Teams

Georgetown:
No one shot the ball well from distance, as the Hoyas finished the game 3-20 from beyond the arc. Georgetown was also sloppy on the defensive end, getting badly outrebounded and giving up a number of easy baskets and uncontested threes. They will have to work to clean that up before facing the Notre Dame tandem of big man Luke Harangody and shooter Kyle McAlarney.

Pittsburgh:
Pitt was more aggressive than the Hoyas, getting 17 offensive rebounds and using them to get second chance points. They outhustled Georgetown throughout the game and seemed stronger on a number of occasions despite the size advantage of the Hoyas. I personally would not be afraid to play this team again, though.

Players

Georgetown:
People have been hard on Vernon Macklin this season, perhaps justifiably so. But he showed tonight that he has the ability to be a big time player. He took - and made - his hook shots, but he also showed some post-up skills. His rebounding was a little weak, but he did fine on defense. If he can keep up this level of play, it will allow Hibbert to get some rest later in the Big East season when players are a little more fatigued.

Pittsburgh:
Ronald Ramon was a killer from beyond the arc, going 4-6, and making a number of key baskets as the shot clock was expiring. He ended with 18 points and four assists, as the difference maker in this game.

Coaches

Coaching had little impact on this game, no key plays that I can think of.

Referees

The refereeing was a little suspect today as the Hoyas were whistled for nine more fouls than their opponents. It was a little disappointing since when Pitt and Georgetown play, you hope the refs will let them play. But to start the game, they called a number of touch fouls inside, which set the tone for the game.

This is not entirely related, but the Hoyas again shot a reasonable good percentage from the line; hopefully the coaches have that particular issue under control now.

Fans

For the most part, the crowd was loud, but it didn’t feel as intimidating as it has in years past. But, as Pitt began to pull away, you could see why the Oakland Zoo is one of the toughest places to play in the country.

Number of the Game

17: Number of three pointers the Hoyas missed today. The Hoyas lost by nine, so you think if even just two more of those had fallen, the end result might have been different.

TC

Tyler Crawford got minutes in this game when the result was still in question, and made a pair of free throws that at the time stopped the bleeding for the Hoyas.