Georgetown Basketball: March 2011 News Archive

• Austin Freeman: All-American
  
• Ewing Jr.: He's In
  
• Did the 2010-11 Hoyas Overachieve?
  
• Wait 'Til Next Year
  
• Identity Crisis?
  
• Meet Jabril Trawick
  
• Money Talks
  
• New Head Coach At Providence
  
• Remembering John Mahnken
  
• Big East: Not That Bad...
  
• Five Moments From 2010-11
  
• End Of The Road
  
• Fab 5, Continued
  
• Statistical Review
  
• 2010-11 Box Scores
  
• Virginia Commonwealth 74, Georgetown 56
  
• JT3: "Comfortable"
  
• Clinton Talks Hoops
  
• Fab 5 Or Hoya 5?
  
• Entering Area 55
  
• Georgetown Drops Out Of AP Poll
  
• 2011 NCAA Pairings Announced
  
• Wright To Return At NCAA's
  
• Big East: 11 Teams Selected
  
• No Big East Teams In NIT
  
• 4th Commit For 2011
  
• Connecticut 79, Georgetown 62
  
• Big East Standings
  
• Big East Attendance
  
• Cincinnati 69, Georgetown 47
  
• By The Numbers
  

Austin Freeman: All-American

3/29/11

Congratulations to Austin Freeman (C'11), named Monday as an honorable mention selection to the Associated Press All-America team, the 23rd Georgetown letterman since 1933 so honored and the fourth in the last five years.

Freeman ended his Georgetown career seventh all time in scoring (1,761 points), eighth in field goals (640), eighth in attempts (1,285), third in three pointers (187), third in three point attempts (491), and second all-time in free throw accuracy (82.6%). Freeman was a member of the Big East all-rookie team, a second team selection as a junior, and a first teams selection as a senior. 
 

Ewing Jr.: He's In

3/25/11

After three near-misses with the New York Knickerbockers, Patrick Ewing Jr. (C'08) was signed Friday to a 10-day contract with the NBA's New Orleans Hornets, replacing David West, lost to the season with an ACL injury. The Hornets (41-31) have ten games remaining this season as they seek a playoff bid.

Ewing averaged 19.9 points and 10.6 rebounds at Sioux Falls in the NBA developmental league.

With the elevation, Ewing becomes the fifth NBA player in the John Thompson III era, joining Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert, Dajuan Summers, and Greg Monroe. Congratulations to Patrick on the hard work, and best of luck as he helps drive the Hornets into the playoffs.

Did the 2010-11 Hoyas Overachieve?

3/25/11

At the onset of the 2010-11 season, former coach John Thompson took a look at the Hoyas. "There’s no way in hell this team was supposed to win 21 games," Thompson told the Washington Post. I'm not saying that because my son is the coach; I’m saying that because of what I know about the game. So I think those kids did damn well. When I saw them this summer, I looked at that team and said, ‘Oh my God, they don’t have enough inside help.’," "I thought [Julian] Vaughn did a miraculous job. But he wore down.”

"It was the timing of it,” Thompson said. “They were playing extremely well coming down the stretch after running into trouble early. They recovered from that, which I praised them for. But then you lose Chris [Wright]. Chris was the leadership of the team. I hear people say, 'Step up,' but they didn't have that kind of depth on that team to be able to step up.”

As to next year's team, Thompson is reserving judgment. "I don't evaluate recruits by scouting reports. I evaluate them at the end of the year...I have never put a lot of credence in them until I see them play."

More from Coach Thompson follows in this link to SLAM Magazine.

Wait 'Til Next Year

3/24/11

Mike Hume's columns at the weekly Falls Church News-Press don't have the immediacy of the local dailies, but they are always a good read. This week's column discusses the fan reaction approaching the 2011-12 season.

"In the recruiting arms race, it seems like Georgetown is lagging. Combine that with the uncertainty surrounding the abilities of the returning roster and you've got the recipe for the bad kind of Hoya paranoia," said Hume.

"So what should Georgetown fans cling to over another long summer? The same thing that's brought them five NCAA berths in the last seven seasons and a Final Four banner with one of the least-touted recruiting classes in recent history: John Thompson III...But while there is no next year for Austin Freeman and Chris Wright, I believe that John Thompson III will again do what he does best: coach up his players and again dispel summer skepticism with a new cast of characters. When you have a talented hand like Thompson's at the helm, there is always next year."

Identity Crisis?

3/23/11

A puzzling editorial in Tuesday's edition of The HOYA appears to raise the question whether basketball can succeed at Georgetown if it does not contend for the Final Four.

The editorial, titled "A Program's Identity Crisis", pays no attention to Georgetown's five NCAA appearances in the last seven years or its 37 Associated Press Top 25 poll rankings since 2010, but instead asks "Does the most high-profile athletic program on campus have what it takes to succeed, generate revenue and rally students in the seasons ahead?"

"Moving forward," writes the paper, "Georgetown needs to re-evaluate the goals of its program and question whether the balance between commercial success and campus integrity can truly be met while the team pursues, and students demand, the success enjoyed four years ago."

Meanwhile, over on the sports pages, former HOYA sports editor Dave Finn wrote that "As we assess the program's trajectory during the Wright-Freeman years, is it unfair to come to a conclusion based solely on NCAA tournament flameouts? Definitely."

Meet Jabril Trawick

3/23/11

As the Chris Wright-Austin Freeman era transitions from the Hilltop, incoming freshman Jabril Trawick is eager to make his own mark on Georgetown basketball.

"When I first told people I was going to G-town, some people said “oh, Georgetown runs that Princeton offense, you ain’t gonna like that," Trawick told Slam Magazine. "But if you watch the games, they run-and-gun as well, but just in the half court set. But they’re more disciplined in a way that they find the open shooters. Coach said he’d like me to run back up point sometimes, with my ability to drive the lane, draw defenders and kick to open shooters–-I think I’ll fit in well."

As to playing time in 2011-12, "It’s always up to me, depending on the work I put in when I get down there," he said. "[Coach Thompson] definitely said I have the possibility to get playing time next year."

Money Talks

3/23/11

A study for Forbes.com shows that the Big East conference generated $154 million in basketball revenues in 2009-10, most of any NCAA Division I conference.

The University of Louisville ranked second overall to Duke with $25.8 million in basketball revenues, a number that is set to skyrocket with this year's move to the KFC Yum Center, which is reported to provide an additional $6 million in annual revenues through suite rentals. Louisville gets 88% of all arena suite rentals as part of the agreement, while Georgetown, for example, does not share in suite rentals for games at Verizon Center.

Big East schools cited include Syracuse ($18.3 million), Marquette ($13.8), West Virginia ($13.2), Pittsburgh ($13.1), Georgetown (6th in Big East, 27th overall, $10.0), Connecticut ($7.7), Villanova ($7.6), St. John's ($6.7), DePaul (6.5), Providence ($6.4), Seton Hall ($6.2), Cincinnati ($4.9), Rutgers ($4.6), South Florida ($4.5), and Notre Dame ($4.0). Georgetown's $10.0 million was at the mean among the 73 BCS-level universities studied.

