HoyaSaxa.com: Georgetown Basketball

A report from CBS Sports.com lists Georgetown among four teams that will participate in a multi-team event (MTE) during Thanksgiving Week in Orlando.

ADDITIONAL COVERAGE

The report from Jon Rothstein lists Georgetown alongside Dayton, Miami, and Brigham Young in the as-yet undisclosed event, although the size and the timing of the event suggest the ESPN Events Invitational, formerly the Old Spice Classic, which Georgetown played in the 2008-09 season.

The star of this event will undoubtedly be 6-9 BYU freshman A.J. Dybantsa, the early favorite for the #1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft despite having never played college basketball before. Dybantsa, playing at a boarding school known as Utah Prep, turned down offers at North Carolina, Kansas, Alabama, and Baylor for BYU, thanks to a reported NIL agreement of $7 million secured for the 2025-26 season.

The move to a competitive early season event is a good one for Georgetown, whose non-conference strength of schedule this season was 340th of 362 teams --which, if the Hoyas had competed for the NCAA Tournament this year, would have been disastrous. It also lifts two lightly attended home games off the calendar from Capital One Arena. Georgetown's self-curated MTE with Mount St. Mary's and St. Francis drew just 5,948 across two games at the cavernous downtown facility.

Prior to this report, Georgetown had announced just one non-conference game for 2025-26, a road game at Maryland. Its series with Notre Dame and Syracuse have expired and there is no further word on an extension of either game.

Freshman Thomas Sorber underwent surgery Wednesday at Georgetown University Hospital for the foot injury suffered February 15.

No recovery period was announced but injuries of this type could involve four to six months of healing and rehabilitation, per various medical resources.

Despite 56 percent second half shooting and 11 three pointers, second chance opportunities buried the Georgetown Hoyas in a 93-79 loss to Connecticut at Hartford's XL Center.

POST-GAME COVERAGE

Nothing about the game should be considered unexpected or shocking. UConn was coming off a loss at St. John's with a clear mandate to restate its case for the NCAA's, while the Hoyas had lost six of its last eight on the road. Without Thomas Sorber, UConn would exploit the Georgetown middle en route to its 10th consecutive win in the series, one short of the record set from 1998 through 2006. The Hoyas had their opportunities, but the margin of error was sufficiently thin so as to offer them few opportunities to prevail on the road.

Georgetown started the game hot, converting 4 for 4 from beyond the arc to build a 14-4 lead four minutes into the game. It didn't take long for the Huskies to get back in the mix, with a pair of three pointers in a 39 second span from guard Solomon Ball to close to 14-10.

The Hoyas, however, were playing at a high pace, shooting 63 percent, and led 20-14 seven minutes into the first half, with a 11-4 advantage on points off four UConn turnovers, when Drew Fielder was tagged with two fouls in a span of 20 seconds. Fielder remained in the game, but the Huskies ripped off four baskets over their next five to close to 26-25.

Georgetown's periodic cold spell arrived in the later third of the first half, connecting on one of its next six, but still held a lead until Fielder was hit with his third foul at the 7:10 mark, giving UConn its first lead of the game and one which it would not relinquish thereafter. An 8-0 UConn run led to a Georgetown timeout at 33-29, whereupon Jayden Epps was blocked driving to the basket and Alex Karaban converted a second chance opportunity on the other end, leading a frustrated Ed Cooley to call a second timeout. Behind 11 first half points from backup center Tarris Reed, UConn took a seven point lead into halftime, 42-35, shooting 59 percent from the floor.

Twice the Hoyas came within three early in the second and twice the rallies were halted by calls on Fielder. Georgetown opened the second half on back to back scores by Epps and Jordan Burks, 42-369, but Fielder picked up his fourth and the Huskies extended its lead back to seven, 48-41. Fielder responded with one of his best offensive runs of the season, scoring eight straight points to close to 52-49 at the 15:57 mark, but he picked up his fifth foul 20 seconds later.

Despite Fielder's absence for the remainder of the game, Georgetown continued to play above their heads on offense, shooting for 9 for 11 over the first eight minutes of the second half, and when freshman Kayvaun Mulready hit his first three of the season after an 0 for 15 start, Georgetown was back to 57-54.

Lacking a presence in the middle, GU was forced to foul to protect the pivot. In a second half that was dominated by UConn at the foul line, the Huskies added four consecutive from the foul line in 35 seconds, 61-54. Following a basket by Jordan Burks to close to five, 61-56, reserve forward Jaylin Stewart connected on his only three point attempt of the game, 68-61, and UConn got two more on a second chance possession, 70-61.

The Huskies shot 9 for 13 in a four minute run down the stretch, five by layup, that extended the lead to 89-71 with 3:28 remaining, with a pair of threes from Curtis Williams and a Peavy dunk rounding out the Georgetown scoring.

The shorthanded Hoyas did all they could, but it was not going to be enough. Georgetown shot 56 percent in the second half, gave up just three turnovers, and were still outscored by seven: the defense gave up a season high 51 points after halftime as the Huskies shot 53 percent and converted 15 of 15 from the foul line.

The game will be remembered not for strong play from the likes of Micah Peavy (25 points), or Tarris Reed's 20 points and 10 rebounds, but two mind-numbing statistics: Connecticut had a 30-3 advantage on second chance points and scored 48 points in the paint, a result of a Georgetown defense that is vulnerable to any foul trouble inside.

Micah Peavy led all Georgetown scorers with 25, his sixth consecutive game of 20 or more points. Its 11 three point field goals were one off its season high, but with such a thin lineup, the Hoyas can do little but hope to regroup Saturday versus #21 Marquette, which has won 10 consecutive regular season games versus Georgetown since the 2018-19 season, and seven straight in Washington.

Thanks to Sanjay Gupta (C'96) for the in-game photos above. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG  FT   REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:    
Mack         35   2-4   0-2  5-5    4  6   0    9
Epps         35   3-5   2-10 1-2    1  1   2   13
Peavy        40   7-9   3-7  2-3    2  3   1   25
Burks        37   4-7   1-1  0-0    3  0   4   11 
Fielder      18   2-2   2-2  1-2    1  0   5   11
Reserves:  
McKenna       8   0-1   0-1  0-0    1  0   1    0 
Cu. Williams 12   0-1   2-3  0-0    0  0   0    6
Mulready     13   0-0   1-1  1-2    3  2   2    4
Team Rebounds                       3                  
Injured: Ca. Williams, Halaifonua, Moses, Sorber
DNP: Fort, Montgomery, Asadallah,
Van Raaphorst, Diouf
TOTALS      200 18-29  11-27 10-14 18  12 15   79

Freshman center Thomas Sorber will undergo foot surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season, according to an announcement from the basketball office.

"On Saturday, February 15, freshman Thomas Sorber suffered a left foot injury that necessitates surgery," it writes. "He will undergo surgery on Wednesday, February 26 and a full recovery is expected. He will not play the remainder of the 2024-25 season."

Sorber averaged 14.8 points and 8.5 rebounds in 24 games before going down with a foot injury in the Butler game previously described in media reports as a turf toe. He is the third Georgetown freshman to undergo surgery this season, joining center Julius Halaifonua and walk-on forward Mason Moses.

The active depth chart ending the last two weeks of the regular season looks something like this:

	Guards	Forwards	Center
Starters	Jayden Epps (12.7 ppg)	Micah Peavy (16.1)	Drew Fielder (7.0)
Starters	Malik Mack (12.7)	Jordan Burks (4.4)	Drew Fielder (7.0)
In Rotation	Caleb Williams (4.1)	Curtis Williams (3.9)
In Rotation	Kayvaun Mulready (0.8)	Drew McKenna (1.3)
Deep Bench	Austin Montgomery (0.1)
	Hashem Asadallah (0.0)
	Michael Van Raaphorst (0.0)

Georgetown will be playing two teams this week seeing to secure seeds in the upcoming NCAA tournament. How is the conference positioned for the regular season home stretch?

