Game 20 - Marquette

A tale of two halves. After three straight disappointing conference losses, Georgetown entered yesterday's game in desperate need of a victory to keep them in NCAA tournament contention. With very little expected of the young Hoyas, the team jumped out to an early lead with precision passing and sharp shooting. Marquette fought back, adopting a small but quick lineup to drive past the flat-footed Hoyas. Both teams went into the locker room with the score tied at 42 and happy with their first half performances. Offensively for the Hoyas, the half was reminiscent of the Cuse game where quick passing led to open, high percentage shots. And for the first time in three games, the shots were actually falling in. Defensively, it was a much different story. Undefeated Marquette is one the best shooting teams in the Big East and despite Georgetown's best efforts, they could not stop the Golden Eagles from scoring. The high halftime score suggested that Marquette was controlling the pace of the game, but JT3 probably went into the locker room happy that his team was finally playing the motion offense with which he has had so much recent success. At the end of the half, Georgetown made 17 field goals, off of 15 assists and committed 9 turnovers. They limited the much smaller Marquette squad (for much of the first half they played with one player over 6'6'') to 9 rebounds, and only 2 on the offensive glass.

Then came the second half. Georgetown immediately reverted back to the selfish guard play that lost them the three previous conference games. Within two minutes, guards Chris Wright and Jesse Sapp had already thrown up two terrible three-point attempts. They were back-peddling with their arms outstretched and toeing the halfcourt line by the time the horrible shots pitifully missed the rim by a foot. JT3 quickly called a timeout to reset the Hoyas. Out of the timeout, the big men took charge as the next three shots were all layups/dunks scored or assisted by Greg Monroe or DaJuan Summers. The adjustment after the timeout was something Hoya fans were elated to see after its noticeable absence in the last three games. The dreadful and vaunted hope started to peak its head out, as some Hoya fans started to believe that a victory was conceivable, citing the last three seasons when JT3-led teams always and improbably won important games in hostile environments. But alas, the hopes were vanquished and sent to its proper place, deep inside a dark and locked chamber, kept from surfacing until next season.

With 14:31 left in the game, the score was tied at 52. For the next 14 minutes of basketball, Hoya fans shook their heads, chugged their brown-bagged cans of Old English Malt Liquor, and berated themselves for even thinking this team was capable of doing anything right. In those next 14 minutes Georgetown shot a respectable 10-22, but missed 6 layups. The offense managed to score 40 points in the half, marking the first time this year in Big East play that Georgetown has scored 40 or more points in both halves of a game. The game was lost on the other end of the court where the quicker, more talented and more aggressive Golden Eagles drove past every Georgetown player on the perimeter. For those final 14 minutes, Marquette shot 11-22 but went to the free throw line 21 times. Georgetown committed 17 fouls in the half, and 13 in the final 14 minutes of the game. The Hoyas had no answer to the driving guards of Marquette as Wesley Matthews and Jerel McNeal combined for 31 second half points. Even more embarrassing was the fact that Georgetown was badly out-rebounded, surrendering 9 offensive rebounds and 12 second chance points to the much smaller Marquette squad.

Wasn't expecting too much from the team so was pleasantly surprised by the offensive showing. A lot of people will point to the fact that the reason we have lost the last four games is because of our defense. I do not think this is true at all. The fact of the matter is that we have never been a good defensive team this season. Games against Savannah State and Florida International do not count. In Big East play, we have been fairly consistent in allowing opponents to take open shots and convert easy layups off of offensive rebounds. We do not have the defensive abilities of years past and often resort to fouling driving players, a recipe for disaster for a team with such a weak bench.

Some other items to note:
- 96 points by Marquette are the most points ever scored by an opponent in the JT3 era.
- 27 fouls are the most committed by Georgetown this season. It is also the most since the Pitt game in the final round of the Big East Tournament last year.
- 38 foul shots are the most allowed by Georgetown this season. Also the most since the above mentioned Pitt game.
- Nikita is first off the bench and has had the more bench minutes than anyone else over the past two games. I think it is a good and bad sign. Good sign because JT3 thinks Nikita is a worthwhile addition to the team. Bad sign because it means, as suspected, Vaughn and Sims are really not that good.
- DaJuan, playing injured, must have listened to Holding Out for a Hero by B(^2)onnie Tyler because he accepted the fact that a hero has to "play through any pain."
- Too bad his efforts were not enough to save the sinking ship that is Georgetown basketball
- Sapp had as many fouls and turnovers as points. He should be benched.
- Greg "Media God" Monroe had more turnovers than rebounds. The 6'11'' Monroe had 4 rebounds. 5'11'' Marquette guard Dominic James had 4 rebounds also. The rest of the starting Marquette five, no one taller than 6'8'' all had more rebounds than Monroe.
- Greg Monroe is the definition of a soft player, there I said it.
- Midseason review in next couple of days.


Good talk.

What is Going On?

