HoyaSaxa.com: Georgetown Basketball News

"It was a little rushed, not a good look. I saw he didn't have his hand up, so I shot. I didn't get what I wanted."--Gerald Riley

The roller coaster ride that was the 2002-03 basketball season came down to a single play for the Georgetown Hoyas Thursday night against St. John's. Off the inbound, guard Drew Hall had three options: Gerald Riley, Mike Sweetney, or Tony Bethel. Riley got the call, but not the shot.

His shot sailed wide, and St. John's held on to to win its sixth NIT title, 70-67 at Madison Square Garden.

St. John's started off quick, with two Marcus Hatten threes to lead 6-2. Georgetown answered by hitting 8 of its first 14 shots and took the lead with 11:22 left. The Redmen (aka Red Storm) stayed in the game with nine offensive rebounds, the real story of tonight's game. Georgetown led by as many as six in the first half, shooting 46 percent from the field, and led at half 38-34.

Both teams were cold to open the half. St. John's went three minutes without its first points, Georgetown nearly six. St. John's early start in the scoring column, gave them the momentum, opening with seven straight from Hatten. The run erased the halftime lead as the Redmen hit seven of ten shots to lead by as many as six. The Hoyas closed to 62-59 with 5:05 to play and teams traded possessions until Tony Bethel tied the score at 67 with 1:22 to play.

St. John's made one of two free throws with 1:12 to play and on GU's next series, Bethel launched a three point miss that SJ recovered but could not convert. Hatten's miss with :24 left, gave the Hoyas another shot. Brandon Bowman took the ball up the court but the drive quickly stalled, leading to a quick Georgetown timeout to regroup. With 10.4 seconds, down 1, Hall found Sweetney triple teamed and opted to go to Gerald Riley instead. Riley's took only one, maybe two seconds to launch the outside shot, which sailed wide, and St. John's Grady Reynolds rebounded with about five seconds to play.

St. John's' Mike Jarvis agreed. "When you have two or three guys around [Sweetney], you can't pass it to him; somebody else is going to have to take the shot and you’ve got to take your chances with that."

Reynolds got the rebound, but instead of letting the clock run out or waiting for a foul, Reynolds called timeout with 4.1 seconds left, whereupon Georgetown regrouped and was able to send the Redmen to the line with no time coming off the clock. St. John's hit two free throws to increase the lead to 70-67, where Tony Bethel nearly pulled out the win with a 26 footer that caromed above and off the rim.

The big story of the game was rebounds. Georgetown fared poorly in defending its basket from the second chance, and St. John's made the most of it. Georgetown was out rebounded 43-34, and St. John's collected 18 offensive rebounds. The Hoyas' 34 overall boards was five below its season average and disappointing, considering that St. John's took 70 shots to just 49 for the Hoyas.

Mike Sweetney led the Hoyas with 25 points, but SJ's tough defense limited his scoring in the second half. Marcus Hatten led St. John's with 22 as the Redmen completed a five game NIT sweep, all at home. While the Redmen had played ten of its 11 games in New York dating back to February 26, this was the Hoyas' seventh straight road game dating back to the Big East tournament.

Mike Sweetney scored 32 points as the Georgetown Hoyas advanced to the NIT finals with a convincing 88-74 win over Minnesota.

Georgetown's first half was as strong as any effort this season, keyed by strong defense, few turnovers (4), and the ability of Sweetney to exert his will in the low post. The Hoyas never trailed in the half, with Minnesota (19-13) getting as close as a 17-17 tie when Gerald Riley picked up his second foul with 13:00 to play. From that point, Georgetown went on a 13-4 run en route to a 47-33 halftime lead, with Sweetney hitting 11 of 13 free throws and 17 points. Also key for the Hoyas was the continuing development of freshmen Brandon Bowman and Ashanti Cook, who combined for 18 first half points. For its part, Minnesota gave up 11 turnovers in the first 20 minutes, and missed eight of its ten long-range shots.

Entering the second half, Minnesota adjusted to Sweetney's presence inside and began pressuring the Georgetown guards up court. After only four turnovers in the first half, the Hoyas gave up four in the first two minutes of the second half. With Minnesota hitting six of its first eight shots, the 13 point lead was reduced to one, 53-52, with 14 minutes to play. But has has been the case throughout the NIT when leads were cut, Georgetown has developed a confidence to rebuild the lead at critical times, which was the case against the Gophers. From one point game, the Hoyas went on a 9-0 run by feeding the ball back time and again to Sweetney, opening the lead to 64-52 with 11:47 to play.

While Minnesota took advantage of gaps in Georgetown's defense to keep the game close, it fared poorly in stopping Sweetney down the stretch. The 6-8 junior scored 15 of Georgetown's last 37 points, including a variety of jumpers, dunks, and free throws. Minnesota center Jerry Holman fouled out with 6:33 to play with the Gophers down only seven, 71-64, and Minnesota opted not to go with reserve center Jeff Hagen, giving Sweetney additional options inside.

But it wasn't all Sweetney. The Hoyas escaped another possible run with 5:18 to play when, leading by only seven, Bowman was caught in a defensive trap. A quick timeout from the bench followed, whereupon Gerald Riley hit a difficult three to increase the lead back to ten, 78-68.

The Gophers made a number of small runs down the stretch, any number of which could have tightened the game, but struggled with its three point shooting. The Gophers' leading three point shooter, Mike Bauer, was 0 for 6 and the Gophers ended the game 5 for 19 from beyond the three point arc. Georgetown's outside shooting was not much better but came at critical times to support the lead.

Sweetney capped off his effort with a pass from Victor Samnick to put the Hoyas up 11, 85-74, with 1:23 left, part of 18 Hoya assists on the evening. Samnick also contributed well, finishing with 13 points in 25 minutes off the bench.

"There's nobody we're going to play except the Lakers that we can't exploit with Mike inside," Coach Esherick said in post-game comments. "This guy probably played his best all-around game for us."

Georgetown ends its 2002-03 season Thursday against St. John's, which erased a 10 point deficit late against Texas Tech and forced a key steal in the final minute to advance to the final, 64-63.

"That's a good team out there. I thought their changing defenses got us off track a little bit and my hats off to Craig and the Georgetown team." --UNC Coach Matt Doherty

"We beat Tennessee at Tennessee, Providence at Providence and North Carolina at North Carolina. That's really something. I thought our guys did a great job at keeping their composure. I'm really proud of them." --Georgetown Coach Craig Esherick

In its best game of the season, the Georgetown Hoyas advanced to the NIT semifinals with a 79-74 win at North Carolina. The game not only marked Georgetown's sixth straight road win and third straight in post-season play, but provided a rare upset at the home of the Tar Heels, where UNC was 88-10 (.898) in non-conference games since the Dean Smith Center opened in 1986.

As was the case in wins over Tennessee and Providence, the Hoyas' solid defense kept them in the game, where solid end-game strategy put the Hoyas in position to win.

Carolina fans had high hopes for the game, which would have marked UNC's 32nd 20-win season in 33 years. Its up-tempo guard play and execution against Georgetown's man to man defense paid off early, with the Tar Heels leading by eight, 20-12, midway through the first half.

"Early on I was worried that we were going to be blown out," said Coach Esherick in post-game quotes. "I decided, 'let's start trapping them and see if we can disrupt some of their shooting,' and I think we did do that."