As of Monday, four Big East teams (St. John's, Creighton, Marquette, and Connecticut) are probable NCAA entrants, with two (Xavier, Villanova) just outside the bracket and likely selections for the 16 team College Basketball Crown, which has two automatic bids from the Big East, and the potential for a third.

Depending on their respective finishes, Butler and Georgetown may be NIT candidates, although the NIT now provides four automatic bids from the ACC and SEC plus automatic bids for regular season champions not selected to the NCAA tournament that are in the top 125 of the NET ratings. This puts NIT at-large bids in question until the mid-major tournaments wrap up.

The Big East is not expected to receive bids from the lesser known CIT and CBI tournaments, which focus on lower tier conferences.

	NET	Quad 1	N/C SOS	Last 10	Projection
St. John's (24-4)	18	3-4	171	9-1	NCAA 3/4 Seed
Marquette (20-7)	27	5-4	13	5-5	NCAA 6/7 Seed
Creighton (19-8)	35	5-5	46	8-2	NCAA 8/9 Seed
Connecticut (18-9)	37	5-5	66	5-5	NCAA 8/9 Seed
Xavier (18-10)	53	1-7	129	7-3	First 4 Out/Crown
Villanova (16-12)	50	2-6	61	5-5	Next 4 Out/Crown
Butler (14-14)	77	1-7	49	6-4	Crown?
Georgetown (16-11)	83	1-6	340	4-6	Crown?
Providence (12-15)	87	1-6	179	3-7
DePaul (11-17)	144	0-9	259	2-8
Seton Hall (7-20)	213	1-8	195	1-9

Kevin Braswell (C'20), a four year guard at Georgetown from 1998 through 2002, died Monday following complications from heart surgery while coaching in Japan.

ADDITIONAL COVERAGE

"We would like to express our heartfelt respect and gratitude to Mr. Braswell for his dedication and dedication to the development of the club and his contribution to the growth of the team over the course of two seasons," read an news statement from his team, Utsunomiya Brex.

"We will miss him and express our deepest condolences. Since his hospitalization on January 17th, the entire team has continued to support him, hoping for a speedy recovery, but his wish has not been granted and we are filled with great loss and deep sadness."

Recruited by then-assistant coach Craig Esherick out of Baltimore's Lake Clifton HS in 1997, Braswell prepped at Maine Central Institute for a season before joining the Hoyas during the transitional season between John Thompson to Craig Esherick in 1998-99. Braswell was a shooter first and foremost, and his earliest stats bore this out: averaging 17.6 ppg in his first five games as a freshman, he averaged a shot every 25 seconds. He scored in double figures in 23 of 31 games that year, with four 20+ games and a season high 29 against Georgia State.

For his sophomore year, Braswell was the unquestioned scoring leader under Esherick, as shooting problems beset the previous season's scoring leader, guard Anthony Perry. Braswell opened with double figures in 10 of 11 games to start the season, including a 22.3 average in the three games of the 1999 Maui Invitational. After a 1 for 13 start in conference play against Providence, Braswell hit his stride in January, 2000, shooting 45 percent from the field and averaging 20 points a game over a five game period, then saw his averages plummet as he shot a combined 17 percent for the next five games.

Unlike Perry, who seemed to lose confidence over poor shooting, Braswell never lost his.

Braswell turned in one of his best games in the opening round of the 2000 Big East tournament, where the Hoyas opened with an upset of West Virginia. Braswell scored 19, including a three pointer with less than a second left. He followed it up with 20 points and eight assists, including 10-12 from the line, to lead the Hoyas to an upset of Syracuse before falling to Connecticut in the semifinals--Georgetown's lone semifinal appearance between 1996 and 2006.

With Georgetown exiled to the NIT for a third consecutive year, Braswell's effort versus Virginia remains among the great individual achievements by any player. Starting the game 1 for 6, he scored 14 in the second half and 18 of his career high 40 points over three grueling overtimes, hitting 4 of 6 from the field and 10 of 12 from the line in the extra periods. Injuries and foul outs left Georgetown with only four scholarship players and walk-on Gharun Hester at game's end, with Braswell and forward Lee Scruggs needing intravenous fluids after the three hour, thirty minute game.

Kevin Braswell finished his Georgetown years seventh all time in scoring. His 1,569 field goal attempts are more than all but two players in school history (Eric Floyd, Reggie Williams), although each shot 49 percent or better from the field compared to just 36 percent for Braswell. His all time record of 189 threes reflect over 600 attempts, but only a 31.1% average from behind the arc. He was a second team All-Big East selection in 2001.

The team leader in assists and steals for each of his four years, his career marks are not only tops in each, but his averages are among the top three as well. A career 76% free throw shooter, Braswell also ranks among the top 15 in school history for free throw accuracy.

After a career as a head coach in the Australian basketball leagues, Braswell returned to the US in 2019 and completed his Georgetown degree. He served one season as an assistant coach at Coppin State before returning overseas in the Japanese League. The head coach for Utsunomiya Brex for two seasons, Braswell was hospitalized on January 17 for a heart condition and did not recover.

Per the release, services are pending upon his return to Baltimore.

(Career highlights excerpted from the Georgetown Basketball History Project.)

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— ???????? / UTSUNOMIYA BREX (@utsunomiyabrex) February 24, 2025

From SB Nation's Casual Hoya, a upcoming movie has an unusual Georgetown connection.

The movie is "Freaky Tales", an anthology of four stories. "Set in 1987 Oakland, the film is a fever dream of characters: a shady cop, an NBA star, a punk crew, neo-Nazis, and a debt collector, thrown together in a chaotic showdown," writes Popviewers.com.

That NBA star is former Georgetown All-American Eric Floyd (C'82), whose 51 points in the 1987 NBA Western Conference Finals versus the Los Angeles Lakers at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum forms a loose connection to the story which follows.

"The Legend of Sleepy Floyd" stars Jay Ellis as the player and imagines his big night in May 1987 spiralling into martial arts mayhem that somehow manages to combine the sartorial stylings of Uma Thurman in Kill Bill and Wesley Snipes in Blade," writes Screendaily.com.

"This portrayal presents an interesting contrast to Floyd's real-life persona," writes the Casual Hoya review. "He was known for his calm demeanor and team-oriented approach on the court, which differs significantly from the action anti-hero image presented in the movie clips. This contrast highlights the exciting nature of the film and adds an intriguing layer to the story."

Freaky Tales debuts April 4.

The last four minutes of the first half and the first four of the second half deflated a spirited Georgetown first half in an 80-69 loss to Creighton before 17,545 at CHI Health Center.

POST-GAME COVERAGE

In many respects, Sunday's game was a mirror of the first meeting between the teams. In the December 18 game, Creighton held a first half lead, the Hoyas scored the final eight points of the half, including two at the end of the half, and pulled away with a 15-3 run early in the second half. However, during a 13 minute stretch in the first half, guard transfer Micah Peavy had one of the great runs of the last decade in a Georgetown uniform.

Peavy was coming off a 30 point effort versus Providence and opened the game with a three pointer, 31 seconds into a fast paced first half for both teams. From an 8-7 Georgetown advantage four minutes into play, Peavy scored 10 consecutive points over the next 2:29, scoring on back to back threes, a pull up jumper, and a dunk with 13:51 to play, putting Georgetown up 18-11. In a half where the two teams combined for 14 three pointers, Peavy led a confident, up-tempo effort for the Hoyas that silenced the crowd at CHI Health Center for much of the first 20 minutes.