New Head Coach At Providence

3/23/11

Providence College named former Fairfield coach Ed Cooley as the new coach of the Friars, reports the Providence Journal and other media sources. Cooley, 92-69 after five years at Fairfield, replaces Keno Davis, who was fired during the Big East tournament after three years at PC with a combined record of 46-50.

Remembering John Mahnken

3/23/11

Over at the Basketball History Project, one of the enduring mysteries of Georgetown Basketball was the whereabouts of all-American center John Mahnken, who led the Hoyas to its 1943 Final Four run but the University lost track of by 1955.

A reader to this site, Paul Hollings, was an administrator at the Neville Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Cambridge, MA and has fond memories of Mahnken, who died at the facility in 2000.

"He had no short term memory when I knew him, but he remembered his playing days, and was particularly proud of having played George Mikan tough," Hollings recalled. Mahnken played against Mikan in the 1943 NCAA semifinal versus DePaul, and the two crossed paths during Mahnken's nine year career in the NBL and NBA.

"He had no mementos of his [Boston Celtics] playing days, so I contacted the Basketball Hall of Fame to locate a photograph or two. They had nothing, so I wrote to Red Auerbach, who sent me a team photo for 1950-51 (with Bob Cousy and Ed McCauley, amongst others), which I had blown up into a poster and framed it for his room."

Big East: Not That Bad...

3/22/11

With all of the sturm und drang about the Big East's NCAA early round setbacks, the New York Times political blog FiveThirtyEight puts the statistics to the test.

"So far in the tournament, the Big East has played a total of 14 games against teams from outside its conference," said the Times' Nate Silver. "According to the projections that we issued before each game, the Big East should have compiled either 9 or 10 wins in these games. Instead, it won 7."

"By an extremely literal definition, the Big East was overrated in the sense that we now have more information to evaluate the conference and that information isn’t quite as favorable as what we had to go on before. But no league that has won so many games against elite competition deserves to be considered a failure."

Five Moments From 2010-11

3/22/11

Throughout the 2010-11 season, there were plenty of memorable moments. From the HoyaSaxa.com news archives, here are five that played a key role in the season:

1. Chris Wright Rallies Hoyas To Overtime Win
Nov. 30, 2010, Georgetown 111, Missouri 102 (OT)

"In a game that lived up to expectations and then some, the Georgetown Hoyas overcame an 18 point comeback by the Tigers in a raucous 111-102 overtime win at the Sprint Center Tuesday night....

"With under a minute to play, Clark sent up in an ill-advised three that the Tigers converted by a Denmon dunk and a two point lead, 91-89. Henry Sims came up big with a tip-in with 29 seconds remaining to close to two, but was matched by two free throws by Dixon three seconds later, 93-89. On GU's next possession, Wright drove inside and missed a short shot, with the Hoyas quickly fouling Bowers. Entering the game with a 71% average from the line, Bowers missed both free throws and Wright was fouled on the rebound, making two and closing to 93-91. Dixon was fouled with 14 seconds left, making the first but missing the second, 94-91.

"With the clock running down, Hollis Thompson launched a long three that missed with under 10 seconds left, but Missouri's Kim English tried to save the rebound from going out of bounds, instead tipping it back into play in the direction of Clark, who dished to Wright for a three with under two seconds left, 94-94. "The first two minutes of overtime swayed back and forth, with a Freeman jumper and a pair of free throws versus points by Ratliffe inside and a 98-98 score with 3:22 to play. Despite missing five of six threes in regulation, Clark answered the bell with a three to push the lead to 101-98, and off a Sims steal, rang the bell a second time, 104-98. Following a a Wright turnover and a Kim English basket, 104-100, Clark closed the Tigers' cage with his third three in just 1:44, 107-100. Four Wright free throws closed out the scoring of a memorable game for both teams. "A true team effort paved the way for this win, with strong defensive efforts down the stretch by Henry Sims and Nate Lubick, and a pair of big three pointers by Vee Sanford. All in all, though, the "DC-3" (Austin Freeman, Jason Clark, Chris Wright) continued to soar. Freeman played 40 minutes with 31 points and six threes, Clark with 26, and Wright with 21 points and 10 assists. Georgetown's veteran guards carried the scoring down the stretch, scoring 31 of the the Hoyas' final 33 points."

111 GU points, most since 2002 18-18 GU free throws, most consecutive in GU history 24 Bench pts in this game, GU +11 Rebounding edge, GU 7 Years since a GU player had back to back 30 pt games. (Mike Sweetney, Feb. 2003)

 

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2. Fading Hoyas Rally at Seton Hall
Jan. 18, 2011, Georgetown 80, Seton Hall 75

"When it's March, and the Georgetown Hoyas are sorting out post-season plans, it may be worth looking back to the last four minutes of an 80-75 win at Seton Hall to remind everyone how thin the margin is to be among [the] Big East schools that are NCAA contenders, versus [those] standing on the outside.

"A gutty comeback kept afloat a struggling, albeit #23 ranked, Georgetown Hoyas team, battling back from a six point deficit with under 3:00 to play, to earn an important win at Seton Hall, raising its conference record to 3-4 entering an eight day break. The Hoyas took a pounding in a second half that could have knocked out the season, yet the Hoyas came back off the canvas to outscore the Pirates 13-2 in the final three minutes of the game.

"Georgetown as able to take advantage of an early bonus on Seton Hall by getting points at the line, and Seton Hall was unable to extend the lead past five or six heading into the final minutes. A Freeman jumper closed the mark to three, but Seton Hall's Jeff Robinson drove to the basket and picked up the foul, 73-67, with 3:06 to play. "Every possession mattered down the stretch, and the battered Hoyas made the most of it. On its next series, with Herb Pope in foul trouble, Vaughn was matched up with a Pirate guard and leaned in for the basket, 73-69. On Seton Hall's next possession, Jordan Theodore drove inside but was fouled, but missed the front end of the one and one. Freeman drove inside and was fouled by Pope, picking up Pope's 5th with 2:11 to play, up four, whereupon Freeman sank two free throws to close to 73-71. [Seton Hall's Jordan] Theodore narrowly missed a three with 1:44 to play, and Georgetown went back to Vaughn to tie the score...With a tie score, Hazell launched up an unforced three that went wide, and in the mix Wright got the ball and was fouled. Wright hit the first but missed the second, giving Georgetown a tenuous lead at 74-73. The Pirates went inside on its next possession, with senior Eniel Polynice missing a layup with 27 seconds left to take the lead. Freeman was fouled immediately thereafter off the rebound and hit both, 76-73, but the Pirates weren't done. On its next possession, a wild exchange around the basket, found Theodore open in the corner, but he narrowly stepped into two point territory to hit the basket, which closed the lead to one but did not tie it, 76-75. Wright was quickly fouled with eight seconds left, making two, 78-75, before Georgetown called its final time out of the game and its first in nearly 12 minutes. "The decision was made to foul Theodore instead of letting him launch another three. “It’s the first time I’ve ever done it,” Thompson said, adding "Julian promised me he’d get the rebound." Theodore, an 82% free throw shooter entering the game, missed the one and one again, Vaughn got the rebound, and Wright closed it out with free throws, 80-75."

