The Voice Of The Hoyas From Merlin Wilson to Mac McClung, Rich Chvotkin has seen it all - and said it all - through 46 seasons of radio coverage. Georgetown football broadcaster Jeremy Huber had a recent opportunity to talk to Chvotkin on a podcast hosted at GUHoyas.com.Chvotkin has been heard over the years at Washington DC stations ranging from WOL and WOOK to more familiar locations such as WWDC and WTEM, each of which have hosted most Georgetown games since Chvotkin started calling games in 1974. A rarity in college circles, he has called games solo since 1986 and once called over 15 consecutive years of Big East tournaments from start to finish--not just Georgetown's games, but all the games back to Washington.The podcast can be found at GUHoyas.com. McClung Enters NBA Draft, Maintains Eligibility An Instagram post from sophomore guard Mac McClung announced he would enter the 2020 NBA draft, but maintain his option to retain his eligibility and return for the 2020-21 season.
ADDITIONAL COVERAGE
An announcement was not posted on GUHoyas.com as of Sunday evening, where most player moves are usually announced. As such, there has been no comment by head coach Patrick Ewing to date."I have declared for the 2020 NBA Draft while also maintaining eligibility," McClung told ESPN.com in a text message. "I have also signed with an NBA/NCAA certified agent which gives me an opportunity to go through this process while also maintaining eligibility." McClung averaged a team high 15.7 points per game in 2019-20 but missed 10 of the last 11 games of the season due to a foot injury. Through two seasons, he ranks 82nd all time in scoring at the Hilltop with 710 career points and 29th by scoring average, at 14.2 points per game. McClung's high-flying scoring style has made him the most recognizable player on the 2019-20 Hoyas.
As of March, McClung is not on any NBA draft boards and his foot injury may be a cause of concern to some scouts. However, the decision to maintain eligibility gives McClung the ability to speak with NBA officials and get additional guidance on his future draft status if he chooses to return to school. In the 2019 draft, for example, Big East players Alpha Diallo (Providence), Quentin Goodin (Xavier), Tyrique Jones (Xavier), Davion Mintz (Creighton), Myles Powell (Seton Hall), and Paul Scruggs (Xavier) entered the draft and returned to school. Current Big East early entry candidates include Paul Reed (DePaul), Saddiq Bay (Villanova), Sandro Mamukalashvilli (Seton Hall), Naji Marshall (Xavier), Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Villanova) and Jordan Tucker (Butler). Georgetown's previous early entry candidates are listed below:
David Edwards, Jr. (1971-2020) David Edwards, a Georgetown guard during the 1989-90 season, died Monday afternoon from complications of COVID-19 coronavirus.
ADDITIONAL COVERAGE
The son of Dave Edwards, a three time captain at Virginia Commonwealth from 1971-74, the younger Edwards was a star at Andrew Jackson HS in New York, averaging 41 points per game and displaying the street-smart moves of guards common in the Rucker Park League, but wholly unfamiliar at Georgetown, where the guards of the 1980's were built around discipline, defense, and feeding the big men inside.The 5-10 Edwards burst on the Georgetown scene as a freshman guard, predating the ball handling of Kenny Brunner by nearly a decade. In his debut game, Edwards scored just two points but collected 14 assists, third most in school history at the time. By the time of Big East play, Edwards was averaging nearly eight assists per game, but his improvisation on the court was not well received on the bench and his playing time narrowed as a result. "The kid is a jewel to coach," John Thompson told the Washington Post in 1990. "One of the things that I told him in front of all the kids on the team is that one of the things I love about him is he has tough skin. He's not a pouter. And that's a great luxury for a coach because 90 percent of the things you say to a kid you don't mean personally, but you say them very harshly. David is the kind of person that you can jump all over and don't have to come back and reassure and pump back up." Edwards played in all 31 games, averaging 5.4 points per game and finishing second on the team in assists. He reached a career high of 19 points in the NCAA tournament loss to Xavier, but did not get along with Thompson's coaching style and was already looking for an exit. Edwards