Game of the Week: Louisville 79, UConn 78 2OT
Louisville doesn't have any one star, but Peyton Siva sure looked like he is primed to be one down the stretch against the Huskies. Louisville trailed for much of the second half, getting down by as much as nine points midway through the half. But Siva sparked a 14-3 run with an and-one bucket in the paint and capped it with two free throws that gave the Cardinals a 57-55 lead. UConn would score four straight points, but Siva broke down UConn's defense -- something that would become a common theme -- and score another tough bucket in the paint with 30 seconds left to tie the game. Kemba Walker got a decent look at a jumper on the baseline, but he missed and the game headed to overtime.
In that first OT, Preston Knowles scored Louisville's first five points, but a Shabazz Napier three and four UConn free throws gave the Huskies a 68-64 lead. After Mike Marra hit a three and Napier went 1-2 from the line, Siva again broke down the UConn defense, tying the game with a dunk in traffic. Walker had two defenders run at him and gave the ball up to Jeremy Lamb, who missed a three point floater that would have won the game.
In the second overtime, back to back threes gave the Cardinals a six point lead, and while UConn made a push, it was two driving hoops from Siva that ended being the difference. Why? Because Louisville missed three straight free throws down the stretch that nearly cost them the game. But with the score 79-78 and eight seconds left, UConn took six seconds to get the ball in Kemba's hands. He was forced to take a 35 foot three for the win that bounced off the rim. With the win, the Cardinals moved into sole possession of second place in the Big East.
Florida 104, Georgia 91 2OT: In a back and forth game down in Athens, the Gators rallied from a nine point first half deficit to take a lead late in the second half. But Georgia made a run, and thanks to two missed free throws by Erving Walker, Georgia was able to force overtime on a tip-in by Trey Thompkins at the buzzer:
After an exciting overtime period, Florida was able to force a second overtime period thanks to this 30 footer from Erving Walker:
In the second overtime, Chandler Parsons got hot and the Gators eventually won by 13 points, but the best moment of the game had nothing to with basketballs.
Utah State 89, Hawaii 84 2OT: The Aggies won their 15th straight game and moved to 9-0 in the WAC, but it wasn't easy. Hawaii was down by as much as 10 points in the second half, but Zane Johnson and Jeremiah Ostrowski sparked a come back. Bill Amis eventually gave the Rainbows the lead at 61-60. The two teams would trade baskets before Brian Green, who had a team-high 22 points, hit a tough pull up jumper to force the first overtime. Hawaii again had a late lead in the first OT, but Green once again tied the game with a 28 foot three. In the second OT, USU jumped out to an early lead, but after Johnson hit a three to cut the lead to 80-79, the Aggies hit their free throws down the stretch to win the game.
Half-court buzzer beaters: Is it just me, or does it seem like there are more buzzer beaters than usual this season. Weber State handed Northern Colorado their first loss of the Big Sky season on this 45 footer from Scott Bamforth:
Not to be outdone, freshman Michael Alvarado of Manhattan banked in a 55 footer to beat Marist:
Player of the Week: Peyton Siva, Louisville
Siva didn't put up the greatest numbers this week -- in two Louisville wins, he averaged 17.5 ppg and 5.0 apg -- but when his points came were much more important than the total number that he scored. Against West Virginia, he helped spark a comeback from an 11 point second half deficit, sealing the win with a tough, up-and-under layup off the glass.
As we already mentioned, Siva was unstoppable in the final minutes against UConn, dissecting the Huskie's defense for four huge buckets late in the game. The knock of Louisville all season long has been that they don't have a star, that they don't have a go-to player that they can give the ball to down the stretch. After this performance from Siva, it appears the Cardinals now have two.
Preston Knowles has hit a number of big shots in his career. He also sparked Louisville's comeback from 18 points down against Marquette. Combine his shot making with Siva's play making ability, and the Cardinals back starts to look much more dangerous.
The All-the-were-good-too team (This was hard to do. There were a lot of terrific performances by back court players):
Team of the Week: Georgetown Hoyas
Three weeks ago, I said I was almost ready to write off the Hoyas. Its a good thing I put an "almost" in that sentence, because the Hoyas have proved that their season is anything but finished. Georgetown had two impressive wins this week. On Wednesday, they smacked a St. John's team by 25 that would go on to do the same thing to Duke on Sunday. Then on Saturday, the Hoyas went into Philly and knocked off Villanova 69-66. Chris Wright is still struggling (he didn't score a single point against Villanova) but thanks to Austin Freeman's resurgence (he had 30 at Villanova), Jason Clark's excellent all-around play, and Hollis Thompson's move to sixth man, the Hoyas are playing some of their best basketball of the season.
