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Georgetown:
Georgetown beat Providence on New Year’s Eve, showing that they can win ugly, even when nothing is working the way it should on offense. They tried to score from outside; they tried to pound it in down low; they moved the ball around; the ball just refused to go into the basket. But even though points were hard to come by, they clamped down in the final minutes, and willed the victory.
Georgetown:
The Hoyas looked much better a week after a closer-than-it-should-have-been victory over Howard. This time, against another local rival, Georgetown started slowly but woke after the break to soundly defeat American. The offense looked very good in the second half, with the Hoyas picking apart the American defense for backdoor layups. Georgetown ended the day with 18 assists, a sign of effective passing and ball movement.
The defense also turned up the intensity in the second half, using high pressure to create turnovers and easy baskets. The Hoyas had 19 points off turnovers in the game, with 15 of those coming after the break. In short, the Hoyas simply overwhelmed American on both sides of the ball in the second half.
Georgetown:
The Hoyas turned what should have been a runaway victory into a close contest. They started the game strong, jumping out to a 17-0 lead and looking like they would have no problems with their opponents. However, they seemed to get a little complacent from that point, not moving the ball as well as they had been at the outset, but still took a 13 point lead into the break.
Georgetown started the second half as if they didn’t want to be out on the floor, making just one of their first eight attempts and allowing Howard to cut the lead to two. From then, it was a dog fight, as Georgetown tried to extend the lead and Howard refused to go away. The Hoyas’ defense ended up helping to make the difference, as Georgetown forced the Bison into 23 turnovers.
Georgetown:
Georgetown was coming off a huge win on the road against Alabama and playing against a team that Coach Thompson in the postgame press conference described by saying, “we are a better team than them”. So the frustrating first half of pulling ahead and then under-performing was nothing too surprising.
What was unexpected was how well the underclassmen performed in the second half. The players who had seen the least action all season showed confidence and control that they hadn’t displayed all season. Most times when the coach clears the bench, the lead slowly dwindles and the game seems to stretch longer than what’s comfortable. On Saturday, the freshmen brought excitement to the court and not only held the lead, but extended it. Regardless of the opponent, that’s a solid accomplishment.
Georgetown:
The Hoyas showed flashes of greatness as well as signs of weakness in their dramatic 57-55 win over Alabama. In the first half, Georgetown baffled the Crimson Tide with their zone defense, forcing Alabama to use most of the shot clock before settling for a outside jumper. Offensively, the Hoyas ran their sets well, getting numerous backdoor cuts and open threes. The execution looked especially good considering the strong defense that Alabama has.
Georgetown:
Georgetown started the game poorly, taking almost three minutes to make their first field goal. The team looked sloppy, missing a lot of inside shots, and bobbling passes and rebounds. As the game wore on, the Hoyas improved offensively, as they used fast breaks to get the offense jump-started. The Hoyas also began to penetrate the Cougar’s defense, getting to the hoop for easy baskets or pulling up for floating teardrops in the lane.
After a long weekend and a lot of turkey, I can now look back and reflect upon Georgetown’s trip to Hawaii.
Georgetown:
There were lots of questions surrounding this year’s Georgetown team entering Maui, as the first few games were not challenging enough to show us what the team was made of. After the tournament, I think we all have a better sense of this year’s team.
The Hoyas showed me a lot, playing hard throughout the whole tournament, competing at the same level as the two top 25 opponents that they faced and soundly defeating an inferior opponent. The Hoyas did make a number of mistakes that are typical for teams with lots of underclassmen, such as going on extended scoring droughts and falling asleep on defense occasionally. But, the team was able to overcome these flaws for an impressive overall performance in Maui.
Georgetown:
The Hoyas dominated the Spartans from start to finish in their opening game of the Maui Invitational. The Hoyas started the game on a 12-2 run and never looked back. They used an oppressive defense to generate ten steals and forced UNC Greensboro into a total of 22 turnovers over the course of the game.
Offensively, the Hoyas got out into transition more, using their pressure defense to create steals and turn them in to easy points. Georgetown continues to share the ball, finding the open man regardless of who it is. As a result, ten Hoyas got on the score sheet. We know that the real test will come when the Hoyas actually get to Hawaii, but still the Hoyas looked very strong in this game.
Georgetown:
As this was the first game of the season, I didn’t really know what to expect from the team. For most of the first half, the team seemed a little tentative, with players trying to make the extra pass instead of taking an open jumper. But, as the Hoyas started to settle into the game, I was impressed. The freshman seemed to understand the offense and ran it effectively, as everyone seemed to know where to go in the motion offense. The team also shot 66.7% from the field on the day.
Defensively, the Hoyas looked a little out of sync at times, giving up a lot of uncontested three pointers. While it was not an issue in this game, it is something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
Georgetown:
The Hoyas had been on a downward slide in March, losing five out of six heading into the NCAA Tournament. But, the team was entering the VCU game with Chris Wright scheduled to return and a chance for a new beginning. It was a perfect opportunity to forget the past and turn things around. Instead, they continued their plummet, losing 56-74 to the Rams in an uninspired performance.
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