9-10 GU free throws, last 4 min. 1-3 Seton Hall free throws, last 4 min. 8-8 Georgetown shooting, last 4 mins. of each half 15 GU turnovers 2-8 GU 3 pt. shooting second half 1-7 SHU 3 pt. shooting second half 1-6 Shooting from GU bench 2-11 Shooting from SHU bench

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3.Freeman Soars In Win At Villanova
Jan. 30, 2011, Georgetown 69, Villanova 66

"Time is fleeting for any athlete, none more so in college. And when Austin Freeman takes his bow at Senior Day, less than a month from now, Georgetown fans can justly applaud an outstanding college career, with memorable moments that stand the test of time.

"Such were the moments of Saturday's 69-66 win over #8 ranked Villanova, where Freeman scored 10 points and an assist in the final 12 points in the win, giving Georgetown a crucial mid-season win which brought the Hoyas above .500 in Big East play for the first time since Jan. 3.

"As the clock approached 3:00 to play, two sets of Freeman free throws gave Georgetown an eight point lead with 2:59 to play, whereupon ESPN switched the national broadcast feed to the end of regulation between Louisville and Connecticut. That game went into overtime, and when ESPN switched back, fans were stunned by the resultant scoreboard: the Wildcats were now down three with 2:08 on the line, and shooting free throws to trail by just one. What happened?...Seven seconds after the Freeman free throws, Wayns drove for a layup, 61-55, whereupon Jason Clark lost the ball at midcourt and Corey Stokes let loose with a three, 61-58. On GU's next possession, Wright was stripped of the ball by Pena, and Wright fouled Wayns as he was going for the basket. Wayns hit both free throws and the game was very much in doubt. "But here comes Austin. With 2:01 to play, Freeman got the ball but was denied inside; falling back, he picked up his own rebound and laid it in, by itself a remarkable play, but the first of two superlative efforts to come. Georgetown went up three, but was forced to foul Corey Fisher, who sank two free throws to close to one with 1:15 left. The next possession was ever more crucial. With a press enveloping Chris Wright and the shot clock winding down, Wright swung the ball to Freeman in the left corner, who let up a long jumper with three seconds on the shot clock that rallied the Hoyas, now up three. (A subsequent official's review correctly confirmed the shot as a two pointer, not three.) "Villanova was back at the line and scored on both, 65-64, with 34 seconds left. Georgetown was hounded in the backcourt and appeared to be close to losing the ball. As four Hoyas were struggling to get the ball over the half court, Freeman saw differently--literally. In a bold move, Freeman saw Lubick flying down the court unopposed, and his court length pass was a strike to Lubick at the foul line, adding a thundering dunk to quiet the crowd and go back up three, 67-64. "Wayns opted for a quick two with 17 seconds and fouled Freemen with the Hoyas up one. Freeman, a perfect 6-6 from the line to date, sank two more, 69-66. Villanova's final possession saw Pena launch a three that rattled away (the Cats' first miss from the field since the 5:28 mark) , and Dominic Cheek's desperation attempt with time running out was no good as well. For a moment, just a moment, the otherwise laconic Freeman let loose with a smile at game's end."

17-0 Villanova record in 2010-11 scoring 70 or more points 0-4 Villanova record scoring under 70; held to 66 by GU 25.7 Avg. points by Austin Freeman vs. Villanova, last 3 games 13-13 GU free throw shooting, last 10 mins. of 2nd half 8-13 VU free throw shooting, last 10 mins. of 2nd half 39.5 Rebounds per game by Villanova entering game 27 Rebounds by Villanova Saturday vs. GU 11 Pts. from GU bench, 1st half 7-2 Georgetown record vs. Villanova since 2007

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4. Hoyas Lose Its Scoring Touch In UConn Loss
Feb. 16, 2011, Connecticut 78, Georgetown 70

"Connecticut's Kemba Walker burnished his resume for the NBA as his 31 points led the #12-ranked Huskies defeated the Georgetown Hoyas, 78-70, in a game that was close into the final four minutes of the game. The loss ends Georgetown's eight game win streak dating to January 15.

"Georgetown made only two field goals in the first five minutes of the [second] half as [Kemba] Walker's show was in full force, as he scored 14 of the Huskies' next 16 in a run that saw UConn lead by as many as nine. With 8:28 to play, a technical on UConn coach Jim Calhoun allowed Georgetown to close to five, 60-55, whereupon reserve forward Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, averaging 5.4 points per game prior to a 25 point outburst against Providence, scored six straight to keep the Huskies in pace with a Georgetown team which had rediscovered its shot. A three from Wright closed the lead to four and a layup from Freeman gave Georgetown a 70-69 lead with 4:01 left, but none thereafter. "On its next series, Walker drove for the basket, 71-70, but Georgetown came up empty as Vaughn missed a short hook shot. The Hoyas held the Huskies but Freeman missed a long three and Walker drove inside with 2:10 to play, 73-70. On its next series, Clark missed from long range. Georgetown held UConn a second time thanks to a shot clock violation, but Wright missed a jumper and Walker added one of two from the line, 74-70. "Back came the Hoyas, but with 27 seconds Wright missed again from outside, and UConn's Jeremy Lamb added one of two from the line, 75-70. A sixth straight miss was returned with a split decision at the line, 76-70, and following GU's seventh straight miss, Alex Oriakhi failed to pull the ball back with three seconds left and padded his stats with a cheap dunk, 78-70. After extraordinary play late in the previous eight games, Georgetown simply lost the touch in the late stretches of this one."

1 First game GU held a halftime lead this season and lost 1 First game UConn allowed a B.E. team 70 points this season and won 1-5 2nd half shooting, Austin Freeman 0-7 GU shooting, last 4:00 of game 3-4 UConn shooting, last 4:00 of game

 

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5. Wright Injured, Hoyas Never Recover
Feb. 23, 2011, Cincinnati 58, Georgetown 46

"If Georgetown opens the Big East tournament on Wednesday instead of Thursday, look to this game... If the lack of a point guard sends Georgetown to a lower NCAA seed and an early out, look to this game.

