Kenneth R. Brown (1966-2025)
A funeral notice confirms the death of former basketball manager Kenny Brown (C'88) at the age of 59.Brown grew up in Verona, NJ where he was a three sport letterman and student body president at Verona HS. A three year manager for the Georgetown teams of 1985-86 through 1987-88, Brown began his business career at Xerox and Pepsico before serving as a management consultant and director in the health care field, and opened his own consultancy in the Atlanta area a year ago. He previously served on the board of the Hoya Hoop Club.Kenny is survived by his wife, daughter and two grandchildren. Funeral services are scheduled for Friday in Marietta, GA. Peavy Awaits NBA Attention
With two weeks remaining in his collegiate career, Georgetown forward Micah Peavy is getting attention as a potential NBA draft selection.A first team All Big East selection, Peavy enters the College Basketball Crown with a 17.2 points per game average, 19.2 in Big East play. This ranks him seventh in school history by scoring average, and third among all players with two or fewer seasons on the Georgetown varsity."As Georgetown's top perimeter defender and one of the best defenders in the Big East, Peavy accepted every assignment given to him and often found success either shutting down the opposing team's best offensive player or at least making them work for their points," writes author Jamaill Hines in this Substack entry. "He shows an understanding of how to leverage his blend of quick-twitch athleticism, strength, length, active hands, and anticipation skills (especially in passing lanes) to consistently be a formidable defender both on and off the ball. "Peavy is no doubt amongst the draft's most underrated defenders, but that should change as evaluators and NBA decision-makers see him compete in the inaugural College Basketball Crown, and dig into his film more after the season's conclusion." Adds Hines: "His sensational final campaign and NBA profile should warrant an invite to the NBA Combine. I would be a bit surprised if he's invited to the G-League Camp instead, but he would be an easy choice to thrive there and earn the Combine invite. Peavy's skillset, dynamic physical tools, and clear NBA role are all the ingredients of a potential pre-draft riser and impactful rotation player." Ten Years After
The final Associated Press poll for the 2024-25 season featured just one Big East team, and a look back at what once was.For the first time since 2018-19, only one Big East team - #5 St. John's - was recognized in the poll, released Monday. The poll ended a run of 50 consecutive weeks over three seasons that Marquette had been ranked, dating to January 2, 2023.It also marks an uncomfortable footnote in Georgetown basketball history: the final poll marks ten years this week since Georgetown was nationally ranked. On March 16, 2015, Georgetown was ranked #22 prior to its first round game in the NCAA tournament. Georgetown has not been back since: it is one of only three Big East schools that have not been ranked in any of the the past four seasons. Among colleges in the major conferences, only six have not made the poll for 10 years or more:
Here is the Big East list of rankings, including the number of weeks a team has been in the Associated Press poll since the conference was revised in 2013:
Georgetown Selected To College Basketball Crown
The bracket for the College Basketball Crown was released Monday morning, with Georgetown invited to the inaugural tournament.The Hoyas will meet Washington State (19-14) at 11:00 pm ET on Monday, March 31 on FS1. The Cougars (19-14) lost in the West Coast Conference quarterfinals on March 9. This is the first meeting between the schools.The 16 team tournament, developed by Fox Sports for teams in its television portfolio (Big Ten, Big East, Big 12) that did not qualify for the NCAA tournament, was a mystery of sorts as to selection criteria. It was reported that the committee, participants unknown, would select two autobids from each conference and select the top 10 of the remaining schools from these three conferences by NCAA NET rankings to form the field. However, at least two schools bowed out: Rutgers (15-17, NET 77) will not participate in any post-season, while Oklahoma State (15-17, NET 95) accepted a bid to the NIT instead. The Crown has selected two teams outside these three conferences to fill the bracket: George Washington (21-12) and Tulane (19-14). Big East teams selected include Butler, Villanova, Georgetown and DePaul; however, Providence was not selected or declined a bid. The first round schedule is as follows, with all games played at the MGM Grand Garden Arena (all times PDT): Utah vs. Butler - Monday, March 31, 12 pm George Washington vs. Boise State - Monday, March 31, 2:30 pm Nebraska vs. Arizona State - March 31, 5:30 p.m Georgetown vs. Washington State - Monday, March 31, 8 pm DePaul vs. Cincinnati - Tuesday, April 1, 12 pm Oregon State vs. UCF - Tuesday, April 1, 2:30 pm Colorado vs. Villanova - Tuesday, April 1, 5:30 pm Tulane vs. USC - Tuesday, April 1, 8 pm
