Teams

Georgetown:
As they have done time and again season, the Hoyas pulled out another close victory. The win makes Georgetown back-to-back regular season Big East Champions for the first time in school history, and what better way to do it than on the defensive end. The nation’s leader in defensive field goal percentage held Louisville to 36.4% from the field in the first half, and a frigid 22% from beyond the arc in the game. And after Jeremiah Rivers added to the drama by missing the front end of a one-and-one, the Hoyas came up with one more big stop on defense, forcing Louisville to take and miss two contested three pointers.

Louisville:
The Cardinals are a three-point shooting team, and when the shots aren’t falling from downtown, they will struggle. That was the case in this game, as the Hoyas never let the Cardinals get into a groove from three point land. The result was a low-scoring affair, and though Louisville’s defensive pressure kept them in the game, it was not enough to push them to over the top.

Players

Georgetown:
On Senior Day, it was the underclassmen who carried the day. Freshman Austin Freeman showed his stuff. He scored eight points in a row early in the second half to give the Hoyas an 11 point lead. Then, after a comeback by Louisville, it was sophomore DaJuan Summers who buried the game-winning three pointer. It was his only basket of the second half, but it could not have come at a better time for the Hoyas.

Louisville:
Terrence Williams led the Cardinals with 14 points and was instrumental in Louisville’s comeback. His three-pointer with under four minutes left gave Louisville their first and only lead of the second half. He also got an offensive rebound in the dying seconds to give the Cardinals one last chance to tie the game, but Edgar Sosa’s double clutch three was off at the final buzzer.

Coaches

Coach Thompson has stressed poise throughout the season, and once again his teaching has proved beneficial. Even with the team down in the last moments of the game, there was a steady calm about the team, a quiet assurance, and he can be given some of the credit for the great execution at the end of games.

Referees

The referees did not call many fouls in this game, in sharp contrast to the Hoyas’ last contest. As a result, the Hoyas shot only five free throws the entire game. The refereeing, while consistent, probably hurt Georgetown more than Louisville, since the Cardinals pressured the ballhandlers all game, and a few times Louisville got steals that in other games might have been whistled as fouls.

Fans

A sell-out crowd at the Verizon Center was on hand to send off the seniors in their last home game. There was a large contingent of Louisville fans in attendance as well, and at a few timeouts they could be heard cheering on the Cardinals. But, at the end of the game it was the Georgetown fans making all the noise. The students were out in full force, which is a testament to them, as their Spring Break was not yet over. They were rewarded after the game, as Roy Hibbert came over to start a “We are…Georgetown” chant after the final horn.

Number of the Game

8: Free throws missed by Louisville, almost twice the number attempted by the Hoyas. No miss was more important than Earl Clark’s, as he went 1-2 from the line with 1:12 remaining to only tie the game instead of retake the lead. The miss set up the end-of-game heroics for Summers.

Perfection

For the first time since moving out of USAirways Arena, the Hoyas were undefeated at home. The Verizon Center celebrated its ten year anniversary this year, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate it than with a perfect home record.

Teams

Georgetown:
This game was just what the doctor ordered for Georgetown. After four closely contested games, the Hoyas had a relatively easy time with the Bearcats. It looked as though it might be another nail-biter, as Cincinnati cut the Georgetown’s lead to five a minute into the second half, but then the Hoyas pulled away thanks to a 16-4 run and coasted to a 20 point victory. With every game of maximal importance in the race for the Big East title, the Hoyas surely enjoyed the stress-free victory.

Cincinnati:
Cincinnati’s loss drops the Bearcats to 8-6 in conference play, as they fight with West Virginia, Marquette, and Pittsburgh for the fifth spot in the conference tournament and strong case for an at-large bid. The Bearcats had a few good stretches including a run that turned a 14 point deficit into a more manageable seven point one half time, but in the end they were outplayed by a superior team.

Players

Georgetown:
Austin Freeman had been struggling recently, scoring only 10 points in his last three games. He exceeded that sum in this one, putting up 13 points. He jump started the Hoyas offense early on, scoring five quick points and assisting on a Summers hoop. He was also perfect from the free throw line and finished on a number of tough layups. If he can continue to score like he did earlier in the season, Georgetown’s chances for post-season success increase dramatically.