The Hoyas forced UNC into turnovers on its next three possessions, closing the gap to two at 22-18. With 6:00 to play, down 31-27, the Georgetown defense went to work, as the Tar Heels failed to score a field goal for the rest of the first half as the Hoyas took a 34-32 lead at the break.

The second half saw each team approach season-highs in shooting, with Georgetown shooting 57% from the field, North Carolina 56%. The Hoyas' accuracy would be crucial early in the half, when forward Jawad Williams scored ten points in a four minute stretch that saw the Tar Heels break open to a 48-40 lead. Georgetown then connected on five of its next six shots as the Heels were kept in check and the Hoyas took a 52-50 lead with 13:12 to play. The rally continued as the Heels were held to one field goal in an 8:49 stretch, allowing Gerald Riley to go to work. Riley scored 11 points that keyed an incredible 22-4 run to give GU a 62-52 lead with 8:04 to play.

North Carolina needed a spark, and got it from Rashad McCants. The 6-4 forward went to work, scoring 14 of the Heels' next 16 points, taking over the game and pulling the Tar Heels even at 70-70 with 2:05 to play. Fouled on the tying basket, Esherick called a time out to freeze McCants at the line. McCants missed the free throw and Carolina never regained the lead.

"It was a smart play by their coach," McCants told the Greensboro News & Record. "He froze me out. I lost my rhythm. Sometimes when you're out there playing your heart out, you're exhausted when you get to the free-throw line." McCants also missed his next jumper with 1:07 left.

On Georgetown's next possession, a pass into Sweetney was kicked back to Drew Hall, who took the open three and connected to give GU the lead, 73-70. Carolina missed a three on its next possession and the Hoyas proceeded to shoot 6 for 6 from the line, its only foul shots of the entire second half, to secure the win. Overall, Georgetown was 14-17 from the line.

Georgetown's zone defense really put the Tar Heels in a bind. "That's been our problem all year," said center David Noel. "We haven't been able to penetrate a zone and make shots, and think we've been laying back on our threes - we can't do that."

As was noted on this site's Pre-Game Report, North Carolina tends to play better when fewer, not more three point attempts are launched. While shooting 62% from inside the arc, the Heels were only 41% (9-22) from three.

Another big stat? Turnovers. Against Wyoming, UNC gave up only eight turnovers. Against Georgetown, the Heels gave up 18, and the Hoyas held a 25-9 advantage scoring off turnovers.

It seemed as if every Georgetown player came up big in the game at the right time. Brandon Bowman scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half, while Gerald Riley did his part by scoring 19 of his 22 in the second. Courtland Freeman, playing in the place of injured Victor Samnick, scored five points and collected six rebounds in 21 minutes of action. And while each bench scored only seven points, Drew Hall's three will be the lasting memory of a close, hard fought game that can take its place among many legendary Georgetown post-season performances, especially among the loyal and partisan UNC crowd.

Georgetown advances to its third-ever NIT championship bracket, having played in the 1978 and 1993 semifinals.

"I admire what they've done," Coach Doherty told the Associated Press. "They got home late after the Providence game, they bused in here and got in at 2 a.m., didn't have a shoot-around and came with a lot of energy. I'm real impressed with what Georgetown accomplished."

Georgetown's half of the box score is below. (The official stats list 6-5 walk-on Ryan Beal with a block in less than one minute of play, but this may be in error.)

A recent HoyaTalk post asked why fans should even be interested in the NIT. Here's the response from "GIGAFAN":

There are going to be 20,000+ Tar Heel fans out to support their team...not because of what they are playing for, not because they are celebrating a fantastic, successful season, and not because they all agree about the coach, players, or program. They are going to be there because they are a community, a unified force showing pride in their alma mater and the young men representing it.

This isn't about the prize, it's about our fans showing their love for the guys on the court and their season-long struggle. As we grew in college, these young men do the same. We watch them develop as basketball players and men struggling every step of the way. They backslide, fall on hard times, feel like quitting, and not all of them even make it through. But they also work hard, learn, gain a sense of self and each other, and they get to taste victories large and small. In short their Georgetown experience is ours fleshed out in a couple of forty-minute battles on the hardwood. In them we see ourselves.

They are us and we are Georgetown. Hoya Saxa.

An old friend--defense--returned for the Georgetown Hoyas in a 67-58 win over Providence College in the second round of the NIT.

Despite a season high 26 turnovers, 39% shooting, and key stretches of foul trouble by Georgetown starters, the Hoyas held Providence in check over much of the second half in the win. The game sends the Hoyas to the third round of a post-season tournament for only the second time in the last seven years.

The two teams opened the game with generally poor play. The Hoyas committed 16 turnovers in the first half, and Providence responded by missing all seven of its three point attempts. The teams combined for 18 of 54 (33%) shooting in the half, one that saw Georgetown score one field goal in the final 4:47 and both teams go scoreless for the final 2:30, with Providence holding a 26-24 lead.

Trailing 28-24 early in the second half, the Hoyas took an 8-0 run that gave GU the lead for good, 32-24. But when Mike Sweetney picked up two quick fouls and sat with 12:44 to play, it could have been disastrous for a Georgetown team that does not play well with their team leader on the bench. Instead, the defense rose to the challenge, holding the cold-shooting Friars without a field goal for 10:01. PC went 0-8 from the field and committed five turnovers down the stretch, hanging close only with free throws. Georgetown led by eleven, 51-40, with 3:43 and closed the game with free throws. The Hoyas' 26 for 32 free throw effort was big in the game, whereas the Friars' shot only 57%b from the line and missed 17 of 20 three point attempts, stalling any PC comeback. It was a startling contrast to the last Georgetown game in Providence, where the Friars hit 14 of 19 threes in a 103-79 win during the 2001 season.

Mike Sweetney finished the game with 26 points and 11 rebounds, joined by 18 from Tony Bethel, 11 from Gerald Riley and a career high 12 rebounds from Brandon Bowman. The Hoya bench was far from productive, combining for one field goal in a combined 53 minutes of action.

The building formerly known as the Providence Civic Center had not been kind to the Hoyas over the years. Entering Monday's game, the Hoyas had lost three straight in Providence and eight of 11 games dating back to 1989.

"We stunk up the joint in the first half," said Craig Esherick in the Washington Post account of the post-game news conference. "But I'm proud because we beat a team from the Big East -- the best conference in the country -- on the road." In fact, the Hoyas have won five straight games in opponent gyms for the first time since the 1984-85 season, when the Hoyas were 10-1 on the road.

"I thought our defense gave them problems, but we played much better in the second half. We got the ball inside much better. We kept the pressure on defensively. When you beat an SEC team on their home court, you have to feel happy about it."
--Coach Craig Esherick

The often-injured freshman scored 11 straight first half points and 16 points overall, leading the Georgetown Hoyas to a convincing 70-60 win at Tennessee in the first round of the NIT Tuesday. Georgetown's second round opponent will not be decided until later this week, against the winner of a bracket that includes Providence-Richmond and Charleston-Kent State.

The Hoyas started off slow, missing five threes in the first ten minutes and 17 of its first 23 field goal attempts. The Volunteers (17-12) dominated the boards early, with 18 rebounds secured in the first 12 minutes of the game. With inconsistent guard play an ongoing theme, coach Craig Esherick got Ashanti Cook into the game with 6:58 to play, where he scored 11 straight points in a four minute stretch to give Georgetown a 26-21 lead with 2:53 to play. Unfortunately for Georgetown, its two minute offense allowed Tennessee back in, where the Volunteers scored the final six points and led 27-26 at the half.