The Bluejays were on a high level as well, thanks to 15 first half points from guard Steven Ashworth. An 8-2 run keyed by an Ashworth three brought the Bluejays to 20-19 at the 12;40 mark before the Hoyas answered with threes from jayden Epps and Jordan Burks, 26-19. The teams traded baskets until Peavy led the Hoyas on an 8-1 run to take a 36-26 lead with 7:08 remaining, behind 18 from Peavy and 10 from Malik Mack in just 13 minutes of play.

Senior guard Jamiya Neal led the Creighton comeback, opening with a three which awakened the Bluejays' outside game. On the next series, Jordan Burks picked up a dumb foul by grabbing a Creighton jersey as forward Jason Green ran past him, sending the Bluejays to the line and beginning an 8-2 sprint capped by an Ashworth three with 1:49 to halftime, 40-39. Following a Mack jumper, Ashworth picked up his third three of the half, tying the score at 42-42 with 1:14 remaining. Both teams appeared to be headed for a tie at intermission, only to see Peavy inexplicably grab Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner under the basket as time was expiring, leading Georgetown coach Ed Cooley to leap from the bench as he called out to Peavy for an explanation. Kalkbrenner sank two foul shots to give Creighton a 44-42 lead, its first of the half, thanks to a 13-4 run to end the period.

Georgetown's die may have been cast in the opening 30 seconds of the second half, as both Fielder and Peavy picked up third fouls within 17 seconds of each other, tempering any aggressiveness from the Hoyas out of the break. The Bluejays opened on a 7-0 run before a quick time out, then established the tone when Ryan Kalkbrenner stuffed Micah Peavy on a dunk attempt and Steven Ashworth fed Kalkbrenner for a dunk four seconds later, 51-42.

A pair of jumpers from Fielder and Jordan Burks brought the Hoyas to within six, 52-46. On the next series, Fielder picked up his fourth foul and, lacking any depth in the position, Georgetown ceded the middle to Kalkbrenner, which he took full advantage of. Kalkbrenner scored six of the next eight points as Creighton took a 14 point lead into the first media timeout of the second half, a 16-4 run where the Bluejays would eventually score on 10 of its first 11 possessions.

A key driver for the Bluejays was its efforts on the boards. The NBC/Peacock announcers pointed out that in the first meeting between the teams, Creighton was a -14 on rebounds; in this game to date, +15, with a 9-2 advantage in the first five minutes of play. The final margin would dip to +12 but the Bluejays nonetheless collected 49 rebounds for the game, the most allowed by Georgetown since a game versus Seton Hall on March 2, 2019.

The most obvious sign of Georgetown's second half struggles was Micah Peavy. Over the last seven minutes of the first half and 13 minutes of the second, Peavy was 0 for 7, missing shots both at close range and from deep. This shifted the Georgetown offense to Jayden Epps, who, much as he was last season, could get hot, or otherwise be inconsistent. A pair of threes from Epps brought the Hoyas to 64-54, and a pair of Peavy steals led Georgetown on an 8-0 run to close the lead to 64-59 with 9:46 to play. Following a Creighton timeout, Peavy was out of position and picked up his fourth foul as Kalkbrenner reached for a dunk. For its part, Epps missed two at the foul line, and Creighton reserve Fedor Zugic sank his eighth three of the season to bring the margin back to double figures. Creighton would build a 13 point lead with 5:48 to play, a 10-2 run as Georgetown missed six of seven from the field.

Peavy missed 10 consecutive shots before his first and only field goal of the half, a basket and foul with 3:48 to play. On a day where the Hoyas were visibly lacking at the foul line, Peavy missed the ensuing foul shot.

Back to back threes from Isaac Traudt pushed Creighton's lead to 16, 77-61, with 4:39 to play. The Bluejays missed four of its final five from the floor, the Hoyas five of its final seven.

Despite shooting just 4 for 17 from thee point range in the second half, Creighton shot 44 percent from the field, thanks to little resistance from the foul-prone Hoyas: the Bluejays were 9 of 12 from two point range in the half, four by dunk, three by layup. Creighton put four starters in double figures, led by 20 from Steven Ashworth and 19 from Ryan Kalkbrenner. An errant pass from Jamiya Neal late in the game denied him a triple double, finishing with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists.

Georgetown's second half was borne out of risk avoidance, and it cost them. The Hoyas shot 30 percent from the field and 30 percent from the foul line. Seven missed foul shots could have brought this game into question late but it was never an issue. Mack and Peavy combined to shoot 2 for 15 after halftime, the remainder of the team an even 8 for 16.

For the game, Epps led all scorers with 22, followed by Peavy with 20. Georgetown's bench failed to score in a combined 21 minutes between forwards Drew McKenna and Curtis Williams: a combined 0 for 7. Creighton's bench contributed 11 points, the margin of the game.

In post-game comments, head coach Ed Cooley continued to point to lineup changes dating to mid-December as a source of Georgetown's problems, but that did not excuse Mack and Peavy from a run of poor shooting that emptied the tank for the Hoyas. Mack's outside shooting has dropped to 9 of 36 (.250) over the past seven games, while Peavy's eight field goals were his fewest in the past six games.

The loss is Georgetown's 10th in 12 meetings at Omaha; nine of the ten have been by double digits.

The Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG  FT   REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:    
Mack         37   2-4   2-6  5-8    5  3   3   15
Epps         39   4-7   4-7  2-5    2  1   3   22
Peavy        40   4-14  4-7  0-1   12  4   4   20
Burks        29   2-2   1-4  0-0    3  1   3    7
Fielder      34   1-4   1-3  0-0    8  0   4    5
Reserves:  
McKenna       5   0-0   0-3  0-0    0  0   0    0
Cu. Williams 16   0-1   0-3  0-0    4  0   1    0
Team Rebounds                       3
Injured: Ca. Williams, Halaifonua, Moses, Sorber
DNP: Fort, Montgomery, Asadallah,
Van Raaphorst, Diouf, Mulready 
TOTALS      200 13-32 12-33 7-14  37   9  18    69

A student campaign to attend the Big East tournament continues to exceed expectations, per a GoFundMe drive.

"We continue to be overwhelmed by the support, and we are beginning to organize for [the] Big East Tourney," writes organizer Joe Moore. "We had a stand at the [Providence] game where we collected names of people interested in coming to NYC. We thought we'd maybe get 20, instead we got 55. We just reached out to these 55 with a Google form that will confirm their interest, and we're hoping this form makes its way to all interested parties on campus. This form will help us track people's needs (e.g.: hotel v. home stay). I now think we're looking at bringing 50-70 people."

To support this effort, visit this link.

Cooley finally gets the win over Providence.

Two programs looking like they are going in opposite directions.@GeorgetownHoops is going to be a problem and I think the run starts next season.

Momentum in DC is a real thing and it�s trending in the right direction.
— Terrence Oglesby (@T_Oglesby22) February 20, 2025

For the first time in the Ed Cooley era, the Georgetown Hoyas have defeated the Providence Friars!

Georgetown gets its 7th conference win, after winning 4 in the previous three years combined

Ed Cooley has this program headed in the right direction
— Big East Bar Room ?? (@BigEastBarroom) February 20, 2025

A year and a half ago Ed Cooley took over one of the worst P5 programs in College Basketball

Tonight he has led Georgetown to a win over his former program. Without his Freshman of the Year candidate.

Not just a win tonight for Cooley. This one was special. And he earned it.
— Ryan Cassidy (@ryancassidycbb) February 20, 2025

Down two starters to injury, the Georgetown Hoyas went on a 30-6 run to overwhelm Providence College, 93-72, before 5,326 at Capital One Arena.

POST-GAME ARTICLES

With the loss of Thomas Sorber to an injury in the Butler game and a concussion to Caleb Williams in practice, expectations were guarded at best and doubtful at worst as to which Georgetown team would be on the floor this evening. A heavy heart was also upon the team as Ed Cooley's mother had passed away earlier in the week.

