Georgetown goes toe-to-toe with #1, but falls in OT

By:  Shane McCarthy

There is no question that Georgetown is a very good team. They proved that the last two nights. The Hoyas obviously deserve to be ranked, and will be labeled with a number next Monday. And now that they rose to the occasion on two nationally televised games against two marquee opponents, everyone will be on the Hoyas bandwagon.

Georgetown was clearly better than #11 UCLA on Monday night. You could see that on both ends of the floor. Their patience combined with aggressiveness on the offensive-end kept UCLA frustrated, while their length and discipline on the defensive-end ultimately won them the game.

But on Tuesday night you could tell that Indiana was the better team on the court. Georgetown didn’t play any different than Monday night and they certainly didn’t play poorly, but you could tell why Indiana is the #1 ranked team. The Hoosiers were very sound defensively, locking down the interior and jamming up cutting lanes, forcing the Hoyas to take 26 3-point attempts. They took 14 the night before. Indiana was also crisp on the offensive-end. Georgetown’s defensive prowess was on display, but whenever the Hoosiers became desperate for a bucket, they cycled the ball to perfection to find a backdoor cut or a wide-open three.

Even though Georgetown hung around all game and held the lead for various parts of the contest, you could just tell that it wasn’t going to last. But it actually almost did, and that’s a compliment. Because this team is young and is quickly learning to play top-notch basketball. "This team can grow up; we can grow up a lot," coach John Thompson III said. "We had a lot of guys out there in situations that they've never been in before. We can get a lot better. A lot better."

Otto Porter gives the Hoyas an identity. In the previous two games he missed against Duquesne and Liberty, Georgetown looked very average. And let’s be honest, with the looming games they had coming up, it’s hard to focus what’s on the plate in front of you. But with Porter on the court, this team has an edge to them. An edge that makes everyone have a bounce in their step and that makes them a contender.

And in the end, the Hoyas took the #1 team to overtime on a neutral court on November 20^th. We are four months away from March. The Big East and the nation have been warned.

Twitter:  @shane_t_mac

Georgetown Spoils Shabazz Muhammad's Debut

By:  Shane McCarthy

Leading up to the contest between UCLA and Georgetown, it was all about the debut of Shabazz Muhammad for UCLA.  After being suspended for the first three games, the Bruins were finally going to get him on the court with the rest of their talented freshmen class.  There was very little talk about the game, not that it was a foregone conclusion that UCLA was going to win, but it certainly felt that way since their prized recruit was finally going to don a uniform.

Georgetown was in control of the game from the very start, getting off to a quick 10-2 lead.  Markel Starks was spectacular all night long.  He finished with a career high 23 points, but it was how he did it that made the Hoyas so effective.  He played with great energy, had a bounce in his step every possession, controlled the perimeter and most of all – played with confidence and made sound decisions. 

UCLA also had no answer for the combination of Otto Porter and Greg Whittington.  The two combined for 31 points and 16 rebounds.  The versatile combo will provide fits for defenses all year long.   Banging bodies down low and stepping out and dropping 3s, the all-around play-making ability of the two is impressive. 

But none of this would have mattered if Georgetown didn’t show up on the defensive end.  The 2-3 zone they sat in all night made UCLA uncomfortable.  Georgetown’s regular rotation featured players that measured in at 6-9, 6-8, 6-8, 6-8 and 6-2.  Too much length and athleticism for a young UCLA team to handle who has yet to play together.    

The 78-70 victory was the first time that Georgetown has ever beaten UCLA.  Now the Hoyas get a crack at the #1 team in the land tomorrow, Indiana, for the Legends Classic championship (to the dismay of many who wanted an Indiana vs. UCLA match-up).  Indiana struggles on the defensive end, but it will take an effort as good as if not better than tonight’s, to topple the Hoosiers.  

Twitter:  @shane_t_mac