John Feinstein (1955-2025)
John Feinstein, a writer and columnist for the Washington Post for 48 years, died Thursday of a heart attack at the age of 69.A 1977 graduate of Duke University, Feinstein's first job after college was as a sports writer at the Post, amidst the golden age of Post sports writers, which included the likes of Tom Boswell, Bill Gildea, Mark Asher, Ken Denlinger, Len Shapiro, Dave Kindred, David DuPree, Tony Kornheiser, and Michael Wilbon, Feinstein's successor at the sports internship role which launched Feinstein's career. He joined the Post sports desk in the fall of 1977 and never left. His last column, a feature on Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, was published the morning of his death.A supremely talented writer to the aphorism "often wrong, but never in doubt" could apply, Feinstein's skill could not be disputed even if his personality could. "Two years ago, when Bob Knight died, John Feinstein wrote: Knight was an almost Shakespearean character: brilliant, thoughtful and tragically flawed," wrote former Post editor George Solomon. "When the news flashed Thursday that Feinstein had died in his brother's McLean home at 69, it struck me that Feinstein might have written a similar description of himself...One way or another, he was going to get what he was after, and if his bosses didn't always appreciate it, his readers usually did. To call him a managerial challenge would be an understatement. Often, Feinstein knew the right thing to do. Always, Feinstein believed he knew the right thing to do." "He could be the most charming guy in the room, and the guy you wanted to throw out of the room," said Wilbon. Feinstein is best remembered among Georgetown fans as the Post's beat reporter for the Hoyas from 1982 through 1984, covering the 1984 NCAA championship run. That summer, the 29 year old reporter proposed his first book, requesting exclusive access to follow the Hoyas behind the scenes for the 1984-85 season. Head coach John Thompson promptly rejected the concept, beginning a three decade grudge between Feinstein and the program. He took the concept to Indiana, where "A Season On the Brink" was a national best seller and began a equally tempestuous relationship between Feinstein and former Indiana coach Bob Knight. For much of the next 30 years, Feinstein was a visible Georgetown critic. He regularly noted Georgetown's refusal to play Maryland, its lack of ties with local schools, and the imperial nature of the Georgetown basketball office. When Thompson refused to support Feinstein's concept of an annual tournament among local universities, Feinstein created one of his own, later known as the BB&T Classic, served as its de facto promoter, and famously did not invite Georgetown for over 20 years. (This site would occasionally refer to the event as the "John Feinstein Invitational.") There is some irony in that after Feinstein left the tournament organizing committee, Georgetown was the only local team in the final two years to participate in the event after Maryland and George Washington bowed out. As with many, though not all, of John Thompson's legendary feuds, the two eventually buried the hatchet and the two became close in the later years of Thompson's life. Thompson encouraged Feinstein to write a book on race in sports, telling him "it's a book you absolutely have to do." "He hosted a local radio show here for years, and I often was a guest," Feinstein wrote upon Thompson's death in 2020. "Once, when the show was being broadcast from the site of the local PGA Tour stop, John asked me to explain some things about golf, a sport he admitted he knew little about. When I finished, John looked at me and said: John, you're one of the smartest people I know. I just don't understand why you can be such a jackass. 'I feel the same way about you, John', I answered, and we both cracked up." On addition to his columns, Feinstein was a prolific author: 48 books in 40 years, 23 of which became national best sellers. Highlights included "A Civil War: Army vs. Navy", "Let Me Tell You a Story," recalling his weekly lunches with NBA legend Red Auerbach, and the perfectly titled "A Good Walk Spoiled: Days And Nights on the PGA Tour". "It's sadly poetic that John died at the gateway to March Madness and the first day of The Players, since covering golf was his other great obsession," said Wilbon in a tribute on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption. John Feinstein is survived by his wife and three children. DePaul 71, Georgetown 67
With the exception of four days in a locked Madison Square Garden in 2021, no school performs more poorly than the Georgetown Hoyas in the recent decade of the Big East tournament.