"I was driving in to work today, tears were coming down my eyes," Cooley said. "I've never dealt with grief to this depth in a long time, and I can feel it in my bones, so I'm emotionally exhausted."

Georgetown's defense was there at the start, holding the Friars to 1 of 9 shooting to open the game. Despite the poor shooting PC hung around early, thanks to a 10-4 advantage on rebounding and 5-0 on the offensive boards. Guard Bensley Joseph scored 11 of the Friars' first 14 points, including ten straight and a pair of threes to lead PC to an early 14-9 lead.

With early foul trouble to Drew Fielder, Georgetown's only serviceable candidate at center, the Hoyas trailed 20-15 midway in the first half. Fielder returned to the game at the 9:22 mark, whereupon Georgetown went on a 10-0 run keyed by consecutive threes from Epps and Malik Mack.

A basket by Peavy put the Hoyas up five at the 6:23 mark but the Friars tightened the margin with a three from Rich Barron and a Justyn Fernandez three as the shot clock expired, 29-28. On the next play, PC center Oswin Erhunmwunse picked up his third foul, with Peavy adding two from the line, 31-28. There began the most exciting five minutes and five seconds for a Georgetown game at Capital One Arena in nearly a decade.

In an earlier TV look-in at the Georgetown time out, head coach Ed Cooley exhorted his team to be aggressive on the perimeter, because that was the only place PC would shoot. Now, with Erhunmwunse out, Georgetown could drive inside. The change ignited the Hoyas on defense and on the boards.

On PC's next series, they went outside again, and missed. Georgetown answered with a missed three, but Peavy picked up a key offensive rebound, then rotated to the perimeter where reserve forward Drew McKenna fed him for a three, 34-28. Back came the Friars with a miss from three, where McKenna picked up an offensive rebound and score, 36-28, forcing a PC time out. A three from Fernandez closed Georgetown's lead to 36-31, but Peavy drove the lane for a basket, 38-31, then forced a held ball to Georgetown's advantage. Mack drove the lane to put GU up 40-31 with 1:24 to halftime, whereupon Peavy stole a cross-court pass and fed Curtis Williams for a layup with 42 seconds remaining, 42-31.

Providence was staggering to the break. A pair of missed free throws by reserve center Christ Essandoko were as good as a turnover, followed by Mack feeding a driving Jordan Burks for a three point play, 45-31. PC attempted to hold for the last shot when Mack picked off a pass at half court, passing inside to Peavy who missed a layup with four seconds left. An alert Jayden Epps retrieved the ball and found Jordan Burks deep off the three point line, sinking a 28 footer at the buzzer to put Georgetown up 48-31, its largest halftime margin of the season.

The Hoyas shot 50 percent from the field with six threes, and finished the half 6 for its last 7, with Peavy's late miss the only setback of the final five minutes, with PC managing just one field goal in their final five attempts.

The first four minutes of the second half was much like the last four of the first. Providence returned to the three point line with no effect, missing its first five attempts. Peavy scored the opening basket of the half and fed Burks for a three point play for the second, 53-34.

A one minute stretch early in this half may have closed the door for the Friars.

Following a missed three from the Friars, Drew Fielder set up Epps for a Georgetown three, 56-34, then locked down Erhunmwunse on the next possession, with a pass to Burks, who found Peavy open in the corner for one more, 59-34. From a 19-3 run to end the first half, Georgetown had opened the second on an 11-3 run and forced Kim English into his third time out of the game, down 25, 59-34.

Georgetown was bound to cool down after such a run and they did, shooting just one of its next seven over a five minute stretch as PC tightened its defense and limited second chance opportunities. The key three pointers in that run - Burks' three to end the half and the back to back shots by Epps and Peavy - acted as a firewall to restrain the Friars from hopes of a comeback.

Three times the Friars sought to get the game into range, but self destructed each time. A 7-0 run brought PC back to 18, 59-41, but consecutive turnovers were converted by Georgetown to go back up 22, 63-41. A three from Bensley Joseph brought PC within 17 with 11:04 remaining, but Joseph missed a layup on the next possession and Drew Fielder drained a three in response, 66-46. Joseph picked up a three point play with 7:37 remaining to close to 70-53, but Fielder matched it with one of his own, 73-53. Georgetown was held to 4 for 14 in this stretch of the half but the lead had not deteriorated, thanks to its defense.

Providence's last hurrah came entering the final four minutes. Leading scorer Jayden Pierre was 0 for 8 from the field when he sank back to back threes in a span of 13 seconds and followed with a pair of free throws to bring the Friars to 82-69 with 3:03 remaining. Expert clock management and a 4 for 4 run at the foul line from Mack and Epps brought the lead back to 17 and, a Peavy three with 1:43 remaining ended any doubts.

In a nod to surly Providence students who repeatedly berated head coach Ed Cooley with a four letter word last month at the former Providence Civic Center, Georgetown students turned the tables at game's end.

"We Love Cooley!" they said in unison.

"I'm really, really proud of our men," said Cooley in post-season remarks. "A year ago today, I think we were 1-13 in the league... Little by little, we'll continue to show progress, growth and development. I couldn't be more excited to be connected with Lee Reed, and I appreciate him for bringing me here to Georgetown to continue to build this program back to national prominence."

Micah Peavy had a career night on both sides of the ball: 30 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and six steals.

"We stepped it up big with the rebounding, and that was one of the reasons why we lost the last game," Peavy said.

The big story of the game was how the rest of the team stepped up in Sorber's absence. First up was sophomore Drew Fielder, who had averaged just 3.7 points in his last seven starts. He responded in a big way: 17 points, nine rebounds, and a perfect 7 for 7 from the foul line. His defense inside neutralized Oswin Erhunmwunse, holding the PC center to two points in the first half and eight overall.

"With all of the stakes coming into this game, all the stuff behind it, I just wanted to show up for Coach Cooley and I'll continue to show up for my teammates," Fielder said.

Jordan Burks had his most productive game of the season: a career high 13 points in 25 minutes, while reserve forward Drew McKenna had six points and five rebounds in 22 minutes, having not played since the Jan. 17 game versus DePaul and having scored only five points since November 30.

Defensively, Georgetown was all PC wanted and then some. The conference's leading three point shooting team, averaging 10 a game, PC got their 10, but took 32 shots to do it. Georgetown forced 14 turnovers which led to 18 points, held Jayden Pierre to a season low 2 for 12, and held PC to 4 for 21 three point shooting after halftime compared to a 6 for 11 effort in the first half.

Providence coach Kim English, who was tagged with a technical foul in the second half to go with his two from last week, was not pleased with his team's effort.

"Without Sorber, their rim defense is one of the worst in the country," he said. "Our ability to be strong at the end of drives...we were so flimsy and that's disappointing. It's ridiculous. I don't need my butt kicked to learn a lesson. It's ridiculous. We've got to get better."

This is Georgetown's first win over Providence at Capital One Arena in six years and Ed Cooley's first win over the Friars as Georgetown's coach. The 21 point margin of victory is the largest for Georgetown in the series with Providence since a 110-79 win on January 4, 1986 at Capital Centre. The loss was Providence's fourth in its last five amidst upcoming games with Marquette and Connecticut.

The Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG  FT   REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:    
Mack         33   1-2   1-3  2-2    3  2   4    7
Epps         39   3-4   2-5  6-6    3  1   2   18
Peavy        40   7-16  4-6  4-7    7  7   2   30
Burks        25   4-6   1-2  2-2    4  2   2   13 
Fielder      27   2-4   2-7  7-7    9  1   5   17
Reserves:  
McKenna      22   2-3   0-0  2-3    5  2   1    6
Cu. Williams 13   1-1   0-0  0-1    0  0   2    2
Team Rebounds                       5
Injured: Ca. Williams, Halaifonua, Moses, Sorber
DNP: Fort, Montgomery, Asadallah,
Van Raaphorst, Diouf, Mulready 
TOTALS      200 20-36 10-23 23-28 36  15  18   93

As it approaches its 75th anniversary, capacity at McDonough Gymnasium is continuing to atrophy.