"A broken hand by second leading scorer Chris Wright punctuated a historically bad shooting night for the Hoyas, as hopes for a promising March took a decidedly darker view in a 58-46 loss to Cincinnati Wednesday night. "The Bearcats opened the second half with a jumper, a three, and a layup, returning to the pressure zone defense which had suited them well to start the game. Georgetown, with no inside presence, missed three threes. A pair of Nate Lubick free throws at the 17:30 mark got GU back on the board, 33-28, only to see UC answer with yet another second chance basket, 35-28. On the next possession, Wright dived for a ball to avoid a turnover and held his hand awkwardly, and after a Cincinnati layup to go up nine, 37-29, he took the unusual step of asking the official to call an injury time out for him to leave the game. "UC pushed the lead to ten with a free throw at the 14:43 mark, but there was no relief in sight for the Hoyas. A missed layup by Henry Sims. Three turnovers in a span of 57 seconds (Julian Vaughn, two by Jerrelle Benimon). With 11:38 to play, a Dion Dixon three pushed the lead to 14, 43-29. Georgetown had not made a single field goal since the 1:34 mark of the first half. "Wright reentered the game with 11:59 to play. He made one pass and grimaced noticeably in pain, and left with 11:17 to play, not to return. Post-game reports indicated Wright had broken his hand in the earlier pileup, with his availability for the rest of the season in some doubt. "One trip up and down the court, and you could see he was in excruciating pain, and that’s when the doctor and the trainer came over and said they were pretty sure it’s broken," coach John Thompson III said after the game. "For him to ask to come out, he’s in a lot of pain because he’s as tough as they come.” Cincinnati ran out the game at the foul line, hitting 6 of 8, while the misses just kept on coming for Georgetown, a team with no offensive direction on the court in Wright's absence---though to be fair, there wasn't much there all night...

12 Field goals made, fewest since at least 1978 25.0% FG shooting, worst since at least 1978 46 Fewest points at a GU home game in shot clock era 8 1st half FG's 4 2nd half FG's 7-13 Scoring, Austin Freeman 5-35 Scoring, rest of GU team 16 UC pts. off turnovers 1/14/2004 Last UC road win vs. ranked team (22 straight losses)

 

"For the second half, Austin Freeman was 2-5. His team was 2 for 18. While Cincinnati seemed to get a lot of points off turnovers, the margin versus Georgetown's points off turnovers was just one point. The inattention to shooting was like a virus, whose incubation period causes real problems for a Georgetown team which still needs one win over its next two games..."

End Of The Road

3/21/11

Returning to regular sports coverage, Monday's Washington Times takes a look back at the season and the seniors who were a part of an 88-43 record over the past four years.

"We did what we can...to help this program," Austin Freeman said following the game. "We did the best we can."

Fab 5, Continued

3/21/11

Following up on last week's discussion on Michigan's "Fab Five" and its juxtaposition to the Georgetown teams which preceded them, Greg Couch at the Sporting News offers his comments and a brief interview with Chris Wright for a current student athlete's perspective.

"I had never met Wright, and don't want to pretend to know a bunch about him," said Couch, "but he's just a college kid and wasn't alive for Thompson's national title team, and wouldn't remember the Fab Five. But think about what Wright had done. He showed respect for his past. He had taken the time to learn. And he had shown amazing self-confidence and security in feeling the way he did about the Fab Five documentary."

Statistical Review

3/21/11

At season's end, a review of the season from the final statistics:

• Scoring: Year over year, Georgetown's scoring saw a 4 percent decrease in points scored (73.5 ppg to 70.6) versus a slight increase in points allowed (66.1 to 66.3). Individually, Austin Freeman won the scoring title with 564 points and a 17.6 average.
• Field Goal Shooting: Georgetown's shooting dropped from 49.9% to 47.5% but still remained 14th best nationwide. Opponent shooting was largely unchanged to last season, from 41.7% in 2009-10 to 41.8% in 2009-10. Of related interest: opponents had 60 more field goal attempts, as Georgetown ranked only 273rd nationally in possessions per 40 minutes.
• Three Point Shooting: Three point shooting jumped from 38.7% in 2009-10 to 35.3% in 2010-11, much of it dropping in the last five games where Georgetown shot a combined 22% from outside (48 for 114). Opponent three point shooting increased only slightly, from 33.4% to 33.7%, but in the last five games opponents shot a combined 51% (48-93).
• Free Throw Shooting: Austin Freeman led all free throw shooters with a 87% average (94-108), best in school history for 25 or more attempts and second only to Vee Sanford, who has shot 87.0% (20 for 23) over his career. As a team, Georgetown shot 73.4%, up from 71.1% in 2009-10.
• Rebounding: Georgetown's rebounds remain near in the bottom quarter of the conference, with 33.8 per game compared to 31.2 for opponents, but this ranked Georgetown 230th nationally. The 2011 number is up slightly compared to 33.3 rebounds a game in 2010. Julian Vaughn's 188 rebounds (6.1 rpg) led all players, though as a team leader he is down considerably from Greg Monroe's 328 rebounds (9.6 per game) a season earlier.
• Assists: As a team, Georgetown's numbers dropped for a third straight season 12.3, down from 13.1 in 2009. Chris Wright's 153 assists led all players.
• Fouls: Fouls increased from 17.0 per game to 18.8. There were 7 players that fouled out in 2010-11, down from 14 in 2009-10.
• Steals: Georgetown's 6.0 steals per game was down from 7.0 steals in in 2009-10 and 7.9 in 2008-09. Jason Clark's 47 steals led all players.
• Blocks: Julian Vaughn led the Hoyas with 59 of the team's 139 blocks, down from 161 last season.

Here are the final player totals for points, rebounds, and assists:

Player	Min./Game	Pts.	Pts/Min	Rebs	Asst	TO's
Freeman	33.8	17.6	0.52	3.7	2.4	1.7
Clark	30.6	12.0	0.39	4.1	1.7	1.8
Wright	32.8	12.9	0.39	2.9	5.2	2.8
Thompson	23.3	8.6	0.36	4.4	0.7	0.8
Vaughn	23.6	7.8	0.33	6.1	1.4	1.8
Lubick	19.7	4.0	0.20	3.5	1.3	1.0
Sims	14.0	3.6	0.25	3.2	1.1	1.0
Sanford	6.6	2.4	0.37	0.9	0.4	0.4
Starks	9.7	1.5	0.15	0.6	0.6	0.6
Benimon	10.3	1.3	0.13	1.8	0.3	0.8
Ayegba	4.3	1.7	0.30	0.5	0.0	0.1
Bowen	1.0	3.4	0.29	0.6	0.0	0.5
Caprio	1.5	0.5	0.33	0.3	0.0	0.1
Dougherty	1.3	0.2	0.20	0.0	0.0	0.0

 
 
Here's how GU finished among 16 Big East schools in each category:

	All Games	Big East
Scoring	9th	12th
Scoring Defense	11th	5th
Field Goal %	1st	5th
Three Point %	6th	11th
Free Throw %	3rd	4th
Rebounds	13th	13th
Rebound Margin	9th	10th
Assists	7th	8th
Steals	12th	13th
Blocks	6th	3rd

 

Courtesy of StatSheet.com, a review of Georgetown's final numbers nationally:

