Immediately before the CBS telecast of last Sunday’s Georgetown vs. Syracuse game, the network was airing a pivotal Big 10 clash between Michigan State?a team on the NCAA Tournament bubble?and Indiana, a virtual lock to make the field of 65 this year.
Near the end of this game, MSU held a three-point advantage, and with five seconds left, Indiana called a timeout, to which the CBS announcer commented, “This is plenty of time to get off a good shot.” Indiana did get off a good shot. It missed, and gave MSU the win, but the quality of the shot had to leave Hoya fans wondering.
With last-second losses?and questionable late-game decision making?in games against Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Villanova and Connecticut this season, fans had to wonder: Would this game foreshadow the Hoya game to follow? Would we fail to call a timeout in the closing seconds, thus not setting up for a good shot?
Finally, though, in the waning moments of a conference game, Georgetown pulled it out. Clinging to a 65-63 lead with 59 seconds remaining in the game, sophomore swingman Gerald Riley buried a three-pointer from the corner to put the Hoyas up five, en route to an eventual 75-69 victory. Riley led the team with 18 points on the day. Braswell followed the three with one of his four steals on the day, to reverse the momentum of the Carrier Dome crowd of 29,215?the largest college basketball crowd of the season.
“Our guys never hung their heads after those five tough losses, never had a practice when I thought they mailed it in, never sulked,” Head Coach Craig Esherick said. “I thought they deserved having some good things happen.”
The Georgetown victory spoiled a special celebration for Syracuse fans?the Carrier Dome court was named in honor of Head Coach Jim Boeheim before the game. Boeheim has been at Syracuse more than 25 years and amassed two NCAA Championship Game appearances in that time.
The likelihood of the Hoyas reaching the same promised land anytime soon, though, is still unlikely. Even with a 87-77 victory over the last-place West Virginia Mountaineers on Wednesday night, the Hoyas stand at 17-10 overall?with only 16 of those wins counted by the NCAA, due to an early-season win over Division III foe Marymount?and 8-7 in the Big East. Following Virginia Tech’s upset of Rutgers on Wednesday night, the Scarlet Knights also stand at 8-7 in conference play; Notre Dame, following a Wednesday loss to St. John’s, is 9-6 in conference play.
If Georgetown avenges their early January loss to Rutgers this Saturday at MCI Center, they would likely open the Big East Tournament with a game against Providence next Wednesday in New York.
Regardless, Georgetown will need to reach the championship game of the tournament, on Saturday evening, to have a chance to hear their name called on Selection Sunday the next day. This feat would not be impossible, considering the Hoyas have lost to the top two teams in the conference?Pittsburgh and Connecticut?by a combined two points in the two MCI Center games, and beat Syracuse twice.
The NCAA Tournament would begin March 14, if the Hoyas manage to get selected.
Entering the Syracuse game, the Hoyas had reason to worry; even though they had trounced the Orangemen in Washington, ‘Cuse senior guard Preston Shumpert had played only 19 minutes of that game, due to a recurring eye injury, and contributed just three points. With a healthy Shumpert, Syracuse was a much better squad, and Georgetown had trouble, jumping out to a 14-8 lead with 13:07 remaining in the first half, but letting it slip away with some poor playmaking. On two consecutive plays with 12:00 remaining, senior point guard Kevin Braswell forced an entry pass to sophomore forward Mike Sweetney, and both times, it didn’t work. Syracuse was able to capitalize off Georgetown’s missed offensive opportunities, and came within 16-14 with just over 11 minutes remaining, when first-year forward Harvey Thomas answered with a three-pointer.
The Hoyas continued to hold the lead throughout the first half, helped by Syracuse’s terrible shooting. The Orangemen ended up shooting 25 of 65 from the field for the game, including only eight of 23 from beyond the three-point arc. At the half, the Hoyas held a 35-30 lead.
“At the half, I have no idea how we were even in that game,” said Boeheim.
Georgetown opened the second half with a glimpse of the present bridging together with the future, as first-year guard Tony Bethel opened the transition game to Braswell, who gave it up for first-year forward Harvey Thomas to finish with a dunk.
With 8:50 remaining in the game, however, Syracuse had it tied, 49-49, following a dunk of their own, from first-year center Craig Forth, who doubled his season scoring average by dropping 12 points to complement his 10 rebounds. Another Orangemen first-year, guard James Thues, benefited from Georgetown’s defensive scheme of focusing on outside threats Shumpert and junior guard DeShaun Williams and drained two jumpers in Syracuse’s run, part of a team-high 17-point effort on the afternoon.
“You never hear anything in this place,” said Braswell of the Carrier Dome, “but you did today. I couldn’t imagine having that kind of support at a home game.”
Georgetown was able to pull back in front with a three-pointer from Riley, but it was quickly countered by Williams for Syracuse. Braswell, who netted 16 points in the game, connected on his only three-pointer to put the Hoyas up, 61-55, with 3:50 remaining in the game. Still, however, with their legendary coach’s day of honor about to go up in smoke, the Orangemen weren’t done fighting?Thues buried one of his four three-pointers to narrow the score to 63-61 Hoyas with 2:24 left.
Following a pair of three throws by junior center Wesley Wilson, whose 13 points made him one of four Georgetown starters in double figures, Syracuse rebutted yet again, setting the stage for the Riley three-pointer to put the game?and Boeheim’s afternoon?out of reach.
“I was ready to take the shot,” Riley said. “It felt good.”
Riley’s last-minute heroics are made sweeter by his horrific performance in the same building just last year, when he contributed next to nothing in a Hoya loss.
“He was terrible, scared to death,” said Esherick of Riley’s performance last February. “He’s from Milledgeville, Ga., never seen 30,000 people in one building. He’s grown up. That’s what happens.”
The win was Georgetown’s first at the Carrier Dome since 1995. Twenty-two years ago, the Hoyas had recorded the last win at legendary Manley Field House, where Syracuse had not lost in 57 games up to that point. Hall of Fame Coach John Thompson, in the post-game press conference, famously declared: “Manley Field House is now officially closed.”
In his post-game press conference following his first head coaching win at the Carrier Dome, Esherick?who ended the game by pointing at 30 Hoya Blue members in the crowd who had made the trek to Syracuse?said he couldn’t make the same declarations as his predecessor.
“I’ve had a lot of problems in close games,” said Esherick.
Hopefully, for the Big East Tournament, he won’t have those problems.
