The 25th anniversary of Georgetown’s 1984 national championship was celebrated at Saturday’s game, and the Hoya legends that showed up to the event provided a stark juxtaposition to the current squad.
With their 78-72 loss to Marquette, the Hoyas’ NCAA Tournament hopes were dealt a serious blow. With four games remaining in the regular season Georgetown’s record falls to 14-11-5-9 in the Big East-forcing the Hoyas to run the table to reach the .500 conference mark many believe they need to earn a tourney berth.
As the members of the national championship team were being honored at halftime, Georgetown looked to be in good position to earn a much-needed win. At the break the score stood tied at 44-44, the Hoyas were more than holding their own against a formidable Golden Eagles squad.
The first half had the look of a shootout, with both teams coming out with the shooter’s touch. Georgetown shot 17-of-32 (53 percent) from the field, including 7-of-11 (63.6 percent) from beyond the arc. Marquette hit 60.0 percent of its shots, a barrage led by senior Wesley Matthews’ 18 points scored before the intermission.
Unlike in many recent games, the Hoyas showed resilience-at least in the first half-by responding to Marquette runs and never allowing any Marquette lead to expand beyond seven. Georgetown also took control of the boards on both offensive and defense, giving themselves the opportunities they needed to keep pace with the Golden Eagles’ hot hands.
“I thought in the first half we were getting whipped on the offensive glass,” Marquette head coach Buzz Williams said. “We were very fortunate to be tied at half.”
After the break the game took on a different character, with both teams receding to much more typical shooting percentages. The separation between the teams then became clear: experience.
The Golden Eagles started four seniors and a junior, and they took over the game when they needed to. In addition to Matthews, who finished with 23 points, junior Lazar Hayward had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Most impressive was senior Jerel McNeal, who scored 22 points, dished out seven assists, and grabbed six rebounds while playing all 40 minutes.
The Hoyas, on the other hand, squandered their opportunities in the second half. They turned the ball over eight times and lost their advantage on the boards, getting only two offensive rebounds while allowing Marquette to scoop up eight.
“They got a lot more aggressive in the second half,” head coach John Thompson III said. “They did a very good job of executing down the stretch.”
Freshman Greg Monroe, in many ways the anchor of this Georgetown team, all but disappeared offensively after half time. After opening the period with back-to-back baskets, he went without a field goal attempts for the next 17 minutes.”
They did a good job of pressuring and pushing Greg off the block,” Thompson said. “They did a very good job of making it difficult to get it to him.”
Monroe finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, one of four Hoyas who scored in double figures. Chris Wright led the team with 17 points, but shot just 4-of-11 from the field.
Marquette did a great job of protecting the ball down the stretch, committing just one turnover in the second half. The Golden Eagles took the lead for good with eight minutes remaining in the game, and they steadily extended the lead with their consistent play.
Georgetown does not have much time to recover from the loss as Louisville comes to the Verizon Center on Monday night. If the Hoyas hope to salvage their season, they must learn quickly from their youthful mistakes.
