Teams

GU:
The Hoyas had a great game last night, showing why they are the #5 team in the country by playing with poise and simply executing, particularly in the second half.

The main thing that stuck out for me, though, was the team’s passing. Georgetown made several crisp passes that demanded that the players knew where each other were going to be. This not only shows that the Hoyas are getting more comfortable with the offense, but they are also getting more comfortable with each other.

ODU:
Old Dominion played well and kept the game close for most of the first half. They outhussled the Hoyas that period, grabbing 13 offensive rebounds for nine 2nd chance points. They just couldn’t keep up with the Hoyas when the Boys in Blue started playing with more aggression.

Players

GU:
The Hoyas’ backcourt depth really stepped it up yesterday as Wallace and Sapp spent a lot of time on the bench. Mike already talked about Freeman’s game, but I was more impressed with Rivers and Wright.

Jeremiah Rivers has been getting more playing time this year than he did as a freshman. Yesterday, he showed why, picking up two assists and two steals to no turnovers and showing a lot of aggressive play, driving to the basket through traffic. His play last night actually reminded me of his game at Duke last season. Hopefully, he won’t have to do deal with another injury to set him back this year.

Chris Wright also played well, and for the first time, I thought he looked very comfortable with the Georgetown offense. He was directing traffic when he had possession, and he was moving well without the ball. Besides that, he showed some great hussle on his steal, diving right in front of the ODU bench to grab the ball.

ODU:
In our game preview, it looked like Gerald Lee might be dangerous, as he was ODU’s leading scorer and rebounder. He definitely did not disappoint, putting up career numbers with 24 and 12, most of those coming in the first half. Not enough support from his upperclassmen teammates did not bode well for the Monarchs.

Coaches

One thing you can say about John Thompson III is that he has faith in his bench. This game was very tight in the first half, but that did not keep JTIII from going to his bench early and often. One might expect a coach to keep his starters in during a game like this until the game was in hand. Then he could bring in his younger players to get the experience they need for conference play. But it looks like Thompson is going do or die with the bench right from the get go.

Referees

The only thing I have to say about the refs is in regards to the play Mike brought up, where Roy got called for an offensive foul as he was doing a routine spin move. It didn’t have any impact on last night’s game, but the refs need to know coming into the game that Roy Hibbert is a talented big man, who the opposing team’s frontcourt will have trouble with. They have to understand that so they recognize when a player is flopping out of desperation and when a player is legitimately fouled.

Fans

ODU’s last three games were against teams ranked in the top 10, but last night was the first time they got to play a big team at home. They had a good showing in the stands, but that wasn’t enough to put them past the Hoyas. Some Georgetown fans made the trip to Norfolk, as well, which was nice to see after so many ODU fans in McDonough last season.

Number of the Game

20: The number of assists the Hoyas had on 26 field goals. That’s 77% - not too shabby. I already talked about the Hoyas’ improved passing, and if it continues to translate into this many assists, that can only mean good news for the Hoyas’ season.

Revenge

So the Hoyas have avenged their loss against Old Dominion. Their next game is at home against Fairfield. Georgetown defeated the Stags 73-60 last season, so perhaps Fairfield has something to prove on Saturday.