Cincinnati:
Deonta Vaughn is averaging over 17 points a game, and he showed his scoring ability in the final portion of the first half, scoring seven points in a minute, including back to back three pointers to cut the Georgetown lead from 14 to seven. However, credit the Hoyas defense, as apart from that one stretch, Vaughn was only 2-10 from the field. His teammates were unable to pick up the pace, and the Bearcats wound up being outscored by 20.

Referees

It seemed as though the referees kept getting worse as the game wore on, perhaps fatigue playing a part. The half ended on a Cincinnati basket that appeared to be a shot clock violation but was allowed to stand. In the second half, it seemed like there was a whistle on every possession, and even well after the game was decided and both teams were ready to call it a day, the refs continued to make calls.

Fans

Another good crowd at Verizon Center, as over 17,000 came out to see the Hoyas remain perfect on their home floor. They perhaps got their loudest after Jeremiah Rivers had a thunderous two-handed throw-down off a steal.

Number of the Game

70: Percentage the Hoyas shot from inside the arc. Georgetown went 14-20 on two-point attempts on the day, with 24 of those points coming in the paint.

Scoreboard Woes

Clock problems at Verizon Center have been a recurring theme this year, with perhaps the culmination coming in this game. The clock did not start on numerous occasions, which added to the slow pace of the game. Even on the final possession the clock did not start, prompting both coaches to yell at the scorers’ table. So, next time you hear the fans chanting “score-board!” at a home game, it might have nothing to do with the score.

Teams

Georgetown:
The Hoyas showed good composure down the stretch in this one. They were trailing by six with under four minutes left and continued to run their sets. The result was an 11-2 run to close out the game. Lots of Hoyas made big shots when it mattered and did a good job getting stops and securing the rebounds on the defensive end.

Connecticut:
The Huskies played well, and they will be dangerous come tournament time. They got out in transition for some easy baskets, went 49% from the field against the tough Georgetown D, and they blocked a lot of shots - not just Hasheem Thabeet, but all their players. Fortunately, a few of those shots were on the way down, the most important one being the goldtending on Ewing’s shot that tied the game at 69.

Players

Georgetown:
Roy Hibbert scored 20 points, including the game winner, but I would say Austin Freeman was the one who most impressed me. He made two clutch threes with the Hoyas down and was willing to take another that would have given Georgetown the lead with about a minute to play. His shot was off, but he had the confidence to take it. He is a freshman beyond his years, and that will help immensly come March.

Connecticut:
Doug Wiggins made huge shots throughout the game. He was 6-7 from the field for 15 points and pulled down six rebounds. His only miss was the baseline jumper with under a minute in the game that would have given the Huskies the lead.

Coaches

Jim Calhoun was not on the bench tonight due to flu-like symptoms, leaving the Huskies under the direction of George Blaney. But I am not convinced that even Calhoun would have had Thabeet out covering Hibbert beyond the arc. As for Coach Thompson, I don’t think that was exactly how he drew up the final play, but Hibbert was so open partially because UCONN was guarding against a backdoor layup.

Referees

The refs were bad, but thankfully it didn’t negatively affect the result. The game started with six consecutive fouls called on the Hoyas. This led to a mock cheer when the Huskies were finally whistled for a foul 40 feet from the basket. In the second half, they settled down a bit. The most controversial call came with under two minutes left. Ewing drove to the basket and appeared to travel, then had his shot blocked by Thabeet. Then John Cahill called goaltending to tie the game up at 69. Looking at the replay, it looked as though both calls were correct, but it angered the UCONN faithful.

Fans

It was a sellout crowd at Verizon Center, and while there were some Huskies fans making some noise near the end, when Jessie Sapp’s three pointer tied the game with a little under 2:30 remaining, the crowd erupted and was definitively pro-Georgeotwn down the stretch. I was sitting in the lower bowl, and we were all standing for the final portion of the game. It was a great atmosphere, and hopefully the Goergetown fans will keep coming out throughout the rest of the season.

