The Hoyas have hit rock bottom.
With an ugly 66-59 loss on Tuesday night at Rutgers (11-10 overall, 3-6 Big East), Georgetown’s men’s basketball team (10-10 overall, 2-7 Big East) is in last place in the West Division, and in position to miss the Big East Tournament for the first time in history. The loss is the Hoyas’ sixth straight and eighth in their last nine games.
“If this wasn’t how I make my living it would be funny, the difference was we figure out to lose ballgames at the end,” said Georgetown Head Coach Craig Esherick in yesterday’s Washington Post: The Hoyas have lost nine games this year by 10 points or less.
Against the Scarlet Knights, after trailing 27-23 at halftime, Georgetown came out fighting in the second half, reversing the cold spell that had them shooting a pitiful 25 percent in the first half. Powered by a three-point play and great catch and dunk by junior power forward Mike Sweetney to open the half, Georgetown took a 28-27 lead, which it did not relinquish for the next 12 minutes. But with 7:33 remaining, Rutgers’ junior forward Sean Axani continued his strong game, hitting a three-point play to give the Scarlet Knights a 47-45 lead. Axani finished with 11 points, four rebounds and a career-high five blocks in his most productive game of the season.
Still, the Hoyas hung tough and took a 55-54 lead with 3:26 remaining on a Sweetney lay in. Rutgers came right back and sophomore forward Ricky Shields hit a deep three. Two free throws by Hoyas’ junior swingman Gerald Riley tied it for the eighth time in a game that featured 15 lead changes. Following a Rutgers senior center Kareem Wright foul shot and a Georgetown turnover, Scarlet Knights’ leading scorer, senior guard Jerome Coleman, who had been held to five points previously, stepped back and hit a deep two-pointer from the baseline with 1:25 remaining, putting out the lights on the Hoyas. Rutgers hit all six of its foul shots in the final minute to seal the win.
As in most games this season, Sweetney was the Hoyas’ driving force, scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, the 32nd double-double of his career. Just as impressively, Sweetney forced Rutgers’ four big men into 15 fouls.
Unfortunately, Sweetney was unable to equal that success in Georgetown’s 71-70 loss on Saturday at home against UCLA (5-14 overall, 2-8 Pac-10). With a gaggle of NBA scouts on hand to watch, Sweetney was held to 10 points and nine rebounds in only 21 minutes of play due to foul trouble.
“Mike’s one of the top power players in the country,” said one scout. “He’s very crafty around the basket, takes hits and is still able to finish plays. That’s one of his biggest assets.”
A nationally-televised game expected to be a matchup between two of the premier teams in the country turned into a sloppy mess between two underachievers. In the first half, UCLA led throughout spurred by spindly first-year center Ryan Hollins’ 12 points, including three uncontested dunks after made-Hoyas baskets: Hollins had previously been averaging 2.8 points per game. The half ended with the Bruins up 38-32.
The second half again saw the Hoyas climb back. Two free throws by sophomore guard Drew Hall with 7:27 left put Georgetown up 55-54. A three-pointer by Riley with 5:39 left gave the Hoyas a 61-56 lead, their biggest of the night, and produced a standing ovation from the crowd.
Still, like almost every other close loss this season, the Hoyas allowed their late lead to evaporate. A minute and a half later, UCLA senior guard and leading scorer Jason Kapono added to an eventual 8-0 UCLA run with a jumper to give the Bruins a 62-61 advantage.
Riley and Hall would not let Georgetown die. Riley hit two big threes before fouling out with 44.9 seconds left, and Hall also drained a three with 33.1 seconds remaining to put Georgetown on top 70-69.
On the ensuing possession, Kapono dished the ball to UCLA sophomore guard Cedric Bozeman, who lost it. In the scramble, Hoyas’ sophomore guard Tony Bethel fouled Bozeman with 4.9 seconds left. Bozeman, normally a 48 percent free throw shooter, calmly drained both free throws to put the Bruins on top 71-70.
“Cedric was cool, calm and collected,” said UCLA senior guard Ray Young. “He’s a real mild-mannered kid.”
UCLA called a time out to set up its press defense and forced the ball into Hall’s hands on the inbounds. The 6-6 Bozeman kept Hall up against the sideline and Hall took an awkward three that missed badly. UCLA’s victory broke an eight-game losing streak.
“I’m just happy to get out of here with a win,” said UCLA Head Coach Steve Lavin.
The two losses this week cap Georgetown’s most embarrassing season to this point in a long time. On Friday, the Washington Post reported that senior center Wesley Wilson had taken a leave of absence from the team and the University for a undetermined amount of time due to personal reasons. Despite his unremarkable performance during the year, his big presence was sorely missed in both losses. Adding to the possible embarrassment of missing the Big East Tournament, Georgetown has fallen to five games under .500 in the Big East for the first times since the 1998-99 season, the year former Head Coach John Thompson retired. Most strikingly, the Hoyas lost six straight games for the first time since the 1974-75 season, Thompson’s third as Head Coach.
“It feels like shit; it feels terrible,” said Riley. “There’s only so much you can say.”
