Since yesterday was the 100 year anniversary of the first meeting between Georgetown and Maryland, I thought this would be a good time to talk about reigniting the local rivalry. Way back before the season started, Coach Thompson was asked when we would see the Hoyas and Terps face off again, and he responded by telling a story.

He was a brand new coach, no more than four days on the job, and there were talks of playing Maryland. Having no objections to the matchup, Coach needed to see how the game would fit into his schedule and to see if it was something worthwhile for his first season. After looking into the situations some more, he was told that he owed Maryland a game at their court. Surprised, Thompson replied, “I’ve only been here four days - how can I owe you a game?”

But why does Maryland think that the Hoyas owe them a game? It all goes back to that Georgetown-Maryland game from years back. No no, not the Hilltopper’s 58-3 crushing of the Terrapins. Maryland doesn’t even count that one in their record books. It’s the game that took place on Nov. 26 1993 at USAir Arena. While that was the home court for the Hoyas for many years, on that day, there were plenty of Terps fans showing their support for the black and red. Now, that’s nothing unusual, playing at larger arenas, Georgetown teams have had a knack of drawing large crowds from the opposing teams. West Virginia and Notre Dame come to mind in recent years, but back then Syracuse and Connecticut had their fair share of travelers as well. So it’s no shock that a local team like the University of Maryland could bring a lot of fans out to Landover.

The thing is, Georgetown and Maryland split the gate that night. Georgetown season ticket holders did not get to maintain their usual seats as this was not a true home game for the Hoyas. All sources agree that after playing at USAir Arena, the two teams were supposed to meet in College Park the following season. However, Georgetown understood that they would have the same deal, allowing many Georgetown fans to attend, and Maryland understood differently. As a result, that second half of the home and home series never took place, and that’s where we stand today.

I’m not going to go into who is right or who is wrong. That debate has been going on for over a decade. The fact is that fans of both teams want it to happen, and if it works for both teams and can fit into their schedules, then a 14 year old grievance shouldn’t get in the way. Look at this way: the 14 year old grievance is only six years younger than the 20 year old Grievis.

So to end this mess, I suggest that Georgetown University takes responsibility, regardless of who’s to blame, and brings back the local rivalry that so many in the nation’s capital crave. The Hoyas should play a game at Maryland to settle the score, and then the two sides can work out a schedule to play in years to come. But to make sure that this match really makes the Terrapins - and Gary Williams - happy, we should look into exactly what this rematch would entail.

First, it’s got to be Georgetown vs. Maryland, and it’s got to be at College Park. Check. Also, Maryland needs to be able to sell tickets to whomever they want, and Georgetown fans will just have to deal with it. That seems like a fair sacrifice from the oldest Jesuit University in the United States. And besides, think of all the karma points and good juju the Hoyas will be getting out of this.

But when I look at it, playing at Maryland with UMD keeping the gate is not good enough. If the Hoyas are really going to make up for the game that never happened, they need to do it right. The game was supposed to have taken place the year after Maryland played at Georgetown, meaning it would have taken place at the beginning of the 1994-95 season. Back then, the Terps were still at their old home, Cole Field House. So it only makes sense that this debt-settling match takes place at what is now known as the Cole Student Activities Building. It shouldn’t be too hard to kick out the indoor soccer players and bring back a couple of hoops.

But we can’t stop there either. If Maryland thinks Georgetown owes them a game. Then give them that game. It shouldn’t be too hard to find players from the 1994-95 season. Give them a call, bring them to Cole Field House, and do this thing right. Fans have been asking for a Georgetown-Maryland game for years. It’s only fitting that the first scheduled game between the two universities in over a decade should involve Exree Hipp.

Take a look at the rosters, and see what you think:

Georgetown @ Maryland: 1994-95 Rosters
Georgetown		Maryland
3	Allen Iverson *	4	Exree Hipp *
4	John Jacques *	10	Duane Simpkins *
22	Boubacar Aw *	15	Johnny Rhodes *
50	Othella Harrington *	22	Keith Booth *
52	Don Reid *	32	Joe Smith *
10	Eric Myles	3	Matt Raydo
11	Irving “Chico” Church	11	Matt Kovarik
13	Brendan Gaughan	12	Donny Judd
25	Jerry Nichols	13	Sarunas Jasikevicius
30	George Butler	21	Mario Lucas
32	Kevin Millen	25	Rodney Elliott
34	James Reed	31	Wayne Bristol
42	Jerome Williams	55	Kurtis Shultz
44	Cheikh “Ya Ya” Dia
55	Jahidi White

Besides the good karma, it looks like the Hoyas might get a victory out of this rematch.