Facing its first ranked opponent Monday night in a raucous Maui gym, a young Georgetown team proved it belonged while also showing how far it still has to come. The Hoyas hung with #14 Kansas for the entire game, battling back whenever the Jayhawks appeared to be pulling away. But the small mistakes of youth–a failed box-out there, a thoughtless turnover here–kept the game just out of reach, with Kansas ultimately prevailing 67-63 in the last minute. Georgetown lost a game it probably could have won, but also repeatedly refused to back down when given the opportunity.
The opening minutes were a mess. Georgetown didn’t score until nearly 4 minutes elapsed, and Kansas wasn’t much better: nearly halfway through the first half, the teams had combined for just 23 points. Hollis Thompson briefly found a groove, hitting a pair of long jumpers (one from three) then a couple of free throws to keep the Hoyas close. While a Kansas run pushed its lead to nine shortly before the break, consecutive three balls from Greg Whittington, Thompson, and Otto Porter winnowed the deficit back to two at intermission.
The second half was similarly see-saw, with the Hoyas briefly taking a one-point lead with 12 minutes remaining before a six-point run put Kansas back in control. Self-inflicted miscues–Markel Starks letting the ball slip away while calling a play; Whittington taking a wild shot outside the rhythm of the offense; several Hoyas missing a weak-side box-out, leading to an easy Kansas put-back; Nate Lubick trying to squeeze a pass to Thompson in traffic, leading to a turnover–ensured that the Hoyas never had a chance to tie or take the lead again. A Porter lay-up on a feed from Lubick sandwiched by a pair of threes from Jason Clark pulled the Hoyas within with thirty seconds to play. But the Hoyas couldn’t force a turnover and were reduced to fouling.
Some reasons for hope, and causes for concern:
Reasons for Hope
Otto Porter. The future is bright. While Clark and Thompson paced the Hoyas’ scoring attack with 15 and 14 points, respectively, the freshman Porter notched 12 points, the highest total of his young career. Whittington shows glimmers of promise mixed with youthful over-exuberance, but Porter is uniformly smooth. Monday, he showed his versatile game, hitting two deep threes, mid-range and long jumpers, and on a cut to the basket. He also filled the rest of the box score, grabbing five rebounds–one of which, an offensive rebound in the last minute, lead to Clark’s clutch three–to go with a steal and a block.
Hollis Thompson. Through three games, Hollywood looks very much the main gun the Hoyas need, pouring in his third straight double-figure game while also collecting five rebounds, a steal, and a block. It still can be frustrating to see him take just nine shots, particularly on a night in which the Hoyas shot just forty percent as a team. As the season wears on, he may need to create offense as well as thriving within it.
Resilience. At least from the TV feed, the crowd appeared to have many more Jayhawk partisans than Hoya backers, not surprising given the respective alumni bases. The semi-hostile crowd made the young Hoyas’ fight all the more impressive.
Causes for Concern
Post Play. Henry Sims again had an active game, scoring eight points and gathering six rebounds to go with two blocks. But he struggled from the field, making just two of nine shots, as did Lubick, who converted just one of four. While each missed at least once from the perimeter, the larger problem, especially for Sims, was getting off clean looks in the post. Sims appears to have real trouble gathering himself to finish strongly at the rim; often, he fades slightly or resorts to a counter move, most typically an up-and-under or reverse. While the Jayhawks’ Thomas Robinson was a beast in the post, Sims will have to face several more behemoths in Big East play.
Three-Point Shooting. The Hoyas were cold from deep for most of Monday night, making a few threes in bunches (the trio right before the half and Clark’s pair near the end), but finishing just 7 of 24 from beyond the arc. Exacerbating cold hands was Georgetown’s over-eagerness to pull the trigger from deep. Their first three shots were from three; as the game wore on, the Hoyas often jacked up deep balls early in the shot clock. They must learn to distinguish between decent looks that will be equally available later in the shot clock and truly open threes that are well-taken in the rhythm of the offense.
Defensive Rotations. Georgetown did little to contain Robinson, who finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds and had at least five dunks. And Taylor had his way as well, scoring 16 points. Each is an elite player capable of a big night against any opponent, particularly given the Jayhawks’ smooth passing. However, the Hoyas frequently lost track of them: Robinson shook free on several weak-side cuts that got behind Georgetown’s zone, while Taylor was able to find gaps on the perimeter and in the lane. Georgetown was switching defensive looks throughout the night, and has used a 2-3 zone far more extensively than in seasons past. The Hoyas must learn to identify and close off seams in that zone to more effectively contain opposing stars.
Georgetown has a very quick turnaround, playing its second Maui game this afternoon at 4:30 EST against host Chaminade, a Division II school that fell to UCLA 92-60 Monday. The Hoyas will be favored to beat the Silverswords, but can’t take anything for granted, as Chaminade hung with the Bruins for the first half. Today’s game will be on ESPN2 and, for those watching online, ESPN3. Tomorrow, they’ll play either Memphis (which they’re slated to play again in December) or Tennessee, depending on the outcomes of today’s games.