In the first 40 years of Big East play, only two teams had ever swept a three game series with Georgetown in a single season: one, Syracuse, won a national championship, the other, UConn, was coming off a national championship season. In the past four seasons, it's happened four times, but none to a team below .500 entering the conference tournament as the 10th seed.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
"Three games in a row where it all played out the same way," said Georgetown coach Ed Cooley, a response for a coach who had few changes to address it. With a skeleton crew of a bench, this team goes as far as its starting five will go, and this game saw season low efforts from two starters while a key reserve for DePaul proved the star of the game.Ed Cooley can and regularly does point to Thomas Sorber's absence as the root cause of its fifth loss in its last six games, but Sorber wasn't missing layups out there or getting beat off the dribble. As was the case the previous Saturday in Chicago, this was a winnable game where the starters were slow on defense and the bench wasn't there when it needed to be. With a combination like that, Georgetown becomes an easy target for teams, one which DePaul, a team who had won just five Big East tournament games in 20 years, took full advantage of. Georgetown held an 8-5 lead in the opening three minutes of the game but it faded quickly. The Blue Demons, unencumbered by the perimeter defense of Georgetown guards Malik Mack and Jayden Epps, peppered the Hoyas from outside, hitting three consecutive threes to take a 14-10 lead five minutes into the half. Georgetown connected on a single field goal for seven minutes, shooting 1 for 9 as a 19-2 run built a 15 point DePaul lead, 27-12, midway in the first half.
Schools Which Have Defeated Georgetown Three Times In A Season: |
Post-Game Press Conference
Peavy Named To All-Big East Team
Georgetown forward Micah Peavy was selected to the All-Big East team announced Sunday.
Peavy, the first All-Big East selection from Georgetown since Jessie Govan in 2019 and only the second such selection since 2015, enters this week's Big East Tournament averaging 16.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game.Freshman Thomas Sorber was named to the Big East third team and the All-Freshman team. Sorber averaged 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds until suffering a season-ending injury at Butler on Feb. 15. He is Georgetown's first third team selection since Markel Starks in 2013 and its first all-freshman pick since Aminu Mohammed in 2022.
A cumulative list of Georgetown's prior All-Big East selections through the years is found at the Georgetown Basketball History Project.
The honorees are as follows:
First Team: (* indicates unanimous selection)
*RJ Luis, Jr., St. John's, F, Jr., 6-7, 215, Miami, FL
*Eric Dixon, Villanova, F, Gr., 6-8, 265, Willow Grove, PA
*Kam Jones, Marquette, G, Sr., 6-5, 205, Memphis, TN
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton, C, Sr., 7-1, 270, Florissant, MO
Micah Peavy, Georgetown, G-F, Gr., 6-8, 220, Duncanville, TX
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John's, F, Jr., 6-9, 240, Garland, TX
Second Team:
Steven Ashworth, Creighton, G, Sr., 6-0, 175, Alpine, UT
Solomon Ball, Connecticut, G, So., 6-3, 190, Leesburg, VA
Zach Freemantle, Xavier, F, Gr., 6-9, 227, Teaneck, NJ
Alex Karaban, Connecticut, F, R-Jr., 6-8, 225, Southborough, MA
Kadary Richmond, St. John's, G, Gr., 6-6, 205, Brooklyn, NY
Third Team:
Ryan Conwell, Xavier, G, Jr., 6-4, 215, Indianapolis, IN
David Joplin, Marquette, F, Sr., 6-8, 225, Milwaukee, WI
Liam McNeeley, Connecticut, F, Fr., 6-7, 210, Richardson, TX
Wooga Poplar, Villanova, G, Sr., 6-5, 197, Philadelphia, PA
Thomas Sorber, Georgetown, F-C, Fr., 6-10, 255, Trenton, NJ
Jahmyl Telfort, Butler, F, Gr., 6-7, 225, Montreal, PQ
All-Freshman Team:
*Liam McNeeley, Connecticut, F, Fr., 6-7, 210, Richardson, TX
*Thomas Sorber, Georgetown, F-C, Fr., 6-10, 255, Trenton, NJ
Oswin Erhunmwunse, Providence, F, Fr., 6-10, 220, Benin City, Nigeria
Ryan Mela, Providence, F, Fr., 6-6, 220, Natick, MA
Jackson McAndrew, Creighton, F, Fr., 6-10, 220, Wayzata, MN
Royce Parham, Marquette, F, Fr., 6-8, 230, Pittsburgh, PA
DePaul 83, Georgetown 77
A season high 56 percent shooting led a confident DePaul team to a season sweep of the Georgetown Hoyas, 83-77, before 5,453 at Wintrust Arena today.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
Both teams got off to a hot start in a game with marginal impact upon the tournament seedings: Georgetown had clinched the seventh seed Wednesday versus Villanova, while UConn's 81-50 win over Seton hall locked DePaul into a matchup with the Hoyas on Wednesday evening. Four threes for DePaul and three for GU were part of a combined 7 for 8 run from deep as DePaul took a 15-13 lead seven minutes into the first half.The Hoyas' perimeter defense was lacking in the first half, as DePaul hit its fifth three in as many tries, 22-19, with Georgetown staying close largely as the result of Micah Peavy, with 18 first half points, including a pair of threes that gave GU a 32-29 lead with 4:06 to halftime. A patient DePaul offense, having navigated through seven ties and six lead changes, took a 33-32 lead with 2:31 remaining, and entered the break up four, 38-34, with Georgetown missing eight straight from the floor until a Drew McKenna tip-in with four seconds to play.
