Virginia legislators to consider a $1.4 billion subsidy to build Monumental Sports its new arena in Potomac Yard, the potential for traffic nightmares are eliciting community concern."Transportation has been the key item of concern for both public critics of the project and many civic leaders," writes Alexandria Now. "While Mayor Justin Wilson said the development will minimize parking to reduce the amount of people taking cars to the site, Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said the newly built [Potomac Yard stop] cannot handle the levels of arena traffic proposed in this development.""We're looking at bigger ideas, like adding water taxi connectivity on Four Mile Run and how to best connect VRE and Amtrak to our Metro system," said Stephanie Landrum, president of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership. However, the reporter noted that Four Mile Run is as shallow as four feet in some places. One citizen likened the water taxi to what they called "Gondola 2.0", referencing the ill-fated plan to connect Georgetown to the Rosslyn Metro via a gondola over the Potomac River. Seton Hall 74, Georgetown 70
Having absorbed the body blows of two double digit deficits to open the first and second half, the Georgetown Hoyas rallied to lead Seton Hall with 3:15 to play, but committed four consecutive turnovers en route to a 74-70 defeat before 4,764 at Capital One Arena.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
Basketball is a 40 minute game but the parallels between the first and second half of this game were eerily similar. In both, Georgetown fell behind big, rallied, and then fell flat to close out play. After the first nine minutes, however, the idea that Georgetown could be in a position to contend seemed far-fetched.Two minutes into the game, the score was tied. Georgetown was two for three from the floor, Seton Hall two for four. What followed was the worst seven minutes of the 2023-24 season to date. Off back to back turnovers, a Dre Davis jumper gave the Hall a 6-04 lead. Georgetown whiffed on three consecutive three point attempts, which the Pirates converted into two layups and a three pointer of its own, 13-4. An Ismael Massoud turnover followed, returned for an Al-Amir Dawes three, 16-4 and a quick timeout by an exasperated Georgetown coach Ed Cooley. Thirty eight seconds later, following a Drew Fielder miss and a Kadary Richmond layup, 18-4, Cooley called a second timeout, imploring his players to relax and "just play". Three more Seton Hall possessions followed: a layup, a jumper, and a dunk. Georgetown entered the next media timeout down 24-8, having given up a dunk, six layups, and 11 Seton Hall field goals in 13 attempts. For its part, Georgetown was one of its last nine and a combined 0 for 8 from three point range, with five turnovers having been converted into nine Seton Hall points. Were there a secondary game broadcast on the Fox networks during this run, the FS1 producers might have been tempted to switch out the coverage altogether. If this was a year ago, Patrick Ewing would have stayed the course, lost by 40, and blamed the players. In 2024, Ed Cooley realized he had to change defensively, so Georgetown shifted to zone coverage and allowed the defense to limit the Pirates' possessions, while taking advantage of the Achilles heel of the Pirates in 2023-24: turnovers. Seton Hall coughed up 10 turnovers in the final 11:53 of the first half, and Georgetown began its (first) climb back. "You don't give up 73 percent shooting in the first half if you give half an effort."--Marcus Washington @MTCwithMookTwo quick threes from the Hall opened the second half and Georgetown found itself down by 12 three minutes into the second half. Back came the outside shooting, this time to success: consecutive threes from Ismael Massoud and two from Drew Fielder quickly returned the Hoyas to competitiveness, 47-42. Field goals by Epps brought the Hoyas to 51-45, 53-47, and 55-50, but GU could not get the defensive stops it needed to cut into the two possession advantage. The turning point Georgetown needed followed with 9:15 to play. Down 57-52, Jay Heath hit a three to close to two, 57-55, but Richmond drove inside for a layup, 59-55. Down four, Heath forced a turnover and a perimeter stop on Drew Davis, setting up Supreme Cook for a foul shot and a dunk on GU's next two possessions co close to 59-58, but Dawes answered with a three, 62-58. Heath answered with a three at the 5:09 mark, 62-61, when Supreme Cook blocked a drive by backup center Elijah Hutchins-Everett. A three point shot by Epps was short, but the ever alert Wayne Bristol scooped up the offensive rebound and laid it in for GU's first lead of the game, 63-62, with 3:57 to play. After a Davis miss, the Hoyas answered with an Epps Jumper at the 3:15 mark 65-62. After Richmond was stopped driving in the lane, Georgetown had the ball and a three point lead, when the wheels flew off the bus. Up three with 2:36 remaining, Heath lost the ball, and on the next SHU possession Dawes added two free throws, 65-64. Heath was called for a questionable offensive foul with 2:08 remaining, whereupon Richmond hit an open jumper to regain the lead, 66-65. In Georgetown's next two possessions, with the outcome still within range, Epps and Cook each lost the ball and the Pirates extended its lead to 70-65, an 8-0 spurt in 1:48 and a run of four consecutive turnovers down the stretch for the Hoyas. An Epps three with 14 seconds remaining was Georgetown's only