After keeping up hope for a victory that would break a four-game losing streak into the final minute of Monday night’s game against No. 9 Villanova (18-2, 7-1 Big East), the Georgetown men’s basketball team (11-9, 3-6 Big East) could not clinch the win in their first solid performance in recent memory, losing 60-65 at the Verizon Center. The lack of a low post for the Hoyas has been one of the largest detriments to the team as they have lost six of their last seven games, matching the worst losing streak in all ten of Head Coach John Thompson III’s seasons on the Hilltop.
Sitting at seventh place in the Big East, with hopes of even making the NIT beginning to dwindle, Thompson’s motley crew cannot seem to catch a break. While junior guard Jabril Trawick was finally able to return to the court for the Hoyas Monday night, after recovering from a broken jaw sustained in a game against Providence weeks earlier, Thompson was informed before the Villanova matchup that senior center Moses Ayegba had been suspended for one game by the NCAA due to “pre-enrollment reconciliation.” Although Ayegba provides close to zero offensive presence on the court, the Hoyas could have definitely used his size in grabbing more rebounds late in the game against Villanova.
What sealed the Hoyas’ fate in their last loss, though, was the unacceptable number of turnovers, whether forced or not. Georgetown far surpassed their season average of 13.1 turnovers per game by forfeiting possession to the Wildcats 18 times throughout the game. This number is especially haunting considering the fact that the Hoyas only lost by five while giving up these 18 scoring opportunities.
Add the 22 points scored by Villanova off of free throws compared to Georgetown’s eight and it becomes strikingly clear that with just a few minor improvements, the Hoyas could have pulled off the upset instead of falling for the third straight time at home. The lack of points coming from the free throw line has become a concern for Thompson at this point in the season. With aggressive drives to the paint often seen by sophomore guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera and senior guard Markel Starks, the team should be drawing more trips to the line.
“We’re getting the ball into the paint, we’re getting penetration, we’re getting drives, we’re getting the ball down low. Fouls aren’t being called,” said Thompson of the foul call disparity. “I’m not saying we’re being fouled and they’re not called … but you look at that stat right away and you see we shot nine foul shots, they shoot 28, so we’ve got to figure out how to get fouled.”
With the Hoyas’ postseason chances quickly evaporating, the team’s focus needs to turn to consistent play from the guards, increased production from freshman Reggie Cameron, and a larger post presence from junior forward Mikael Hopkins and senior forward Nate Lubick. Cameron has been absent from headlines for most of the season, but a strong showing with 12 points (including two 3-pointers) in 22 minutes against Villanova proves that this freshman has the potential to be a deciding factor in games in the upcoming stretch. If the Hoyas can use Cameron as a scoring threat to preoccupy the attention of their opposition, the defense on team scoring leaders Smith-Rivera and Starks would abate slightly, freeing up more opportunities to draw fouls and avoid forced shots from the perimeter.
The next challenge for Georgetown will be this weekend at Madison Square Garden when they play No. 7 Michigan State (19-2, 8-1 Big Ten) at 3 p.m. The Blue and Gray will be facing a Michigan State team that is coming off an overtime win against No. 15 Iowa last Tuesday night and has gone 5-1 without its second-leading scorer and rebounder, senior forward Adreian Payne, in what is shaping up to be the Hoyas’ most difficult challenge of the season. Thankfully, Payne will also be held out of the game this Saturday by Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo, but the Hoyas’ prospects will remain bleak if they don’t become more efficient.
With junior forward Branden Dawson averaging 8.7 rebounds per game and sophomore guard Gary Harris averaging 18.8 points per game, Georgetown will need to play their best game of the year by far in order to shut down Harris and compete with Dawson under the rim. Trawick’s recent return will be essential in giving the Hoyas any kind of chance in defeating the Spartans, as tough defensive play could possibly keep Michigan State from running away with a blowout win against the low-scoring Hoyas.
It will take a miracle for Georgetown to snap out of their five-game losing streak as the Hoyas travel to the Big Apple, but if the they can tighten up their defense and derive a high-scoring effort from the guards and Cameron, the longshot win may just be within reach.