played three seasons at Texas A&M from 1991-94, averaging 13.5 points per game and earning all-Southwest Conference honors in each of his three seasons. Following basketball, Edwards returned to New York. His son Corey Edwards played at George Mason from 2011-15. Edwards' passing was the first of two former Big East players that died Monday of the disease in the New York area. The New York Post noted the death of Lee Green, a third team Parade All-America selection who played at St. John's from 1991-94. The Sounds Of Hoya Basketball History Fifty years ago this March, Georgetown returned to the post-season for the first time in 17 years in an epic NIT game against Louisiana State. And for the first time in 50 years, fans young and old can hear it first hand."I am the brother of Georgetown Hoya basketball Hall of Famer Mike Laughna '72," reads the post at the HoyaTalk board. "In honor and memory of Mike and his Hoya teammates, on the 50th anniversary of their great season, I am posting audio links to two of that season's seminal games, vs. Columbia University, and LSU (featuring basketball legend "Pistol Pete" Maravich) in the NIT.""Since we had to leave our northern New Jersey home almost two hours before to make it to NYC and Madison Square Garden in time for the game, the setup for the LSU game was a little different," he continues. "First we turned the TV on to the CBS station, placed the tape recorder in front of the TV, hooked up the tape recorder to a mechanical timer on the wall outlet, left the house and hoped for the best. We had no idea if our plan would work. Fortunately, everything worked out fine." This is believed to be the only surviving audio from the CBS broadcast, Georgetown's first-ever nationally televised game. The post also links to the radio play by play of Georgetown's 72-68 upset of #13-ranked Columbia, Georgetown's first win over a top 20 team at home in 15 years. For those used to the less than intimidating sounds of Capital One Arena, the radio play by play captures the excitement of what it was like to play at McDonough Gymnasium, an experience lost for two generations of Georgetown basketball supporters. In a time where college basketball coverage is at a historic ebb, take a moment to step back and enjoy these remarkable audio presentations. Yurtseven Not Returning In 2020-21
Senior center Omer Yurtseven announced he will not pursue a fifth year of eligibility, per an Instagram post Saturday."The cliche "time flies by" doesn't do my time in Georgetown any justice", said Yurtseven, who was expected in many circles to pursue a pro career after he graduates in 2020. Yurtseven transferred to Georgetown in 2018 from North Carolina State."It's been a hell of a year and I couldn't have asked for better teammates and staff to handle all the adversity we faced. The attitude we responded with showed the spirit of the Hoya we represent every time we put on our jerseys. I would like to thank Coach Ewing as well as Coach Thompson for being the perfect examples of Georgetown excellence and for all that they have taught me on and off the court." Yurtseven led the Hoyas in scoring and rebounding in 2019-20, and narrowly missed becoming only the fourth player in Georgetown history to average double figures in scoring and rebounding over their career. At present, Georgetown returns three starters and three scholarship reserves from 2019-20. Thanks, Jagan
Big East Tournament Cancelled
In a 24 hours of whirlwind cancellations following the escalation of fears over the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, the Big East ended its 41st annual men's tournament at halftime of a quarterfinal between St. John's and Creighton."Following a call with our Presidents and Athletics Directors and additional consultation with the City of New York, the Big East Conference has cancelled the remainder of our men's basketball tournament, effective immediately," read the Big East press release. "We believe the decision is in the best interests of our participants and fans."The Big East was the last major conference to close up shop, following decisions by the Big 10, Big 12, and Atlantic Coast Conferences to do so shortly before noon EST. The St. John's-Creighton game was played before a small gathering of staff and player families, as fans were not allowed inside the building. The move may have also been in advance of a state of emergency declared later in the afternoon by the state and City of New York, which effectively closes Madison Square Garden and Broadway playhouses indefinitely. The NCAA announced later Thursday afternoon that its men's and women's tournaments would be cancelled and not held. In its release, NCAA officials also cited "the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities," including such bans as enacted in New York, which was scheduled to host the Eastern regionals at Madison Square Garden. As for the game, St. John's led Creighton 38-35 at the break, but the game will be declared a "no contest". As such, no champion for 2020 will be declared. Georgetown Cancels All Spring Sports
