Fans of the University of Pittsburgh made an early exit on Saturday night as the Hoya faithful were left alone to celebrate in the Big Apple as the 2007 Big East Tournament champions.
The 65-42 score marked the second largest margin of victory in championship history.
“They really just beat us in every single aspect of the game,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said.
Georgetown’s performance was nothing short of dominant. The Hoyas’ perimeter defense held the Panthers to a championship low 26.2 percent shooting, and their star center Aaron Gray finished with only three points.
“I focused on making him use his left hand,” Gray’s seven-foot counterpart Roy Hibbert said after the game. “We had great help [on] side defense and we kept him out of his rhythm.”
Hibbert finished the game with 21 points and 11 rebounds, enough to earn him a spot on the All-Tournament Team along with freshman forward DaJuan Summers.
Gray’s struggles continued in the second half, and it wasn’t until the ten-minute mark of the half that he scored his first field goal. That breakthrough was answered by back-to-back three-pointers from junior guard Jonathan Wallace to give the Hoyas a 20-point lead that would not be contested.
The thrill of victory was enough to shake the nerves of the mild-mannered John Thompson III. Not usually one to show emotion, Thompson was on the brink of tears as he led the Hoya fans in a “We are Georgetown” chant after the game.
“It was funny to see him out there doing stuff like that,” junior forward Jeff Green said. “It doesn’t happen often, so I was just enjoying the moment.”
Green capped off an impressive tournament with a game-high 21 points and the Dave Gavitt Trophy for the tournament’s most valuable player.
There is nothing left for the Hoyas to do but celebrate and await the announcement of their NCAA seed tomorrow night on Selection Sunday. Thompson would not speculate on tomorrow night’s results, but Coach Dixon was adamant in his response.
“Any team that wins the Big East regular season and the conference tournament deserves a number one seed,” he said.
Regardless of the committee’s decision tomorrow night, with 15 wins in their last 16 games and a Big East title under their belt, the Hoyas are one of the hottest teams in the country with the confidence and talent to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.