Its perfect timing. Georgetown is now 5-4 in the Big East, but with Villanova and Syracuse both coming back to earth and the question marks surrounding Louisville, Notre Dame, and UConn, there really only seems to be one dominant team in the Big East. Georgetown is still very much in the thick of the race for a top four seed in the Big East and a double bye in the conference tournament next month.
Teams deserving a shout out: This week was one of the crazier weeks I've ever experienced as a college hoops fan. Teams ranked in the top 25 went a preposterous 22-20 this week. Included in that record was this weekend, where 13 of the top 25 teams in the country picked up a loss. That doesn't mean that the past week was forgettable for everyone, however:
New Mexico: The Lobos picked up two huge wins this week, knocking off both TCU and BYU at the Pit. The BYU win was incredibly important, as it gives Steve Alford's club a win to hang their tournament resume on. New Mexico has plenty of talent on their roster, but seeing as this is a relatively new team -- they lost Darington Hobson and Roman Martinez last season and added three freshmen this season and Drew Gordon in December -- it looks as if it has taken a while for this team to gel. New Mexico has the pieces to be capable of a run down the stretch of the season. Hopefully, knocking off the Cougars is the spark they needed.
Louisville: As we mentioned, Peyton Siva's performance in the clutch this week was impressive. The Cardinals picked up two huge wins over teams in the upper half of the Big East and now sit alone in second place in the conference. Keep in mind, the Cardinals are doing all of this without Raheem Buckles. Or Jared Swopshire, for that matter.
Texas: All of a sudden, the Longhorns look like one of the four or five best teams in the country. This week, they picked up a tough win at Oklahoma State on the night the Cowboys honored the ten year anniversary of the plane crash that killed ten members of their team before they demolished Missouri at home. The final of that 71-58 win against Missouri doesn't do the Longhorn's dominance justice, either. If they hadn't shot 16-34 from the free throw line, it would have been a 25 point win.
Xavier: This wasn't supposed to be Xavier's year. With the injuries and eligibility issues they have had this season, it was supposed to be Temple and Richmond that rose to the top of the Atlantic 10. But after a 23 point beatdown of the Spiders in Richmond on Saturday, the Muskies are now sitting at 7-0 in league play and well on their way to another conference championship and NCAA Tournament bid. Chris Mack better have his name near the top of every Coach of the Year list.
Penn State: Believe it or not, the Nittany Lions are now officially on the bubble, which is impressive considering this is a team that few thought was capable of competing in the Big Ten this season. Well, compete they have, as the Bryce Jordan Center has become the conference's best home court advantage. With wins over Illinois and Michigan State at home already, Talor Battle scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half as Penn State rallied from a nine point halftime deficit to knock off Wisconsin. Penn State has a brutal finish to the season -- @ Illinois, Michigan, @ Michigan State, Northwestern, Minnesota, @ Wisconsin, @ Northwestern, Ohio State, @ Minnesota -- but if they can piece together a .500 record in that stretch, the bubble is weak enough that this group could very well sneak into the Big Dance.
Kansas: Kansas won at Colorado and at home against Kansas State this week, which wouldn't be all that impressive if they didn't have a midweek trip to Washington DC for the funeral of Thomas Robinson's mother. Kansas has as much talent in the world, and with this added motivation and support, the Jayhawks are a scary team this season. It should be noted that in the win over Kansas State, Robinson had 17 points and nine boards.
Washington State: The Cougars have fallen down to fourth in the Pac-10 standings, but that doesn't mean this is a team that you can write off just yet. They proved that fact with an 87-80 win over Washington on Sunday night. When Klay Thompson, Faisal Aden, and Reggie Moore are all playing well, Wazzu is not a team that you want to be playing.
VCU: The Commodores moved into sole possession of first place in the CAA with a 3-0 week, which included a statement win over Hofstra. I saw this team play at the Preseason NIT in November, and I said then that they looked like a group capable of winning a game or two in the NCAA Tournament. They are balanced, they have a ton of shooters, and they have a high-major post presence in Jamie Skeen.