With a mixture of unease, uncertainty, fear and outright panic, American higher education is grounding to a halt over the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. Georgetown University is no exception.Two days after it told students to vacate the campus and study virtually, the Department of Athletics ended spring competition for 14 of its 29 sports and spring practice for football."We recognize the deep disappointment that will be felt by our student-athletes, coaches, and communities, especially our seniors, who have contributed so much to the success of our programs over the last four years," said athletic director Lee Reed in a statement. "Please know this decision was made out of the utmost consideration for the health, safety and well-being of all." Teams affected include baseball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's rowing, sailing, softball, men's and women's tennis, and men's and women's track. Georgetown Statement on Big East Tickets
In an e-mail sent late Wednesday night to ticket holders to the Big East Tournament, Georgetown officials promised refunds to all buyers who purchased tickets through the University.The move came after a decision earlier that evening by the Big East to close the remaining games of the tournament to family and staff, thus invalidating the sellout crowds expected for the remaining four sessions.Wednesday's double header drew an announced crowd of 17,534. St. John's 75, Georgetown 62In journalism classes, a post-mortem is a reflective article following an event. But post-mortem also applies to a unmitigated fatality in the first round of the Big East tournament that not only marked it as the worst loss in the Patrick Ewing era, but one of the epic collapses in the history of Big East basketball.More to follow later next week.Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Allen 38 7-10 2-5 1-2 4 3 3 21
Blair 40 1-2 2-14 0-0 4 4 4 8
Mosely 39 2-3 0-1 0-0 3 3 3 4
Pickett 40 2-5 3-9 0-0 10 4 1 13
Wahab 19 4-4 0-0 0-0 8 2 1 8
Reserves:
Muresan 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Robinson 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0
Yurtseven 21 2-2 0-0 4-6 6 1 3 8
Team Rebounds 4
DNP: McClung, Ighoefe, Azinge, Wilson
TOTALS 200 18-26 7-29 5-8 39 17 16 62
All-Big East Teams Omer Yurtseven was named to the honorable mention All-Big East team announced Sunday.Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Freshman of the Year awards will be announced on Wednesday.A cumulative list of Georgetown's All-Big East selections through the years is found at the Georgetown Basketball History Project. The honorees are as follows: First Team: Markus Howard, Marquette, G, Sr., 5-11, 175, Chandler, AZ (unanimous selection) Myles Powell, Seton Hall, G, Sr., 6-2, 195, Trenton, NJ (unanimous selection) Saddiq Bey, Villanova, F, So., 6-8, 220, Largo, MD (unanimous selection) Ty-Shon Alexander, Creighton, G, Jr., 6-4, 195, Charlotte, NC Kamar Baldwin, Butler, G, Sr., 6-1, 195, Winder, GA Naji Marshall, Xavier, F, Jr., 6-7, 222, Atlantic City, NJ Second Team: Marcus Zegarowski, Creighton, G, So., 6-2, 180, Hamilton, MA (unanimous selection) Alpha Diallo, Providence, G, Sr., 6-7, 210, New York, NY Collin Gillespie, Villanova, G, Jr., 6-3, 191, Huntingdon Valley, PA Tyrique Jones, Xavier, F, Sr., 6-9, 239, Bloomfield, CT Paul Reed, DePaul, F, Jr., 6-9, 220, Orlando, FL Honorable Mention: Quincy McKnight, Seton Hall, G, Sr., 6-4, 185, Bridgeport, CT Omer Yurtseven, Georgetown, C, Sr., 7-0, 264, Istanbul, Turkey All-Freshman: Justin Moore, Villanova, G, 6-4, 210, Fort Washington, MD (unanimous selection) Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Villanova, F, 6-9, 232, Overland Park, KS (unanimous selection) Julian Champagnie, St. John's, F, 6-8, 215, Brooklyn, NY Zach Freemantle, Xavier, F, 6-9, 225, Teaneck, NJ KyKy Tandy, Xavier, G, 6-2, 190, Hopkinsville, KY Romeo Weems, DePaul, F, 6-7, 210, Detroit, MI Villanova 70, Georgetown 69