A note in a press release from the Board of Directors announced that a project this summer will replace the floor and bleachers at the gymnasium, both of which date to the 1990s. "New bleachers will accommodate 1,608 seats," it wrote.

This figure is a 36 percent decrease from a stated capacity of 2,500 on its web site, a 50 percent drop from the capacity when it opened (3,200) in 1951, and down over 60 percent from its peak capacity of 4,200 from 1970 through 1982. The facility as a whole has not seen a major renovation since its opening and has walled off previous seating on the second floor and across its stage, each of which has not been used in over 40 years.

In a period of declining attendance at Capital One Arena and the significant cost of rental of a largely empty building, McDonough hosted two games this season, drawing 2,008 to the season opener versus Lehigh.

The building hosts two women's sports, each with very low attendance figures: volleyball averaged 270 a game last fall, while women's basketball lists an average of just 383 this season in the building. last in the Big East.

Does McDonough Gymnasium need a strategic plan? Yes, but it's clearly not a University priority. We've discussed this before, of course.

Some items of interest this week:

Congratulations to former Georgetown sports information director Mike (Mex) Carey (S'13), who will receive the John Domino Award for Excellence in Sports Media February 24 at St. Bonaventure University. Carey, an 1994 alumnus of St. Bonaventure, served as sports information director from 2005 to 2017 before leaving Georgetown to become the associate director of athletic communications at Michigan State, with primary responsibility for its men's basketball program.

Former Georgetown guard Chris Wright (C'11) will join the Washington Warriors AAU program as an assistant coach, per a social media post. Wright, who has played professionally since graduation, was most recently with Zaragoza of Spanish Liga ACB.

The new student group Hoya Gray is undertaking a GoFundMe campaign to attend the Big East tournament. For more information, visit this link.

Former Georgetown guard Mac McClung (2018-20) has only played in four NBA games since 2022 but has become a star of his own in the NBA's All-Star Weekend dunk contest. The 6-2 guard, playing in the G-League, won his third consecutive dunk contest Saturday.

How does a two-time champion top last year's event? He dunked over a car.

EVERY MAC MCCLUNG DUNK FROM THE 2025 #ATTSlamDunk ??

He scored a 50 on EVERY dunk ?? pic.twitter.com/AZ1tLQXHuF
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 16, 2025

Mac McClung is donating the car used in tonight's dunk contest to a foundation in need in his hometown of Gate City, Virginia. https://t.co/3yoRrwxApg
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 16, 2025

McClung averages 24.5 points per game in his second season with the Osceola Magic, the developmental team for the Orlando Magic.

Never forget that Mac McClung did this in his very first college game at Georgetown. He was born to dunk. pic.twitter.com/jBGToEgKo4
— HoyaMentality (@HoyaMentality) February 16, 2025

As part of its All-Star Game festivities, the NBA will inaugurate a new award in honor of the late Dikembe Mutombo (I'91, H'10)

"On Saturday, at the annual NBA Africa luncheon at All-Star Weekend, commissioner Adam Silver announced the creation of a new award in honor of Mutombo, who died of brain cancer in September," writes CBS Sports.com. "The NBA Africa Dikembe Mutombo Global Humanitarian Award "will recognize individuals and organizations who have made exceptional contributions to global humanitarian efforts by advancing social justice, health equity, education and community empowerment," per the league's press release. It will be presented at the luncheon annually, beginning next year, and the winner will receive a grant "to further their humanitarian efforts" and a donation to the charity of their choosing."

"He was a great mentor, and he had a big heart," said former teammate Gorgui Dieng. "He never saw himself as a superstar. He's trying to blend in everywhere he goes. I remember we went to South Africa one time and, those different tribes, they were dancing and stuff. And I just looked back and I see him jump in and start dancing with them. So he was on the bus, I was making fun of him and he was like, 'Man, this is amazing. I feel so great.' I'm like, 'Why?' He said, 'Basketball connected us. You couldn't do this without basketball."

In addition to his undergraduate and honorary degree from the University, the Georgetown University Alumni Association presented him with the Timothy S. Healy S.J. Award at the 2015 John Carroll Awards in Los Angeles. The award is "conferred upon an alumnus of Georgetown who has rendered outstanding and exemplary community, public, or professional service in support of humanitarian causes and advancements for the benefit of mankind." He was one of only seven alumni ever presented with the award.

A first half foot injury to Thomas Sorber drained the life out of the Georgetown Hoyas, as the Butler Bulldogs shot 73 percent in the final 28 minutes of play in a 97-86 win at Hinkle Fieldhouse Saturday.

POST-GAME ARTICLES

The game can be seen in two distinct stories: the 12 minutes Thomas Sorber was on the floor and the remainder when he was not. The 6-9 freshman opened the game shooting a sterling 4-4 and accounted for eight of Georgetown's first nine points. The rest could not be said of his teammates, who entered the 12 minute media time out at a woeful 1 for 11, 0 for 7 from three point range. A similar futility enveloped the Bulldogs, who opened the game shooting 2 for 11. Together, the teams missed 10 consecutive attempts over nearly six minutes before baskets by Pierre Brooks and Boden Kapke tied the score at 11.

Three pointers by Drew Fielder and Malik Mack put the Hoyas up six, 17-11, midway in the first half before a three pointer from Finley Bizjack awoke the Bulldogs, who had missed eight of their last 10 shots. It was also the entre for Pierre Brooks to take over.

Whether defended by Caleb Williams, Curtis Williams, Jordan Burks, or anyone else, Brooks was unguardable over a 10 minute stretch of the first half. He scored eight straight points and 10 of the next 12 as Butler opened a 29-25 lead with 6:05 to halftime. A basket from Sorber closed to 29-27, but on the next series he landed awkwardly on his foot trying to block a shot by Bizjack and collapsed to the ground. He was helped to the back by two trainers, and with it, the Hoyas' defense folded.

Off the injury timeout, Brooks picked off a pass form peavy, feeding Jahmyl Telfort for a layup, 33-27, a 12-2 run from the 8:11 mark. Following a Georgetown time out, a Jayden Epps miss resulted in a Brooks layup, 35-27. Back to back fouls on Georgetown on Butler layups extended the count to 40-29. An Epps three, Georgetown's first in nearly nine minutes, was only transitory as Telfort hit back to back threes to to go up 14, 46-32. The Bulldogs had scored 35 points in the final 10:10 against the conference's top ranked defense, finishing with field goals in 11 of its last 13 attempts with six layups and seven threes in the first half, matching the most threes given up by Georgetown in its last six games.

The severity of Sorber's injury was apparent, but it was made clear that he would not return after halftime, sitting on the bench but apparently not in uniform, per the Fox Sports 1 broadcast. A three pointer to end the first half and one to open the second brought the Hoyas to within eight at 46-38, but early foul trouble on Drew Fielder foretold a run of second half misery for the Hoyas.

The teams played even for the next two minutes until Fielder picked up his fourth foul at the 16:13 mark, signaling a shift in the Hoyas's defensive plans. Without a legitimate backup behind Fielder at center, the Bulldogs went inside, with layups in four of its next five possessions to build the led to 15, 64-49, including an inauspicious run where Jayden Epps and Caleb Williams committed four defensive personal fouls in a span of 36 seconds, sending each to the brink with their and fourth fouls, respectively. The Bulldogs had scored 18 points in less than seven minutes.

