The Georgetown Hoyas have won five in a row to vault themselves into the top 15, extend their longest Big East winning streak since 2008, and re-enter this year’s conference race. They bested a top-15 squad for the second time in three days. Once again, a senior Hoya guard had an exceptional performance, guiding the Hoyas to a close victory. But it wasn’t easy. For the second straight game Monday, Georgetown followed up a late-game collapse with last-minute poise, beating No. 13 Louisville 62-59. Having led by as much as 11 during the second half, the Hoyas fell apart as the Cardinals briefly caught fire, surging ahead. Georgetown regained control of the game in the final minutes, forcing a half-court battle that the Hoyas won. Some thoughts:
- Player of the Game. Chris Wright, by a country mile. The little guy had been roundly criticized for notching a goose egg against Villanova (even though he played stout defense, dropped six assists, and snared four rebounds). Monday, he silenced the critics and guided the Hoyas to an important W, scoring a season-high 24 points on an efficient 8 of 14 from the field and a perfect 8 of 8 from the line. Wright made a number of crucial buckets, including a circus lay-in to tie the game at 55 after Louisville had re-taken the lead, and two free throws to put the Hoyas up 3 with 4.4 seconds remaining. He found holes in the Cardinal defense, repeatedly creating enough space to get a series of mid-range jumpers and lay-ins off. As he recently suffered through his worst slump as a Hoya, Wright sometimes seemed to be suffering visibly under the weight of his struggles. Monday’s return to form was refreshing, undoubtedly most of all for Wright himself.
- Play of the Game. After Wright’s aforementioned game-tying flip, Georgetown got a defensive stop, then came back down the floor, looking to retake the lead with just over two minutes remaining. Running through their offensive set, the Hoyas found Julian Vaughn (10 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks) in the high left post, who perfectly executed a hand-off/screen for Hollis Thompson (6 points), who, shielded by Vaughn’s bulk from advancing Louisville defenders, calmly drained the three from a step behind the arc, putting Georgetown ahead 58-55 with 2:03 remaining as the home crowd erupted. From there, Georgetown forced a series of Cardinal misses, and contested every three-pointer, while Clark (2 points) and Wright took turns sinking game-icing free-throws.
- Important Trend. Georgetown again played excellent defense, forcing Louisville to shoot just 35 percent from the field while generating 16 turnovers. In Georgetown’s five-game winning streak, its opponents are shooting just 39.8 percent from the field, evidence of the Hoyas re-commitment to the defense that has been characteristic of JTIII’s best teams. Monday’s game showed a (re-)new(ed) wrinkle as Georgetown broke out a zone press displayed with greater regularity during the off-season. The press threw off the Cardinals, resulting in a draw in the (bloody) turnover battle, a war Louisville is accustomed to winning. The Hoyas were particularly successful shutting down Louisville’s two best scorers, Preston Knowles and Peyton Siva, who shot a combined 4 of 19 from the field as Siva coughed up 8 turnovers.
- Annoying Trend. Now that the Hoyas have shored up the defense, perhaps they can work on closeouts on three-pointers, or more specifically, contesting an opponent’s three-point shot without committing a foul. Against Villanova, Nate Lubick brushed a Wildcat three-point shooter, sending him to the line for three tries; Monday night, Lubick (3 points, 3 rebounds) and Jerrelle Benimon (0 points, 2 rebounds) each took a turn, giving Louisville six extra tosses from the line. Of course, closeouts are important: contested shots are more difficult than wide open ones. But Georgetown can ill afford to give away free points. Moreover, if the shooter is in fact giving a shot-fake, lunging at him at minimum will leave the defender out of position and, worse, could lead to an easy basket. It’s an annoying trend for fans, but also an essential link in the defense that needs repair.
- Life-Threatening Trend. Giving away 11-point second-half leads. The Hoyas have given up the same double-digit margins in each of the last two games, Monday actually falling behind by 2 at one point. Monday, Georgetown wilted in the face of a frantic Louisville press, committing three straight turnovers that allowed Louisville to tie the game. While Georgetown’s tendency to test itself in late-game situations may help it weather similarly tense moments in March, such tension does little for the collective coronary health of Hoya nation.
- Glass Half …? Georgetown committed 16 turnovers, including six by Austin Freeman, who otherwise had a decent game (13 points despite near-constant double-teams to go with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals). The optimists among us will point out that inferior Georgetown teams have been able to win only when playing pretty, and that the Hoyas’ ability to win a fairly brutal affair is indicative of greater success to come. The pessimists will argue that the Hoyas’ inability to control the ball will be their undoing, whether sooner or later. Take your pick.
- Conclusion. Winning streaks are rarely built solely on feel-good, dominant performances. The last time the Hoyas had a run this long in the Big East was 2008, when a five straight wins to close out the regular season (and clinch the regular season conference crown) were capped by grinder victories at Marquette (in overtime) and against Louisville (thanks to a clutch DaJuan Summers three). Like that year’s stretch of wins, the last five games have been a medley of impressive statements and workmanlike victories. Despite all the miscues of Monday night, Georgetown beat a top-fifteen team, and a cornerstone of this Hoya squad found his shot. The Hoyas have a bit of time to prepare for Saturday’s matchup with Providence, when they’ll try to make it six in a row.