Georgetown adjusted well opening the second, spurred by a 12-1 run and holding a ten point lead midway through the half with defensive pressure and better passing. Tennessee made its run soon thereafter, closing to three at 54-51 with just under seven minutes to play on a fast-break dunk by Brandon Crump. A turning point of the game came on the next series, when the Vols saw a three pointer from leading scorer Ron Slay roll around and out, whereupon the Hoyas answered with an 8-0 run to push the lead back to 11, 62-51, with 3:49 to play. The Hoyas effectively controlled its end-game possessions and kept the game out of reach.

Georgetown's scoring was balanced. Mike Sweetney led the Blue and Gray with 17, followed by 16 from Cook 15 from Gerald Riley, and 11 from Victor Samnick. Defensively, the Hoyas forced 19 turnovers and collected 18 assists, hitting 19 of 24 on the free throw line.

The loss was the first for Tennessee coach Buzz Peterson in five previous NIT games. Tennessee is 16-2 in games when holding opponents under 70 points. When opponents break the 70 point barrier, UT is now 1-10.

Georgetown has not played a home game in the NIT since 1993 and will not for years to come. MCI Center is unavailable for games on short notice, and the NIT committee has disavowed hosting games at McDonough Gymnasium since Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins complained about the small gym's unsuitability for an NIT game, following a 71-44 Hoyas win over UTEP in 1993.

There were no such problems at Tennessee, where the 24,525 seat Thompson-Boling Arena is the second largest on-campus facility in Division I.

Game recaps on Georgetown's two Big East tournament games can be reviewed in these links to the HOYA:

The Georgetown Hoyas have found plenty of ways to lose this season. But this one was, well, unusual.

For once, it was Notre Dame that lost a late lead and it was Georgetown that nearly pulled off the upset. However, a missed dunk with 10 seconds to play ended the comeback, resulting in an 86-80 loss to Notre Dame Saturday. The Hoyas fell short after erasing an 11 point deficit to two in the final three minutes.

Notre Dame (22-8) started slowly, with five turnovers in the first four minutes of play. Georgetown was unable to take advantage, however, as the Hoyas led by no ore than six and lost the lead with six minutes to play in the first half. The two teams played even into halftime, 37-all. Mike Sweetney led all scorers with 15 in the half.

For the second half, the Hoyas opened up strong and led 49-44 with 14:32 left. The Irish, led by Chris Thomas, began to turn up the volume while the Hoyas, without guard play to compensate for Thomas or outside shooting to alleviate the pressure on Mike Sweetney, failed to respond. The Irish tied the score at 53 and increased the lead to six, 63-57, with 8:18 to play. The Hoyas could have narrowed the lead to four, but Brandon Bowman was called for basket interference with 8:18 left. From that play, Thomas led the Irish on a 12-5 run to extend the lead to 13 with 5:23 to play.

With such a lead, a comfortable Notre Dame win seemed likely, but the Hoyas did not give up. Georgetown forced seven ND turnovers down the stretch and connected on three threes to close the gap. A long Gerald Riley jumper closed the count to 81-79 with 40 seconds to play; ironically, his foot was an inch or so inside the line or the lead would have fallen to one.

On its next series, ND made one free throw while GU made two, 82-80. Thomas added two more free throws at 84-80, when Riley streaked down the lane with an open look to the basket. Going for the high percentage dunk with :10 to play, it clanged off the rim and ND recovered, with Thomas adding the final two free throws of the game, 86-80.

"I was hoping to get fouled," Riley said of the play. "But that wasn't the play that cost us the game."

And he was right. Although Georgetown forced ND into a season high 22 turnovers, its defense was entirely too soft while the offense missed too many easy chances. ND scored on 51% from the field and 11 three pointers, while Georgetown was erratic across the board--Mike Sweetney scored 26 but missed half of his shots, most from short range. Forwards Victor Samnick and Brandon Bowman offered no support for scoring (combining to go 2 for 16) while the guards seemed tentative on shot selection and slow off the defensive set. Gerald Riley scored 21 for the game, Tony Bethel 17.

Chris Thomas led the Irish with 29, with an important 17 from Dan Miller and 15 from Matt Carroll, who was hampered by foul problems.

Notre Dame has now won six straight in MCI Center, four against Georgetown and two from the 2002 BB&T Classic. The outcome was only the fourth loss at a Senior Day home finale since 1976, ending perhaps the worst home court record by a Georgetown team in a generation. The Hoyas recorded six home court losses for only the third time since 1954. Since 1998, Georgetown is 24-27 (.470) in Big East games on its "home" court, and in the last two years has played one game better on the road (8-8) than it has at home (7-9).

Junior forward Mike Sweetney was named Big East co-player of the week for his play against Providence and Syracuse. Here's a link from GUHoyas.com with details.

After four years as a two-sport athlete at Georgetown, Trenton Hillier will be among three members of the Class of 2003 honored at Senior Day this Saturday. Here's a feature on Hillier from The HOYA.

Hillier has seen very little action this year after three years with more on-court time. "Of course I’d have liked to play more, " Hillier said. "I would have liked to see my career be a little different, but I wouldn't do anything different. I've learned a lot, gotten a lot out of it, and definitely had a positive experience.”

Toronto Raptors forward Jerome Williams (C '96) took part in the Q&A at Way More Sports.com, with comments on everything from Jennifer Lopez to what it was like to room with Allen Iverson.

Williams, a well known pro wrestling fan, also lists the last book he's read: the autobiography of Hulk Hogan.

Georgetown fans may remember Antoine Stoudamire, a 6-3 guard who played at Georgetown from 1989 to 1991. Here's an article from the Willamette Weekly Online on Stoudamire's new career as a rapper named Madgesdiq.

"All I was thinking was: Not again. Not again." Gerald Riley, in the Washington Post

Like the script of an old-time Western, the Georgetown Hoyas are anything if not predictable. This Monday, they rewrote the ending.

Facing a scene which could have cancelled them from post season consideration, some early heroics and some late calls spared the Hoyas another crushing defeat, allowing Georgetown a 69-67 win at West Virginia, assuring the Hoyas a trip to the Big East Tournament and no worse than a .500 season, the minimum requirement for NIT consideration.

The win was also Georgetown's third straight road win. This is the first three game road winning streak in Big East play since the 1991-92 season.

The game featured enough twists and turns as any melodrama could offer. Georgetown opened the game by outscoring the Mountaineers 11-1 and by double digits throughout much of the half, keyed by four three pointers by Gerald Riley, a sharp contrast to his 3 for 17 effort versus Syracuse two days earlier. The Mountaineers shot very poorly early, missing 12 of 16 three pointers, but those four threes and seven Georgetown turnovers allowed WVU to stay close in a 39-28 halftime score.

The second half opened with another Georgetown spurt, extending its lead to 48-34 with 17:00 to play. The Mountaineers tried to adjust to its shooting woes with a more patient offensive set, and closed to nine, 50-41, with 13:35 to play. Following a brief scare where Georgetown's Mike Sweetney landed hard on his ankle and WVU closed to five, Sweetney helped build back the lead to 55-48 with just over nine minutes remaining, part of an 18 point, 16 rebound effort.