Northern Iowa: The Panthers have now won seven straight games in the Valley, capping off that streak with a hard fought, 61-60 win over Missouri State on the road. The Panthers are the hottest team in the conference, sit just a game back of both the Bears and Wichita State, and own road wins over both the teams they trail in league play.
Morehead State: The Ohio Valley may not be the two team race we all expected it to be as five teams are within a game of first place. But thanks to a 2-0 week against two of those five teams, the Eagles find themselves just a game behind Austin Peay and Murray State in the loss column.
Seton Hall: I want the Pirates to be successful this season. We all talk about how devastating this season has been for Thomas Robinson, but no one mentions that the Pirates are a misplaced defibrillator and a poorly aimed bullet away from losing their two best players, Herb Pope and Jeremy Hazell. This past week, the Pirates started their season in the right direction, beating Syracuse by 22 points in the Dome and knocking off Providence.
Texas Tech and Oklahoma: Neither Texas Tech nor Oklahoma will be fighting for an at-large bid this season, but it appears both teams are fighting to keep their coaches employed. Both the Red Raiders and the Sooners are on three game winning streaks right now.
Matchups of the Week:
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Monday, January 31, 2011
1/31 - College Hoops Week in Review: Louisville, Georgetown, and New Mexico make moves |
Monday, December 27, 2010
Conference Play Primer: The Big East |
Favorite: Georgetown Hoyas
Coming into the season, Pitt and Villanova were the two teams everyone expected to be competing for the Big East title. While that hasn't exactly changed in the last two months, in this blogger's humble opinion the best team in the Big East is Georgetown. The Hoyas are an experienced team led by the best back court in the country in Austin Freeman, Chris Wright, and Jason Clark. Their front court has been better than expected, especially junior Henry Sims, who has developed into a homeless man's Greg Monroe. (The old Henry Sims was a homeless man's version of the new Henry Sims, so that last sentence should be taken as a complement.) They defend, they run a disciplined offense, and John Thompson III has allowed this team to take advantage of their guards and play at a faster pace this season. No team in the country has a better resume than the Hoyas do right now, as this team has emerged as a Final Four favorite seemingly out of nowhere. You aren't supposed to get better when you lose a lottery pick to early entry.
Player of the Year: Kemba Walker, UConn
This is obvious, isn't it? Walker has posted ridiculous numbers (26.5 ppg, 4.0 apg, 4.8 rpg, 2.1 spg, 42.1% 3PT) and carried an extremely young UConn team to a Maui Invitational title and a No. 4 ranking nationally. This team was picked 10th in the league to start the season and is now legitimately being discussed as a conference contender, and it is almost all a result of Walker's play.
All-Conference Team:
Biggest Surprise: Cincinnati Bearcats
UConn is the biggest surprise of the season, but we've already talked about the Huskies here. And with Cincinnati on the brink of being one of just eight teams nationally to head into the new year undefeated, they deserve mention here. To be fair, Cincinnati hasn't exactly beaten anyone this season. Their 68-34 win over Dayton is nice, but it came at a time when the Flyers were playing some horrendous basketball. They also beat Oklahoma in Oklahoma, but the Sooners are no where near the same team as they were when Blake Griffin was in uniform. The Bearcats have been bolstered by better-than-expected play on their perimeter, led by Dion Dixon, Sean Kilpatrick, and Cashmere Wright. I'm reserving judgement on this team until after they are truly tested -- which will come early in Big East play -- but this start by Cinci deserves some praise. Also deserving mention here are the Louisville Cardinals and Providence Friars.
Biggest Disappointment: Villanova's back court
Corey Fisher was supposed to be the heir apparent to Scottie Fisher as Villanova's leading man. Maalik Wayns was supposed to be the next Kyle Lowry. Combined, they are shooting just 38% from the floor and 22% from three. They are still compiling some impressive assist numbers, but the stats don't tell the whole story. Villanova has struggled this season with a lack of leadership. They have struggled to beat teams they should be blowing out, and they lost to Tennessee in Madison Square Garden in a game where both players disappeared down the stretch. That said, Nova has just the one loss this season, and Fisher did appear as if he turned a corner against Monmouth in Nova's last game. I like the roster make up of this Villanova team, always have, but until there is consistently great play coming out of Wayns and Fisher, the Wildcat's don't look like a team that can challenge for a Big East regular season title.
