As most of you know, this past week Georgetown students have been focusing on exams. And, although Thursday was the last day of finals, there is one more test for a small group of students. And it involves a trip down to Memphis, Tennesee.

If one views the season as a year-long course, then Georgetown’s upcoming game against Memphis is certainly the final for the first semester. After this game, the Hoyas will have a winter break, with relatively mild opponents of American and Fordham. Then, the Big East season begins, representing the new term, where all past mistakes are erased, as a strong conference showing can be enough to lead a team into the tournament. But, right now, the Hoyas are focused on Memphis, and this game will give the players a chance to show what they have learned.

The Hoyas have had plenty of variety in the first eight games, which should prepare them well for whatever the Tigers plan to throw at them. In those games, the Hoyas have shown they can run the floor or run the offense. They’ve had some games that were works of art and others that were in need of work. In some games, the result was certain after four minutes, while some were in doubt with four minutes left; they have shot the lights out and shot as if the lights were out. But in all those games, Georgetown still managed to get the win. The players will have all of these experiences to draw on, as the Memphis game will be anything but predictable.

One more plus for the Hoyas is that they have had a good teacher. Coach Thompson has treated the early games this season as learning experiences, preferring extended minutes for the freshmen over blowout victories. While he has been teaching his younger players the ropes, he has also kept his veterans fresh yet active, and if the game is on the line we know who will be on the floor. Everything the Hoyas have been practicing and working on now has a chance to show itself, as Memphis will give Georgetown a 40 minute battle, where both youth and experience will come in handy.

As another semester on the Hilltop comes to a close, one last test remains. As one of my professors used to say, “You don’t go to school to get good grades. You go to school to learn.” Pass or fail, the game this Saturday will certainly teach the Hoyas a lot. While a loss is not too devastating, it will show that there is still work to be done, whereas a win will further substantiate the claim that Georgetown is one of the elite teams in college basketball. Memphis will provide a good challenge, as the game will tell us how far this team has come, and how far it will be able to go. Let’s hope the Hoyas are up to the test.