Previous games have seen Georgetown open with a much better second half start than the end of the first, but such was not the case Saturday. The Hoyas missed its first six attempts of the second half and found themselves down nine, 43-38, and on three occasions climbed back within a possession of the lead, only to suffer a defensive lapse:
- Down eight with 16:11 to play, back to back three pointers from Kayvaun Mulready and Curtis Williams brought the Hoyas win two, 46-44. On the next possession, DePaul's J.J. Traynor hit an open three, 49-44.
- With 10:32 to play, a Peavy jumper closed to 55-53, answered by an Isaiah Rivera three, 58-53.
- Trailing by as many as 10 with five minutes to play, Jayden Epps connects on a four point play with 1:50 remaining, 76-73, but DePaul's David Thomas gets a fall away jumper to push the lead to 78-73, and Troy D'Amico put the game away on a second chance layup with 31 seconds remaining.
The sights and sounds of an 83-77 victory over Georgetown on Senior Day.
— Wintrust Arena (@WintrustArena) March 9, 2025
"This is only the beginning..." @DePaulHoops @ChrisHoltmann #BlueGrit pic.twitter.com/t6IAkfMJjB
"We had two guys show up today...everybody else, they just were imposters."
-- Georgetown coach Ed Cooley
Micah Peavy led all Georgetown scorers with 29 points and 10 rebounds but the Hoyas' guards were outplayed throughout the afternoon. Malik Mack turned in a career low two points, while Jayden Epps was not effective on defense and scored nine of his 17 points in the final there minutees of play. The Hoyas shot 4 of 14 from three point range after halftime and finished 9 of 26 overall.
The recap from GUHoyas.com gave just two polite sentences to Ed Cooley's post-game thoughts. The extended version was much more direct.
Saturday's outcome will be a mere footnote on the season if Cooley's comments refocus this team on what remains a winnable game Wednesday. For a few days more, at least, DePaul has earned only its second sweep ever against Georgetown since the Blue Demons joined the Big East in 2006.
The Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Mack 31 1-3 0-2 0-0 2 2 4 2
Epps 37 2-8 3-9 4-5 3 3 1 17
Peavy 40 7-13 4-6 3-4 10 3 3 29
Burks 29 3-8 0-1 3-5 8 3 2 9
Fielder 24 4-5 0-2 0-2 6 0 4 8
Reserves:
McKenna 3 1-1 0-1 0-0 1 0 2 2
Cu. Williams 26 2-4 1-3 0-0 1 0 1 7
Mulready 10 0-1 1-2 0-0 1 0 0 3
Team Rebounds 1
Injured: Ca. Williams, Halaifonua, Moses, Sorber
DNP: Fort, Montgomery, Asadallah, Van Raaphorst, Diouf
TOTALS 200 20-43 9-26 10-16 33 11 17 77
Let's Play Two
A wild finish at Providence all but locks Georgetown and DePaul into back to back games entering the 46th annual Big East Tournament.
Down 74-65 at home with 1:57 to play, PC closed to three points with seven seconds remaining when Bensley Joseph was fouled on a three point attempt. Joseph missed all three attempts, the last of which fell short of a key offensive rebound when referee Tony Chiazza inadvertently blew the whistle. By rule, an inadvertent whistle is grounds for an alternate possession, which in this case turned the back back to DePaul, which held on, 80-77.It's only the second road win for DePaul (12-18, 3-16) in two years, the other being its win at Capital One Arena versus Georgetown on January 17. Providence (12-18, 6-13) has lost seven of its last eight and will play Butler in its opening round game.
