Head coach John Thompson III wanted to get the ball into Greg Monroe’s hands right from the start. His star big man didn’t disappoint.
Monroe hit his first 8 shots and scored 10 of Georgetown’s first 15 points as the No. 12 Hoyas (15-3, 6-2 Big East) easily dispatched Rutgers (9-10, 0-7 Big East) 88-63.
“I was basically taking high-percentage shots, getting the ball in a position where I was getting easy shots,” Monroe said. “It wasn’t anything I was doing in particular, just running the offense.”
The game against the Scarlet Knights represented something of a reprieve for the Hoyas, sandwiched in the middle of four contests against top-15 teams. Georgetown was simply in a different class than the foundering squad. As the Hoyas executed Thompson’s offense with fluidity and precision, the Scarlet Knights struggled with more basic aspects of the game.
“We’re missing lay-ups,” Rutgers head coach Fred Hill said. “Go back and watch the film: I can’t tell you how many lay-ups we missed inside, how many little bunnies. We got open shots, we couldn’t knock them down.”
Even if the Scarlet Knights were able to convert their opportunities, it is unlikely they would have been able to keep up with Monroe. The sophomore finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists. Most impressive was his efficient 10-of-12 shooting performance, a positive sign after seeing his field goal percentage dip from 57.2 percent last season to 46.9 percent so far this year.
“Something clicks in me to say get Greg the ball again,” junior guard Chris Wright said. “If he’s four-for-four, we want to keep giving him the ball. And we obviously noticed that he was in a nice groove today.”
Monroe wasn’t the only Hoya in a groove against Rutgers. Wright had 16 points and six assists, and he knocked down 4-of-5 three-point attempts.
Indeed, as a squad the Hoyas couldn’t seem to miss, shooting 63 percent on the game.
“That’s Greg Monroe,” Hill said of Georgetown’s high field goal percentage. “Certainly they execute and do good things, but they have three outstanding players. What are you going to take away?”
Certainly not Monroe. The big man was workmanlike as he dismantled Rutgers down low, being fed inside and using his post moves to get high-percentage looks over the Scarlet Knights. He was just as effective at the other end of the floor too, attacking the boards with tenacity.
“I thought he did a very good job of pursuing the ball, pursuing rebounds, particularly early,” Thompson said. “And that got him going. Then the first couple times we wanted to go into him, and everyone else did a good job of executing and making sure he got the ball deep.”
Slow starts have plagued Georgetown many times this season, but even with a noon start the Hoyas came out ready to play from the opening tip. Georgetown scored first and never trailed.
“We’ve been coming out slow, Wright said. “We try to emphasize that we want get out and jump on these guys from the start.
“We weren’t drinking extra coffee or none of that stuff. We’re just going out there and making sure we do what we have to do.”
Doing that allowed the Hoya reserves to see some rare extended playing time. Freshman Hollis Thompson busted out of a shooting slump by scoring eight points, while sophomore Henry Sims and freshman Vee Sanford both got their first points in conference play this season.
It is unlikely the bench will see the floor as much in Georgetown’s next game. The Hoyas must turn around quickly and travel to face No. 5 Syracuse on Monday.
