EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ—Trailing Vanderbilt by one point with 14 seconds left, Georgetown came out of their final timeout. There was no confusion in sold-out Continental Airlines Arena about who would have the final touch for the Hoyas. The crowd held its collective breath as junior forward Jeff Green received the pass from junior guard Jonathan Wallace. The Commodores were as ready as anyone and quickly doubled Green with his back to the basket at the right-hand elbow.
�We knew exactly where the ball was going,� Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings said after the game. �We knew he would get the ball and we defended him well.�
But it didn�t matter. Green looked off a backdoor cut and spun into the double team, kissing the difficult shot off the glass, securing the 66-65 victory and a trip to the Elite Eight.
�I kinda fumbled it a little on my move,� Green said after the game. �I just tried to put it off the glass, and I got lucky. (https://cannabisbudcans.com/) �
Others present at the press conference smiled at the mention of �luck.� These �lucky� shots at the end of tight games are becoming more and more common for the 2007 Big East Player of the Year.
Georgetown defeated Vanderbilt by 16 early in the regular season, but it was evident from the start that this was a very different team and a very different game. The Commodores came out firing from deep, making six of 15 three-pointers and storming out to the early lead.
Georgetown was unable to settle into their half-court sets as the Vandy defense matched the performance of its hot-shooting offense.
�They were scrambling, doubling, and trapping,� Coach John Thompson III said. �We were forced to take out-of-character shots that didn�t fall.�
The Hoyas turned the ball over seven times and only managed six assists in the first half, a devastating statistic for a Princeton-offense team. They were also unable to utilize the size advantage of junior center Roy Hibbert. Every time the seven-footer touched the ball, the Vanderbilt defense collapsed on the post, holding Hibbert to a measly three points in the first half.
As the first half buzzer sounded, the Hoyas found themselves trailing 32-24, but for the second straight game, Hibbert came out of the locker room inspired.
�He stepped his game up in the second half,� Green said of his teammate. �It was just like the Boston College game.�
It took Hibbert only four minutes to triple his first half output, and the gentle giant sparked a 12-4 opening run to tie the game at 36.
The second half was an all-out war from that point on. The teams exchanged baskets, with neither managing a lead larger than four for the rest of the game.
Georgetown faced a potentially game-breaking play with just under four minutes left when Hibbert fouled Vandy senior forward Derrick Byars on a three-point shot. The foul was Hibbert�s fifth and final, and the center was forced to watch the remainder of the game from the bench.
�We thought we had them when we got him out of the game,� Bryars said. �But they�ve got a bunch of good players on that team.�
Those other players, especially freshman forward DaJuan Summers, stepped up. Summers finished the game with a team-high 15 points. Green, who was on the court for all 40 minutes of the game, also scored 15.
But none were more important than those game-winning two.
�They just made one more play than we did,� Stallings said. �That kid just made a heck of a play.�
Georgetown will take on the top-seeded Tar Heels of North Carolina on Sunday for a trip to the Final Four. The game is an appropriate matchup for the 25th anniversary of the year UNC freshman Michael Jordan sent the Hoyas packing in the 1982 National Championship.
