It happened again. Friday, Georgetown again faced a double-digit seed in the opening game of the NCAA Tournament, hoping to avenge previous seasons’ disappointments and forge a lasting legacy. But like last year, when the Hoyas dropped a double-digit decision to 14th-seeded Ohio in dispiriting and baffling fashion, Georgetown could not contain a higher-energy, red-hot VCU Ram squad Friday night, falling 74-56. The Rams were scorching from three-point range, hitting 12 of 25 from deep, while Georgetown could not find a defensive answer–press, zone, man-to-man–to throw VCU off its rhythm. On the other end of the floor, the Hoyas were ice-cold from behind the arc, and couldn’t handle the ball against VCU’s swarming defense. By halftime, Georgetown was down 11, a deficit which ballooned past 20 for much of the second half. The loss was a disappointing end to the season and, for some, a career.
It’s an old adage (which, the Intertubes tell me, can be attributed to JFK) that victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan. While undoubtedly no one wanted to accept blame for Friday’s disaster, there was plenty to pass around. Most noticeable to those in the arena was the passivity of Georgetown’s crowd, which, compared with VCU’s boisterous entourage, turned the contest into a relative road game for the Hoyas. Of course, the Hoyas didn’t give their fans much to cheer about after the first ten minutes or so. But sometimes, crowd support has to precede team success, rather than the other way around. In that regard, the Hoya faithful largely failed on Friday night. Whether the silence was caused by flashbacks to last year’s debacle, or the parceling out of plum seats to heavy-hitting but largely quiet alumni, it was noticeable, and disappointing for those of us who are now hoarse from yelling from the 200 level in a vain effort to make ourselves heard to the players.
Some fault also lies with JTIII. After last year’s loss to Ohio, it’s no secret that Georgetown struggles to contain teams whose offenses are premised on pick-and-roll action that results in kick-outs to open three-point shooters. After watching VCU game film, it also should be no surprise that the Rams run precisely such an offense. Yet, the Hoyas were unable to adapt themselves to stop, or even contain, the Ram onslaught. Perhaps Georgetown should have committed earlier in the season to a more robust development of the full-court press, or of the 2-3 zone. Both schemes were frequently ineffective when employed this season, making them seem either half-hearted or half-baked. And, while Georgetown employed some memorably stout defensive stretches, including in the second St. John’s game and in the first half against Louisville, the coaching staff seemed unable to make that commitment last. On offense, as loyal as Thompson is to his system, he needs to develop shorter-clock sets (perhaps, for example, including pin-down screens for perimeter shooters, cross-screens for posts, or pick-and-rolls for guards) that allow Georgetown decent offensive looks after breaking an opposing press. Too often Friday, the Hoyas found themselves, after breaking the VCU press, in late-clock situations in which they were endlessly and seemingly aimlessly cycling through their various looks, fighting the clock.
Finally, some of Friday’s loss can be attributed to poor shooting and, more fundamentally, poor shot selection. Georgetown shot just 5 of 26 from three, a frigid 19 percent; those Hoyas not named Hollis Thompson made just 1 of 20 from behind the arc. Yet, from two-point range Georgetown was a very respectable 15 of 26, and 11 of 13 from the line. We’ve seen over the years that Hoya teams are frequently tempted to shoot the three even when their shots aren’t falling, and Friday was no exception. By the time the Hoyas grasped that VCU closed out aggressively on the perimeter but frequently left themselves vulnerable to drives to the basket, it was too late.
In some good news, Thompson the player put on a truly exceptional performance. In addition to draining 4 of 6 from three, Hollywood was perfect from inside the arc, including one emphatic dunk, and took the ball into the teeth of the Ram defense, drawing several fouls and converting 6 of 7 from the stripe. In all, Thompson finished with 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals, topping his previous game scoring high by 8 points. Even as Georgetown’s prospects got gloomier, Hollis continued to drain open shots in an impressive display of scoring acumen and resilience. Thompson’s display, then, was a silver lining on some serious thunderheads. Hopefully, he’ll be able to do much of the same as a primary scorer next year. (In a strange parallel, he tied his then-career high of 16 points in last year’s Ohio debacle.)
Not returning next year will be seniors Chris Wright, Austin Freeman, Julian Vaughn, and Ryan Dougherty, for whom Friday’s loss ended not just a sometimes-great, sometimes-frustrating season for the Hoyas, but also a college career of similar trajectory. Wright and Freeman have produced amazing results over their careers, both finishing in the top 10 in the Hoya record books in major statistical categories. Both gave us unforgettable moments and seemingly single-handedly delivered important wins. But both will leave the Hilltop with just one NCAA tournament win on their resumes, 2008′s first-round defeat of lowly UMBC. Each year had its signature highs: 2008′s regular season Big East championship; 2009′s UConn win; 2010′s wins over Duke, Villanova, and Butler and run to the Big East championship; and this year’s eight-game winning streak. But every season also offered countervailing lows: 2008′s early exit to an admittedly destiny-bound Davidson team; 2009′s collapse; 2010′s Ohio loss; and this year’s season-ending five-game losing streak.
To be clear, the lack of an identifiable post-season legacy is certainly far more disappointing for Wright and Freeman than for any Hoya fan who, while investing a few hours per week in watching games, ultimately can distance him- or herself from Friday’s sad loss. Wright and Freeman worked hard for four years to improve their games and to bring about team success. Each battled through injuries to play Friday evening. And each played with spirit and emotion, Wright even earning a technical foul on an egregious missed call (one call, also to be clear, among many). Wright’s and Freeman’s names, not those of the many fans who chose to leave Friday’s game with time still on the clock, appear in the box score next to the loss. Watching the seniors leave the court at the United Center Friday, each dispiritedly untucking their jerseys, lost in a haze of disappointment and fatigue, was one of the sadder sights I’ve seen, particularly as a Hoya fan. Their heart, and their four years of dedication to Georgetown, always will be appreciated.
Soon, Georgetown will turn to the task of planning for next year. Rumors of additional recruits, and transfers, can be found scattered across Hoya nation. Whether next year’s Hoya squad will look as currently expected–with Jabril Trawick, Mikael Hopkins, Tyler Adams, and Greg Whittington filling the scholarships left vacant by Wright, Freeman, Vaughn, and Greg Monroe, and the rest of the team returning in tact–remains to be seen. Regardless, the coaching staff undoubtedly will be busy assembling and preparing next year’s team. In the meantime, we’ll be watching another team, and its fan base, proceed to the next two weekends, wondering what could have been.
Hoya Saxa.
Sucks to be a Hoya fan right now, but at least you guys made it into the tourney. My Alma mater (Tulsa) hasn’t been there in six years now.
You guys obviously got a tough draw in VCU, I bet you would have handled their play-in opponent USC though. That’s why I hate the first four, it gives a distinct disadvantage to two 5 or 6 seeds who have to play the winner of the at-large play-in games, though I doubt the NCAA considered this in its wisdom when altering the tournament format. I even just wrote a long post explaining mathematically why the first four sucks for teams like Georgetown, and have been trying to see if anybody else has brought up this point. Surprisingly, nobody has complained about it that I can see.
This was a superb piece. I really enjoyed reading it. Tough loss and, as you noted, our coaching staff’s failure to adapt is stormcloud on the horizon.
Hopefully when we turn the page on this group of seniors and with some new blood, we will move forward with some more managerial flexibility.
Hoya Saxa.