The Mountaineers began to chip away at the lead. Foul shots. A three pointer. A steal. Still, the Hoyas held tough and led 63-55 with 3:50 to play. (OK, cue the piano.)

Now, the "deer in the headlights" guard play took over. Bringing the ball up court in a slow-down offense, Drew Hall threw the ball away, answered by a WVU basket, 63-57. On its next series, Tony Bethel dribbles the ball off his foot and WVU takes off on a fast break. Fouled by Hall, the Mountaineers miss a key free throw but get the ball back on a third straight Georgetown turnover, where WVU is fouled and makes the free throws, 63-59. On the next possession, Hall loses the ball again, leading to a WVU layup as the defense sags, 63-61. At this point, the train is coming around the bend and the Hoyas' foot is firmly between the rails.

Georgetown's next possession failed to deliver a bad turnover but Gerald Riley's three pointer was wide, and WVU exploited Bethel's position on the court for a dunk to tie the score, 63-all. The Hoyas caught a break on a pair of WVU misses and connect on free throws to take a 66-63 lead with 24 seconds left. The teams exchange free throws and the Hoyas lead 68-65 with 13.4 seconds, setting up the big finish.

West Virginia was guarded closely by the Hoyas and its three point shot is short. But the ball is saved and tossed inside to Patrick Beilein, who gets the layup to 68-67, narrowly avoiding a foul call when Tony Bethel ran into him on the shot.

Fouled immediately, Drew Hall missed the first shot, and made the second. WVU called time out and the mystery of the 2.6 seconds begins.

With 2.6 remaining, a pass to half court was interrupted when Drew Hall nearly collided into Drew Schifino as it sailed out of bounds. No time went off the clock, and now the Mountaineers had the ball at mid-court thanks to Hall's mistake. Coach Esherick immediately notified the crew that the ball had been tipped by Victor Samnick off the inbound, and the officials went to the videotape. After nearly three minutes of review, the clock was reduced to 1.6 seconds. The time change was crucial, for Schifino had no time to set up a good shot and his attempt fell short. And that one second off the clock was enough to give the Hoyas a ticket to the Garden and (perhaps) an NIT bid.

The Mountaineers' poor outside shooting really cost them in the game. WVU shot 50% from two point range but missed 21 of 28 three point attempts. Though they hit seven threes, if some of those had gone inside for two, the outcome would have been different. WVU needs a win Saturday for a Big East bid, mindful that they have lost five straight, but four of those were losses of four or fewer points.

Gerald Riley led all Georgetown scorers with 23 points, though he was only 1-5 from three point range in the second half. Sweetney scored 18, and Brandon Bowman played a fine game with 11 points, 5 assists, and only one turnover. Georgetown has now won eight straight over West Virginia, the longest such streak against a single team since none in a row over Seton Hall from 1994-98. And for all its well documented overtime woes, the Hoyas are a better team winning in regulation, and are now 26-28 since 1990 in games of three points or less that didn't go to overtime.

Despite the finish that we all saw coming, the Hoyas hung on. How's that for a surprise ending?

"Eleven games... I've never seen a team, and I doubt there's even been a team, that's been behind by as many points as we have in 11 games in the second half and won all 11."--Jim Boeheim in the Syracuse Post-Standard

Gerry McNamara scored 10 of his 22 points in overtime as the Syracuse Orangemen came back from two double-digit deficits to defeat the Georgetown Hoyas 93-84 before 17,352 at the Carrier...er...MCI Center. The neutral confines of the building were filled with as much as half the arena were Syracuse fans who picked up discounted tickets, and whose vocal support led the Orange to its 11th second half comeback of the season and 21st win in 25 games. Syracuse is 10-1 in overtime games since 1997.

Georgetown opened the game with a bang, with an 11-0 lead in the first four minutes, thanks to very poor shooting (1 for 12) by Syracuse. The Hoyas maintained a lead of at least nine points throughout much of the half, but went cold late, scoring only one field goal in the final 6:30, giving SU a means to climb back into the game. With Gerald Riley and Mike Sweetney shooting a combined 1 for 11 in the half, Syracuse closed the gap to three, 30-27.

The Hoyas started out strong again. Sweetney scored 11 points in the first seven minutes as the Hoyas opened a 12 point lead, 45-33. With Gerald Riley and Victor Samnick in foul trouble, though, the Orangemen raced back and closed to three, 48-45, with 10:04 left. Syracuse's rebounds (discussed below) were a major factor in getting them back into the game, as reserve Courtland Freeman was unable to protect the middle.

Leading 60-56 with 3:43 to play, Drew Hall fouled Syracuse's Gerry McNamara on a three point goal, and the Orange began their run, a run at the free throw line where they would make 11 straight free throws over the next six minutes. With Victor Samnick fouling out, Syracuse took the lead at the 5:03 mark, and the two teams battled back and forth until a Tony Bethel three and a follow-up pair of free throws gave Georgetown a four point lead, 72-68, with 2:24 to play.

McNamara bailed out the Orange with a long three to cut the lead tom 72-71 with 2:05 to play. Fouled on the next possession, Courtland Freeman made one of two free throws, 74-71 at the 1:07 mark, and after Carmelo Anthony missed a long three, the Hoyas stood to make the save, when the game turned. Off the miss, a two from Billy Edelin closed the gap 74-73. Bringing the ball up court, bethel was surrounded and lost the ball in the backcourt to Edelin, who scored and was fouled by Brandon Bowman. Georgetown's three point lead was suddenly a two point deficit.

After a Gerald Riley miss, Anthony missed two free throws, and Georgetown failed to convert a second time. McNamara, who had made 41 straight free throws entering the game, missed his first attempt with :11 to play, but made the second, to lead 77-74. On its last play, a pass into Mike Sweetney was alertly tapped back to Riley, who sank a three pointer with 3.2 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.

In the OT, McNamara took over, shooting 5 for 7, with a pair of 30 foot three pointers that blew the game open. The Hoyas made one field goal in the overtime and never seriously threatened thereafter.

Syracuse's poor free throw shooting kept the Hoyas close, but their rebounding may have won the game. The Orangemen out-rebounded the Blue and Gray by an astounding 60-43, only the second game in the Big East era where the Hoyas gave up 60 rebounds--the other was in the 4 OT Notre Dame game. After 14 games, for the first time ever, the Hoyas have now given up more rebounds to Big East opponents than they have collected.

Mike Sweetney turned in another heroic effort, with 31 points, 19 rebounds, seven assists, and seven blocks, 25 in the second half alone. Carmelo Anthony led the Orangemen with a career high 30 points and 15 rebounds, with McNamara adding 22 points. For the Hoyas, Gerald Riley may have tied the game, but his 3 for 17 shooting was a career low. Brandon Bowman continues on his poor shooting run, hitting 2 for 9 in the game, while Syracuse's Hakim Warrick went to town on the young Bowman, scoring 14 points and collecting 18 rebounds. Each team only picked up five steals, with Syracuse giving up 13 turnovers to Georgetown's ten.

That the Hoyas could have given up 24 offensive rebounds, shoot 36 percent, and still take the game into overtime says how close this team has been all year. But unless it's horseshoes or hand grenades, close doesn't count. Depth is short, and so is time. Both are running short for the Hoyas' hopes for the post-season...any post-season, forcing a must win in the final week of play to advance to the Big East Tournament. Without a win, the season ends Saturday.