field goal in the final 3:15 of play, while the Pirates finished three for three from the field and 48 percent during the second half. "This loss is 100% on me, 1000% on me," said Cooley in a visible counterpoint to the blame often seen last season. "[A] three-point lead with the ball, three straight turnovers, I don't know if that's players as much as it is me, the coach, needing to instill a lot more confidence in our guys and working on end game execution." "When we have the ball up three at the end of the game like that when we're calling sets, it just comes down to being ball strong and not turning the ball over," said Massoud in post-game remarks. "It's really on the players. It's hard to win the game when you turn the ball over three times in a row. There's no remedy for that." Jayden Epps led all scorers with 30, but the Hoyas got very little from starters Rowan Brumbaugh (12 minutes, no points), Dontrez Styles (4 points, none after halftime), and Ismael Massoud (3 points on 1 for 7 shooting). A total of 20 points from the GU bench was a season's best, but overall the Hoyas was shredded for a fourth consecutive game inside, giving up 36 points in the paint. Defensively, the Hoyas held the Pirates to five offensive rebounds, a season low. Georgetown's loss, its sixth straight to Seton Hall and a humbling 41st in its last 44 Big East games dating to the 2021-22 season, broadly illustrates how narrow the margin an under manned Georgetown team must execute against deeper and more experienced conference opponents. With just one Big East road win over the past two and a half seasons, more difficult lessons await with three road games in its next four, beginning in Hartford versus #4-ranked Connecticut this weekend. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Brumbaugh 12 0-1 0-1 0-0 1 0 1 0
Epps 39 4-5 5-13 7-8 3 5 3 30
Styles 33 1-1 0-3 2-2 2 2 3 4
Massoud 21 0-2 1-5 0-2 4 0 1 3
Cook 25 4-5 0-0 5-6 5 0 1 13
Reserves:
Heath 30 2-2 2-8 0-0 3 3 2 10
Fielder 14 0-0 2-5 0-0 2 1 2 6
Bristol 26 2-4 0-0 0-0 2 0 3 4
Team Rebounds 4
DNP: Asadallah, Montgomery, Bacote, McKenna, Mutombo, Kazor
TOTALS 200 13-20 10-35 14-16 26 11 16 70
DC Task Force To Review Arena Future
What do politicians do when they are feeling the heat? Announce a task force.Following widespread criticism that she was slow to negotiate with Monumental Sports owner Ted Leonsis (C'77), Washington mayor Muriel Bowser has announced a task force to determine opportunities to develop the Gallery Place neighborhood if and when the NBA's Wizards and NHL's Capitals leave downtown.Two of the three co-chairs of the effort are leaders of real estate interests, which may not be favorable towards maintaining the arena as anticipated by Monumental Sports in its current planning. When asked, Bowser did not rule out a demolition of the property, suggesting that all options were on the table. Such a decision would be very damaging to Georgetown basketball, in that they are not part of Monumental's future plans in Alexandria and do not have comparable options at this time without Capital One Arena. According to DCist, the task force will include representatives from PEPCO, the Jose Andres Group, the Shakespeare Theatre Company, and downtown development groups, but not Georgetown University, who would be the largest tenant on the property after 2028. "Bowser did not give a deadline for the task force to deliver a plan but said she expected them to work quickly," writes the Washington Post. "In May, she launched a separate task force to create a Downtown Action Plan, though that group, led by the DowntownDC and Golden Triangle business improvement districts, has yet to release its ideas." Meanwhile, the mayor of Alexandria told WJLA-TV that parking at the proposed arena will actually decrease under Leonsis' plan. "Part of the way we manage that is basically by ensuring that there aren't options except for riding transit to get to this site."--Mayor Justin Wilson"We are going to work with Monumental, we are going to work with the state, we are going to work with our community to try to figure out a transportation plan that prioritizes transit and ensures that that's the way people are getting here, that they are not parking in the community or driving down Route One or anything like that." Georgetown 68, DePaul 65 A shaky but resilient Georgetown defense held DePaul to one field goal in the final 4:11 and escaped Capital One Arena with a 68-65 win, its first win in 2023-24 conference play.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
The two teams entered play Saturday a combined 0-5 in Big East play to date and it was evident why: neither team has a consistent offense and were sloppy in ball handling. DePaul started the game hitting its first two attempts but missed 11 of its next 13 in the first eight minutes of the first half. After all this, DePaul only trailed by two, 12-10, as it converted four Georgetown turnovers into two-pointers.Georgetown's mid-half miscues, seen in the Butler and Creighton game, returned again in this one, missing four straight shots and allowing DePaul a dunk and consecutive layups, 21-17, before threes by Rowan Brumbaugh and Jayden Epps recaptured the lead at 23-21. Back came the Demons, hitting five of its next seven to lead 32-27 at the 2:47 mark of the first half. A key turning point followed in the game, as Georgetown's defense closed the door on DePaul first half and sparked a 7-0 run. Off a missed three from Epps, Ismael massoud blocked an inside drive