If there was but 40 minutes that served as a microcosm of Georgetown's star-crossed 2019-20 season, Saturday's 70-69 loss to Villanova would fit the bill.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
The game represented the very best and very worst about the season, featuring stellar individual performances, a team effort on defense, but a deflating ending which saw Georgetown lose a four point lead in the final minute,capped by a goaltending call with 5.6 remaining that proved the margin of defeat.Georgetown's depleted starting lineup carried no nickname, but "Iron Men" would suffice. Two starters played the entire game; a third, Jagan Mosely, missed seven seconds during a time out sequence while Jamorko Pickett played all but the final five seconds. They played with heart and enthusiasm, but never quit. A win was closer than they realized, but eluded their grasp for a sixth consecutive game. As has been the case far too often this season, Georgetown started the game painfully slow. The Hoyas missed its first seven shots of the game while Villanova connected on six of its first seven, including a pair of threes to race to a 14-0 lead in the first five minutes. Villanova extended its lead to 17 at 26-9 eight minutes into the first and threatened to run away with the game, but were held in check by a season's bast half from junior forward Jamorko Pickett, scoring 10 of the Hoyas' first 14 points and 15 points by halftime. Slowly but surely, the Hoyas gained their confidence back as the Wildcats offense got sloppy, including nine first half turnovers. From a 28-14 deficit, Georgetown went on a 9-0 run behind baskets by Pickett, Terrell Allen, and Jahvon Blair. Georgetown cut the lead to six at the 3:11 mark before back to back threes by the Wildcats built a nine point lead at the half, 39-30. The Wildcats shot 8 for 12 from three point range and that proved the difference at the break. The second half was an exciting 20 minutes from start to finish. Georgetown opened the half on a 9-2 run, sparked by senior Jagan Mosely in his last game at Capital One Arena. Back to back threes by Pickett and Allen tied the score at 39, and a dunk by Qudus Wahab gave the Hoyas its first lead at 41-39. Both teams struggled to maintain a lead until Villanova junior Saddiq Bey scored five straight to put the Wildcats up five, 53-48, but the Hoya defense stiffened such that the Wildcats scored just three field goals in the final 12:21, two by goaltending calls. Mosely began to pick up the pace for the Hoyas: a three at the 9:51 mark, 54-51, a layup forty seconds later, 54-53. A jumper by Allen put the G-men up one, 56-55, but a combination of good defense and poor shot selections turned the second half into a foul shooting contest, with the teams combining for one field goal, a Mosely jumper, over the next five minutes. A consecutive pair of free throws put the Wildcats up one, 59-58, at the six minute mark. A Georgetown turnover and miss led to Jerome Robinson-Earl driving the lane, but a Wahab block was disallowed for goaltending at the 4:48 mark, 61-58. Georgetown answered with five straight, 63-61, and forced Villanova scoreless on its next two possessions. Free throws from Pickett put the Hoyas up four, 66-62, when Bey struck gold from three point range, 66-65. Georgetown needed an answer and got it. On its next possession, Allen sank a three pointer, 69-65, with one minute left. Seniors Mosely and Allen combined for 26 of the Hoyas' 39 points after halftime. Down four, the Wildcats never flinched. Robinson-Earl drove the lane to close to two, 69-67, with 45 seconds remaining. A Mosely pass was picked off by Robinson-Earl with 27 seconds remaining, but the Wildcats opted not to take a time out and play for the last shot. "I felt we had a better chance because they were so dialed in," said Villanova coach Jay Wright in post-game comments. "If they had a stoppage, [Ewing] was going to be able to get them set and we'd have a tough time scoring, and I didn't want to give them a chance to get set." Instead, guard Collin Gillespie found Jermaine Samuels on the left wing, who drove past Jamorko Pickett and was fouled on the shot, but Wahab went for the block which was confirmed by video replay to be a goaltend, sending Samuels to the line for the three point play and the one point lead, 70-69. "When [Pickett] closed out on me, I saw his