		Nat'l Rank
Points	2,258	134
Points Per Game	70.6	118
Possessions	2,082	234
Possessions Per 40 minutes	65.1	273
Field Goals Made	809	108
Field Goal Attempts	1,703	224
Field Goal Pct	47.5	14
3-pt Field Goals Made	223	97
3-pt Field Goal Attempts	631	106
3-pt Field Goal Pct	35.3	126
Free Throws Made	417	253
Free Throw Attempts	568	289
Free Throw Pct	73.4	51
Rebound Pct	50.7	151
Total Rebounds	1,081	210
Total Rebounds Per Game	33.8	230
Offensive Reb Pct	33.7	129
Offensive Rebounds	324	260
Offensive Rebounds Per Game	10.1	272
Defensive Reb Pct	67.7	187
Defensive Rebounds	757	166
Defensive Rebounds Per Game	23.7	160
Team Rebounds	101	176
Team Rebounds Per Game	3.2	154
Assists	481	65
Assists Per Game	15.0	39
Assist to Turnover Ratio	1.11	83
Steals	193	201
Steals Per Game	6.0	204
Turnovers	433	164
Turnovers Per Game	13.5	169
Blocks	139	63
Blocks Per Game	4.30	60
Fouls	603	162
Fouls Per Game	18.8	167
Disqualifications	7	292

 

2010-11 Box Scores

3/19/11

GU 62, Old Dominion 59
GU 69, Tulane 53
GU 80, Coa. Carolina 61
GU 74, Wofford 59
GU 82, NC St. 67
GU 87, NC-Asheville 72
GU 111, Missouri 102
GU 68, Utah St. 51
Temple 68, GU 65
GU 89, App. St. 60
GU 99, Loyola 75
GU 86, Memphis 69
Notre Dame 69, GU 55
GU 86, DePaul 75
St. John's 61, GU 58
W. Virginia 65, GU 59
Pittsburgh 72, GU 57
GU 74, Rutgers 65
GU 80, Seton Hall 75
GU 77, St. John's 52
GU 69, Villanova 66
GU 62, Louisville 59
GU 83, Providence 81
GU 64, Syracuse 56
GU 69, Marquette 60
Connecticut 78, GU 70
GU 61, S. Florida 55
Cincinnati 58, GU 46
Syracuse 58, GU 51
Cincinnati 69, GU 47
Connecticut 79, GU 62
VCU 74, GU 56
 

Virginia Commonwealth 74, Georgetown 56

Updated 3/19/11 8:15 am EDT

"We thought they were going to make an adjustment, but they didn't."--VCU forward Jamie Skeen

Maybe we expected too much. Surely, the seniors that had done so much would rally the troops after losing Chris Wright to Cincinnati. Or the home finale versus Syracuse.

Surely, with their backs against he wall in the finale versus Cincinnati, someone would step up, right?

Or in the Big East versus Connecticut.

So, in hindsight, should we have expected anything more in the NCAAs? Maybe, but a team that lived with its senior starters died with them Friday.

For a fifth straight game, Georgetown's offense went into the dumpster, its defense an easy mark, and the travels of a promising 2010-11 season had all the bounce of a flat tire in 11th seeded Virginia Commonwealth's 74-56 runaway over the sixth seeded Hoyas in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Rams scored on 12 three pointers while seniors Chris Wright and Austin Freeman combined to go 6 for 27 from the field and an embarrassing 0 for 13 from three point range.

The game opened eerily reminiscent of previous losses from the recent past. Austin Freeman scored the Hoyas' opening basket at the 18:20 mark, and it was the only basket he would make in the entire first half. Within four minutes the Hoyas had given up four turnovers and Julian Vaughn had picked up two fouls. The Rams (26-11) successfully kept the Georgetown defense off its toes from the perimeter, as reserve Brandon Rozzell hit the first three pointer of the evening, 14-11, and the Hoyas were visibly off stride thereafter.

Two Georgetown turnovers and a missed three later, Rozzell was back on the perimeter and his second three at the 7:49 mark gave the Rams the lead for good, 21-19. A missed layup under the basket by Vaughn was returned for a VCU layup, 23-19, a missed Freeman jumper was answered with a three from VCU's Joey Rodriguez, 26-19. With a noticeable lack of defense emanating from Georgetown, VCU took full advantage.

Despite starting the game 0-4, Wright was giving it his all, and the Hoyas patched together layups from Vaughn (his only basket of the game) and Wright to close to six, 29-23, at the 4:21 mark. Despite holding the Rams without a basket in the final four minutes, the Hoyas gained no ground. Vaughn picked up his third foul with 4:01 left, Wright missed the front end of a one and one, and Nate Lubick fouled Rodriguez on a deep three and gave away the points at the line, 33-24. With five seconds to play, Burgess was fouled going to the basket, 35-24 and Freeman capped off the first half missing a long three--one of 11 three point misses for the Hoyas by halftime, 35-24. The Rams were just 3-11 from two point range but 6-12 from three; by contrast, Georgetown was able to go 8-13 inside the arc but stubbornly launched brick after brick from outside, missing 11 of 12 attempts and posting as many turnovers as field goals (nine). At various points in the season, one could assume the halftime adjustments that Georgetown was so good at would correct its perimeter defense and rediscover the game from close range. And, of course, you would be wrong. Whatever exhortations John Thompson III and his staff made at the break flew right over the heads of his players, because as the second half started, the Hoyas' inattention knocked them out of the game (and the tournament) early on. Ball control was a priority, no? On Georgetown's first possession, Jason Clark loses the ball and the Rams find Ed Nixon alone on the perimeter, 38-24. Avoiding the bad three point shot? Having missed all four of his three point attempts in the first half, Wright missed number five. Eliminating the turnover? Georgetown posted three in its first seven possessions. Most importantly, defending the three point shot? Again, the lights were on, but no Hoyas were home defensively as the Rams, knowing a good thing when they saw it, parked outside the three point line and flattened the Hoyas therein. VCU scored on four consecutive threes to open the half, widening the lead to 48-21 with just under 15 minutes left in the game. The Rams were now 10-17 from behind the line, and had as many threes (10) as more points from outside (30) than its opponents had across the board (28). While the TNT announcers were marveling at a second VCU upset, dejected Hoya fans were prone to suggest this was no upset at all, just a tired rehash of a month in which Georgetown could not generate offense, gave up too many turnovers, and were a step tired on every defensive set. And the mistakes kept on coming. A Hollis Thompson three closed to 15, but Rozzell blew by the defense for a rate inside two, 51-34. Lubick was charged with a five second turnover and Freeman missed an easy layup, and Rozzell was alone for another three, 54-31. When a pass to Lubick went out of bounds and the officials clearly missed the deflection, Wright argued the call and was promptly proffered a technical foul, with two free throws which followed, 56-36. With 7:37 to play, VCU had built a 22 point lead there seemed no doubt as to the outcome. Georgetown had never adapted to the Rams' style of play and continued to make the same mistakes over and over and over again which made the Hoyas an easy out. If there were any hopeful signs amid the gloom, it was that Hollis Thompson took upon himself the heir apparent to the scoring load for the hoyas, though, as we will discuss later next week, Georgetown's offensive output for 2011-12 appears very thin. Thompson scored 16 of the team's 32 points in the second half, as Georgetown closed to 13 inside four minutes left, but the Rams closed the door with 7-8 from the line. As if something was going to change, georgetown launched up three more three pointers in the final three minutes and missed them all. VCU took its first half play book and did the same in the second half--three twos, six threes--and Georgetown had no answer on the bench or on the court. While Wright did the best he could coming off an injury, leadership on the court was in short supply, and no amount of substitutions would change the mind set of a team which seemed incapable of getting back in the game. With 1:42 remaining, Chris Wright and Austin Freeman's college careers ended in a way neither would have predicted. Among the most celebrated local high school products in a generation, they proceeded to end their career shooting a collective 6 for 27, 2 of 12 in the second half, and missing all 13 of their three point attempts. From a 66-47 blowout of #15 seed UMBC in the first round of the 2008 NCAA tournament, this senior class did not win a single tournament game thereafter, including three straight first round defeats in post-season play by a combined margin of 34 points. "A lot will be discussed about this group and what they have and haven't done in the post season," coach John Thompson III said in brief post-game remarks. For five games Georgetown continued the same tired approach to its games, under the cover that in Wright's absence, it was the best they could do. When Wright returned, nothing changed. Where the argument could have been made that the 2009-10 Hoyas may have just had a bad night against Ohio and were a better team than a first round exit would indicate, it's clear that this was not the case a year later. And this odd and perhaps telling statistic: of the six non-conference opponents defeated by Georgetown that eventually qualified for the NCAA tournament, all six lost in the opening round. "It's a very fragile thing, confidence," second year VCU coach Shaka Smart said. "The terrific thing for us is it's mid-March, and we're playing our best basketball, and our guys are believing in what we do."

