Big East Media Day occurred a few days ago, and the events that transpired should come as no surprise to most people: Hibbert was chosen as Big East preseason player of the year; Georgetown was picked to finish first in the conference. But, there is one more thing that will not surprise people this year. And that is the Georgetown Hoyas.

The secret of Georgetown Basketball is over. The Hoyas can no longer hide in the shadows, as they have done the past few years. That is not to say that people looked past the Blue and Gray or thought that they would be an easy win, but I think it is clear that people didn’t realize the potential that the Hoyas had.

Take last season, for example. Last season, people expected Georgetown to be competitive, as the Hoyas were picked to finish second in the Big East - behind Pittsburgh - and Green and Hibbert had made the preseason all-conference team. But, after struggling at the beginning of the season - losses against ODU, Oregon and Duke - the Hoyas fell off the radar (and out of the top 25) for a while. So, when Notre Dame, riding a 12 game winning streak, came to the Verizon Center for the conference opener, it is no coincidence that Georgetown blew them out of the water. Yet, even after that game, a lackluster performance against Villanova and a tough loss at Pitt left the Hoyas 1-2 in conference play.

At this point, people forgot about the Hoyas a little bit. They stopped talking about them as one of the premiere teams in college basketball. And that is precisely when the Hoyas started firing on all cylinders. Georgetown went on to win 15 of their next 16 conference games, a run that included the Big East Tournament. This is not to say that Pitt was surprised by the Hoyas in the finals, but certainly looking at Georgetown in early January, you might not have expected where they ended up.

This year’s team will not have that luxury. Everyone, from the media to the coaches to the players, knows that Georgetown is the team to beat. Even an early season stumble will not change that. But, it will present the Hoyas with a great opportunity. This is how great teams prove themselves. When everyone knows how good you are, they play their best against you, and you still win. The Hoyas have a chance to show what a great team they really are, and to prove to everyone that Georgetown Basketball is back to stay. And that should come as no surprise.