Teams

GU:
The Hoyas did not have their best game on Saturday, but they toughed it out and got the win. Playing without Jessie Sapp, who has been the team’s MVP so far this season, definitely hurt the Hoyas, and it took them a while to get into a rhythm.

The perimeter defense was shaky in the first half, but that got rectified at halftime, and the bigger concern is the team’s free throw shooting. While going 9-22 from the line on Saturday was pretty bad, the real problem is that the Hoyas are not doing much better on the season. In Georgetown’s first five games, they’ve gone 39 of 74 from the line - 52.7%.

FU:
Fairfield did what they could, and for the first 20 minutes, they executed. They went 7 for 11 from three point land, and it was no fluke. They were working Georgetown’s defense, and getting open shots. Georgetown’s increased intensity on defense in the 2nd half did not let the Stags have as many good opportunities at the basket, and as a result, the shots didn’t fall.

Players

GU:
Jeremiah Rivers had been the first man off of the bench for three out of the Hoyas’ first four games. On Saturday, he got to see action after just 23 seconds. I’ve been talking a lot about Rivers this year, as I am constantly impressed by the confidence he has been bringing to the court.

Against Fairfield, he put up great numbers and definitely made the most of his extra playing time. He ended up shooting 2-2 from three point range, grabbing five rebounds, and dishing out five assists to no turnovers. The only problem with his game? The free throws. He went 1-4 from the stripe, which includes that missed attempt which would have capped off a great three point play.

FU:
Jonathan Han was clearly the drive behind Fairfield’s offense, and his 11 points at the half came effortlessly as he shot 80% from the field, including three 3-pointers. In the second half, the Hoyas did their best to shut him down, and that is a large reason why the game ended the way it did. Nevertheless, he was still the best player for the Stags in the second stanza, as he scored 6 of the team’s 16 points and he made the only three in the second half.

Coaches

Fairfield’s coach Ed Cooley was pretty familiar with Georgetown after his ten year stint as an assistant at Boston College and after Fairfield’s meeting with the Hoyas last season. It seemed like he had a pretty good understanding of how the Hoyas were going to play because his team came out sharp and ready, and they played the home team dead even for the entire first half, at times looking like the better team.

On the other end, John Thompson made the adjustments that were needed to be made to win the game. He managed his bench well to make up for the loss of Sapp, and he got the team focused and prepared for the second half after the less than stellar first half.

Referees

As I mentioned during the game, John Cahill went a little whistle crazy on Saturday, as he made several absurd calls in favor of the Stags. Mike pointed out some, but one that particularly stood out to me was a play when Hibbert did a spin move to beat his defender and get to the basket, and he got called for an offensive foul.

The play was almost a carbon copy of the one we talked about in the Old Dominion game, and the issue is the same. If I were to try to guard Roy Hibbert and he began a post move, my only defense would be to fall down. The defender does not deserve to be rewarded for that, especially when Roy is spinning away from contact.

Fans

It was a nice showing by the fans again on Saturday, as they were plenty of people to watch this game despite the less than alluring opponent. As Mike already pointed out, it was nice to see the crowd get into the game down the stretch, but it was especially nice seeing the team urge the crowd on like that.

Number of the Game

1: The Hoyas made 1 more free throw than 3-pointers with the same number of attempts. And it was not one of their better days from beyond the arc. 8-22 from downtown and 9-22 from the free throw line are pretty low numbers. And that 1 extra made free throw? It was that lucky bounce coming from the Hoyas’ worst free throw shooter, #1 Vernon Macklin.

New Jersey

After the National Anthem and the moment of silence for the three DC athletes who passed away this week, the Georgetown starters surprised everybody present by taking off their warmups and revealing new white uniforms.

While this upset some people who equate white jerseys with the below average teams of the early 2000’s, the main problem I had with them is consistency. The Georgetown Athletic Department needs to make up their minds about what colors the team is going to wear. If they are going to wear gray, let them wear gray. If they are going to wear white, let them wear white. But don’t switch it up every game. Hoya Blue seems to be making a concerted effort to have as many fans as they can wear gray to the games to match the team. That doesn’t work if the Hoyas wear whatever color they feel like come game time.