This was Pierre Brooks� night. But Landon Moore (@Land0Moore) was absolutely the unsung hero tonight

13 points and 6 boards in 18 minutes. Great game by Lando #DawgsOnly pic.twitter.com/ovdRWsCQBc
— Butler Basketball Guru (@ButlerGuru) February 16, 2025

Following a technical foul on Butler guard Kolby King, the Hoyas began to build momentum behind Malik Mack and Micah Peavy, who scored the next 14 points for GU, closing to 71-63 midway through the second half. Forcing a shot clock violation, the Hoyas closed to six on a pair of Jayden Epps free throws, 71-65. A three from Butler forward Patrick McCaffrey and a steady trail to the free throw line keyed an 11-2 run to push the margin to 82-67 with 6:23 to play.

Without an inside option, Georgetown doubled down on threes, and rolled craps. The Hoyas missed five consecutive three point attempts in a three minute stretch as the Bulldogs shot 6 for 6. Jayden Epps fouled out with the Hoyas down 16, 91-75, with 3:13 to play. A Jordan Burks three and a Micah Peavy turnaround brought the Hoyas to 10 with 1:37 to play, but no closer.

The team set a school record with 38 attempts from three, breaking a record set in 1995 in a game at Boston College. In that game, the Hoyas were 6 of 34 against the Eagles and lost by 11; in this game, 9 of 38 and also lost by 11. In its last four games Georgetown has missed an astonishing 77 three point attempts.

Micah Peavy scored 19 of his game high 21 points in the second half as the Hoyas shot 41 percent for the game. Defense, or the lack of it, was the story of this afternoon. Butler put five players in double figures, led by 30 from Pierre Brooks, as the Bulldogs shot 66 percent after halftime and 57 percent overall, the most in a conference game against the Hoyas since the 2023-24 regular season finale at St. John's. Butler got to the line 35 times to Georgetown's 15, shooting 28 for 35.

Sorber's status for Wednesday's game with Providence was not disclosed and since transparency is not always a Georgetown tradition, his prognosis will be am open topic heading into Wednesday's game.

Any loss of Sorber is a major setback to Georgetown's hopes for a 10-win Big East season, a season which could go south quickly as the schedule tightens over the next 10 days. The Hoyas are now only a half game ahead of Providence for seventh place, with Butler now only a game behind after its third consecutive win.

The Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT   REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:    
Mack         33   2-6   4-11  2-2    5  5   4   18
Ca. Williams 19   0-0   0-4   0-0    3  1   4    0  
Peavy        40   7-14  1-5   4-5    7 10   4   21
Fielder      23   1-3   1-4   0-0    3  1   4    5
Sorber       12   5-5   0-0   0-0    3  0   0   10
Reserves:  
Epps         27   3-3   2-7   3-5    4  3   5   15
Cu. Williams 16   3-4   0-2   0-0    4  1   1    6
Montgomery    6   0-0   0-2   0-0    1  0   1    0
Burks        17   3-5   1-2   2-3    5  0   4   11 
Van Raaphorst 2   0-0   0-0   0-0    1  0   1    0 
Mulready      4   0-1   0-1   0-0    2  1   1    0
Team Rebounds                        1
Injured: McKenna, Halaifonua, Moses
DNP: Fort, Asadallah, Diouf
TOTALS      200 24-51  9-38  11-15  39 22  29   86

A bit of (nearby) Georgetown history awaits the wrecking ball, as the Key Bridge Marriott approaches its imminent demise. But what follows?

Built in 1959 on the site of a Hot Shoppes restaurant near the the Key Bridge and adjacent to Lee Highway, the hotel was only the second constructed by J. Willard Marriott to that time (the original, the Twin Bridges Marriott, closed in 1990). The hotel was a frequent destination for alumni and parents visiting Georgetown, as well as visiting athletic teams and University banquets, including the Hoya Hoop Club.

The 600 room hotel was sold to a third party investment group for $190 million in 2018, but closed during COVID and never reopened, and was abandoned by its owners, who had once proposed a series of condominiums on the site. It was condemned by Arlington County last year.

An article at Arlington Now revisits a regular Internet plea: why not build a basketball arena on the site?

This would completely re-energize the program, the student body, and the alumni. Getting from the suburbs to Cap One for a 6:30 game, paying $25 to park, and watching in an arena that feels empty no matter how many people are there is why we�re no longer season ticket holders .
— Susan (@starfish4626) February 1, 2025

Of course, the plans for the property would be that of the current ownership, whose plans remain in effect with Arlington County through July 1.

Per the author, "Georgetown University did not respond to a request for comment on this story."

The play of Georgetown grad transfer Micah Peavy is gaining interest from professional basketball scouts. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Peavy discusses his journey to Georgetown and where it could go from here.

The son of a high school basketball coach in the Dallas suburbs, Peavy learned defense first hand.

"When I was a freshman and sophomore [at Duncanville HS], I didn't understand why my dad coached me so hard," Peavy told free lance writer Jordan Monaco. "Once I got more mature, it helped me get better and held me accountable. He didn't let me take bad shots. Also, defense was his mentality, the way I got to play more minutes from my dad was defense."

Following a season at Texas Tech and three seasons at Texas Christian, Peavy went into the transfer portal in the spring of 2024. "I had a great three years at TCU, but I felt like it was time for me," he told Draft Digest. "I got better every year but felt like there was another step I needed to take to reach my ultimate goal of the NBA."

As for Georgetown, "when you're a good defender, you have to be able to gamble a little and your coach has to have the ultimate trust in you, which is why I chose Coach Cooley. He checked every box and he's done all he's promised plus more. I feel like I made a great decision."

Peavy leads the Hoyas in scoring, assists, and steals and is second in rebounds and blocks. Over the past five games he is averaging 20.2 points, 2.6 assists and 2.4 steals per game.

"I used to be worried about missed shots and what coaches thought because I'm a coach's kid. Now my mindset has changed completely. Georgetown really helped me with that. Everybody misses shots so you don't have to be worried about them. That's why I love defense: if I get a turnover or missed shot I'll get it back for us and make a play on defense. It gives me confidence throughout the whole game and I feel like I'm the best player on the court every time."

Recommended reading.

What began as an offensive clinker ended as a defensive show-stopper, as the Georgetown Hoyas defeated Seton Hall 60-46 at Capital One Arena, the fewest combined points in the series between the two teams since 2001.

POST-GAME COVERAGE

"I thought we played hard, I think we just ran out of gas," said Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway.

Seton Hall entered the game having dropped eight straight, the result of losing three of its starters to injury. No matter the obstacles, the Pirates opened the game with an 8-2 run to establish a surprising early lead. For its part, the Hoyas opened one for seven, setting the stage for a slow, plodding game between both teams.

In what has become a two man option for much of the Hoyas' offense, Micah Peavy and Thomas Sorber carried Georgetown out of an early ditch, scoring all of its 11 points in the first eight minutes of action, 20 of its first 23, and all but five points by halftime. Georgetown was never really out of it, but could not establish any sustained momentum and appeared limited offensively.

The Pirates were similarly limited on its side of the floor, with guard Isaiah Coleman scoring 10 of the final 12 for the Pirates in the first half. Coleman could not do it alone, however, and the Pirates gave way late in the first half, as the Hoyas took a 9-2 run into the locker room at halftime. Keyed by a three from freshman Caleb Williams and back to back jumpers by Peavy, Georgetown owned a 34-26 lead at the break before a largely silent crowd in the afternoon matinee.

The Hall never really went away after halftime, opening the second half with seven straight and closing to 36-33 less than three minutes into the resumption of play. Georgetown's defense began to limit Coleman's drives and with it, the Pirates stalled, going scoreless for its next five minutes of play. By the time guard Jahseem Felton drove the lane for a layup and foul at the 12:31 mark, the Hoyas were still up only by three, thanks to two turnovers, three missed layups, and three missed three pointers.

Seton Hall missed its next five but Georgetown could not extend its lead. A dunk by Sorber advanced the Hoyas up six midway in the half, 43-37, but Coleman answered with six of the Pirates' next eight, closing to 48-45 with 5:22 remaining, a margin too close for comfort for Georgetown fans, given a Seton Hall team winless on the road this season and playing with only eight scholarship players.

