Daniel Varghese
Following their first win of the season, the Georgetown men’s basketball team (1-2, Big East) will take on the No. 5 Duke Blue Devils (3-1, ACC) in the championship game of the annual 2K Classic tournament on Sunday in Madison Square Garden, the world’s most famous arena. .
On Friday, the Hoyas defeated Wisconsin (2-2, Big Ten) in the semi-finals by a score of 71-61 behind 15 points and eight rebounds from sophomore forward Isaac Copeland. Junior forward Reggie Cameron also added 14 points off the bench, including four three-pointers. The Blue and Gray led for the entire game, and made nine free-throws in the final five minutes to seal their first win of the season.
“More than anything, we just needed to win,” said Cameron. “As a unit, we were just ready to get back on the court and get a win, to get used to that feeling again.”
A major factor in the win over Wisconsin was the stellar play of the Georgetown bench. The Hoyas’ reserves outscored Wisconsin’s role players 31-2.
“Everyone on the bench has to be ready to get into the game and contribute for as long as they’re in there,” remarked Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson III. “Everyone is ready. Whoever plays depends on the flow of the game.”
Georgetown will now prepare to play Duke, who took down VCU (2-1, Atlantic 10) 79-71 in the other semi-final. The Blue Devils were led by sophomore guard Grayson Allen, who scored a career-high 30 points off the bench.
The Blue and Gray will certainly be tested by the defending national champions. But the Blue Devils are a much different team this year, having lost four of five starters from last season.
This will be the second time in the last five days that the Hoyas play a team ranked in the top five. On Tuesday, Georgetown fell to No. 3 Maryland (3-0, Big Ten) on the road by four points.
“This past week has been hell,” Coach Thompson noted. “There’s no break, it doesn’t get any easier. We have to understand the physical and mental preparation, the execution needed to win these games.”
Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. EST. The game can be seen on ESPN.