More than any major college program, Georgetown struggles in overtime games, and not just in recent years, either. At 1-3 in extended play this season, the Hoyas are now 6-21 (.222) in overtime games since 1989: a stunning 2-7 (.222) at home, an astounding 1-11 (.083) on the road, and a more respectable 3-3 (.500) at neutral sites.

Recently elected student body president Brian Morgenstern campaigned on a platform that included, among other things, bringing at least three home basketball games to McDonough Gymnasium next season. Thoughts on team support and the role of McDonough are found in links to columns by Mike DeBonis at the Georgetown Voice and Derek Richmond at The HOYA.

In an elaborate halftime ceremony that brought together nearly a hundred former teammates, coaches, and NBA greats, Patrick Ewing (C'85) was honored with his #33 being raised to the rafters at Madison Square Garden on Friday night. The 31 minute event was broadcast live on the ESPN and MSG networks.

The guests at the event included Ewing's father and children, Ewing's contemporaries like Michael Jordan< Chris Mullin, and Charles Barkley, former high school coach Mike Jarvis, former college coach John Thompson, and fellow Georgetown alumni Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo. Also in the stands, Patricia Hopkins, a 37 year old mother from Hoboken, NJ who helped Ewing get back his Georgetown ring after it was stolen and placed briefly on Ebay.

"He called me and said thanks for getting my ring back," Hopkins said in this link to the New York Daily News. "I was shocked when he called me. He thanked me for the support over the years. I told him I would always support him."

Coach Thompson told Newsday : "New York likes to portray itself as being so tough, but it means a lot that you are honoring Patrick like this. You're not such hard-asses as you pretend to be. Patrick did all he could do with what God gave him."

Ewing was modest throughout the ceremony and contrary to a pre-event bet discussed on-air with Michael Jordan, Ewing did not shed tears at the event.

"I keep hearing whose the greatest New York Knick of all time," he said. "I don't think I was the greatest Knick. I see all those guys here. They laid the groundwork. Nobody was better than them. I'm not better than them."

"You don't know how great it feels to be up there with all those great Knicks. There were bets to see if I would cry tonight. Even though I may not shed a tear, you don't know how much joy I feel inside." Ewing later told ESPN he came closest to a tear when receiving a hug from Alonzo Mourning (C'92) during the ceremony.

After the number was raised, arena announcer Mike Walczewski announced over the P.A. system: "One final time...at center... 7-footer from Georgetown...Pat-rick Ew-ing!" Ewing jogged to center court, "his place in Knick history now entrenched on a frenzied Garden night", said the New York Post.

Almost incidental to the ceremony was the game, where the Knicks defeated Orlando 118-110. Othella Harrington (C'96) scored 21 points for the Knicks in front of his former coach and fellow alumni.

Ewing's #33 is the eighth player so honored in the 57 year history of the franchise. Other numbers retired include #10 (Walt Frazier), #12 (Dick Barnett), #15 (Earl Monroe, Dick McGuire), #19 (Willis Reed) #22 (Dave DeBusschere), and #24 (Bill Bradley).

Over 160 fans and alumni welcomed back the Big East championship squad from 1979-80 in a pre-game reception at MCI Center Saturday. The team was also honored at a halftime ceremony.

In attendance from the 79-80 team were John Duren, Craig Shelton, Lonnie Duren, Mike Hancock, David Blue, Eric Smith and Ed Spriggs. Also in attendance at the reception and/or the game were a number of other Hoya basketball alumni, among them Hugh Beins (1950-53), Tom Coleman (1958-61), Brian Sheehan (1958-61), Jim Brown (1963-66), Jim Higgins (1967-70), Paul Favorite (1967-70), Bill Thomas (1974-76), Fred Brown (1980-84), Patrick Ewing (1981-85), Jaren Jackson (1985-89), and team manager Markhum Stansbury (1987-91). Ewing made it back from New York, where he was honored by the New York Knicks the previous evening. (Thanks to the Hoop Club for the event report.)

Following a 24-5 season in 1979, the move from the ECAC South to the Big East was considered a big challenge to the program and its 38 year old coach, John Thompson. Despite predictions that the Hoyas could trail behind the likes of national powers such as St. John's and Syracuse, the 1979-80 team put Georgetown on the national map with a series of thrilling wins, including five victories over teams ranked in the Top 10. The Hoyas won 15 straight in February and March, highlighted by two big upsets over Syracuse and an NCAA upset of Maryland. Of its six losses, two came in overtime and two on shots in the final five seconds.

After the win over Maryland, the Hoyas advanced to the NCAA Eastern Regional Final and led by 14 at the half over Iowa. Georgetown shot 60 percent for the game, 68 percent in the second half..and yet it came down to the last big play of the game. How? Because Iowa shot 17 of 21 (80%) down the stretch, 15 of 15 from the free throw line, and won on a basket and foul with five seconds to play, 81-80. A classic.

The Hoyas also set a high standard for team play. As a team, Georgetown shot over 53% from the field that year, a school record to this day. Seniors John Duren and Craig Shelton were selected honorable mention All-America, and John Thompson was selected Eastern Coach of The Year.

Stats and records on the team can be found at the Hoya Basketball History pages on this site. If you're at the game, take the time to welcome back one of Georgetown's all-time great teams...the "Heart Attack Hoyas".

This column from Tuesday's issue of The HOYA explores an underrated cause of the Hoyas' poor performance this year: depth. The bench is simply not contributing points when the starters are resting or sitting with foul problems.

The lack of bench support in 2002-03 is especially evident in a review of the number of minutes, points and rebounds per game off the bench in the last five seasons (Big East play only). In fact, in the last three games, the bench is a combined 2 for 20 (10.0%) from the field and has scored a total of 13 points.

	Starters			Bench
Year	MPG	PPG	RPG	MPG	PPG	RPG
1999-00 (19-15)	24.9	46.4	24.2	23.1	17.7	17.8
2000-01 (25-8)	24.6	51.0	22.0	23.4	27.8	19.9
2001-02 (19-11)	30.9	66.0	27.8	9.1	13.2	13.3
2002-03 (12-11)	29.1	62.9	26.1	10.9	11.2	12.8
Last Five Games	29.0	65.0	21.4	10.8	6.2	5.6

Tuesday's Providence Journal had it all figured out--its story said Georgetown had been reduced to "has-beens" in college basketball, and staff writer Kevin McNamara wrote that "when Providence College faces the Hoyas tonight at the MCI Center, it'll be evident that the once-vaunted Georgetown program is a shell of itself."

Displaying flashes of its best basketball of the conference race all year, the Georgetown Hoyas (13-11, 5-8 Big east) opened an early lead and never trailed the Friars (13-12, 6-8 Big East) in a 71-56 win at MCI Center Tuesday, the Hoyas' third win in four games. With an RPI of 62 entering the game, the Friars are the first top 100 team defeated by the Hoyas this season, and the loss all but ended the Friars' NCAA hopes.

Georgetown opened strong with a 14-5 lead, paced by 5 for 9 shooting. The Friars twice closed to within two points at 21-19 and 28-26, but the Hoyas built back the lead. A late PC run narrowed the lead to one at the half, 33-32, thanks to 11 points from Ryan Gomes and 9 for 10 free throws for the Friars in the half.