Teams to keep an eye on:
Teams to forget about:
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Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Austin Freeman is underrated |
Austin Freeman won't show up on many all-american ballots. He hasn't really been mentioned as a first-team all-Big East performer, let alone conference player of the year.
If you haven't watched Georgetown play this season, you may not even know the name Austin Freeman. One prominent ESPN writer went as far as to call him "Justin Freeman" in a tweet during last night's game. Its not a difficult argument to make that Freeman is the most underrated player in the Big East, and possibly even in the country.
Its easy to see why.
Freeman plays in a Georgetown system that preaches team play, ball movement, and working to find the team's best shot. In Greg Monroe, he has a teammate that is the next great Georgetown big man, an eventual lottery pick, and a virtual certainty to finish on the all-Big East first team. Hell, his back court mate Chris Wright has gotten more press this season, mainly because Georgetown's ability to win coincides with Wright's ability to score in double figures (when he does, the Hoyas have only lost once).
So would it surprise you that Freeman is Georgetown's leading scorer at just over 17 ppg? That he shoots 54% from the floor, 48% from three, and 84% from the line? That he is Georgetown's most dangerous offensive weapon?
But what makes Freeman so dangerous is how unselfish he is and how well he understands the Georgetown offense. It is rare to see Freeman take a forced shot outside of the Hoya's system.
"He's a smart basketball player," Georgetown coach John Thompson told reporters after the game. "He sees, he understands. He's an unselfish player."
"He's one of those guys who can go into an aggressive mode, yet he's not going to make too many mistakes, he's not going to make too many bad decisions."
That's what makes him so dangerous.
And Rick Pitino found out the hard way. Last night, with the Hoyas struggling through a first half that saw them get down by double figures and head into the break down 35-29 at Louisville. In the second half, Freeman took over. He scored the first eight points of the half, and had 18 of the 24 in a 24-3 run by the Hoyas as they opened up a 53-38 lead. All told, Freeman scored 24 of his 29 points in the second half.
And if you go back and watch it, you will see that none of his shots are forced. Nothing he puts up comes outside of Georgetown's offense. He caught fire, but it wasn't the way most scorers take over a game. He doesn't dominate possession of the ball, he doesn't ruin the flow offensively.
He just knocks down shots.
"He got going coming out of halftime - I told him I need you to be aggressive," Thompson said. "He can be aggressive and not force it. He can be aggressive and yet still make the correct pass to his teammate."
Its not the first time Freeman has taken over a game. He had 28 of his 33 points in the second half as Georgetown overcame a 19 point deficit to beat UConn in January.
Jeff Goodman dubbed Freeman the "silent assassin", while Raphielle Johnson said Freeman had "quiet game."
This is a kid that averages 17.5 ppg in the Big East for a top 15 team.
Maybe its time we show him some love.
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Sunday, December 13, 2009
Hoyas fans should proceed with caution |
Let's jump back to Dec. 13th, 2008.
On the strength of 21 points and 7 boards from DaJuan Summers, Georgetown knocked off then No. 15 Memphis 79-70 in the Verizon Center to run their record to 7-1. Sixteen days later, after the Hoyas went into Hartford and knocked off then No. 2 UConn, Georgetown was sitting pretty. They were 10-1 and ranked 8th in the country with wins over UConn (a #1 seed in the tournament), Memphis (a #2 seed), and Maryland (a #10 seed).
Georgetown moved into the top 10 after opening the Big East season with an emphatic win in Hartford last season.(photo credit: Obsessed with Sports)
It was difficult to find someone that wasn't smitten with the Hoyas as many considered them a real threat to unseat Louisville, UConn, and Pitt atop the Big East.
Fast forward three months, and a loss to St. John's in the Big East tournament seals Georgetown's fate as an NIT team.
Finishing a season losing 13 of 19 games will do that to you.
Why am I bringing this up now?
After winning two games against ranked teams this week, Georgetown is once again on the precipice of the top ten. And once again, shop owners on M Street can hear the rumblings of a Hoya fan base expecting a run at another Big East title.
Its not unwarranted, as Georgetown is sitting pretty as one of just 12 teams (four in the Big East) still undefeated. But keep in mind, this Georgetown team is not much different than last year's group.
And wins over Butler and Washington are not quite the same as Syracuse beating UNC and Florida. Or Kentucky rolling through the Heels and the Huskies. Hell, one could even argue that Kansas State's wins over Dayton, Xavier, Washington State, and UNLV are more impressive.
