Teams

Georgetown:
The Hoyas grew a lot over the course of this tournament. In the Wichita State game, the team looked a little flat, perhaps they felt a little like Allen Iverson, upset about having to work on Thanksgiving. The team did well closing out that game though, and showed character by not getting anxious despite the closeness of the game.

Georgetown came out ready to play against Tennessee, and for more than 3/4 of the game held their own. Unfortunately, the offense stalled near the end of the game, and their defense did not bail them out when they needed stops. Poor rebounding also hurt the Hoyas, and the Volunteers punished them for it, cutting an eight point Georgetown lead down to two on one possession via offensive boards.

But, the Hoyas had no trouble bouncing back against a mediocre Maryland side, leaving no doubt which is the premiere team in the DC area. The Hoyas ran the offense to perfection against the Terps’ man-to-man defense, and the game was over by halftime. Georgetown also did well not to turn the ball over too much against Maryland’s full-court pressure, a problem that often plagues the Hoyas. And, although it does not mean all problems have been resolved, the Hoyas did outrebound the Terps 39-26.

Wichita State:
The Shockers came to Orlando ready to play and outworked the Hoyas for much of the game. The Hoyas jumped out to an early 9-0 lead, but it did not fluster Wichita State, which continued to run their offense and slowly got back into the game. Although the Shockers never led, they came with a point late in the second half. Wichita State proved that their performance was not a fluke, keeping their final game against Michigan State close for most of the game as well.

Tennessee:
Tenessee played their type of game against the Hoyas, a high-scoring, running shootout, and they got hot right as the Hoyas went cold from the field. The Volunteers showed they can get point production from a variety of sources, having a different leading scorer in each of their three games.

Maryland:
The Terrapins rely on emotion to win games, and that was evident in their 18 point win over then fifth-ranked Michigan State. However, when your primary weapon is emotion, it is not sustainable throughout a season, or even a week. They feel to Gonzaga by 22, and then to the Hoyas by 27. It would not shock me if the Terps were to beat another high-profile team this year, as nothing fires the team up more than a game against North Carolina or Duke, but I also would not be surprised if they lost at home to Delaware State.

Players

Georgetown:
Two players stuck out in my mind during this tournament. DaJuan Summers seemed to find his stroke from downtown midway through the Wichita State game, and after missing his first three three-point attempts in that game, went 7-11 the rest of the tournament.

Austin Freeman was another Hoya who shined, getting to the basket effectively throughout the tournament and leading the team in scoring twice. He did especially well against Maryland, perhaps to show the Terps what they let slip through their fingers, as the DeMatha alum grew up in Maryland’s backyard.

Wichita State:
Despite the hype about freshman Garrett Stutz, it was another freshman, David Kyles, who stuck out for me. His three-pointer right before halftime made it a four point game and gave the Shockers some momentum going into the break. However, his impact over the rest of the tournament was minimal, as he only played seven minutes the rest of the tournament.

Tenessee:
Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism were the high-profile returning players for the Volunteers, but in the semifinal game against the Hoyas it was Cameron Tatum who provided the killing blow, going 6-8 from the field and 5-6 from beyond the arc, including 14 points in a five minute stretch to turn a two point Hoya lead into an 11 point deficit.

Maryland:
Coming into the game, many expected Greivis Vasquez to set the pace, as he was averaging 20 points a contest. The Hoyas effectively shut him down, so Eric Hayes had to pick up the slack. He had 11 points on six shots, going 50% from the field. But, it was not nearly enough for the overmatched Terrapins.

Referees

I thought the referees were pretty bad across the board in the Old Spice Classic. There were lots of touch fouls that were called, and some hard fouls that were not, and, as I’m sure DaJuan Summers can attest to, too many offensive fouls. Perhaps the best example of the poor officiating came in the final between Gonzaga and Tennessee. A Gonzaga player was driving to the basket and collided with a Volunteer. Referee Doug Shows called a charge, while the under the basket official Jim Burr called a block. After conferring for a few minutes, a double foul was called. It looks like Maryland’s performance against the Hoyas wasn’t the worst of the tournament after all.

Number of the Tournament

53.1: Field goal percentage for the Hoyas against Maryland. Coincidentally, also the field goal percentage for the Hoyas against Tennessee. The Hoyas shot 26-49 from the field in both of their final two games, meaing the difference came on the defensive end. Maryland shot only 31.6% from the field, while Tennessee shot 52.7%.

Got Milk?

The Old Spice Classic is played annually in Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in the arena called the Milk House. It is sponsored by America’s Dairy Farmers “Body by Milk” campaign, which is what gives the arena its interesting name.