top foot and decided to make a strong move and try to be aggressive," Samuels said, which fouled Pickett out in the process. While Georgetown fans were not pleased about the late foul call, Ewing dismissed the significance after the game. "We can't cry about foul calls, we still had our opportunities to win," he said. Georgetown still had 4.5 seconds to spin the magical ending, but everything about the play seemed off. Jagan Mosely brought in the inbound, while reserve forward George Muresan (in for Pickett) seemed to be just standing there and was not a legitimate scoring option. An inbound pass to Terrell Allen was quickly covered by the Wildcats, but Allen never looked up to see Mosely alone at the top of the key and Blair waving his hands on the right wing. Instead, Allen drove the wing for a bank shot which sailed off the rim as time expired. A turnover, goaltend, and missed shot amounted to Georgetown's last three possessions; by contrast, Villanova was 3 for 3 from the floor and scored eight points in the final 1:21. In a nutshell, that is why Villanova tied for the regular season crown while Georgetown was relegated to the Wednesday bracket for a fifth time in seven years. The Hoyas held the Wildcats to 33 percent shooting after halftime and 2 for 13 from three point range, but Bey's two threes were vital. Georgetown shot 51 percent from the field and 50 percent (5-10) but their usually sure handed free throw shooting failed them, missing four of ten attempts after halftime. Pickett led all GU scorers with 20 points, followed by 15 from Allen, 13 after halftime. The Hoyas (5-13 Big East) earned the 8th seed in the Big East tournament by means of a tiebreaker over St. John's, which won its second consecutive game in an 88-86 win over Marquette. The Hoyas and Redmen meet Wednesday in the first round, where St. John's defeated Georgetown in consecutive first round games in 2017 and 2018. Georgetown's last win in the Big East tournament was a 70-53 win over DePaul in 2016. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Allen 40 5-14 2-4 1-1 2 4 2 17
Blair 40 2-6 1-8 0-0 3 3 1 7
Mosely 40 3-6 2-3 1-1 8 3 4 13
Pickett 39 3-4 4-5 2-4 5 2 5 20
Wahab 30 4-8 0-0 1-2 8 0 1 9
Reserves:
Ighoefe 10 1-1 0-0 1-2 1 0 3 3
Muresan 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Team Rebounds 4
DNP: McClung, Azinge, Robinson, Wilson, Yurtseven
TOTALS 200 18-39 9-20 6-10 31 12 16 69
The MVP
From the Washington Post, a story of a leader in his final home game at the Hilltop. Recommended reading.
The Class of 2020
The class of 2020 plays its final home game Saturday.Despite a rough four years, the four men of the senior class have exhibited great leadership in a difficult 2019-20 season and will be honored Saturday at Senior Day activities prior to the season finale versus Villanova. Bios on each of the seniors will be posted at the Georgetown Basketball History Project--two on Friday, two on Saturday.Creighton 91, Georgetown 76
Once the flagship of the Big East, the Georgetown Hoyas now sit firmly planted in the dry dock of the conference standings.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
Creighton's 81-74 win over the Hoyas was as expected as it was inevitable. The conference's top ranked offense met the conference's worst defense, and the Bluejays were true to form, shooting 17 threes in the win, most by any Georgetown opponent in school history. With the loss, the Hoyas clinched a bottom three finish for the fifth time in the past seven years, and its second in three years under Patrick Ewing. There are any number of good reasons why a shorthanded Georgetown team can fall short, but a disturbing trend is that Georgetown does not fade late in games, they fade early. Creighton jumped out to a 6-0 lead on back to back threes and had already collected four threes before Ewing called a time out five minutes in, down 14-5. The Hoyas got within 16-14 and 21-20 midway in the half when the Bluejay artillery went to work. Creighton answered Georgetown's rally with a 19-3 run to put the game out of reach, 40-23, and the Hoyas went over seven minutes without a field goal until a Jahvon Blair basket brought the Hoyas within 15 at the 2:14 mark, 42-27. The Bluejays hit two more threes before intermission, 48-33 hitting nine threes in 19 attempts and shooting 48 percent, while GU missed eight of ten attempts from three and shot just 36 percent before halftime. Gerogetown never got closer than 15 in the second half. The Jays