Number of the Game

10: The Hoyas had 10 more field goal attempts than UCONN. This is a result of hard work on the boards, both in limiting Connecticut to only five offensive rebounds, but also in crashing on the offensive end to give the Hoyas second chance opportunities.

New Jack City

The face of Jack the Bulldog has changed again. A few seasons ago, they changed from the classic bulldog head to a more wolflike head. Well, it has changed again, returning to a bulldog look, but whereas the original Jack had totally black eyes, the new head has whites of eyes, giving him a more modern look.

#5 – Silent Night

The Hoyas’ win over Alabama was a quality one in a tough environment against a team from a top conference. That early victory helped the Hoyas extend their undefeated string to start the season and helped to silence the rowdy crowd in Birmingham.

#4 – God Rest You Merry Gentlemen

The Hoya gentlemen deserve a little rest. Hopefully, the players can enjoy a little bit of R & R for Christmas. A little time at home with family and friends should be the perfect way to unwind and re-charge for the intense three months that lie ahead.

#3 – O Come All Ye Faithful

The fans deserve a lot of credit for creating a great atmosphere at the Verizon Center, even during the less attractive part of the schedule. I’m sure the faithful will be even more involved when Big East play begins.

#2 – What Child Is This?

Austin Freeman has been an excellent addition to the Hoyas this season and over the past few games has arguably been Georgetown’s best player. He can score with his jumper, cuts, or athleticism. Besides his ability to fill it up, he also is a very cool customer, never letting a great play affect his poker face. Not bad for a freshman.

#1 – Joy To The World

During the Christmas Holidays, Hoya fans have a nice opportunity to reflect on the great success from 2007 and to anticipate the great things that lie ahead in 2008. The Hoyas look to repeat their Big East Championships from last season, and hope to have a nice reprise of this carol in March.

Teams

Georgetown:
The Hoyas looked pretty bad in their first loss of the year. After a strong first 15 minutes, near the end of the first half the Hoyas let an eight point lead turn into a three point deficit. It was all downhill from there, as the offense got upset by the Memphis defense, and poor rebounding gave the Tigers too many easy points.

Memphis:
Memphis stuck with their gameplan, which was to overplay on defense, run, and crash the boards. Shortly after the Hoyas took a one point lead five minutes into the second half, Memphis rolled off nine in a row. And from that point on, Memphis totally dominated, the Hoyas unable to stop the Tigers defensively.

Players

Georgetown:
Austin Freeman did a good job scoring the ball. He went 6-9 from the field, but he didn’t get much help. Roy Hibbert only had six points, and Jessie Sapp finished with only five.

Memphis:
Chris Douglas-Roberts is the obvious choice. He scored a game-high 24 points, including seven in a 90 second stretch. He also added eight rebounds in 36 minutes of action.

Coaches

John Calipari’s technical changed the complexion of the game. Whereas in the first half, the Hoyas were getting calls and shooting free throws, after the technical the Hoyas only shot two for the next 12 minutes, the game becoming more up-and-down. This style certainly played into the hands of the more athletic Tigers.

Referees

The referees did fine in the first half, but even before the aforementioned technical, they had lost control of the game, letting lots of possible fouls go uncalled. It was around this time when the wheels started to fall off for the Hoyas, and while the refs are not to blame, a few more calls might have helped settle the team.

Fans

The Memphis crowd was impressive. They were very loud the whole game, and at times they seemed to lift the home side and intimidate the Boys in Blue.

Number of the Game

16: Consecutive possessions in the second half on which Memphis scored. This was a result of poor rebounding by the Hoyas, who had 17 defensive rebounds compared to the Tigers’ 16 offensive boards.

Since that first William and Mary game, Freeman and Wright have been getting steadily more minutes, culminating in the last game, where they had 25 and 22 minutes, respectively. We are not far from the time when these two guys come in off the bench and there will be no drop-off in quality of play. In fact, in the most recent games, it has been the bench to jump-start the play for the Hoyas. Let’s look a little closer at the performance of the newest Hoyas.

One thing a team looks for from its bench is the ability to score points quickly. In five of the first seven games, Austin Freeman has come off the bench and made his first shot, four of those times being from downtown. Freeman has also showed a good understanding of the offense, getting some easy points on backdoor cuts and open layups. As the season continues, the Hoyas will begin to focus more on the motion offense, and if Freeman’s understanding continues to grow, he should have no problems fitting in.