Joe Schmo's reaction in the first 43 seconds of the below video probably describes the current feeling of every Hoya fan across the whole entire world ( I know follower Ronald Ramon Says "74-65" is probably tickled pink by the inclusion of his favorite reality TV moment).


Well, I will tell you what is going on, by song. Thus I present to you "Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler.

Where are all the great leaders
The real men, not the boys
Where's the legend Jeffrey Green
Jon Wallace and Big Roy
Isn't there a Hoya who wants a tourney seed
After games I cry and I blog and I long
for what I need

Chorus:
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero to win us big games
He's gotta be calm
And he's gotta have guts
And he's gotta not care about fame
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero with ice in his veins
He's gotta be tough
And he's gotta think quick
And he's gotta play through any pain

Do you all remember
Jon's shot against UNC
At West Virginia, Ewing's block
vs. UConn, Hibbert hit that three
And against Vandy, Jeff hit the winning shot
Now that they've all graduated, who will take their spot?

Chorus

Three All-Americans, a Jordan All-Star
Add Jesse, there's our starting team
A squad with so much talent, losing
Makes me scream

In Durham, vs. the Hall, at Cincy
Could have won, it was tight
Took bad shots, lost the games
Cause this team, has no fight

Chorus



This video scares the freck out of me by the way.


Good talk.

Game 19 - Cincinnati

Tough day to be the favorite on the road. #1 Duke loses at Wake. #3 Pitt loses at Villanova. #15 Syracuse loses at Providence. And of course, #25 Georgetown loses at Cincinnati. Only one of those games has serious implications for NCAA Tournament and unfortunately for Hoya fans, it has to do with Georgetown. Since it is bad news, I'll try to sugarcoat it with a little pig in a bow tie.


Yes, I know I am being harsh. Yes, I know I am being pessimistic. And yes, I know that I am 100% correct. We have ten games left, five on the road and five at the neutral Verizon center. Five are against ranked opponents. So being optimistic, we go 5-5, end up 17-12 and 8-10 in conference play. We will still be in the top 50 RPI and have a top 10 SOS. But the selection committee will be hard-pressed to let a team into the tournament with an under .500 conference record and that hasn't had a good win since the middle of January. Oh well, at least we got these young players some valuable experience playing a tough OOC schedule, ahem bullshit. The only thing this schedule did was depress and discourage the now hopeless Hoyas. Perfect transition to tonight's wonderful display of basketball.

Simply put: another game, another last minute collapse. The Heart Break Hoyas continue to remind fans of the Esherick-era as they extend their season long losing steak to four. On the positive side, our losses should no longer be considered upsets, since we have shown the sports community why we are undeserving of a Top 25 ranking. This should serve as a lesson to all, if you expect the worst, you can never be disappointed.

Funny thing is, we actually didn't play that poorly... for the first 35 minutes of the game . We were careful with the ball, hit our foul shots, and rebounded well. But we have reverted back to our Esherick ways during the end of games. Thompson is still a remarkable 17-3 in games decided by three or less points, and 9-0 in the last three seasons. But this season, we have been so awful in the closing minutes that the games that should be decided by three or less points end up being blowouts.

So why do we suck during the last five minutes? Let's review the last two losses. To make it more or less confusing, depending on who is reading, I broke each game into five-minutes spans, for a total of eight. Then compared how well we shot in each five minute segment, and what types of shots we took.

Seton Hall
We entered the final five minutes of the game with a tied score. We proceed to take 10 shots, making only 2. We took 5 three-pointers, tied for the most we have taken in a five minute span, and miss all of them. Combined with our 3 for 5 shooting from the free throw line, we end the final minutes shooting 5 for 15, our worst percentage for any five minute stretch of the game. Five players took shots, yet the player that was having the best shooting game (Monroe) took only one shot. The four other players combined to shoot 7 for 35 for that game. And oh, of those 5 three-point attempts, only one of them was taken when the team was down by three or more points. The other 4 were when we were down by one or two points, and a higher percentage shot would have made more sense. We were outscored 7-12 in the final stretch and lost by five.

Cincinnati
We entered the final five minutes of the game down by two. We proceeded to take 8 shots, making only 2. We took 5 three-pointers, the most for any five minute stretch of a game, and made 1. We attempted no foul shots. The final minutes are tied for our worst shooting five minute stretch of the game. Five players took shots, yet the player that was having the best shooting game (Wright) took only two. The other four players combined to shoot 10 for 35 for the game. We are outscored 5-11 in the final minutes and lost by eight.

What Does This Mean
- We don't take good shots at the end of the game. We rush to shoot rather than waiting for the open look.
- We are remarkably inefficient at getting the ball to our hottest shooters.
- We don't play the law of averages. We were 3 of 17 from beyond the arc entering the final five minutes of the Seton Hall game. Why were did we shoot 4 threes when a two-point shot could have tied or given us the lead? That is horrific coaching.
- In two of the last three losses, JT3 has made a comment suggesting that it was a "blip" or we were getting "bad bounces". That is crap. We don't make buckets at the end of the game because we take bad shots, not because of bad bounces.
- We do not have a go-to player. We do not have a star. Everyone attempts to make the highlight reel shot, but we have yet to see one go in.

