The fans have been great at Verizon Center, which usually is good news from the home team, but there is one problem created by so many Hoya fans at the games. Nearly everybody goes to the concession stands at halftime, which makes the lines really long. If you go to get refreshments there’s no way you’ll be able to catch Groove Theory’s latest routine, and what’s worse is that you might miss the start of the second half.

If you don’t make it back to your seats for the start of half number two, you could be missing a lot. So far this Big East season, the beginning of the second half has been a clear indicator for how the game would go for the Hoyas.

In Georgetown’s ten conference games this year, two were pretty much over at halftime (at DePaul and at St. John’s). In the other eight, the beginning of the second half was the point at which one team took control. Take a look at the scoring runs to begin the second halves of those games:

Second Half Starts
Game	Halftime Score	Run to Start Second Half	Final Score
at Rutgers	GU 27-20	GU 14-5 over 4:40	W 58-46
vs. Connecticut	GU 42-38	UCONN 29-19 over 15:39	W 72-69
at Pittsburgh	PITT 27-26	PITT 15-4 over 6:05	L 69-60
vs. Notre Dame	GU 38-25	GU 10-2 over 2:58	W 84-65
vs. Syracuse	GU 36-29	SYR 29-15 over 15:26	W-OT 64-62
at West Virginia	GU 25-24	WV 13-2 over 3:11	W 58-57
vs. Seton Hall	GU 33-26	GU 9-4 over 5:02	W 73-61
vs. South Florida	GU 27-24	GU 29-18 over 13:56	W 63-53

As you can see, the aggressor out of the locker room really sets the tone for the remainder of the game. The Hoyas have been good enough, and in some cases fortunate enough, to come from behind in the final minutes. In these eight games, the Hoyas won the start of the second half four times, and the results were reasonably comfortable wins. In the other four games, Georgetown was outscored to begin the second half, resulting in one loss and three close wins - by one point, two points, and three points.

The Hoyas have eight games left, and with the tournaments rapidly approaching, there is a lot more reason for every team to be focused - whether the teams are playing for an at-large NCAA bid, a better NCAA seed, a bye in the Big East Tournament, or just a spot in the Big East Tournament. Everything is on the table and each team needs to win, so every play becomes important, but those opening minutes of the second half will continue to be a good indicator of what to expect in crunch time. With this very difficult road game looming against Louisville, expect the first half to stay close, and look to the first minutes of the second half to see which way the scale will tilt down the stretch. So, if you’re making the trip to Freedom Hall, get your beverages and snacks quickly and be sure to get back in your seat by the end of halftime.