from DePaul's Chico Carter, and found Epps streaking to the basket to close to 32-29. The Hoyas held on defense and Epps found Drew Fielder on the sideline, with his first three of the game, 32-32 with 1:12 to play, and forced a shot clock violation thirty seconds later. On its final possession, Fielder was fouled on the drive and hit two foul shots to give Georgetown a 34-32 lead at the break. The teams traded baskets back and forth to open the second half when a pair of possessions sidelined the respective team's top scorers. Five minutes into the half, "Georgetown's Jayden Epps was inadvertently scratched in the eye on a defensive stop; he later returned but was scoreless thereafter. Fifteen seconds after Epps' departure, DePaul's leading scorer DeSean Nelson picked up his fourth foul after scoring six straight to open the half. Nelson would return but was scoreless for the next 10 minutes of play, and opened a window of opportunity for the Hoyas. As the Blue Demons sank back to protect the middle, Rowan Brumbaugh caught fire from outside. Scoreless in the first half, Brumbaugh hit three pointers in three of Georgetown's next four scoring possessions, leading GU on a 11-3 run and a 52-43 lead with 11:07 to play. As if on cue, the Hoyas missed threes on four occasions over the following four minutes, and allowed the Demons to return to what worked in the first half: the inside game. DePaul returned to attacking at short range: a layup, a short jumper and a pair of free throws closed to 54-51. Following a second chance basket by Ismael Massoud, DePaul's Jason Terry hit the term's first three since the 5:20 mark of the first half, bringing back DePaul to 56-54 at the 7:10 mark. Georgetown bent, but did not break at this point, relying on solid second half play from center Supreme Cook, who picked up a dunk off an offensive rebound and contributed two important free throws to give GU a 62-59 lead at the 4:49 mark. In came Nelson for DePaul, and he dropped in a layup to close to 62-61 as the shot clock was expiring. At this point in the game, DePaul had hit on seven of its last nine attempts. It would only make one of its final four shots, as GU's defense stepped up again at the close of a half. The teams traded turnovers on four of its next five possessions. Georgetown finally broke the run when Cook drove to the basket and picked up a pair of free throws, 64-61, with 1:46 to play. On a missed jumper by Brumbaugh, Dontrez Styles picked up an alert offensive rebound and laid it in to go up 66-61. Nelson was fouled on his drive, but missed the back half of a two shot foul that would have closed to three, 66-62. Supreme Cook reciprocated by splitting his two shots with 19 seconds to play, opening a narrow door for the Demons, where Jeremiah Oden hit a big three with nine seconds remaining to close to two, 67-65. Fouled promptly, Brumbaugh could have put the game away at the line, but missed the second of two at the line with 7.7 seconds to go. Inexplicably, DePaul's Chico Carter was left open in the corner, where he missed a game-tying three at the buzzer before the 5,577 in attendance.
The Hoyas saw four starters in double figures, with strong second half play from Rowan Brumbaugh (10 points, all after halftime), Supreme Cook (10 points) and Dontrez Styles, with eight rebounds after the break and a season's best 13 overall. Cook's 6 for 8 shooting from the line after halftime was critical in the Hoyas' second half effort, as seven second half free throws versus four for the Demons in the half proved the difference at game's end. "Obviously I'm excited about the win," said Georgetown coach Ed Cooley. "Somebody was going to come out of here with their first Big East win and I'm glad it was us." "We shot ourselves in the foot the last three or four minutes of that game with some bad offensive possessions and not finishing a couple of possessions defensively," said DePaul's Tony Stubblefield, as this game was the most winnable on DePaul's calendar amidst an upcoming three game, eight day run for the Blue Demons versus Creighton, Villanova, and Providence. "You've got to get something out of those possessions," and they didn't. Georgetown's first win since December 16 wasn't easy, and it will be no easier Tuesday versus a Seton Hall team which upset #7 Marquette this afternoon, 78-75. The Pirates have won the nine of the last 11 in the series with Georgetown and have not lost at Capital One Arena since the 2018-19 season. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Brumbaugh 33 0-2 3-6 1-2 1 3 2 10
Epps 29 2-4 2-7 0-0 2 5 1 10
Styles 33 3-6 0-1 1-2 13 1 1 7
Massoud 36 4-7 1-3 2-2 7 0 4 13
Cook 27 3-5 0-0 8-12 4 0 2 14
Reserves:
Heath 18 1-2 0-2 0-0 3 2 3 2
Fielder 17 2-4 1-1 2-2 3 0 2 9
Bristol 7 0-0 1-1 0-0 1 1 1 3
Team Rebounds 1
DNP: Asadallah, Montgomery, Bacote, McKenna, Mutombo, Kazor
TOTALS 200 15-30 8-21 14-20 35 12 16 68
Creighton 77, Georgetown 60 A four point game at halftime evaporated in the thin air of a empty Capital One Arena, as Creighton turned on the jets and soared past Georgetown 77-60 before just 4,980.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
A double digit underdog in their Big East home opener, Georgetown's chances at this game took a decided step backward when guards Jayden Epps appeared before the game in a protective boot, marking a fourth game this season where he watched from the bench. If the Hoyas had a chance to contend, big games were needed from Dontrez Styles and Jay Heath, and each folded early.