added three more threes in the first four minutes of the half, 57-37. Georgetown scored four threes in the final eight minutes to no effect, while the 17th and final three of the evening for the homestanding Jays brought the lead to 26, 91-65 with 3:27 to play. The Hoyas scored the final nine points of the game. Creighton got 58 points from its scoring leaders: 20 each from Mitch Ballock and Marcus Zegarowski, and 18 from Ty-Shon Alexander: the three combined for 14 of CU's 16 three pointers. Ballock, held to six points in the first meeting between the schools, finished with a team high six threes, followed by four each from Zegarowski and Alexander. The Hoyas were led by 22 from Jahvon Blair and with 14 points and 12 rebounds from Qudus Wahab, marking season highs for the freshman in both categories. Despite playing well for large sections of the game, Georgetown's inattention to Creighton's perimeter passing made them easy prey for the kind of three point shooting which the 17,696 at CHI Health Center have grown accustomed to: the Bluejays have shot 13 or more threes in each of its last four home games and Ewing had no answer for containing them Wednesday. Thirteen times since 2008 Creighton has lost a game by 20 or more points, most recently Saturday at St. John's. With this win, its record in those games which followed is a perfect 13-0. "We have one more game and it's going to be a tough game but anything can happen," said Patrick Ewing in post-game remarks. "Then it's the new season. The new season starts at the Big East Tournament. Anything can happen in the Big East tournament," he said, perhaps wistfully. The loss drops the Hoyas to 15-15 on the season and the Georgetown program now faces the possibility of a fourth losing season in the last five years. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Allen 33 0-7 2-3 4-6 7 3 3 10
Blair 40 5-15 3-8 3-3 7 7 1 22
Mosely 36 3-3 0-2 0-0 4 5 1 6
Pickett 37 2-7 3-9 4-4 3 2 2 17
Wahab 27 7-9 0-0 0-3 12 0 3 14
Reserves:
Ighoefe 13 1-1 0-0 0-1 5 0 1 2
Azinge 2 0-0 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 1
Muresan 5 0-0 0-0 2-2 0 0 0 2
Robinson 7 0-1 0-0 0-0 2 0 0 2
Team Rebounds 1
DNP (all injured): McClung, Wilson, Yurtseven
TOTALS 200 18-43 8-22 16-23 41 17 12 76
Xavier 66, Georgetown 63 Over the years, basketball fans have seen its share of classic Big East games on CBS television. This was not one of them.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
In so many ways this was a game for the taking, but it proved another verse to a song of struggle heard all season long. Georgetown led early, 5-3, but 17 seconds later the Musketeers tied the score and Georgetown never led again. The Hoyas missed its next seven shots from the field as the Musketeers led by as many as 11, 16-5, eight minutes into the first half.Xavier never quite pulled away, however. Opening the game 1 for 6, the X-men then hit on its next six attempts to lead 21-10 midway through the first half but a combination of poor shooting and turnovers enveloped both teams, such that Xavier finished the first half shooting just 2 for 14 down the stretch. At one point, the teams combined for seven points over a six minute period. A 10-2 Georgetown run closed to 23-20 at the 6:14 mark, but the scoring ground to a halt. Each team scored one field goal in the ensuing five minutes until Marshall's basket at the 48 second mark gave Xavier a 28-22 lead at the break. Georgetown shot just 9 for 31 in the first half and 2 for 10 from three point range, but a far more frustrating statistic emerged: in a first half where Xavier gave up 12 turnovers, Georgetown managed only two points off those turnovers. Both teams continued to struggle after halftime. A Jamorko Pickett three brought the Hoyas within three to start the second half, followed by a Mosely layup to close to 28-27. Following a missed basket from Xavier center Tyrique Jones, the Hoyas looked to take the lead but a Qudus Wahab basket was waved off and Xavier answered with a Jason Carter jumper, 30-27. Such was the story of a game where Georgetown could get close but no closer all afternoon. The struggles on both sides of the court were noticeable. Of the first 15 possessions of the second half, 13 ended in turnovers. The teams combined for 12 turnovers in the first six minutes, and Georgetown seemed to have no answer offensively, scoring just one field goal in a six minute stretch. Even then, Xavier's lead was no more than eight. A pair