Although the 2004-2005 season did not culminate in an NCAA appearance, many saw the year as a success. The first season under Head Coach John Thompson III exceeded expectations, as the Hoyas posted 19 wins and made a deep run in the NIT???with a team that had four first years see significant playing time. Despite that success, the season ended on a five-game skid that took the Hoyas out of NCAA consideration.
The Hoyas opened their season dismally with a 75-57 loss to Temple at MCI Center. The loss did nothing to answer the myriad of questions surrounding the young team, as they struggled in their first game in Thompson’s motion-offense. The Hoyas looked much better in the fleshy part of their schedule, with wins over The Citadel, Davidson and Penn State. In the 66-53 victory over the Nittany Lions, junior forward Brandon Bowman netted 28 points and first-year forward Jeff Green notched a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Next, No.1 Illinois came to MCI Center, giving the young Hoyas a chance to make some noise on national television. The Hoyas played the game tight, entering halftime down by just seven, but despite 20 points from Green, the Illini pulled away for a 74-59 victory.
Following a 58-40 victory over San Jose State in McDonough Arena, the team traveled to Hawaii for the Rainbow Classic. The Hoyas were upset by Oral Roberts 81-63 in the first round, but rebounded against Long Beach State by a 57-51 margin. The team then defeated Clemson 75-60 in the fifth-place game where Bowman and Green both had double-doubles with 10 rebounds each and 22 and 15 points, respectively. The performance earned Green All-Tournament honors as well as his second Big East Rookie of the Week award.
Georgetown returned to Washington for two tune-up games before the start of Big East play. The Hoyas played a tough Norfolk State team at MCI Center. Despite Norfolk State coming back from a 10-point deficit to force overtime, Georgetown prevailed by a score of 78-70 on the strength of 23 points and 11 rebounds from Bowman. A few nights later, the Hoyas dominated Howard 79-56.
The Hoyas opened their Big East schedule on the road at No.16 Pittsburgh. The Hoyas jumped out to a quick 28-9 lead behind the hot-hand of junior guard Ashanti Cook, who finished with 23 points, punctuated by a buzzer-beating three at the end of the first half. Although the Panthers came back in the second half, Bowman closed the door with the last two of his 18 points giving the Hoyas a two-point lead with eight seconds left on the way to the 67-64 victory.
Georgetown returned to MCI Center for another tough Big East tilt with No. 10 Connecticut. The team fell into an early hole and entered hafltime down 39-19. Although Green led the Hoyas with 22 points, the deficit was too much and the team lost 66-59.
The Hoyas went on to win two close games. First, they defeated a pesky Rutgers game at home, 65-62. Georgetown then traveled to Philadelphia for their first matchup with Villanova. The Hoyas prevailed 66-64 after senior swingman Darrel Owens hit two free throws with no time remaining.
A true litmus test came next at Syracuse. The Hoyas traded punches with the Orange for a full 40 minutes until the final seconds, when Bowman’s jumper from the top of the key sent the game into overtime. The shot would have been a game-winner, but Bowman’s foot was on the line. The Orange over-powered Georgetown in overtime, but the game put the rest of the conference on notice about the Hoyas’ potential.
The team returned home for one of the season’s most exciting games against Notre Dame. After heading to halftime tied, the Hoyas controlled the second half until Notre Dame’s Colin Falls’ three-pointer with seconds left gave the Irish the lead. Eschewing a timeout, Cook took the inbounds and streaked downcourt before dishing to first-year center Roy Hibbert, who dunked the ball as time expired for the 55-54 win. A few days later the Hoyas hosted St. John’s and comfortably defeated the Red Storm 66-57 behind 21 points and nine rebounds from Green.
The Hoyas trekked to Boston for another benchmark game with No. 8 Boston College. Despite only 12 first-half points, the Hoyas rallied in the second half to cut a 16-point deficit to five. That was as close as they would get in the ugly 64-49 loss.
Georgetown got back on track at home against Seton Hall with a 61-51 victory. Bowman led the way with 25 points and seven rebounds. The Hoyas then traveled to Brunswick for a matchup with Rutgers at their intimtidating home arena, known as The RAC. The Hoyas prevailed 61-56 as Cook matched a career and season high with 23 points and dished out 6 assists.
In an exciting back-and-forth contest with West Virginia, the Hoyas rallied behind Green and Bowman again, who finished with 21 and 15 points, respectively. Bowman’s three with two minutes remaining gave the Hoyas the lead for good in the 67-60 victory. The win left the Hoyas at 16-6 (8-3 BE), and was unquestionably the high-water mark of the season.
A trip to Notre Dame began the five-game skid that would mar the Hoyas’ season. Georgetown made just six field-goals on their way to a 70-64 defeat. On the road again, Georgetown went down by 16 to the 9-14 (3-10 BE) Red Storm.
In a sellout at MCI Center, the Hoyas fell to a streaking No. 23 Villanova squad 67-56. Despite 22 points from Bowman, the Hoyas shot 35 percent as a team in their third straight defeat. Georgetown then traveled to No.15 Connecticut where they were manhandled by the Huskies 83-64 despite 29 points off the bench, including 12 points and eight rebounds from Hibbert.
In their final game of the season, the Hoyas hosted a reeling Providence squad. With their NCAA hopes dwindling, the Hoyas found themselves in a must-win game. Despite shooting 55 percent from the field, the Hoyas were outrebounded 38-18 in the 68-65 loss. After going from 8-3 to 8-8, the Hoyas would need an incredible showing at the Big East Tournament for a chance at NCAAs.
Georgetown rallied from an 11-point deficit against Seton Hall behind the resurgent Owens’ 14 points to win 61-56. The win led to another matchup with No. 12 Connecticut. This time, the Hoyas played until the end, despite falling behind by as many as 13. With 30 seconds left and down two, Cook missed what would have been the lead-changing three-point attempt. Without the victory, the Hoyas were relegated to the NIT.
In their first-round game, the Hoyas dismantled Boston Universtiy 64-34 behind 17 from both Owens and Green. In the second round, the Hoyas hosted Cal State Fullerton in a packed and raucous McDonough Arena. Four players scored in double-figures for the Hoyas as they won handily 74-57.
In the quarterfinals, Georgetown traveled to South Carolina. Despite 26 points and 10 rebounds from Owens, the Hoyas could not stop the Gamecocks, who shot 60 percent from the field to end the Hoyas’ season.
