Teams

Georgetown:
The Hoyas entered Big East play without a win against a high-profile opponent, and the team came out with something to prove. After taking a lead and weathering a few comebacks, Georgetown pulled away, leading the second-ranked team in the nation by 17 late in the second half.

Connecticut:
The Huskies showed a surprising lack of fight in this game. They got ambushed to start the game, but eventually made it a three point contest midway through the second half. At this point, the stage was set for a classic Big East battle to the finish, but instead Connecticut fizzled, and the Hoyas took over down the stretch.

Players

Georgetown:
Austin Freeman had 13 points, a solid but not spectacular performance. However, his timing was crucial. UCONN was closing in on the Hoyas, cutting the lead to three a number of times midway through the second half. It was Freeman’s coolness that led the team, getting to the hoop and hitting key free throws to give the Hoyas a little breathing room.

Connecticut:
For a few possessions in the second half, it looked like Jeff Adrien was going to take over the game, scoring on three consecutive possessions seemingly effortlessly. However, they stopped giving him the ball inside, and he only took one more shot the rest of the game.

Coaches

Coach Thompson had his team ready for this game. They came out on fire, and even after the Huskies made it close, Georgetown maintained their composure, and in the second half, slowly, methodically pulled away, a trademark of this coach. Coach Calhoun’s players, on the other hand, came out a little flatfooted, and did not have a sense of urgency as the game began to get out of reach in the second half.

Referees

The refs were a bit inconsistent but, all in all, it was a good day for the referees, with the exception of the Monroe’s second foul. In the first half, they didn’t call much, as evidenced by the Huskies’ three fouls at the break. The second half was tighter, and the Hoyas took advantage, going 18-19 in the second period.

Number of the Game

18: Consecutive free throws made to end the game for Georgetown. After going 0-2 in the first half, Chris Wright missed the front end of a two shot foul. From that point on, the Hoyas were perfect from the line.

Hoyas vs. Wizards

At the beginning of the season, my brother pondered if the Hoyas would have more wins than the Washington Wizards at the end of the year. The Hoyas won. By a lot. After yesterday’s win, Georgetown increased its win total to 10. The Wizards, on the other hand, eked out their sixth win of the year against Houston. With only one game left in 2008, the Wizards can’t catch the Hoyas, despite playing 19 more games. Congrats, Hoyas. To add a little drama though, it will be close to see if the Wizards could catch the Hoyas if you add in the Oklahoma City wins. Just something to look for as 2008 comes to a close.