From 16-0 to 17-3. It’s been a rough two weeks for the basketball team. The seemingly invincible team that turned Seton Hall from the tough new team with the bright future into the conference disappointment has its own problems now.
Before we try and figure out what those problems are, some perspective is in order. An overall record of 17-3 is pretty good, even against a weak schedule. A record of 4-3 in the Big East is OK, at best. We’re past small goals with this team.
Losing on the road to Syracuse is nothing new. In fact, beating Syracuse last season at the Big East was a borderline miracle. Losing to Notre Dame at home is also nothing new, but it’s not something that should happen.
Losing to Pittsburgh is a throw back to the 1997-98 season, a season of injuries, off-court problems and a near dead last finish in the conference.
Really, the Syracuse loss is only a bad loss because it came after the Notre Dame loss, which was only bad because of the Pittsburgh loss.
So, where does this leave things for the Hoyas?
It leaves them with some big games that border on “must win” if this team is gunning for something more than the “one-and-done” tournament finish. Make no mistake, the Hoyas?barring a total collapse?will make the Tournament, but their chances for success depend on them getting some revenge.
Of course, once a team is in the Tournament, regular season wins count for nothing on the scoreboard. They do, however, count in seeding and psychology. If the Hoyas want to get a two or three seed, they have to win at least seven of their final nine games, and they can’t lose to both Notre Dame and Syracuse again. That makes the Feb. 24 game against the Orangemen at MCI and the March 4 road game against the Irish “must wins.”
In the short run, the Hoyas have to get back in the groove this week against West Virginia. We’re talking more than a win. We’re talking a comfortable margin and good performances from the captain that isn’t named Kevin Braswell.
Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje hasn’t been on his game lately. He’s played more like he did as a sophomore than he did as a junior?missing shots from point-blank range and picking up fouls. Boumtje-Boumtje proved last season he can dominate against the Pittsburghs of the conference and make an impact aganst top opponents.
Even if his shot is misfiring against West Virgnia, he needs to take a cue from fellow senior Nat Burton and find ways to contribute even when he can’t shoot?namely by showing some visible emotion. Leading by example is fine most of the time, but at some point some outward emotion helps.
Once the short term is taken care of, the Hoyas need to figure out what their bread and butter is going to be when teams start playing zone defense. Notre Dame and Syracuse both managed to neutralize Georgetown’s size advantage with old-fashioned 2-3 zones.
The high-low post action has created some openings, but it isn’t consistent enough to scare teams out of their zones. With the way Wesley Wilson, Mike Sweetney and Lee Scruggs can dominate in the post, there is almost no reason for a team to play man-to-man defense against the Hoyas.
Most importantly: Georgetown needs its swagger back. The Hoyas are playing hard, but these games don’t mean as much to them as they do to their opponents. That’s just true for a team that won its first 16 games. Georgetown still isn’t in trouble. In order to counteract that, these other teams need to be scared. The big shot blocker in the middle is part of that equation, but a good run to start a game could accomplish the same thing.
