Teams

Georgetown:
The Hoyas started the season off on the right foot, handily defeating Tulane. But, as I mentioned earlier, winning is not necessarily the most important part of these early season games. On the plus side, the team came out strong, and after lagging a bit towards the end of the half, really took over in the second. A problem for the Hoyas in recent years has been rebounding, but Georgetown out-rebounded Tulane 36-25. However, there were still some problems. The Hoyas were a little careless with the ball in the first half, committing nine turnovers, and team was only 61% from the the free throw line. Certainly room for improvement, but overall a good start for the Hoyas.

Tulane:
The Green Wave struggled throughout the game, starting the game 0-8 from the field, and once the Hoyas took a 10 point lead five minutes into second half, the game would never be closer. Tulane’s lack of height is likely to cause problems for them all year, especially in rebounding, as I already mentioned.

Players

Georgetown:
Greg Monroe had a great game, 18 points and 11 rebounds, but I was more impressed with Austin Freeman. Tony talked about Freeman’s struggles last year, and at least in the first game, it seems like he has forgotten all about it, going 6-9 from the field including 2-3 from beyond the arc, and ended the game with 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists.

Tulane:
The Hoyas held last year’s leading scorer Kevin Sims to three points on 0-6 shooting, his only points coming from the free throw line. His fellow starting guard Kris Richard tried to pick up the slack, scoring 15 points, but was only 1-7 from three-point land. David Booker also had strong game, taking advantage of starter Geoff Hogan’s early foul trouble. Booker had 14 points, nine rebounds and thee steals coming off the bench.

Coaches

Austin Freeman picked up two early fouls, but Coach Thompson elected not to sit him the rest of the half, instead playing him intermittently until the break. This shows a trust in his player to play smart defense, but also an understanding of the importance Freeman must play this year. Coach’s move paid off, as Freeman did not pick up his third foul and ended the game with 16 points.

Number of the Game

36: Total minutes played by the Georgetown bench. The Hoyas bench is very thin this year, with only Hollis Thompson and Henry Sims getting significant playing time. This means the bulk of the scoring production must come from the starters, and it puts even more pressure on the team to stay out of foul trouble. It was not a problem in this one, we will have to wait to see what happens in a closer contest.

Road To Victory

Last season, the Hoyas didn’t play a road game until their Big East opener at Connecticut. The team won that game but would go only 3-8 on the road for the season. This year, the Hoyas took a different strategy, opting to open the season in enemy territory, followed by another road game next week. Perhaps playing in a hostile environment early will toughen up the Hoyas for Big East play.