The Hoyas entered the second half with another run of good shooting and some defensive adjustments that sank the Friars' hopes early. The Hoyas shot 7 for 11 to begin the half and went on a 14-4 run to lead by 11. The lead closed to as few as five with 5:26 to play, 54-49, but Georgetown scored on three straight possessions in a two minute period to build the lead back to 60-49. The Friars made a last run to narrow the lead to eight, but Georgetown connected on four free throws and a Gerald Riley jumper to put the game out of reach.

Mike Sweetney led the Hoyas with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and four blocks, joined by Gerald Riley with 19. The two combined for an impressive 16 for 22 from the floor and 39 points. Sweetney scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half.

Perhaps the star of the game should go to senior Victor Samnick, who turned in one of the best overall games of his career with 12 points, 4 steals and a block in 25 minutes of action, keeping the pressure off Sweetney and Riley inside. For the game, the Hoyas shot 53 percent from the field, holding the Friars to 38% from the field and forcing a season high 24 turnovers. Ryan Gomes led PC with 21, while Sheiku Kabba was held to only six points. PC is 9-1 when Kabba scores 10 or more points; without his 10, as was the case tonight, the Friars are 4-11.

Georgetown is now 17-3 against the Friars in Washington in the Big East era, and await a nationally televised battle with Syracuse on Saturday.

Post-game reports follow below. The Washington Times game account was not posted as of 7:00 this morning; the "game notes" column follows in the link below.

In one of the uglier games of a long season, Georgetown survived a last second miss by Miami's Armondo Surratt to hang on in a 74-72 win at the Miami Convocation Center, earning the Hoyas its second straight road win and a reprieve from the Big East cellar.

The game started very slowly for both teams. Georgetown owned a 7-3 lead after almost four minutes, whereupon a Courtland Freeman foul and a technical against the Georgetown bench offered Miami four FT's to take the lead. Both teams traded seven point leads in the half, with Miami leading by four at intermission, 31-27. Georgetown shot 8 for 25 (32%) in the half while Miami's Darius Rice did not score and the team went 1 for 10 from thee point range.

Frustrations continued in the second half. Symptomatic of the frenetic play came at 15:45 to play, when Brandon Bowman missed a two handed slam that would have cut the Miami lead to one. While Miami was shooting exceptionally well early in the half (7 for 11 at one point), the Hurricanes continued to turn the ball over in key stretches. On two different occasions in the second half, Miami gave up the ball by traveling along the baseline after a stoppage in play.

Georgetown took a 61-59 lead with 5:25 to play, and the ebb and flow continued. Georgetown was 7 for 8 from the line midway through the half but took only four free throws down the stretch as Mike Sweetney (24 points, 10 rebs) and Gerald Riley (19 pts) steadied the offense. With 2:28 to play, the Hoyas had the ball and led 71-65, and as Hoya fans know, this is where the game usually gets unsettling.

And so it goes. On that possession, Tony Bethel ran the clock down, then tossed up an errant three point shot instead of finding Sweetney or Riley. Miami was fouled on its next possession, but made only one free throw to cut the lead to five, 71-66. A Georgetown turnover followed, and the Hurricanes drove right down the middle to cut the lead to three, 71-68, with 1:05 to play.

With 0:45 to play, the Hoyas caught a break when Tony Bethel found Victor Samnick inside for a layup, 73-68, but the defense offered no resistance as the Canes took a layup eight seconds later, 73-70. Off a Georgetown time-out, the Hoyas were short-handed--literally. When the teams returned to the court, only four Hoyas were on the court--Darrel Owens had not been sent in by one of the assistants. The referees held up the ball to allow Georgetown to get Owens in, infuriating the Miami bench.

On Georgetown's next possession, Bethel turned the ball over within three seconds, and Miami cut the lead to one, 73-72. On the next series, Bethel was surrounded in the backcourt and lost the ball to Miami's Eric Wilkins with 12 seconds left, but Wilkins' pass was knocked away by Bethel. Before sailing out of bounds, Bethel heaved the ball downcourt to an open Brandon Bowman, who was fouled going to the basket with 5.6 seconds left.

"I felt so bad I made the turnover, so I wanted to hustle back and get the ball back," Bethel told the Associated Press. "I just knew I had to throw it down the court to burn off time, and then we had a man there."

Bowman's first free throw barely met the rim, but the second was good, leaving Miami a final chance with 5.6 seconds left. And in a finish eerily reminiscent of Georgetown's late finish against UCLA, Miami opted to put the ball in the hands of a guard and not throw the pass down the court. Miami freshman Armondo Surratt was guarded closely by Bethel, leaving him only a 30 foot shot which sailed off the backboard and preserved the Hoyas' unlikely win.

The Hurricanes have only themselves to blame for the outcome. Though five Canes finished in double figures, they gave up 24 turnovers and made only 59% of its free throws. For the Hoyas, who shot 56% from the field in the second half, 20 turnovers could have been enough to sink its chances, but Bethel's alert play saved a potentially disastrous 21st.

Sweetney's play continues to be impressive, and he wisely avoided a 5th foul late when it could have been disastrous to the Hoyas. Gerald Riley hit some key free throws in the second half, and Victor Samnick's 10 points were vital, none more so than the last two. The Georgetown bench continues to be non-productive, however, with two points in 45 minutes compared to 36 points in 66 minutes for the Hurricanes.

What a strange season--the Hoyas lost a game facing six men, and almost won a game with four. It's been that kind of run that one post on the HoyaTalk board labeled "the year of dribbling dangerously". But the season moves on to another dangerous game Tuesday versus Providence, which may have seriously damaged Villanova's NCAA hopes with a 70-60 win Saturday.

Junior forward Mike Sweetney has been named as one of 20 finalists for the Naismith Award, presented by the Atlanta Tip-Off Club to the nation's college basketball player of the year.

Other Big East players selected include Pittsburgh's Brandin Knight and Notre Dame's Chris Thomas. All three remain on the list of 30 for the other major player of the year award, the John Wooden Award.

Sweetney was also named to the NABC all-District team, which honors players by region. Georgetown's region is for programs in DC, Virginia, and West Virginia.

It wasn't Villanova in 1985, but Pitt's second half shooting kept the Hoyas in the cold with an 82-67 Panther victory before 7,242 at snow-bound MCI Center Tuesday. The #9-ranked Panthers shot 75% in the second half from the field and 91% from the line, and those are numbers that Georgetown could not overcome.

The two teams each shot nearly 50% percent in the first half. Georgetown led early, 14-8, and trailed by as many as four, 31-27, when Tony Bethel reeled off consecutive three point shots to give the Hoyas a two point lead, only to see the Panthers tie the score to end the half.

Pitt opened the second with a three point goal and opened a 40-33 lead. The Hoyas came back to tie the game at 40, but it was as close as Georgetown would get thereafter. The Panthers built up the lead to six midway through the half and ten with 4:00 to play, leaving Georgetown few options other than to foul, which led to three GU players fouling out, including defensive leader Gerald Riley. It was Riley's eighth foul-out of the season, and in those games the Hoyas are 1-7.

Georgetown closed the lead to 69-62 with under two minutes to play, but the Panthers extended the lead from the line for the final margin, the most in a Big East game against the Hoyas since March 8, 2001, an 18 point loss to Seton Hall.