Simply put, neither the Butler Bulldogs nor the Washington Huskies are playing anywhere near the potential that made them borderline top ten teams in the preseason. Butler has yet to get anything out of Matt Howard, who can't seem to stay out of foul trouble, and does not appear to have the size, length or athleticism up front to compete with the best teams in the country. Their win over Ohio State came with out Evan Turner in the line-up.
Washington simply isn't playing defense right now. No matter how well Isaiah Thomas and Quincy Pondexter are playing (which is debatable at times), the Huskies are not going to be a great team until they start getting stops and scoring in transition.
My point isn't to say the Hoyas did not impress me in these two wins.
They did.
They flew to New York and took down Butler in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday before flying out to Anaheim to beat Washington on Saturday. That is a lot of miles to travel in one week.
It was more than just the wins that caught my attention, however.
It was how they won.
On Tuesday, Greg Monroe dominated Butler inside, and while he was less efficient than the ideal (24 points and 15 boards on 9-20 from the floor and 6-10 from the line), it is a good sign that Monroe is capable of over powering a smaller team inside.
Greg Monroe dominated Butler inside.(photo credit: ESPN)
Then on Saturday, Monroe was playing a bigger, more athletic Washington team that has a tendency to gamble on defense, and Monroe was able to play facilitator in the Hoyas offense, finishing with 15 points, 8 boards, and 6 assists.
Against Butler, Austin Freeman finally snapped out of his offensive funk, hitting 4-5 from three and scoring 18 points. Against Washington, Julian Vaughn scored a career-high 18 points while grabbing 7 boards, proving that the Hoyas finally have some help in the paint for Monroe.
In fact, it now seems like the Hoyas have five guys on their team that are legitimate scoring threats.
Combine that with the stifling defense that the Hoyas played in both games, and it wouldn't be a stretch to think that Georgetown could be in the hunt for a Big East title come February.
But isn't that what we all thought on December 30th last season?
As the Hoyas still have a major, and possibly fatal, flaw - their lack of depth - I caution any Georgetown fan currently contemplating purchasing Final Four tickets to wait.
Wait until January 18th.
On January 18th, the Hoyas will be a third of the way through their Big East schedule, having hosted St. John's, UConn, and Seton Hall (who is also undefeated) as well as having traveled to DePaul, Marquette, and Villanova. Also thrown in that mix are home dates against solid mid-majors in Harvard and Old Dominion.
While that isn't quite the same as the gauntlet that was last season's Big East, it is a tough eight game stretch nonetheless. Go 7-1 or 8-0, and yes, I will be convinced that this is a team that can fight for a Big East title.
But go 4-4 or 3-5, which is a conceivable possibility, and this may be a team that has to fight to get into the NCAA Tournament.
And while I think that the former is a much more likely outcome than the latter, I caution Georgetown fans to take a wait-and-see approach before assuming that the Hoyas will be a title contender.
This post can also be seen here, where the author is the featured columnist for Georgetown.
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Friday, October 16, 2009
2009-2010 Team Preview: Georgetown Hoyas |
This preview is brought to you by Trizzle, BIAH's resident Hoya fanatic.
2008-2009 Record: 16-15, 7-11 Big East (11th)
Key Losses: DaJuan Summers (13.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 39% 3-pt.), Jessie Sapp (6.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.6 apg)
Key Returners: Greg Monroe (12.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 bpg, 1.9 spg), Chris Wright (12.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.5 apg), Austin Freeman (11.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.0 apg)
Newcomers: Hollis Thompson, Vee Sanford, Jerrelle Benimon
Greg Monroe might be the most versatile big man in the country.(photo credit: ESPN)
This is a very telling year for the Hoyas. Last year's collapse was a huge indication that this team was and still is very young. But with a year of college experience under his belt, Conference ROY Greg Monroe and the Hoyas have a chance to be a threat in a watered down Big East.
If DaJuan Summers had opted to return to Georgetown for his final year, the Hoyas would arguably be the best team in the conference. But without a legitimate power-forward, the Hoyas will struggle inside, even if Monroe is the offensive focal point. Greg Monroe is one of the most versatile players in the country. While he still needs to add some strength to be a dominant low-post force, Monroe has quite a variety of finesse moves down low. His biggest strength, especially in John Thompson III's system, is his perimeter ability. Monroe can knock down a perimeter shot, but when a big man at this level steps out to defend him, Monroe has enough handle to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim.