Barring a unimaginable Seton Hall win at UConn, DePaul will clinch the 10th seed and meet Georgetown in the first round of the Big East Tournament, regardless of the outcome in Saturday's game between the two teams.
This "back to back" scenario has happened four times before for the Hoyas in Big East play, but none in the past 25 years:
- 1983: A game postponed by snow moved the Syracuse at Georgetown game to an non-televised Monday night game at Capital Centre, won by the Hoyas, 80-75 in a regular season sweep. Three days later, the teams met in the quarterfinals, with 5th seeded Syracuse winning 79-72. It was the only loss suffered by Patrick Ewing and the class of 1985 in four years of Big East tournament play.
- 1986: Georgetown ended the regular season with the 3rd seed following a 93-62 walloping of Pittsburgh at Capital Centre. Five days later, in a bizarre finish, Pitt had three chances in the final 15 seconds for the win when, sensing a game winning shot by Pitt's Curtis Aiken, a Pitt fan preemptively threw a roll of toilet paper onto the floor at Madison Square Garden, forcing a game stoppage with two seconds remaining. Following the time out, Pittsburgh's Demetrius Gore could not get a shot off, with ESPN cameras showing a foul uncalled on the play. Georgetown advanced, 57-56.
- 1988: Georgetown lost in the first round of the Big East only twice in a 22 year period from 1980 through 2001, and the second came on a back to back game, just as it had five years earlier. The Hoyas rallied behind a career high 38 from Jaren Jackson in a 102-98 double overtime win over Seton Hall in the 1987-88 season finale at Capital Centre, but Jackson missed a three pointer at the buzzer five days later in Seton Hall's 61-58 win over the third seeded Hoyas. This game marked Seton Hall's first quarterfinal win in Big East tournament history.
- 1999: This season's finale saw Providence's Erron Maxey score with less than a second left to upset the Hoyas 64-62 at the Providence Civic Center, sending PC ahead of Notre Dame and Syracuse for the 7th seed against the 10th seeded Hoyas. In this game, Maxey again had the ball for the final shot, but his shot skirted off the rim and Georgetown held on, 68-66.
Georgetown 75, Villanova 73
Six weeks removed from a last second win over Villanova at the Finneran Pavilion, the Georgetown Hoyas rallied from nine down with 3:44 to play for a 75-73 upset in the home finale at Capital One Arena, earning its first season sweep of the Wildcats in 32 years and clinching the Hoyas' first winning season in six years.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
"I really thought we were mature today," said Georgetown coach Ed Cooley in post-game remarks. "We did not panic. "Neither team shot particularly well in the first half: Villanova shot 35 percent from the floor and a frosty 2 of 13 from outside the arc, unexpected from the Big East's leading three point shooting team. Defensively, Georgetown was strong, but its shooting was not much better: 37 percent from the field, 37 percent from three. Together, the teams combined to shoot 8 for 29 from outside in the first half in a 29-29 tie.
After a Drew Fielder layup to open the second half, the two teams combined on threes on five of its next six field goals, including back to back threes from Micah Peavy 37-29. The Wildcats closed to five on a three from Eric Dixon, scoreless in eight attempts in the first half. Peavy added to more threes to put Georgetown up nine, 46-37, six minutes into the second half, but Dixon was about to take over the game.
Eric Dixon arrived to Capital One Arena the nation's leading scorer at 23.6 points per game, so a 1 for 9 start bordered on the surreal. Georgetown had moved from a zone defense with Micah Peavy on Dixon to a man to man defense with about 13 minutes to play and the Wildcats took advantage.
A three pointer from Wooga Poplar, held to only six points on the evening, closed to 46-40. At that point, Dixon took over, scoring on three consecutive Villanova possessions, each assisted by guard Jhamir Brickus, to tie the score at 47-47 with 11:30 to play.
Georgetown answered with baskets from Epps and Mack, but Dixon continued his assault, scoring on a three point play to close to 52-50 with 10:15 remaining and a second three point play 44 seconds later, 55-53. Both teams were shooting at a high rate of accuracy: the Wildcats were seven of its last nine, the Hoyas three of three. Following an exchange of free throws, 57-54, Dixon went inside yet again, whereupon Georgetown's Curtis Williams was tagged with a flagrant foul for grabbing Dixon's jersey as he went up for the shot.