Styles, averaging 14.8 points entering the game, scored two early baskets to put the Hoyas up 6-5 early in the game. He did not score thereafter for over 27 minutes of play. Heath, whose numbers have been trending down for a while, scored nine straight to give the Hoyas a 15-10 lead at the 12:39 mark of the first half. He went scoreless for the next 24 minutes. The two were not alone, however. Following Heath's basket, the Hoyas proceeded to miss 11 consecutive shots over an eight minute stretch of the first half, but at Ismael Massoud's there at the 3:49 mark, the Hoyas trailed by only four, the result of 11 first half turnovers by the Bluejays which kept the margin within reach. Despite shooting 46 percent from the field and out rebounding its opponent 23-13 at the break, the Bluejays led by just four, 28-24, despite a 30 percent scoring output by Georgetown. Creighton coach Greg McDermott made his halftime adjustments, and the Bluejays never looked back. The Bluejays returned to form, peppering the Hoyas from outside while establishing its way inside. Such a formula was toxic to the Hoyas in its last meeting on Omaha, where the Hoyas lost by 40, and for 11 minutes of the second half the Bluejays looked ready to match that number. "It isn't just jarring that the Hoyas haven't progressed quickly enough. It's that they're so limited on that end in the first place."--Patrick Stevens, The Washington PostNo less disturbing was Georgetown's offense. Midway during the second half, Brumbaugh had shot 3 for 4; the rest of the team was a combined 1 for 9. Cooley exhausted his allotment of time outs by the 6:52 mark in a run which saw the Bluejays score on three consecutive layups, 66-44. Creighton led by as a many as 24 before Brumbaugh answered with seven straight and ten of the next 13, as Georgetown closed to 70-57 approaching the final two minutes, but no closer. Creighton finished the second half shooting 63 percent after the break, but the damage was nearly entirely inside. In two point shots, the Bluejays were a dominating 17 for 21, while its outside shooting, which has struggled of late, was just 4 for 12 in the second half. Both numbers were no match for a offense which finished the game at 38 percent and were defensively embarrassed on rebounds (42-21) and points in the paint (42-22). The Bluejays registered assists on 22 of its 33 field goals, while Georgetown had just eight assists on 23 baskets. The Hoyas were led by 19 from Rowan Brumbaugh but with little else from the rest of the team. From a nine point outburst early in the first half, Jay Heath finished with 11, while Dontrez Styles had nine and starters Ismael Massoud and Supreme Cook combined for four field goals all evening. The Georgetown bench, ranked 326th nationally in points per game, contributed just seven points, all in the final five minutes of action. "It's back-to-back games in the second half where we've just melted," said Cooley in post-game remarks. "We've got to get healthy, it's unfortunate that we can't catch a break with our lineup as we have had different lineups because of injuries, but that's not an excuse. Defensively, we have to improve." Trey Alexander (25 points) and Baylor Scheierman (18) led Creighton to its fourth consecutive win in Washington and a 12th regular season win versus Georgetown in its last 14, tying Creighton coach Greg McDermott with former Villanova coach Rollie Massimino (1973-1992) for 11th place in career Big East wins with 110. Ed Cooley's first Big East win at Georgetown remains elusive. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Brumbaugh 32 4-9 3-7 2-2 3 5 2 19
Heath 29 4-11 1-3 0-0 3 0 0 11
Styles 36 3-7 1-2 0-0 2 1 2 9
Massoud 32 1-3 1-4 2-2 4 0 1 7
Cook 22 2-2 0-0 3-4 5 1 4 7
Reserves:
Bacote 10 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0
Fielder 19 1-4 1-2 0-0 2 0 0 5
Mutombo 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0
Bristol 16 1-4 0-1 0-0 1 0 1 2
Team Rebounds 0
Injured: Epps
DNP: Asadallah, Montgomery, McKenna, Kazor
TOTALS 200 16-41 7-19 7-8 21 8 10 60
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