Georgetown needed a spark and it came on defense, forcing a shot clock violation at the 4:38 mark following a Curtis Williams jumper to put the Hoyas up five. Following free throws by Caleb Williams at the 4:19 mark, the Pirates missed on its next three shots. Caleb Williams broke open the game with Georgetown's only three pointer of the second half with 2:41 remaining, and the Hall folded in short order. The Pirates managed only two shots the remainder of the game as Georgetown held Seton Hall to one point over the final 5:22 of the game.

Micah Peavy led the Hoyas with 22 points, seven rebounds, and three steals in the game, despite Georgetown shooting 39 percent as a team and 22 percent overall (5 for 22) from three point range. Coleman's 21 points led the Pirates in Georgetown's first sweep over Seton Hall since the 2014-15 season.

All things said, this was not one of Georgetown's better games. Peavy and Sorber combined to shoot 16 of 28, the remainder of the team just nine for 31 against a visibly depleted opponent. Caleb Williams's 12 points was a season high, but the team seemed out of sync all afternoon. Injuries continued to hamper Jayden Epps, who played just five minutes in the second half and finished 1 for 7. Malik Mack was scoreless after halftime and finished 1 for 5. Forwards Drew Fielder, Jordan Burks, and Curtis Williams were a combined 3 for 14.

Were this any other Big East team, Georgetown would have been well out of the running, but its defense was enough to keep the Pirates from smelling an upset. The Hoyas picked up 19 points off 20 Seton Hall turnovers, its most in a game since a Dec. 2 game versus UMBC.

Head coach Ed Cooley focused on the positives.

"We didn't score the ball well, but I thought we defended at a really, really high level today," he said in post-game comments. "In any type of Big East basketball game that you can hold teams under 50 points, you're doing something well, defensively."

"I'm super proud of these guys," said Holloway. "The difference in this game is having 20 turnovers...Other than that it was a good game, a close game."

The 46 points was a season low for Seton Hall, a team which has not scored 60 points in its last three games and six of its last seven. Defensively, the game marked only the second Big East game where the Pirates did not give up at least seven three pointers in a game. The other game was on Dec.22 against Georgetown.

"I'm just happy where the program is moving forward. Inch by inch, day by day, I feel it's getting better," Cooley said. "As long as we defend we're going to have an opportunity to have success."

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG  FT   REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:    
Mack         33   0-2   1-3  0-0    1  2   4    3
Peavy        36   9-17  1-3  1-2    7  3   4   22
Ca. Williams 35   1-2   2-3  2-2    3  3   1   12
Fielder      11   1-2   0-2  0-0    1  1   0    2
Sorber       38   6-11  0-1  1-3   11  3   3   13
Reserves:
Epps         20   0-2   1-5  0-0    3  1   3    3    
Cu. Williams 21   2-4   0-4  1-1    5  0   0    5
Burks         6   0-1   0-1  0-0    2  0   1    0
Team Rebounds                       4
Injured: McKenna, Halaifonua, Mulready, Moses                   
DNP: Fort, Montgomery, Asadallah,
Van Raaphorst, Diouf, Mulready
TOTALS      200 19-52  5-22 5-8   37  13  16   60

A social media post from the basketball office offers a specialty jersey for Saturday's game versus Seton Hall.

Repping Pink in the District ??#HoyaSaxa pic.twitter.com/B5noAYWmN7
— Georgetown Hoops (@GeorgetownHoops) February 6, 2025

Specialty jerseys at Georgetown are infrequent and have not been seen since 2015. They include the following one-off styles:

February 21, 2004 This throwback to the 1982-84 jerseys was seen vs. Syracuse.	December 1, 2007 This white home jersey appeared at the Georgetown-Fairfield game.
February 27, 2010 This jersey appeared vs. Notre Dame in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Air Jordan brand.	November 9, 2012 This camouflage jersey appeared at the Georgetown-Florida game in Jacksonville, FL
February 25, 2013 This jersey, seen at Cincinnati, featured only the "G" logo.	November 8, 2013 A second camouflage jersey appeared at the Georgetown-Oregon game in South Korea.
January 27, 2015 A home jersey with traces of pink trim was seen at the Georgetown-Xavier game.

For the first time since opening in 2018, the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southeast Washington has acquired corporate naming rights.

A press conference Thursday announced the 4,200 seat facility will be named CareFirst Arena, a 10 year deal that will include a $2 million investment by its parent entity, BlueCross BlueShield, in community projects. Terms for the overall rights were not disclosed.

The Georgetown women's team has played one game per season at the facility in each of the past three seasons, most recently a 73-55 loss to Connecticut on January 11 before a season high of 3,827.

The name change is the second in the National Capital Region following the change from FedEx Field to Northwestern Stadium in August, and may not be the last. Talks continue whether to pursue naming rights for Nationals Park, while the agreement between Monumental Sports and Capital One for the downtown arena expires in 2027.

A season high 27 from Micah Peavy fell short as Xavier retook the fifth spot in the Big East standings with a 74-69 win at Cintas Center Tuesday.

POST-GAME COVERAGE

Minus Jayden Epps for a second consecutive start, the flow of the took a familiar pattern: Thomas Sorber had 10 of the first 11 points of the game, but got few touches thereafter. The Hoyas held Xavier to 33 percent shooting midway throughout the first half, carrying a 24-16 lead with 7:05 to halftime. Back to back threes by Zach Freemantle and Ryan Conwell led the X-men on a 14-2 run to end the first half up four, 30-26. Sorber and Micah Peavy combined to shoot 9 for 17, the remainder of the team 2 for 10.

The teams played basically even in the second half. The Hoyas closed to 39-37, 43-42, and 60-55 but could not get any closer. Thomas Sorber, with four early points after halftime, got two touches in the final 14 minutes, with Peavy and Malik Mack combining for 30 points after halftime to keep the game close. Xavier was 3 for 3 on three point shots in the final five minutes, with back to back threes from reserve guard Dante Maddox in a key stretch that protected the lead late, and a three from Marcus Foster that put Xavier up seven, 68-61.

The Hoyas shot 57 percent from the field in the second half but allowed Xavier to shoot 58 percent. The Musketeers were 12 for 13 from the foul line after the break, the Hoyas 7 for 9, and that one foul shot was the net difference after halftime.

Curtis Williams' three shots, two in the final nine seconds, were the only attempts from the bench all evening.

An unfortunate description from Fox Sports 1 announcer Connor Onion at the end of the game led to a statement being issued late last evening from the basketball office. In the final seconds of Tuesday's game, head coach Ed Cooley could be seen walking down the bench with an official and pointing out an unruly Xavier fan to officials.

Onion then interrupted analyst LaPhonso Ellis and exclaimed "And Ed Cooley and a fan are going at it!", whereupon the FS1 cameras flipped to empty seats on the bench, causing some momentary confusion. "Ed Cooley and a fan are face to face down on the baseline!" he continued. The coach in the video was not Cooley, but assistant coach Kenny Johnson, who kept players away from the fan in question who was being separated by Xavier officials. By this point, Cooley had already walked away and was seen shaking hands with Xavier coach Sean Miller.

Had some postgame fireworks after the Georgetown/Xavier game as Ed Cooley appears to go after a Xavier fan as the game was ending ?? pic.twitter.com/pyAQQxAcrT
— Mad About Hoops (@MadAboutHoops) February 5, 2025

A statement from Cooley followed.

pic.twitter.com/MYZvGSuXj5
— Ed Cooley (@HoyaCoachCooley) February 5, 2025

Onion has not commented publicly on the matter after the game.