Chris Wright’s maturation as a point guard is well underway. While in some aspects he has done well (five assists against Jacksonville), he still has some room for improvement (three turnovers). Fortunately, he has good role models on the team in Jonathan Wallace and Jessie Sapp. This also means that he doesn’t have to run the offense every time he is in the game, giving him a chance to put points up as well. Wright has been showing off his shooting ability recently, as he was 6-9 last outing, and in his past four games he is shooting 67% from downtown.

We should remember that Freeman and Wright aren’t the only freshman on the Hoyas. Omar Wattad got a few minutes against Jacksonville, and while his playing time was limited, he made some contributions - five points and two boards. It is good that Coach can get #31 into some games, since when January rolls around I don’t expect him to be on the floor too much. Unfortunately, Nikita Mescheriakov might not be able to get similar minutes for himself, since his suspension will end just one game before the Hoyas begin their Big East portion of the schedule.

When analyzing the progress of the freshmen, we should bear in mind the advice of Coach Thompson. Just like he preaches to his team, we should try not to get too high after a success or too low after a failure. There are certainly encouraging signs, but at the same time these guys are still freshmen, and mistakes are inevitable. The key will be seeing how well they learn from their mistakes, and if they grow from them. The Hoyas have a big game against Memphis next week, and not long after that, the Big East season begins. We will have to wait to see how the freshmen handle themselves in the upcoming month. And I think by then we will have a sense how good these freshmen, and this team, can really be.

Teams

GU:
The Hoyas took control of this game early and kept the pedal to the metal the whole time. The Boys in Gray unleashed an 87 point outburst, topping their season average by more than 20 points. The large lead allowed the starters to get some rest, as only one starter, DaJuan Summers, played more than 20 minutes.

Jac:
The Dolphins were outmatched from the onset, and the up-pace tempo did not help their chances. No Jacksonville player scored in double digits, which is an indicator both of the Hoyas’ tough defense and the Dolphins’ poor shooting. They shot just over 33% on the day.

Players

GU:
The Hoya freshmen got a chance to step it up today, and they did so wonderfully. After the 16 minute timeout in the first half, Coach brought in Austin Freeman off the bench. He made his first jumper - a three from the corner - and didn’t look back. He finished with a career high 15 points, on a scorching 6-7 from the field, including 2-2 from downtown, and converting his only free throw. Freeman continues his rapid growth on this team, and that can only mean good things for the Hoyas.

Jac:
The Dolphins had no major threats to the Hoyas, as the game was never in doubt. Junior forward Marcus Allen caused the most problems for the Hoyas in the first half, scoring six points on 3-4 shooting, but he added nothing in the second half, and the Hoyas cruised to victory.

Coaches

Coach Thompson again did well managing playing time for his team, getting his young players more valuable minutes, and resting his veterans. We will have to wait until the Big East season begins to see if these minutes will pay off.

Referees

As we have said before, a big lead helps make even the worst refs look good. That being said, this crew was more than a little inconsistent, with the Hoyas being whistled for zero fouls in the first 19 minutes of the game, and then 17 in the last 21.

The worst call in my opinion was in favor of the Hoyas, when Vernon Macklin went up for a monster slam. Jacksonville’s Ben Smith was whistled for the foul, which was the right call, but then the referees decided to call it an intentional foul, which was too harsh. I would like to give props to Jessie Sapp, though, who I think convinced the refs to award the intentional foul. His quick thinking helped salvage the possession, since Macklin inevitably missed both free throw attempts, but on the ensuing possession, Chris Wright was able to nail a three pointer.

Fans

Another sizable crowd for the Hoyas, especially in the student section, which was impressive considering that exams begin this week. But based on the score of the game, there were a few times when the fans were silent. Perhaps the fans are also working themselves into mid-season form.

Number of the Game

19: Minutes before the Hoyas were whistled for their first foul. Macklin committed the first foul for Georgetown with 59.3 seconds remaining in the first half.