Mike Sweetney led the Hoyas with another strong effort: 28 points. The Hoyas shot 41% for the game but the statistics were reduced considerably as the team missed its last eight attempts. Tony Bethel added 12 points. For the Panthers, Brandin Knight scored a season high 23, while Donatas Zavackas scored three of four from three point range and 17 points off the bench.

Georgetown's bench continued a season of under-performing play which is as contributing a factor to Georgetown's poor record as anything. Here's one stat to ponder: the Georgetown starting lineup actually outscored the Pitt starting five 63-56. However, the Pitt bench was 7 for 11 and added 26 points. The Georgetown bench shot 1 for 11 and added four points.

Put another way, the Georgetown bench played fifty-nine minutes, collected eight fouls, and scored one field goal. Game over.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review discusses a topic in Big East circles of late: dropping the two-division format and having a single division for scheduling purposes.

Under the current format, teams play home and home with six division foes and a single game against four of seven opponents from other divisions. For Georgetown, it means that teams like Boston College, Connecticut, and Villanova are not on this year's schedule, while teams like Providence have not played in Washington in four years.

One idea under discussion is to play all 13 opponents only once each season, with two permanent "rival" home and home games and one game selected by the conference each year for television purposes.

"It's worth a look to see what would happen if everybody in the league played each other once, " said Coach Esherick in the article. "If the commissioner wanted to take a look at it, I'd be all for it."

Gerald Riley scored a career high 31 points as the Georgetown Hoyas ended its longest losing streak since the 1974-75 season, an 85-73 victory over Virginia Tech. It was the Hoyas' first road win of the season, and could not have come at a more pressing time for Georgetown to recover its season.

Making their first appearance at Cassell Coliseum since Craig Esherick was a junior in the Business School, the Hoyas started off slowly and were in trouble within three minutes, as Mike Sweetney picked up two fouls in the first 3:19 of the game and went to the bench. Down 9-5 after the first TV time out, the Hoyas surprised the Hokies with a 15-1 run to take the lead at 20-10, paced by two three pointers from Gerald Riley. The Hoyas could not hold the lead, and VT clawed back to 22-21 with 7:42 in the half. Riley scored two more threes down the stretch in the first, and despite Virginia Tech shooting 52% in the first half, Georgetown held a 41-32 halftime lead, which was the largest halftime lead in a Big East game since a 12 point halftime lead on West Virginia on Feb. 2, 2002.

Sweetney returned to the starting lineup in the second half and with Riley continuing his pace from outside, Georgetown opened the half on a 10-5 run to lead 51-37 with 15:33 to play. Georgetown led by as many 17, 56-39, when Tech began to chip away at the lead. A 7-0 run closed the lead to ten, 56-46, when Victor Samnick fouled out with 9:27 to play. Sweetney and Riley took the lead back to 14, 68-54 with 6:18 to play, but the Hoyas failed on consecutive possessions and the Hokies took the lead under double digits, 68-59 with 5:04 to play when Mike Sweetney picked up his 4th foul.

Georgetown fans know what usually happens next--an opponent run with no hope in sight. The Hokies did make their run, closing to eight at 76-68 with 1:25 to play, but the Hoyas had another ending planned. A pair of key Darrel Owens free throws and a key Mike Sweetney block stopped the Gobblers' comeback, and the G-men went on a 7-0 run to put away the game. In the final six minutes, Georgetown was 9 for 10 from the line, and every point was crucial.

Riley's play was the best performance of his career. "He's finally practicing [after a recurring injury]," said Coach Esherick after the game. "He's able to work on his shooting more. And every time Virginia Tech made a run, he hit some big shots." Riley's 31 was the most points scored by a Hoya (other than Mike Sweetney) in a Big East game since Victor Page scored 31 against Miami on March 6, 1997.

Sweetney also came up big with 25 points, most in the second half. Tony Bethel shook off a prolonged slump to add in ten points at some critical moments of the game. Despite some lapses in defense, the Hoyas gave up only 11 turnovers and collected 14 assists. And foul shooting was nothing short of exemplary: 19 of 21 (.905).

The Hoyas can also thank the weather for giving them a fighting chance. Cassell Coliseum can be a very tough place with 10,000 Hokie fans, as was the case when Tech routed UConn 95-74 just ten days ago. But with snow in the Blacksburg area, only 4,857 made it to the game and the crowd never seriously disrupted the effort.

Next up for Georgetown is a Pittsburgh team that was upset at Seton Hall and which has dropped its three road games in February. The Panthers are certainly favored on the more than neutral MCI Court, but it's nice to say that Georgetown has something it hasn't seen in almost four weeks: a little momentum.

Mike Sweetney and Gerald Riley combined for 41 points in Tuesday's game against Rutgers, but basketball is not a two man game.

In a game where the two teams missed 76 of 103 shots, Rutgers 66-59 win over Georgetown Tuesday not only extended the Hoyas' losing streak to six games and provided exclusive tenancy in the Big East cellar, but continued to expose the Hoyas' lack of offensive support for Mike Sweetney. Despite a solid effort from Gerald Riley, the rest of the team managed just three field goals in 21 attempts. Overall, the Hoyas scored on only 16 shots, its lowest output since a 54-47 loss to Princeton in 1999. With the setback, Georgetown drops to 0-7 on the road.

Any offensive output would have paid huge dividends against a Rutgers team which is not much better than Georgetown right now. The two teams combined to score all of 21 points in the first ten minutes of play, 11-10, each shooting well under average. The Hoyas missed 12 of its first 15 attempts, with Sweetney an uncharacteristic 0 for 4. Mike took over soon after, scoring nine straight points and leading Georgetown to a four point first half lead, 21-17. Late in the half, Rutgers capitalized on three consecutive turnovers and finished the period on a 10-2 run, leading 27-23 at the half.

Georgetown opened up strong in the second, holding the equally poor-shooting Scarlet Knights to five points in the first seven minutes of the half and taking a 39-32 lead, its largest of the game. Rutgers fought back to tie the score at 41-all with 10:00 left, and neither team could build up enough momentum to shake the other off. Georgetown's last lead came at 3:22, 55-54, answered by a Ricky Shields three pointer, 57-55. A pair of Riley foul shots tied the game at 57, where a late Rutgers three and two GU turnovers tipped the scales. The Scarlet Knights (11-10, 3-6 Big East) converted on 12 of 16 free throws down the stretch, and seven of its last eight to seal the win. While Georgetown was 25-37 from the line, it was only 7 of 15 from the line down the stretch and missed four of its final eight attempts.

Sweetney turned in another impressive game despite three and four defenders surrounding him. Riley's effort also was commendable, but the rest of the team offered little support:

What faces the Hoyas is not only another week of finger-pointing by fans and media, but the same demons that haunted them in January (no point guard, no center, no bench) appear to be in full force into February. The season's not over, but the Hoyas need some help--and some heart-- with seven games remaining.

Still, this team hasn't quit, and that's the best thing this team has going for it right now.

"Intercollegiate Athletics complements the academic mission...by seeking to achieve excellence in the fields of men and women's sports. Intercollegiate Athletics aims to attract the highest quality student-athletes, coaches and staff, and to provide the resources to build nationally competitive athletic teams." That quote is from a release on the UCLA athletics site noting that school has completed six recent projects to expand athletic field space and facilities on the Westwood campus, including adding 78,000 square feet of facilities and offices.

By contrast, shifting signals from the University on which projects to complete after the Southwest Quadrangle leave Georgetown basketball at a visible and growing disadvantage.

