Last Sunday afternoon, the members of the Georgetown men’s basketball team were as happy to be sitting in Leo’s as they had ever been.
That’s because they weren’t there to eat—they were watching the NCAA tournament selection show in the dining hall. Most of the Hoyas were experiencing this excitement for the first time, after last year’s disappointing National Invitation Tournament showing.
Georgetown was awarded the third seed in the Midwest Region, setting up an opening round matchup with the 14-seed Ohio Bobcats tonight at 7:25 p.m.
The Hoyas will look to carry the momentum from their run to the Big East tournament finals into the Big Dance.
“We definitely found a rhythm,” sophomore big man Greg Monroe said of the conference tournament. “We found out exactly what we can do and what we have to do to win games in a tournament scenario, on a big stage.”
Only two Hoyas have played on college basketball’s biggest stage, juniors Chris Wright and Austin Freeman. They know their teammates are in for a whole new experience.
“I just think it makes it that just more competitive,” Wright said of the NCAA tournament. “People are going to lay everything out on the line and people are just going to be really focused and intense. It’s special. A lot of crazy things happen in the NCAA tournament.”
Based on their seed, the Hoyas are expected to advance past the Bobcats. Georgetown’s first round opponent, however, is riding a hot streak. Ohio was only the ninth seed in the Mid-American Conference tournament, but they won four straight games to earn their spot in the Dance.
Junior guard Armon Bassett was the key to Ohio’s run. A transfer from Indiana, Bassett averaged 29 points per game in the MAC tournament and has NCAA tournament experience from his time as a Hoosier.
If the Hoyas do get past the Bobcats, the most difficult region in the bracket awaits them. To make it to the Final Four, Georgetown could have to face a giant-killing Tennessee squad, Ohio State and likely national player of the year Evan Turner, and the number one overall seed, Kansas. But the road ahead is not of any concern to the Hoyas now.
“I looked at it [when the brackets came out] and haven’t thought about it since then,” head coach John Thompson III said. “We’re worried about Ohio.”
Thompson’s players echo his sentiment. They’re just happy to get a taste of March Madness, and they aren’t taking anything for granted.
“This is the most important game of my life so far,” Monroe said. “I’m very anxious. It’s the biggest stage I’ve ever played on, and I’m ready to get it started.”