Dixon, an 83 percent foul shooter, uncharacteristically missed both free throws. Fouled 14 seconds alter under the rim, he made only one of two, 57-55. Following a Georgetown turnover, he stepped outside, hitting a three for Villanova's first lead since the 15:57 mark of the first half, 58-57. By this point, he had scored 20 of Villanova's 29 points after halftime.
Georgetown is a resilient team, and that resilience was shown within the next series, where Epps sank a three to put the Hoyas back up, 60-58. It was a transitory lead, for as the Wildcats picked up its shooting, the Hoyas flagged.
Following a pair of free throws at the six minute mark, the Wildcats went on a 9-0 run, with a three from Tyler Perkins, a Dixon midrange jumper, and an inside dunk from 6-11 Enoch Boakye to lead 69-60. Over this run, Georgetown had taken four three point attempts, and missed them all. If Georgetown was going to make any kind of late rally, it would have to come from its defense, and the defense began to take hold.
From a media timeout, Georgetown got an early break. An Epps layup was no good, but Mack picked off a pass from Wooga Poplar and deposited a three, 69-63. Georgetown went to a full court press and Epps picked off Brickus, driving inside and picking up free throws, 69-65. On Villanova's next series, Jordan Burks forced Poplar to turn the ball over with 2:30 to play, with Mack threading the ball to Fielder for a dunk at the 2:21 mark, 69-67. Prior to the last 65 seconds of play, Villanova had only committed one turnover; in this sequence, three.
"We couldn't handle the pressure."
--Villanova coach Kyle Neptune
Georgetown wasn't done. Following a pair of Dixon free throws, Mack fed Jordan Burks insider for a layup, 71-69. Georgetown clogged the middle on the next series, whereupon Dixon, who had shot 8 for 10 to date in the second half, missed on a three point attempt with 1:26 to play. Epps went inside, drew the foul, and tied the score at 71-71 a the 1:13 mark.
Despite its clear advantages inside, the Wildcats fell victim to the three point trap. Perkins missed a long three with 56 seconds left, whereupon in a textbook example of teamwork in passing, Mack passed to Epps, who passed inside to Fielder, who fed Burks driving for the layup with 37 seconds remaining, 73-71.
HOYAS TAKE THE LEAD!!#HoyaSaxa pic.twitter.com/6oLJ6Qa4U6
— Georgetown Hoops (@GeorgetownHoops) March 5, 2025
Villanova called its last time out with 32 seconds left. Off the time out, Brickus quickly got past Epps into the frontcourt and rather than run down clock, took the layup unopposed to tie the score six seconds later. Inadvertently, it gave Georgetown enough time to put together its winning drive.
Epps held the ball for the last possession. With one on one coverage from Poplar and Dixon not moving to the ball (which would have left Peavy, the game winner from Jan. 20 open in the paint), Epps had a clear lane to the basket.
JAYDEN EPPS ICES THE GAME AS THE HOYAS SWEEP VILLANOVA!!pic.twitter.com/t3prVzgBhO
— Michael DeRosa (@MDtheDream) March 5, 2025
Villanova had five seconds remaining but no timeout to draw a play. Jordan Longino got to the top of three point line: the ball was on target but front-rimmed out.
Without Thomas Sorber, Georgetown needed more than a few breaks to end a three game losing streak Tuesday and got them: 14 threes, balanced scoring, perimeter defense, and a late defensive stand to turn the ride. The Hoyas hit their last five shots of the game and shot 51 percent in the second half, holding the Wildcats, averaging 40 percent from deep, to just 28 percent (8 for 28).
Georgetown put four starters in double figures, with 20 from Epps, 19 from Peavy, 14 from Burks, and 10 from Mack. Coach Ed Cooley also recognized the work of Drew Fielder, who played a full 40 minutes following back issues which limited him to 11 minutes in the Marquette game. Fielder finished with six points, seven rebounds, and shared a team high four assists with Mack.
Villanova was led by 24 from Dixon, all in the second half. The Wildcats shot 60 percent after the halftime break, and was nine of ten from two point range. Three missed free throws from Dixon in that mid-half stretch proved critical, while GU was 9 of 10 at the line in the second half, and seven of its final seven down the stretch.
