On Jan. 19, a late season collapse appeared to be inevitable for Georgetown men’s basketball (24-5, 14-4 Big East). The Hoyas had lost to the worst team in the Big East, South Florida (12-19, 3-15 Big East), 61-58 and had lost three of their last five games. The team’s second leading scorer and rebounder, sophomore forward Greg Whittington, was declared academically ineligible and was likely out for the rest of the year.
Less than two months later that same team has three trophies to add to Georgetown’s collection—a Big East title, Big East Player of the Year, and Big East Coach of Year. Those are three very surprising accomplishments coming from a team chosen to finish fifth in the Big East by the league’s coaches and that lost a key player halfway through the year. An 11-game winning streak in conference play helped to bring about a year of incredible success.
On Tuesday, Otto Porter Jr. was named the Big East Player of the Year and John Thompson III won his first Big East Coach of the Year award. Porter burst onto the national stage this year by averaging 16.4 points per game, 2.7 assists per game, and 7.5 rebounds per game. He upped his play during conference games and finished second in the Big East in scoring (18.1 ppg), fifth in rebounding (7.3 rpg), and third in steals (1.8 spg).
Porter was not the only key to Georgetown’s rise this season. With a defense of length and smothering pressure, the team held opponents to 37.7 percent shooting to reach seventh in the nation in that category. On Sunday, junior guard Markel Starks was named third-team all-Big East and freshman guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera was named to the Big East All-Rookie team.
The Hoyas have won their spoils, but the overarching goal set at the beginning of the season has yet to be reached. The Hoyas are the number one seed in the final Big East Tournament as they head into their Thursday matchup against Cincinnati.
“Obviously, like coach said, we came into this season with a goal,” Starks said at the press conference after the Syracuse game. “A portion of the goal has been accomplished, but at the same time, we still have a lot more of the season to play.”
Ironically, Georgetown’s opponent was selected to finish one spot ahead of Georgetown in the preseason Big East poll. But now after a double-bye, the top-seeded Hoyas will face the ninth seed, Cincinnati, (22-10, 9-9 Big East) Thursday.
Despite their ranking, Cincinnati will not go out easily. They are still looking for a signature win to add to their resume going into the NCAA Tournament, in which they are currently a projected eleventh seed.
When Georgetown visited Cincinnati a month ago, the Hoyas survived to earn a close 62-55 win. After compiling a 12-point lead with 15:04 left in the game, the Blue and Gray allowed Cincinnati and JaQuon Parker to come back and take a one-point lead with 6:54 to play. Starks made a remarkable three-pointer down the stretch, though, and Georgetown closed out the game with free throws.
In a physical game, Georgetown’s lack of depth nearly resulted in a loss. Every Georgetown starter, excluding Markel Starks, picked up four or more fouls in the game. Georgetown used its trademark defense to defeat the Bearcats by holding them to 31.5 percent shooting, including 16.7 percent from three-point range. Ultimately, Georgetown held out to win with its three-pronged offense of Porter Jr. (17 points), Starks (16 points), and Smith-Rivera (14 points).
Cincinnati’s shooting woes have not been limited to its loss against Georgetown. The Bearcats have shot 40.3 percent on the year, putting them at 306th in the country.
A significant concern for the Hoyas will be the Bearcats’ success down low. The Bearcats average 40.3 rebounds per game and are seventh in the nation. This was certainly important against the Hoyas as the Bearcats outrebounded them 36-27. Georgetown cannot allow easy baskets off of turnovers or offensive rebounds and must tilt the rebound margin in their favor. This could make junior forward Moses Ayegba very important in this game too. The junior center showed tremendous rebounding ability in Georgetown’s victory over Syracuse.
“This group has listened, they have believed in each other and me,” Thompson said after their final game of the regular season. “We have been able to figure out how to support each other and find different ways each night to win games.”
We will see if Thompson’s words hold true come Thursday. Tipoff is slated for noon at Madison Square Garden.