of players from began to take control of the Musketeers: Naji Marshall and Tyrique Jones. For Jones, held to two points in a unspectacular first half, he began to punish Georgetown low, and finished with 16 points and seven rebounds in the second half alone. Marshall, who played high school ball in Greenbelt, MD but was not seriously recruited By Georgetown, would finish with 15 in the second half--together the two combined for 31 of Xavier's 38 second half points and the last 23 points scored by Xavier in the final 10 minutes of the game. A pair of threes brought the Hoyas within four midway through the half, 41-37, but free throws and a three from Marshall pushed the lead back to nine, 46-37. Georgetown's use of pressure defense in the backcourt and a zone defense in selected situations seemed to rattle the Musketeers, as Xavier gave up the ball on four consecutive possessions inside the nine minute mark. A Blair three was waived off because of a traveling call, but GU began to chip away at the lead at the foul line, where the Hoyas were 11 for 11 in the half. Xavier pushed the lead back to eight when a basket by Terrell Allen and a three from Blair stirred up the crowd at Capital One Arena and closed the Xavier lead to 52-49 at the 6:40 mark. The turnover game returned to wreak havoc on momentum on both sides of the floor. Each team traded turnovers on the next four possessions until Mosely and Jones went back and forth, each scoring on consecutive possessions to close to 54-51 heading into the final four minutes. By this point of the game, Xavier couldn't hold on to the ball and Georgetown couldn't hit a shot. Missed threes from Blair and Pickett could not get the Hoyas within five, but a fifth foul on Xavier guard Paul Scruggs sent freshman center Tim Ighoefe to the line for a pair of free throws to get within three, 58-55. Marshall answered the bell with a three, 61-55. The Hoyas picked up the pace outside the arc. A Pickett three at the 2:12 mark got within three, 61-58, but Marshall then was called for an offensive foul at the 1:32 mark, turning the ball back to Georgetown. Off a GU time out, Blair hit a long three to tie the score, 61-61, with 1:08 to play. On Xavier's next possession, Marshall was fouled by Pickett, whereupon Marshall sank two at the line, 63-61. Georgetown went inside on its next series, where Ighoefe grabbed a key offensive rebound and tied the score with 17 seconds to play. Xavier held for one shot, and Marshall delivered at the top of the arc, 66-63. Xavier opted not to foul Georgetown off the inbound, giving Terrell Allen a chance at a long three that sailed wide. The Hoyas managed just 21 field goals on the afternoon against 20 turnovers, and failed to reach 70 points for the third time in the last four games. In games this year where Georgetown has scored fewer than 71 points, it is 0-11. This was a tough loss in every sense of the word. Georgetown had no fewer than four chances to gain the lead in the second half and Marshall repelled every challenge. And while Xavier continues to fight to stay out of the Wednesday bracket, Gerogetown is now locked into the opening game of the tournament on Wednesday, likely against St. John's, who knocked Georgetown out of the first round in 2017 and 2018, neither of which resulted in a post-season invitation for the Hoyas. Since Xavier joined the Big East in 2013, they are 12-3 versus Georgetown. Now at 15-14, Georgetown is all but statistically out of NCAA consideration, and must win at least one of its final two games against a pair of Top 25 teams at #10 Creighton and home versus #12 Villanova for NIT consideration. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Allen 33 1-5 1-3 2-2 1 4 3 7
Blair 39 1-4 4-11 4-4 5 1 0 18
Mosely 40 4-8 0-3 3-5 2 7 3 11
Pickett 35 1-4 3-7 1-1 4 1 4 12
Wahab 21 3-4 0-0 1-1 5 0 2 7
Reserves:
Ighoefe 19 1-4 0-0 2-2 7 1 4 4
Muresan 5 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 0 0 2
Robinson 7 1-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 2
Team Rebounds 4
DNP: McClung, Azinge, Wilson, Yurtseven
TOTALS 200 13-32 8-25 13-15 30 14 16 63
Malcolm Wilson Out For Season The last man on the bench is not immune to Georgetown's injury woes.Malcolm Wilson, the fourth of four centers on the Georgetown lineup, broke a bone in his leg during practice Saturday, and was in a suit for Sunday's game versus Xavier.Wilson has not played in any games this season. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||