Back in Gray

The Hoyas returned to their traditional gray uniforms today, abandoning the white jerseys they wore for the Fairfield game. Maybe it helped, as the Hoyas looked like a completely different team than the one on display last weekend.

GU:
I think the Hoyas were a little nervous at the start, perhaps because emotions were running high after last year’s game. But come the second half, Georgetown settled down and pulled away, using an 11-1 run to start the half and put the result beyond doubt. The young guys got a lot of minutes and did more than hold their own. With Freeman, Wright, and Macklin on the floor, it is a very different look than with Sapp, Wallace, and Hibbert. If the underclassmen can continue to get good minutes, the Hoyas will cause opposing defenses lots of problems. My only complaint with the team’s performance is the free throws. 65% is not going to cut it once Big East play rolls around, so the Hoyas need to right that ship, the sooner the better.

ODU:
Give Old Dominion credit - they are not afraid of the big dogs. They played three of the top 10 teams in the nation back to back to back. They came out ready, they were fired up, and they played hard. Unfortunately for the Monarchs, their shots never really started falling, and it was only a matter of time before they would have to make some shots or fall behind. We know which happened.

Players

GU:
Austin Freeman is my player of the game. He had 11 points on 5 for 7 shooting in 23 minutes of action. He looked like he found his stroke today and had a monstrous dunk in the first half. If he continues maturing at this pace, he will be getting big minutes very soon. He must also be doing the right things at practice, since Coach brought him in as the first guy off the bench today.

ODU:
The only choice is Gerald Lee. He single-handedly kept Old Dominion in the game for the first half. But, whether due to fatigue or a better gameplan for the Hoyas, he seemed to have little impact in the second half. He did lead all scorers with a career high 24 points, but he was the only Monarch to score more than six points and that was not enough.

Coaches

JTIII must have given the players an earful at halftime, because they came out flying to start the vespers half. He also did a good job of getting the younger players lots of minutes - not only when the game was out of reach, but also in the first half when it was close - and he was rewarded with very good all-around performances by the underclassmen.

On other end, maybe the ODU coach, Blaine Taylor, waited a little too long to use a timeout to stop the Hoyas’ run. By the time he did use it, it was a 17 point game, and it never got closer than 12 after that.

Referees

At first, it looked as though the refs were gonna call lots of touch fouls, which would have changed the complexion of the game. As it turned out, they let the players play, which is what the refs should do. Nothing too atrocious sticks out in my mind, other than the offensive foul they called on Hibbert when he spun away from the defender and was still whistled for the charge.

Fans

The crowd was very energetic to start the game. When Sam Harris made the first basket of the game, the crowd went crazy. They understandably quieted down a bit after the Hoyas took over, but even after that the fans were consistently making some noise, so props to them.

Number of the Game

21: Score for both teams with 3:51 left in the first half, before the Hoyas went on a 20-3 run to put the game out of reach.

For those of you hoping for a stand-out night from one of the Hoyas newcomers, you will have to wait. Austin Freeman was the first of the freshmen to get minutes, coming in at the 12:58 mark in the first half, and had a un-outstanding first appearance, going 1 for 4, 0 for 3 from beyond the arc, in 12 minutes of action. He was the only Hoya outside of the starters to get on the scoring sheet, though, making a nice 18 foot jumper midway through the second half. Freeman had a fine outing in other aspects, getting a few key rebounds, and playing nice defense. Chris Wright, the only other freshman to play in the season opener, played just eight minutes, and missed his only shot attempt.

It is too early to judge the freshmen, of course. Obviously, neither had a spectacular night. But, to put things in perspective, in last year’s season opener, first time Hoyas DaJuan Summers and Patrick Ewing Jr. had similar nights. Summers played 10 minutes, and went 0-1, whereas Ewing Jr. played eight minutes with only one rebound.

Despite the minimal impact, there was one play that gave Hoyas fans a glimpse of what is to come. Following a steal by Jeremiah Rivers, Wright found Freeman on the left baseline. Freeman pump-faked, took a dribble inside the three point line and nailed the jumper. As these players mature and get more comfortable in the offense, I get the feeling Freeman and Wright will be teaming up for a few more baskets. And that will be well worth the wait.