Trouble on Saturday. Marquette is going to crush us. Especially if Summers isn't healthy. Get ready for the NIT Hoya fans, I guess it was true when they said it was going to be a rebuilding year. Mid-season review after the Marquette game. I'm feeling artsy so expect a song in the next few days.


Good talk.

Cincinnati Preview

Hope everyone has recovered from Sunday's catastrophe. Don't want to talk much about tomorrow's game because thinking about Georgetown basketball makes me sad. And when I'm sad, I cry. And when I cry, I get made fun of at work. And when I get made fun of at work, I cry more. It is a vicious cycle.

Why does this game matter?
- We are currently tied for 9th place with the Bearcats
- We play them again in ten days
- We are a woeful 1-3 on the road
- Another loss would put us at 3-5 in conference play, with five games left against ranked opponents, three of them on the road
- Chances of finishing in top four of Big East and getting a double bye in the Big East Tournament are next to nothing
- We need to finish between # 5-8 in the conference in order to qualify for a first round bye
- Lunardi somehow has us at a #5-seed out West, he obviously hasn't been watching this team play

What to expect?
- Cincinnati is a young but deep team
- Eight players average over 15 minutes a game, compared to six on Georgetown
- Those eight consist of two juniors, three sophomores and three freshman
- Georgetown is 4-0 against common opponents so far, while Cincinnati is 0-4
- They rebound fairly well despite not having a height advantage over opponents
- They are not good from the free throw line, with four of their eight players shooting 60% or lower
- Deonta Vaughn, their leading scorer, accounts for one-third of Cincinnatti's three point attempts
- Sapp needs to shut down Vaughn and Monroe needs to stop fellow freshman Yancy Gates from getting easy putbacks

First time since '06-'07 season that one of our Big East games is not broadcast on TV. That game was also at Cincinnati. If we don't win tomorrow, chalk this season up as a waste and pray for no transfers. Time to blame the red puffy eyes on my allergies to snow.


Good talk.

Game 18 - Seton Hall

I haven't felt this dejected since January 29, 2003. That was the last time I realized that I had completely overestimated the drive, discipline and talent of a Georgetown team. It was then that I realized that I had hung my hopes on a team that didn't exhibit the same passion to win as I thought they had. And it was then that I realized that the losses weren't random stretches of misfortune and it was actually that the wins were random stretches of luck. Coincidentally, that moment occurred right after another embarrassing loss to Seton Hall. On that night, the Pirates sent the game into overtime with an alley-opp dunk over a emotionless Georgetown team. Funny thing was that Seton Hall had six men on the court for that final play, and no one caught it. Seton Hall ended up winning the game in overtime, outscoring the Hoyas 19-8 in the five minute extra period. Craig Esherick had this to say after that game:

"We've got to figure out who we have on our team that wants to win. Those people that want to win, and work to win, are going to play. Those who want to make excuses and don't want to win are not going to play."

Pretty sure JT3 can quote the above statement verbatim to his team after their embarrassing loss to Seton Hall today. Don't blame it on bad luck. Don't blame it on stiff rims. Don't blame it on off days. Every single player, coach and manager on this team needs to look themselves in the mirror realize the person starring back is at fault for the horrific display of basketball. Only then will things change.

Not much to say because it is all pretty obvious but here goes:
- We shot 3-22 from beyond the arc. We are now 5-38 in the last two games.
- I said it last time and I'll say it again. We are, or were, a good shooting team because we took good shots, not because we have good shooters.
- We attempted 15 layups, 15 two-point jump shots and 22 three pointers. Something seems off there.
- Excluding Greg Monroe, Georgetown was 3-9 on layups, and 0-4 on layups in the second half.
- 17 turnovers against a terrible Seton Hall team. DaJuan had six himself.
- Can't blame this on being a young team, returning starters were 5 of 25 from the field and 3 of 14 from beyond the arc.
- We air-balled a three pointer twice in the final minutes of the game.
- The announcer kept calling him Omar Wu-Todd. I liked it. And then I hated it. And then I threw something at my TV.
- No Henry Sims, not that he would have added much.
- First time I have ever seen JT3 call a timeout and the team actually look worse afterward. A turnover after he stopped a fast break on a timeout and then a three pointer off the side of the backboard after a Seton Hall timeout. That worries me.
- Supposed to be our easy stretch before a brutal Marquette-Louisville-Villanova stretch to end February. Because of the last two losses this team could be under .500 in Big East play, and miss the NCAA Tournament. That saddens me.
- Don't expect to be ranked come Monday.


Good talk.