"This year Maryland opened a $100 million facility, Pittsburgh opened a $100 million facility, Miami opened a $70 million facility," said athletic director Joe Lang in this link from The HOYA. "And what did we do? We painted McDonough. That was our response. Because that’s all we got."

Of interest to Hoya fans is Lang's attempt to jump-start the McDonough issue once again. The HOYA reported that Georgetown will talk to the Big East about whether reconfiguring the existing McDonough setup could allow Big East games on campus sooner rather than later. At present, the Big East requires a minimum 6,000 seats to host home games. If the rule could be amended, the impact would be huge for Georgetown's teams.

This weekend's readings at Mass opened with words from the book of Job. Georgetown fans can relate.

For the third time in five games, Georgetown was on the wrong end of a one point loss, a 71-70 decision to UCLA that sank the Hoyas' losing streak to five straight heading into another week on the road. The streak includes two overtime losses and two one point losses.

While broadcast on national TV, the two teams did not look the part. Georgetown started off slow, hampered by two quick fouls on Mike Sweetney, who finished with 10 points in only 21 minutes of play, his lowest output of the year since a game with Towson on November 30. Without Sweetney, the Hoyas made do with a patchwork lineup, still lacking a healthy point guard or a capable center. At point guard, Tony Bethel turned in a poor first half, shooting 1 for 8. The center tandem of seniors Victor Samnick and Courtland Freeman were, at best, inconsistent low against the UCLA offense, and the Bruins took a 36-32 lead into halftime.

Georgetown's defense was improved in the second half, with Gerald Riley keeping UCLA's Jason Kapono to just four field goals during the game. UCLA picked up valuable points, however, from center Ryan Hollins. Hollins, averaging 2.5 points a game, collected a season high 14 points and nine rebounds on the Samnick-Freeman duo, as UCLA was able to get a number of easy second chances on Georgetown's weak interior defense.

Georgetown's second half run erased a nine point Bruin lead and built a 61-56 Hoya lead with 5:40 to play. UCLA answered with six straight points, while Georgetown contributed an air ball, a missed shot, and a turnover. The final four minutes were back and forth, with Gerald Riley's game high 20 points keeping the Hoyas in contention and a three pointer by Drew Hall in the final minute that gave Georgetown a one point lead in the final 30 seconds.

Holding for the last shot, guard Cedric Bozeman drove the lane but was stopped by Brandon Bowman, whereupon Tony Bethel was called for a reach-in foul with 4.9 seconds to play. Bozeman, a poor free throw shooter averaging 49 percent, would be hard pressed to sink two shots on the road, but because this is a game at Georgetown, anything is possible. Bozeman sank both free throws for the lead.

On Georgetown's final possession, UCLA collapsed on Sweetney and Bozeman swarmed over Hall as he was racing up the sideline. Much as he did against Notre Dame after a late foul, Hall's long three pointer sailed wide and with it, UCLA ended a nine game losing streak and Georgetown dropped another bewildering home loss.

Georgetown's early shooting woes continue to make the team and its staff look bad at game's end. Tony Bethel and Brandon Bowman continued a month long shooting odyssey which has hurt the Hoyas more than writers and fans care to notice. Bethel missed 10 of 12 shots in the game, and his three point shooting has dipped to 31 percent in the last nine games. Bowman's shooting average has dipped to 37 percent in the last nine games, and only 6-9 Courtland Freeman (6 for 24, 25 percent) has less to show for the last nine games. And while Gerald Riley continues to play hard on both sides of the offense, he has now fouled out in eight of his last nine games, fouling out one series before Cedric Bozeman's final run at the basket.

Georgetown ends its non-conference record at 8-3; however, to many fans, the real non-conference record was 1-3 against South Carolina, Virginia, Duke, and UCLA. Of these four teams, only Duke returns for the 2003-04 slate. Ironically, UCLA will go down as the Hoyas worst RPI loss of the season, as the Bruins had slid to 204th before Saturday's game, and bounced to 186 as of Sunday morning. The Hoyas' win against South Carolina holds no weight for the Hoyas, since the Gamecocks have slumped to an 8-11 mark.

As Job had his share of trouble, so do the Hoyas. Job endured and prevailed, and that's what the Hoyas must do.

Senior Wesley Wilson has received a temporary leave of absence from Georgetown, according to Friday's edition of the Washington Post.

Coach Esherick indicated that "He has not been kicked off the team. Both his return to school and his return to the team are open-ended."

The Post reports that Wilson was close to his grandfather, who died Dec. 31, but Coach Esherick noted that "his mother and father want his privacy to be honored."

Late Thursday evening, Wilson's name was left off the roster information in the game notes published at GUHoyas.com. According to The HOYA, Sports Information would neither confirm nor deny his departure.

Wilson averaged 6.6 points per game this season but has struggled in conference play, averaging less than five points per game.

"An unreasonable" expectation. It's hard to imagine when a single phrase generated such heat and bluster among Georgetown basketball fans, but a comment from Athletic Director Joe Lang in the January 20 Washington Post caused its share. On Wednesday, Lang reaffirmed his strong support for the basketball team and plans to renovate McDonough Gymnasium.

"I coached for 20 years in intercollegiate athletics... I know exactly what it means to compete and I don't like to lose," Lang told the Georgetown Voice. The article cited the Georgetown athletics handbook which states, in part, "the goal of each national sport [such as men's basketball] is to reach post-season competition and compete for the NCAA Championship."

The Voice also reports that short-term seating renovations could be presented to Big East officials to allow games to be played on campus sooner than later. Big East rules mandate a minimum of 6,000 seats for conference games; McDonough was downsized from 4,200 to 2,200 seats in the 1990's when upper level seating was removed and bleachers at each baseline were taken down.

"If there's a way for us to get our team in [McDonough] on this campus sooner rather than later, we will do whatever we can to accomplish that," said Lang. "I want you to understand there is that commitment to get that done."

Columnist Mike DeBonis of the Georgetown Voice takes overzealous fans to task for misinterpreting Lang's earlier remarks.

"Do yourself a favor if you're a talk radio junkie or a HoyaTalk regular: Break out of the cycle and take a few minutes to get the real story", writes DeBonis. "Read what Joe Lang really said on page 12, and spare our campus your outrage."

Junior forward Mike Sweetney remains on a list of 30 players in consideration for the John Wooden Award at season's end, according to a release on its web site.

Among the 30 on the list, which salutes the national player of the year, the list also includes Big East stars Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse), Marcus Hatten (St. John's), Brandin Knight (Pittsburgh), Emeka Okafor (Connecticut), Darius Rice (Miami), and Chris Thomas (Notre Dame).

A HOYA columnist asks in Tuesday's edition why the Hoyas couldn't have a little more home court success if it actually played at home.

"Last week, before the Hoyas’ embarrassing loss to Seton Hall in overtime, Hoya Blue circulated a petition asking the administration to move at least three games back to McDonough Arena next season. I say, why not move them all?", he wrote.

Unfortunately, the Big East conference has a standing rule that all conference games host a minimum of 6,000 seats. The three smallest schools in the conference: Providence, Georgetown, and Seton Hall--have gyms that that do not meet this threshold.

The all-time record attendance in McDonough, 4,620 in 1982 versus #4 Missouri, would be still nearly 1,500 seats short of the rule now in place.