"I just feel like all year we've shown that we just don't quit," said Peavy. "Even in league games, we've gone down, and we just kept fighting to the end. I think that showed today. We don't quit, and we had confidence in ourselves to win this game."
Georgetown's last home win over Villanova came on February 20, 2019, and this game was only its third regular season win against the Wildcats in the last 24 games dating to the 2012-13 season. It may have been overdue, but nonetheless came at a key junction of the season for both teams.
The win locked in a #7 seed for the Hoyas in next week's Big East tournament; conversely, Villanova will be seeded #6 and for all intents and purposes must sweep the tournament for an NCAA bid.
The Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Mack 33 2-6 2-7 0-0 2 4 2 10
Epps 31 3-7 3-5 5-5 1 3 2 20
Peavy 40 2-4 5-9 0-0 5 3 3 19
Burks 32 3-5 2-4 2-3 6 1 1 14
Fielder 40 2-4 0-3 2-2 7 4 2 6
Reserves:
McKenna
Cu. Williams 13 0-1 2-3 0-0 1 1 2 6
Montgomery 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0
Mulready 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Team Rebounds 4
Injured: Ca. Williams, Halaifonua, Moses, Sorber
DNP: Fort, Asadallah, Van Raaphorst, Diouf
TOTALS 200 12-27 14-31 9-10 29 16 12 75
Game Highlights
Home Finale: 5,144
The home finale versus Villanova drew just 5,144 to Capital One Arena Tuesday evening. This total is the smallest off-campus turnout ever for a Villanova game in Washington.
The previous low was set on January 28, 1949 when 5,308 saw Paul Arizin and the #8 Wildcats defeat Georgetown 64-49 at the 7,000 seat D.C. Armory.The season average for 2024-25 home attendance winds up at 5,659 per game, down 19 percent from 2023-24. The number is inclusive of two games at McDonough Gym; the net downtown attendance is 6,120 per game, down 10 percent from 2023-24, and 7,175 for Big East games, up two percent from last season.
The peak for attendance was in 2007-08: averages of 12,955 per game and 16,138 for Big East home games.
Yet Another Injury
Post-game comments by head coach Ed Cooley confirmed a back injury to center Drew Fielder.
"I think I made a coaching mistake. We shouldn't have played Fielder," Cooley said, referencing a back injury. "I'm always going to trust what a player tells me but sometimes I've got to trust my eyes. He was not moving well in the locker room."Fielder played just 11 minutes in the first half and was seen wearing a back support while sitting the second half, according to reports.
With Thomas Sorber and Julius Halaifonua both out for the season, Fielder is the nominative third option at center. Any possible absence from Fielder next would drop wing forward Jordan Burks to the fourth option, with just two other players (Micah Peavy, Drew McKenna) listed at taller than 6-7 to match up with Tuesday with Villanova center Eric Dixon, averaging 23.6 points per game and 33.0 points in his last two.
Marquette 75, Georgetown 61
Georgetown was again no match for the 21st-ranked Marquette Warriors, a 75-61 outcome at Capital One Arena that was not as close as the final score indicated.
POST-GAME ARTICLES
The Hoyas led for all of 16 seconds of this game. Georgetown's defense was poor, its shot selection embarrassing. The Pre-Game Report for this game asked if Georgetown, a car running on three wheels without Thomas Sorber could keep its wheels on the road. By halftime the car had no wheels at all.Georgetown opened the game going 0 for 3. Three points by Drew Fielder gave Georgetown a transitory 6-4 lead four minutes into the first half which was quickly erased by an inspired Marquette offense seeking to earn its first road win in Big East play in over a month. Senior guard Kam Jones scored or provided assists on its next nine points, taking a 13-9 lead.
From this point, Georgetown missed its next eight attempts, many of which were not close, as Marquette built a 27-13 lead inside seven minutes to halftime. A three pointer from Jayden Epps, his only such field goal of the game, brought the Hoyas to 11, a number they would not see for the remainder of the game.
While Marquette was not shooting lights out, they could not help but grow the lead as Georgetown continued to flail, many from outside shooting that it had little or no business shooting. The homestanding Hoyas entered the final minute of the first half having missed 17 of its last 18 attempts of the half before a Curtis Williams layup with four seconds to the break halted the bleeding at 39-22.