The reason that Monroe is so effective in this offense is his passing ability. Georgetown's Princeton offense is centered around getting the big man touches in the high post. When Monroe gets the ball here, his versatility takes over. He can find open shooters, attack a gap and kick the ball out, or hit a back door cutter. The Hoyas offense thrives on easy lay-ups off of back door cuts, and the fact that Monroe is able to make this pass is a huge reason that some people think Georgetown could be a top four team in the league.
Monroe however, won't be the only Hoya who will have gained experience from last year's rise and fall. Junior guard Chris Wright, the team's third leading scorer a year ago, will now be the full-time point guard with the graduation of Jessie Sapp. Wright will provide the technical style of JT3's offense with a dose of run-n-gun. He loves to get out in transition and is also improving on his outside shoot. The one flaw in Wright's game is his ball handling. His uptempo pace can sometimes get the best of him in the Hoya's meticulous offensive setup, as he averaged over 2 turnovers a game. Last season was a de facto freshman year for Wright, as the limited time he got his freshman season was hampered by injuries. Wright has the talent to be an elite point guard at this level, and look for him to have a breakout season this year.
Joining Wright in the backcourt will be shooting guard Austin Freeman. Freeman is going to play a pivotal role on offense. He is a terrific shooter but can use his fullback-like frame to get to the rim and muscle through defenders. Freeman is a good rebounder for his size, especially on the offensive end. This is important because the Hoyas were woefully inconsistent on rebounding last season (they ranked dead last in the conference in rebounding last season).
The Georgetown starting five for 2009-2010 gets interesting after Monroe, Wright, and Freeman. Last season, JTIII opted to go with a three guard line-up, although much of that was due to the youth and inexperience of his front line. With Jessie Sapp and DaJuan Summers now gone, the question now becomes does he go small again. If he does, there are really two options - sophomore Jason Clark and freshman Vee Sanford. Both have similar builds (long, slender, 6'3" athletes) and both play the game hard, Clark will be the better defender, while Sanford is more known for his shooting touch. Having both on the roster provides Thompson some versatility in the back court.
Up front, JTIII is going to have a decision to make. He lost Dajuan Summers to the NBA, leaving a big hole at the four spot. What made Summers dangerous was the fact that he was able to easily slide between the three and four spots, especially on the offensive end. Without him, Georgetown really doesn't have anyone to fill that role. Senior Julian Vaughn, who transferred to Georgetown from Florida State two years ago, was a highly touted recruit out of Oak Hill, but hasn't developed into much more than a bruiser at this level. Lefty Nikita Mescheriakov, a 6'7" junior, didn't really break into the rotation until midway through last season. It will be difficult for him to see major minutes up front as he is basically a shooter that struggles in the paint. The front court player with the most upside is Henry Sims, a 6'10" sophomore who was a top 50 recruit coming out of high school. Sims is long and athletic, but had difficulty adjusting to the physicality of the Big East. He showed some flashes by the end of the season, and if he can figure it out - the toughness, the Hoya's offense and defensive schemes - he and Monroe would form one of the more versatile front courts in the country.
Freshman Hollis Thompson, 6'6" small forward, is Georgetown's best recruit this season and could be the x-factor for this team. One of the things Georgetown as been missing the last couple of season's is a wing player with difference-making athleticism. They haven't had anyone that can come flying in for a tip dunk, or chase down a fast break and block a shot, or jump a passing lane and get an easy run out. Thompson can do those things, which is important not just because they are the plays that get teams and fans fired up, but because he is really the only guy on this team that can make those kinds of plays.
Outlook: It will be interesting to see where the Hoyas stack up in a not-as-beastly Big East conference. Georgetown's early season non-conference schedule is a mixed bag. They play some duds (Savannah St., Harvard, ODU, Lafayette, Mt. St. Marys), but participating in both the Jimmy V Classic (first round against Butler) and the John Wooden Classic (first round against Washington) along with games against Temple and Duke should give the Hoyas a ton of experience and time to be able to compete in the conference. The biggest issue for the Hoyas is going to be in the paint. They were, as I said, the worst rebounding team in the Big East last season, and lost their starting power forward. You know what you are going to get form them offensively (technical savvy) and defensively (tough, lock down defenders), but unless they can figure out a way to clean up the defensive glass, they are going to be one of the six or seven teams bunched up in the middle of the league.
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