3 Third worst defeat in post-season history, largest margin of defeat in NCAA's since 1996 3 Consecutive losses on Mar. 18 in post-season play (2009, 2010, 2011) 3 Consecutive post-season losses, most since 1975-77 (two NCAA, one NIT) 3 Consecutive post-season losses, to teams seeded 10 or higher 4-3 VCU record since Feb. 19 0-5 GU record since Feb. 19 52.5 Points per game last five games 9.5 Avg. margin of defeat, last five games 0-16 3-pt shooting by GU starters, this game 12/10/2001 Last game where starters failed to connect on at least one three pointer 16-90 3-pt shooting by GU starters, last 5 games 2-21 Shooting by J. Vaughn, final four games 6 3-pt. field goals allowed by GU, 1st half 6 3-pt. field goals allowed by GU, 2nd half 6 2-pt. field goals scored by VCU +15 VCU advantage, free throws 28 VCU bench points 3 GU bench points outside H. Thompson

Georgetown is exactly the opposite.

"There were some stretches when we didn’t communicate well,” said junior Jason Clark. “I don’t think guys were tired. I don’t know what it was. It was just mental lapses."

And like a broken window with glass strewn about the Hilltop, an ill wind blows into this off-season, as Thompson and his staff must pick up the pieces from a team losing a lot of leadership and returning a lot less than many would think. For as poorly as the senior class played Friday night in Chicago, they represented 54% of the offense for this team: 38.6 points a game, and the only institutional memory of a winning team in post-season play. With a bench as unproductive as what contributed in 2010-11 with the likes of Henry Sims, Jerrelle Benimon, Vee Sanford, Markel Starks and Moses Ayegba (who combined for just 32 points over their final seven games), a first round NCAA game may not seem so bad a year from now.

And in passing, we could see this coming.

The Georgetown half of the final box score of the season:

            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Wright       33   3-7   0-6   0-1   2   3  4    6
Freeman      32   3-7   0-7   4-4   6   2  4   10
Clark        35   4-5   0-3   1-1   2   2  4    9
Lubick       23   0-0   0-0   0-0   5   0  4    0 
Vaughn       12   1-3   0-0   0-0   8   1  3    2
Reserves:
Thompson     30   4-4   4-6   6-7   7   1  4   26
Starks       12   0-0   1-3   0-0   1   2  1    3
Dougherty     1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  0    0
Sanford       5   0-0   0-1   0-0   1   1  1    0
Sims          5   0-0   0-0   0-0   2   0  1    0 
Benimon       6   0-0   0-0   0-0   2   0  1    0
Team Rebounds                       5
DNP: Caprio, Bowen, Ayegba
TOTALS      200 15-26  5-26  11-13 41  12 26   56

Post-game links follow below:

GUHoyas.com VCUAthletics.com Associated Press Associated Press (2) Chicago Tribune CBS Sports.com ESPN.com ESPN.com (2)

Fox News Georgetown Voice The HOYA Richmond Times Dispatch SB Nation DC Wash. Examiner Wash. Post Wash. Times

 

JT3: "Comfortable"

3/16/11

Attendees at the Big East tournament viewed the first of three commercials Dove Soap will introduce during the NCAA tournament featuring head coach John Thompson III with the tag line "comfortable in my own skin". Links to the Georgetown Voice and Casual Hoya have links to all three commercials, including one with Thompson and his family.

Clinton Talks Hoops

3/16/11

Also from Casual Hoya, a Q&A with former president Bill Clinton (F'68) on this year's NCAA tournament and his alma mater's role within it.

"Georgetown stumbled into the post-season largely because of injuries, but they've showed the ability to string wins together because they run a smart, efficient offense, take care of the basketball, and force teams to take difficult shots," Clinton said. "I still think they can go deep in the NCAA Tournament, especially once they get Mr. Wright back!"

Looking back on the late 1960's and Hoya basketball, Clinton noted that "We never made the NCAA and went to the NIT only once. Still, I went to lots of games and the spirit was there."

Clinton attended the Feb. 25 game versus Syracuse and was also seen at the semifinals of the Big East tournament.

Fab 5 Or Hoya 5?

3/16/11

A recent ESPN documentary about the Michigan basketball team of the early 1990's has raised questions about the cultural significance of Michigan's "Fab Five" (Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, Ray Jackson) vis a vis other teams of that era. At least one columnist thinks that fans should look to Washington instead of Ann Arbor for this discussion.

"The Fab Five are taking credit for the real accomplishments of John Thompson’s and Patrick Ewing’s Georgetown Hoyas," writes FoxSports.com columnist Jason Whitlock, who covered the Wolverines for the Ann Arbor News in the 1990's.

"[Georgetown] won championships — conference and national. They scared and intimidated the establishment. They were the inner-city black kids who left a legacy of jobs and playing opportunities for other impoverished minorities that exposes the lack of substance in the fads popularized by the Fab Five."

“Hoya Paranoia” is the story that deserves celebration and should serve as a teaching tool," said Whitlock. "Fab Five is a safe, harmless story celebrating black kids for choosing style over substance."

At ESPN.com, Orlando assistant coach Patrick Ewing (C'85) asks this question: "When is there going to be a Georgetown Hoyas movie?”