"Georgetown is totally clueless on offense...Their shot selection is absolutely atrocious."
--Peacock halftime report
"Georgetown is totally clueless on offense," said the team of Jordan Cornette and Matt McCall. "Their shot selection is absolutely atrocious."
It was a layup of an argument, so to speak. Georgetown shot 19 percent in the first half, a mere 5 for 26, and just 2 of 11 inside the three point arc. Georgetown was outscored in the paint 20-4 as MU converted 11 of 14 from inside, of which six were layups, three dunks. The Hoyas managed two layups, no dunks, no midrange jumpers and missed 12 of its 15 attempts from deep behind the likes of Micah Peavy, Malik Mack and Jayden Epps, a combined 2 for 12 from outside.
If there were any hopes GU could open the door and make this a competitive second half, Marquette's Kam Jones closed the door. Jones picked up his 10th assist of the game 32 seconds into the second half, scored on consecutive possessions, and picked off Jordan Burks to feed a driving David Joplin, extending the Marquette lead to 23 before the first media time out, 49-26. The Warriors opened the second half 9 for 12, Georgetown 2 for 8.
Marquette led by 28 just over five minutes into the half, and began to tap the brakes defensively. Curtis Williams was left along for a pair of threes, 56-33. Three minutes later, having been held without a field goal for the first 30 minutes of play, Micah Peavy scored 20 consecutive points as part of a 15-4 Georgetown run. This alone was not enough to affect the large lead, with Marquette shooting 57 percent in the half with a 38-14 advantage in the paint. It was a start, albeit a late one.
The best defensive efforts of the evening for the Hoyas allowed for its second wind. The Warriors committed 11 turnovers in the first 13 minutes of the half, Georgetown just three, and the lead began to tighten. Steals by Peavy and Caleb Williams were converted and brought Georgetown to within 12, 65-53, with 5:48 to play. Jones missed a short shot on MU's next possession, but the Hoyas reverted to its poor outside game with familiar consequences. Three point misses by Curtis Williams and Jayden Epps set the table again for Kam Jones, who scored on a layup and deposited an assist in consecutive possessions to put the Warriors up 18 with 3:01 remaining. Marquette made four straight heading into the final minute, three by layup, to end their scoring.
Marquette ended the half shooting 57 percent overall and 13 for 19 from two point range, en route to game high totals of 56 percent overall, eight threes, and 24 for 33 from two, with 46 of its 76 points in the paint. All five starters scored in double figures, with David Joplin led the team with a season high 17, while Kam Jones' 13 points and 13 assists were the most assists by a Georgetown opponent since Tyler Kolek picked up 15 on the Hoyas on January 7, 2023.
Georgetown's offensive output was arguably its worst of the season since the Notre Dame game. Micah Peavy finished with 15 but it was a struggle all evening for him. Curtis Williams (14 points) and Jordan Burks (11 points, 10 rebounds) could not make up for a another dose of selfish shooting from Malik Mack (3 for 12) and Jayden Epps, the latter shooting his worst from the field (2 for 15) for the season and the second worst percentage for his Georgetown career. The two guards shot 3 for 13 after the break and a combined 5 for 27 overall. By contrast, the remainder of the Georgetown team shot 50 percent (14 for 28) among them.
This was a team-wide loss, and, while otherwise expected, speaks to a lineup that is down key contributors and is not playing as a team. In extending its mark to 0-21 versus ranked opponents since 2021 and 0-11 to Marquette in regular season games since 2018-19, the Hoyas did little to set a positive course for the home finale next week versus Villanova.
Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Mack 36 2-7 1-5 0-0 4 4 1 7
Epps 38 1-7 1-8 2-4 3 7 1 7
Peavy 38 4-8 1-3 4-6 6 1 1 15
Burks 38 2-3 1-1 4-6 10 0 1 11
Fielder 11 1-1 0-2 1-2 2 0 1 3
Reserves:
Ca. Williams 14 0-0 0-1 1-2 0 0 4 1
McKenna 1 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0
Cu. Williams 17 2-4 2-3 4-5 3 0 1 14
Montgomery 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Mulready 5 0-0 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 3
Team Rebounds 4
Injured: Epps, Halaifonua, Moses, Sorber
DNP: Fort, Asadallah, Van Raaphorst, Diouf
TOTALS 200 12-31 7-24 16-25 33 12 10 61