As schools continue to sell more premium seats at court level, this is a growing problem. During Tuesday's Marquette-St. John's game, officials briefly held up the game when St. John's fans would not sit down when a Marquette player attempted to inbound the ball adjacent to their seats.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG  FT   REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:    
Mack          38  3-7   1-8  4-4    4  8   0   13
Peavy         40  8-13  3-6  2-3    4  4   4   27
Ca. Williams  29  0-0   1-2  0-0    3  2   5    3
Fielder       19  0-1   1-3  0-0    6  1   3    3
Sorber        40  8-10  0-2  1-4    3  2   2   17 
Reserves:  
Cu. Williams  25  1-1   1-2  1-2    2  2   3    6
Montgomery     3  0-0   0-0  0-0    0  0   0    0
Burks          6  0-0   0-0  0-0    0  0   1    0
Mulready       2  0-0   0-0  0-0    0  0   0    0
Team Rebounds                       2                
Injured: McKenna, Epps, Halaifonua, Moses
DNP: Fort, Asadallah, Van Raaphorst, Diouf
TOTALS      200  20-32 7-23  8-13  24  19  18   69

Ed Cooley on the state of Georgetown basketball:

"I think we're vastly underrated. Not a lot of teams are gonna want to play us. We're not the old Georgetown... I can't wait til this machine keeps growing and growing. That's why I'm so edgy right now."pic.twitter.com/pGC4CtEnbT
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 5, 2025

An interview with Academy Award-nominated director RaMell Ross (C'05) investigates the confluence of time and action in how he approaches film making.

"There's a way in which athletes dilate time," Ross told Kevin Blackistone in this link from the Washington Post. "Everyone has this: this is perception, this is consciousness, time itself. But athletes hone this. That's where a person's talent is, being able to read, being able to control these micro moments for greater goals. And if that is not film and photography, I don't know what is."

"You are not looking at the subject, stuck in a rural Florida reform institution for boys that over decades brutalized dozens of black children," writes Blackistone in a review of Ross' film, Nickel Boys. "You become the subject. His eyes are your eyes. His feelings are your feelings. His pain, when his beating begins, the imprint of his face, your face, against a wall--is your pain."

It is a point of view that director RaMell Ross calls sentient perspective, which I wondered whether he borrowed from his basketball past. In Ireland's Super League. At Georgetown, where he played under Craig Esherick and John Thompson III for four seasons. As a third-team All-Met selection at Lake Braddock. As a guard, Ross, 6-foot-6, had to survey the whole floor, had to sense what to do in a split second, had to anticipate where others would be. Ross had to have vision. Like any film maker. Any artist."

"This skill set," Ross said, "I could not have achieved...without the rigor and discipline that sports provided."

In addition to two Academy Award nominations, the film "Nickel Boys" has received 170 nominations across various regional film awards, including the Directors Guild of America, BAFTA, and the Toronto Film Critics Association, the latter of which awarded Ross as Best Director and the film as its Best Picture.

A recent comment by the athletic director at Marquette raises the issue of how the Big East conference in general and Georgetown University in specific may address the looming issue of athlete compensation among major college schools.

"I think the challenge that's creating all sorts of pressure on our industry is that running and operating at the elite level of college basketball is going to get more expensive with revenue sharing, if the House settlement gets approved," said Marquette athletic director Mike Broeker to the Paint Touches blog. "We haven't really charted the path as to how we're going to be more sustainable and more efficient yet. We're considering a number of strategic measures now. I said this last week, we have to come together and accept our reality but not allow it to drive our future."

Currently, limited NIL compensation at Georgetown is managed through a third party, Hoyas Rising, which is independent of the University. As part of the ongoing House v. NCAA settlement, schools that wish to opt-in to the conditions of the agreement have the opportunity to share up to 22 percent of its annual athletic department revenues (tickets, media rights, and sponsorships, but not donations) directly to student-athletes, beginning July 1, 2025. For Big Ten and SEC schools, that's approximately $22 million a year; for everyone else, much less. With this opt-in, schools may also offer full scholarships to an entire roster but the roster limits may actually reduce roster slots and walk-on opportunities in some cases.

"The Big East presidents and athletic directors made that decision, I think, it was back during their fall meetings," Broeker said. "I don't think there's been anything public around it because I don't know it required any type of public declaration. But yes, as a conference, all members of our conference will be opted in, assuming the settlement is approved...that's going to be individually school driven. And those conversations are going on in every campus."

Such a decision comes with consequences, including but not limited to, whether those that receive revenue share will be classified as employees, the impact of accepting funds directly to negotiate agreements previously handled by third party NIL collectives, or to maintain existing relationships with collectives without revenue sharing, and at what competitive cost. In addition, schools without major media rights contracts will be losing a large part of its annual athletics budget with which to fund programs.

"We will undoubtedly be faced with challenges because of this settlement," wrote Wyoming athletic director Thomas Burman in November. "Many institutions, similar to ours, will not be able to share revenue at a level close to the maximum allotment...Many of our counterparts will reduce expenses and shift that money to revenue sharing through drastic changes in department structure. Some will eliminate/reduce scholarships in Olympic sports or eliminate sports altogether. I view that as a last resort."

On one end, the Big Ten is already developing proposals for a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with student-athletes, according to Sportico. It reports that "although the MOU is ostensibly not about the athlete's play, it notes the school reserves the right to "increase or decrease" payments in reflection of their performance."

"The MOU mentions two illustrations: the player wins a Heisman Trophy or sees their playing time reduced. Although the MOU maintains the relevance of developments concerning the "promotional value of using the Athlete's NIL," they are obviously linked to the athlete's play. The linkage between play and NIL is also apparent in how the MOU addresses a player transferring. The school agrees to "take reasonable steps not to actively use the Athlete's NIL" after the athlete plays for another team. The school, however, stresses it can "sell-off" products with the athlete's NIL and reserves the right to use the NIL for archival purposes and historical signage."

On the other side of the spectrum is the Ivy League, which announced last week it will not opt-in, saying it will "continue to provide an educational intercollegiate athletics model that is focused on academic primacy and the overall student-athlete experience."

In the middle of these two arguments is Georgetown University, which is seen by some observers as an Ivy League-style program with major college basketball. Not providing revenue sharing if 10 other Big East schools do has competitive ramifications, but opting in could introduce discord within segments of the academic community, where men's basketball players could potentially be more highly compensated by the University than senior faculty.

It's also not clear what the numerator of eligible student-athletes for revenue share would be. Is it limited to 15 men's basketball players (or 17, with walk-ons)? Is it 30, roughly men's and women's basketball players only? How about 128, the number of athletic scholarships? Or 733, the total number of student athletes as of its last public report? Sharing $2 million per year, as an example, across 15 students versus 733 is a sizable difference, and the what-ifs follow rapidly: if Georgetown doesn't rev-share in some sports and other schools do, what happens to those programs? Does Title IX play a role? Would allocations that ignore some sports invite litigation?

It's understandable why Georgetown and other Big East schools have not commented publicly on this, because it's not clear what the critical path even is. Decisions are coming, however.

"We haven't really charted the path as to how we're going to be more sustainable and more efficient yet," said Broeker. We're considering a number of strategic measures now...I feel like in higher ed, we're all going through the same challenges and if we can come together as a conference, we might be able to help create some solutions that makes sense for all of our student athletes."

A new student group helped bring a large turnout to Friday's game versus Butler.

Known as "Hoya Gray", the group apparently sponsored $1 beer for seniors prior to the game. It appears to be a split-off group from "Hoya Blue", which was founded in 1998 but which has grown increasingly inactive in recent years. Its Twitter feed, for example, had no posts for almost seven months in 2024 and just 20 Facebook posts in the current school year. Its web site is inactive.

The new group lists 52 followers on Instagram versus 2,911 for Hoya Blue, whose social media dates to 2017.

Neither group has much of a presence online, but an energetic student group (or groups) is essential going forward.