"Everywhere you went you knew it," Ewing said on the Hoyas' popularity. "Older folks would come up to you and tell you how much they loved you and they appreciated what you represent. The younger kids…they’d have the Georgetown paraphernalia, the Georgetown jacket, the Georgetown t-shirt.”

"We didn't come with the swagger [the Fab Five did],” Ewing said. “That was their play. We were very intimidating, but we'd come out with our game face on, our toughness, our trapping defense. They brought the swagger, the talk...we were just out there trying to get it done."

Entering Area 55

3/16/11

Three years removed from the Hilltop, Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert (C'08) has his own NBA cheering section--all 55 of them.

According to the Indianapolis Star, Hibbert bought season tickets for 55 fans who, as "Area 55", are devoted fans of the 7-2 center.

"It's not all college kids like some of the teams. That might make it a little more difficult for us to be as loud as possible," said a fan who identified himself as "El Pacero". "At the same time, though, it's a really cool family of people."

Georgetown Drops Out Of AP Poll

3/15/11

Only five schools could claim to have been in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for each week over the last two seasons: Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Purdue, and Georgetown. Now, there are only four.

In the final poll of the 2010-11 season Georgetown was not ranked among the Top 25, for the first time since the end of the 2008-09 season, falling just one vote short of the #25 ranking held by Vanderbilt.

The seven Big East teams represented included Pittsburgh (#4), Notre Dame (5), Connecticut (9), Syracuse (12), Louisville (14), St. John's (18) and West Virginia (21).

2011 NCAA Pairings Announced

Updated 3/14/11

Following its second round finish in the Big East tournament, Georgetown will open the 2011 NCAA tournament as the #6 seed in the Southwest Region, earning the University its 27th NCAA appearance and 38th post-season bid overall.

One of two DC-area teams selected and among a record 11 Big East selections, the Hoyas will play in Chicago, IL on Friday against the winner of Wednesday's play-in game in Dayton between Southern California (19-14) and Virginia Commonwealth (23-11).

Chris Wright's return to play was a factor considered by the NCAA selection committee in making its seeding.

"We got feedback on the status of [players who are injured],” said Ohio State athletic director and committee chairman Gene Smith as reported in the Washington Post. “We got feedback that they would be able to play. That was important to us to know. You still have to evaluate their performance without those kids.”

"I'm good. I can dribble, shoot, run," Wright told CBS Sports Sunday night. "I haven't been on the court at full contact yet where I tested it and someone has hit my hand, which is going to happen. That's the nature of the game. I have a high tolerance for pain. If someone hits my hand, I'll be all right."

CBS Sports.com columnist Gregg Doyel remains skeptical. "Georgetown said it. The committee believed it. Now it's up to the Hoyas to make good on their promise, and to not be the liar that Syracuse was a year ago," referring to claims last season that center Arinze Onuaku would return from an injury suffered in the 2010 Big East tournament, which turned out not to be the case.

"If Wright returns to practice and is able to play at a fairly high level, then the seeding is perfect," said Doyel. "But only if Wright plays, because when Wright doesn't play, Georgetown is an NIT team."

Despite the four losses entering post-season play, Georgetown finished the 2010-11 season with an impressive resume: an RPI of 13 and the #1-ranked strength of schedule in the nation, with 21 of its 31 games against teams that were selected to the NCAA tournament, including seven non-conference opponents: Old Dominion, Wofford, UNC-Asheville, Missouri, Utah State, Temple, and Memphis.

Related links from the schools follow below:

• GUHoyas.com
• USCTrojans.com
• VCUAthletics.com

Wright To Return At NCAA's

3/14/11

The Washington Post and various media sources reported Sunday that senior Chris Wright will be ready to rejoin the team in this week's NCAA first round game.

"It's consistent with what we were told," coach John Thompson III told the Post. "We had anticipated him being able to start full practice this week and anticipated him being able to play on Thursday." Wright has been involved in non-contact work in the interim.

Via Twitter, Wright confirmed the move. "Everybody [is] wondering if I'm playing in the NCAA's," said Wright. "Yes, I will be playing."

Wright fractured his hand Feb. 23 versus Cincinnati and the Hoyas have struggled in his absence, dropping four straight.

Big East: 11 Teams Selected

3/14/11

The nation's largest conference came up big in the 2011 tournament, with a record 11 schools selected.

Here's a recap of the Big East teams entering NCAA play:

Seed	Team	Record	RPI	Next Opponent
1 (Southeast)	Pitt	27-5	10	#16 NC-Asheville or Ark.-Little Rock
2 (Southwest)	Notre Dame	26-6	9	#15 Akron
3 (West)	Connecticut	26-9	14	#14 Bucknell
3 (East)	Syracuse	26-7	18	#14 Indiana St.
4 (Southwest)	Louisville	25-9	17	#13 Morehead St.
5 (East)	W. Virginia	20-11	21	#12 UAB or Clemson
6 (Southwest)	Georgetown	21-10	13	#11 USC or VCU
6 (Southeast)	St. John's	21-11	22	#11 Gonzaga
6 (West)	Cincinnati	25-8	36	#11 Missouri
9 (East)	Villanova	21-11	38	#8 George Mason
11 (East)	Marquette	20-14	64	#6 Xavier

 

No Big East In NIT

3/14/11

With a record 11 teams in the NCAA, none of the five remaining Big East teams qualified for the National Invitation Tournament or two other post-season tournaments, the CBI and the CIT. This is believed to be the first time since the Big East was formed that at least one conference team has not played in the NIT.

Of local interest: Maryland (19-14) was not selected to any of the three tournaments, marking the first season since 1992-93 that the Terrapins have not played in the post-season.

4th Commit For 2011

3/14/11

The Washington Post is reporting a verbal commitment to Georgetown from Greg Whittington, a 6-9, 195 lb. forward from Oakland Mills HS in Columbia, MD.

The 6-9 Whittington, who was sought by Maryland, DePaul and Clemson, averaged 23 points his senior year and committed after an unofficial visit on Sunday.

"They brought the head coach in early,” Whittington told Scout.com. “They just showed me a lot of love."

Whittington is the fourth Georgetown recruit for 2011-12, joining 6-5 Jabril Trawick, 6-8 Mikael Hopkins, and 6-9 Tyler Adams.

Connecticut 79, Georgetown 62

3/13/11

"It's one thing for the Hoyas to lose four straight games, but quite another to lose so dispiritedly."--Sally Jenkins, Washington Post

Chris Wright's absence continued to deflate the end of season for Georgetown, as the eighth seeded Hoyas fell in short order to Connecticut, 79-62, the second of UConn's remarkable five wins over the five days of the 2011 Big East tournament.

Georgetown needed a big game on both sides of the ball and stuck first early, converting three of its first four possessions and forcing two turnovers in an early 6-3 lead. The teams traded the lead for most of the first seven minutes of the half, with the Hoyas picking up threes from Markel Starks and Hollis Thompson to keep things close. For its part, Connecticut forced consecutive turnovers and building an eight point lead midway in the half, 23-15.

