The last time Georgetown (7-0) faced the Dolphins of Jacksonville University (3-6) on the hardwood was on Dec. 18, 1969. The Hoyas faced a 14-point deficit with two minutes left in the first half when an on-court punch provoked a gym-wide fight, forcing both teams into the locker rooms for safety. Georgetown would not return, forfeiting the game. On Wednesday, almost 40 years later, the two contenders had changed dramatically and the result was remarkably different, as the Hoyas (No. 5 AP/ No. 4 Coaches) routed the fledgling Dolphins 87-55.
Jacksonville threw very few “punches” in the game, and the Hoyas pulled none, forcing 20 Dolphin turnovers and allowing Jacksonville to shoot just 34 percent from the floor. It was the sixth time this season that the Hoyas held their opponent under 60 points.
The only thing keeping the probable first-round knockout in doubt early was Georgetown’s own carelessness with the ball. The Hoyas turned the ball over four times in the first five minutes, and committed a season-high 20 in the game.
All five starters touched the ball on Georgetown’s first possession, a refreshing change from the frenetic possessions that characterized the Alabama game. The slower pace—more indicative of Coach John Thompson III’s usual offense—was effective in the early-going, but the Hoyas’ real game-breaking runs came as the result of lightning strikes from the talented underclassmen.
“When you talk about the ‘Princeton offense,’ the word deliberate usually follows it,” Thompson said. “But it doesn’t have to. We can make decisions at a fast pace, and we can play at a fast pace.”
“We thought they would be a little more deliberate,” Jacksonville Coach Cliff Warren said. “But they just attacked the basket.”
Midway through the half, freshman guard Austin Freeman stole the ball and pushed it to his freshman backcourt-mate Chris Wright, who found sophomore forward Vernon Macklin for the easy two. On the ensuing possession, Wright took a long rebound in stride for another fast break finish, followed by an emphatic block by sophomore guard Jeremiah Rivers at the other end of the court.
“This year’s team is different from last year’s,” junior guard Jessie Sapp said. “We have the opportunity to push the ball a little bit more. Fortunately, in this game we were able to do that.”
Georgetown’s freshmen backcourt duo of Wright and Freeman gave Jacksonville headaches all day, combining for 29 points, nine assists and three steals.
“You’re going to see a lot of that,” Thompson said of the freshman. “Both [Chris] and Austin, the things they did today, they both can and will do regardless of who is at the other end of the court.”
With a minute left in the first half, the reeling Dolphins took another one on the chin at the hands of sophomore forward DaJuan Summers (3-5, 14 pts), whose coast-to-coast drive and score was characteristic of the offensive confidence he has displayed in the last few games. Wright punctuated the dramatic finish with a steal and score on the inbound pass.
Georgetown’s first half defense was as clean as it was smothering—the Hoyas committed their first foul of the game with just ten seconds to play before halftime.
The Blue and Gray enjoyed a 39-21 lead in the locker room, but returned to the court intent on increasing it. They did just that, attacking the basket and opening up the second frame with a 25-7 run.
The blowout provided senior center Roy Hibbert with some valuable early rest. Hibbert played only 15 minutes, but was effective in limited play, converting four of his five shots for eight points. One 30 second stretch was all Hibbert needed to highlight his All-American ability. The seven-footer followed a strong offensive rebound and put-back with a block on the defensive end, which led to a wide-open three-point shot for Rivers. Rivers continued his recent streak of hot shooting, sinking two of three from behind the arc.
Jacksonville was able to string together a few short runs late in the game with a pesky full-court press. The press helped add to Georgetown’s season-high turnover tally, but was only a token success for the Dolphins, who never came within 20 in the second half. Still, the Hoyas’ turnover statistic was an eyesore for Thompson despite the blowout score-line.
“That’s the only thing I saw,” he said. “That’s the only thing I saw from a quick glance [at the stat sheet].”
But the carelessness was more than offset by an efficient offensive performance. Georgetown assisted on 24 of their 33 field goals, and shot 59 percent from the floor.
“They share the basketball,” Warren said. “That’s a credit to the coaching squad. Anytime you have 20-some assists on 30-some field goals, it’s a credit to the coaches.”
Senior guard/forward Tyler Crawford’s second half free throws and freshman forward Omar Wattad’s first five points at Georgetown put eleven different Hoyas on the score sheet.
The game featured two very different speeds for the Georgetown offense—a hybrid style that, according to Summers, has given Thompson reason to describe his team’s potential as “scary good.”
“[The different styles] are based on the same principles, as far as sharing the ball,” Summers said. “It’s just faster, so the decisions need to be quicker.”
Georgetown’s next opponent, Radford, will likely offer a similar token resistance in what Thompson referred to as the “exam game.” The game will be played on campus at McDonough Gymnasium on Saturday night to limit final exam studying interruptions for both players and fans. But with another early-season rout in the books, the cupcakes have almost run out. The bake sale closes on Dec. 22, just after finals, when the Hoyas travel to Memphis to take on the No. 2 Tigers.
