What’s wrong with everybody? It seems like everybody always complains about Georgetown and Maryland not playing. Whether in College Park or DC, in the Terrapin Club or the Hoya Hoop Club, regional or national, biased or indifferent, everybody always talks about how this is a game that should be played every year. Why?

After 15 years, the game didn’t even get any publicity anyway. If people really cared that much, the story would’ve made the front page of the sports section “above the fold.” Don’t say it’s just because the Redskins played because I promise that if Kobe Bryant scores 100 points in a game on a Sunday, you won’t just see a full spread Redskins photo on page E1.

This game is just not that important to people. There was an off day in the tournament separating the Hoyas and Terps losing the semifinal and meeting in the consolation game. If the game had such great appeal, there would have been some people who used Saturday to travel to Orlando to see the epic battle. There are about 30 flights on Saturday from DC to Orlando, yet the crowds were minimal for Hoya and Terp supporters. The truth is, people would rather complain about the teams not playing than take steps to enjoy the game.

What the majority of the people want is for the teams to play every year and for the Hoyas to lose every meeting. Now that would be something the general public could get behind. It would be a story of Gary Williams using his intensity and motivational powers to will his players to an upset win over a ranked opponent and long-time bitter cross-town rival. Even with the Hoyas’ regular ability to win games and execute, their failure to do so against Maryland would re-emphasize the Terps as the best program in the city.

So, the Hoyas ruined everything by embarrassing everybody involved with a 30-point win. They played good defense – boring. They didn’t lose a big lead – yawn. They didn’t even make Gary sweat that much. Games like that make fans head for the exits early. That’s not what the fans have been waiting 15 years to see. Maybe that’s why the story of the game itself was almost an afterthought.

There are tons more Maryland fans than Hoya fans, due mainly to size of alumni. The only times that the Maryland people try to make a big deal about playing Georgetown is when they think they can win. That’s also the only time the game gets any huge post game coverage, if the Terps win. Otherwise, the game gets ignored, like the one from this past Sunday. From Georgetown’s perspective, there is no reward for victory, and there is nothing but scrutiny and criticism for a defeat. When it comes down to it, there’s no reason to try and get this game on the schedule, especially since until the next meeting, the Hoyas hold the bragging rights.