Foul trouble dogged the Hoyas throughout the half. Nate Lubick and Julian Vaughn spent a combined 19 minutes on the bench in the half, and UConn was able to score from inside against Henry Sims and Jerrelle Benimon. Sims suffered an injury late in the half and was replaced by Moses Ayegba, but with such inexperience the Hoyas were fortunate to keep the score to 12 at the half. Austin Freeman and Jason Clark combined for the last 13 of the half (and 20 overall) but with Hollis Thompson limited to just five points and Julian Vaughn with just one shot in the period, offense remained at a premium. Despite shooting 46 percent for the half, Georgetown trailed by 12, 42-30, as the Huskies picked up nine offensive rebounds and forced 10 turnovers to lead at the half. The Hoyas were able to stay within 12 early in the second half, but the Huskies took off and the Hoyas fell flat. From an 11 point lead at the 16 minute time out, UConn scored on each of its next four possessions as Georgetown missed four straight shots and the game was all but done from there. UConn led by 18 as Kemba Walker scored 17 of his game-high 28 points in the second half, while Freeman shot just 1-9 from the field. Unlike the previous losses where Georgetown was in there until the end, the game seemed out of reach by the 12 minute mark of the game, and the play reflected it. Trailing by as many as 19, Georgetown could close to no fewer than 12, as UConn's 13-13 effort from the free throw line offered no hope of a comeback. In a tournament replete with thrilling comebacks and last minute rallies, Wednesday's opener seemed to be more an exercise for the Huskies than a conflict. "We went through a stretch where we were just turning the ball over, just giving it to them, which led to easy transition baskets for them," said coach John Thompson III. Georgetown got nothing from its big men inside. The trio of Vaughn, Sims, and Ayegba failed to score in a combined 34 minutes of play, and combined for only three rebounds. UConn scored 38 of its points in the paint and almost as many at the line, with the Hoyas picking up 24 fouls. "Obviously we understand without right Georgetown is not quite the same team that we were fortunate to beat back at our place," said Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun. "We played into the fact that Kemba Walker got early rest and at least for the 10, 12, 15 minutes to make sure everybody was fresh and we could use our bench against their lack of bench at this point with their injuries."

2-6 GU record vs. UConn in Big East Tournament, 0-5 since 1992 15 pts Second largest loss by GU in Big East tournament history 5-22 3-pt shooting by GU starters, this game 6-11 1st half shooting, Austin Freeman 1-9 2nd half shooting, Austin Freeman 1-18 Shooting by Julian Vaughn, last four games 17-77 3-pt shooting by GU starters, last 4 games 13-13 FTs by UConn, second half +21 UConn advantage, bench scoring

"It is what it is but we miss Chris, absolutely," said coach Thompson. "That being said the group that's playing right now that played today has to be better, has to be better."

"Austin Freeman...had 31 in the second half [in 2010] and that wasn't going to happen this year," Calhoun said. "Someone else was going to have to beat us."

And no one did.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:

            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Freeman      38   6-13  1-7   5-6   3   0  1   20
Clark        35   6-7   1-6   8-11  8   2  2   23
Thompson     33   2-2   2-6   0-0   5   0  3   10
Lubick       23   2-3   0-0   0-0   5   3  5    4 
Vaughn       12   0-2   0-0   0-0   1   0  4    0
Reserves:
Starks       14   1-1   1-3   0-0   0   0  4    5
Sanford       7   0-2   0-0   0-0   0   0  0    0
Sims         16   0-0   0-0   0-0   2   0  1    0 
Benimon      12   0-0   0-0   0-0   2   0  4    0
Ayegba        6   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   1  0    0
Team Rebounds                       5
DNP: Wright, Dougherty, Caprio, Bowen
TOTALS      200 17-30  5-22  13-17 31   6 24   62

Post game articles follow below.

• GUHoyas.com
• UConn Huskies.com
• Associated Press
• Georgetown Voice
• The HOYA
• New York Daily News
• New York Times
• Washington Post
• Washington Post (2)

Big East Standings

Updated 3/6/11

Final standings are below, with a team in green is a likely NCAA entrant, a team in yellow a question mark for the NCAA, a team in orange as under NIT consideration, and a team in blue does not have a record for post-season consideration.

	B.E.	Overall	RPI	Next Opponent	Seed
Pittsburgh	15-3	27-4	7	TBA	1st
Notre Dame	14-4	25-5	9	TBA	2nd
Louisville	12-6	23-8	21	TBA	3rd
Syracuse	12-6	25-6	17	TBA	4th
St. John's	12-6	20-10	22	TBA	5th
West Virginia	11-7	20-10	15	TBA	6th
Cincinnati	11-7	24-7	33	TBA	7th
Georgetown	10-8	21-9	11	TBA	8th
Connecticut	9-9	21-9	24	DePaul	9th
Villanova	9-9	21-10	31	USF	10th
Marquette	9-9	18-13	68	Providence	11th
Seton Hall	7-11	13-17	93	Rutgers	12th
Rutgers	5-13	14-16	123	Seton Hall	13th
Providence	4-14	15-16	146	Marquette	14th
South Florida	3-15	9-22	161	Villanova	14th
DePaul	1-17	7-23	232	UConn	16th

 

And here is the final look at the 16 team bracket :

Tue. Mar. 8	Wed., Mar. 9	Thurs., Mar 10	Fri., Mar 11	Sat.,Mar 12
#9 vs. #16 12 pm (UConn-DePaul)	Winner vs. #8 12 pm (Georgetown)	Winner vs. #1 12 pm (Pittsburgh)	Semifinals, 7pm	Finals, 9pm
#12 vs. #13 2 pm (S.Hall-Rutg.)	Winner vs. #5 2 pm (St. John's)	Winner vs. #4 2 pm (Syracuse)
#10 vs. #15 7 pm (Villanova-USF)	Winner vs. #7 7 pm (Cincinnati)	Winner vs. #2 7 pm (Notre Dame)	Semifinals, 9pm
#11 vs. #14 9 pm (Marquette-PC)	Winner vs. #6 9 pm (W.Virginia)	Winner vs. #3 9 pm (Louisville)

            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Freeman      37   6-16  1-7   6-6   3   4  2   21
Clark        35   0-2   1-8   2-2   2   1  3    5
Thompson     33   3-5   2-3   0-0   4   0  2   12
Lubick       16   3-4   0-0   0-2   1   1  4    6 
Vaughn       22   0-4   0-0   0-0   2   1  4    0
Reserves:
Starks       14   0-0   0-0   0-1   0   1  1    0
Sanford       7   0-2   0-0   0-0   2   0  2    0
Dougherty     2   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  0    0
Sims         16   1-2   0-0   1-2   4   0  1    3 
Benimon      12   0-0   0-0   0-0   2   0  1    0
Ayegba        6   0-0   0-0   0-1   2   0  0    0
Team Rebounds                       3
DNP: Wright, Caprio, Bowen
TOTALS      200 13-35  4-18   9-14 25   8 20   47