After their heart-wrenching 60-56 loss to last-place DePaul (12-21, 3-15 Big East) in the Big East Tournament, the Georgetown men’s basketball team (18-14, 8-10 Big East) returned to Washington as their slim NCAA Tournament hopes evaporated and a NIT appearance loomed. But despite all the Hoyas have undergone during this tumultuous season, they feel they have an opportunity to prolong their season, unlike many other teams.
“You lose in the Big East Tournament and you realize you are not going to the NCAA Tournament, so … the next 30 or so hours you are like ‘ugh’” Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson III said: “But then you realize that we have a chance to play. And then all of a sudden the pairings come out and you realize how many good teams in this country and in our league aren’t playing right now.”
The team certainly took advantage of that opportunity. Although another event prohibited the Georgetown men’s basketball team from playing their NIT first round game at the Verizon Center, it certainly did not prevent the Hoyas and their fans from putting on their own show Tuesday night at McDonough Arena. Feeding off the raucous sold-out crowd of 2,133, the Georgetown men’s basketball team advanced to the second round of the NIT by defeating former Big East rival West Virginia Mountaineers (17-16, Big 12), 77-65.
“It was unbelievable. The energy that we got from the fans—the students, the young alums, the old alums. It was great,” Thompson III said after the victory. “It was a great environment. I want to thank our fans and I want to thank everyone for that because it helped.”
As has been the case for much of Georgetown’s 2013-14 season, the staunch backcourt of sophomore guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera and senior guard Markel Starks led the way for the Hoyas. Smith-Rivera had his best all-around game as a Hoya, as he scored a game-high 32 points, including 23 in the second half, and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for his second career double-double. Smith-Rivera also went 10-of-10 from the free-throw line for the second consecutive game.
Starks, on the other hand, played like a basketball Renaissance man, doing a little bit of everything extremely well for the Hoyas. Starks, selected for the All-Big East First Team last week, scored 14 points, grabbed a career-high seven rebounds, and dished out seven assists. Starks also had two blocks and two steals for the Hoyas.
“You have heard me say all year, that I think [Smith-Rivera and Starks] make up what I think is the best backcourt in the country,” Thompson said. “Those two guys are going to sleep well tonight, along with a couple of other people in that locker room.”
The game was a tale of two halves for Thompson and his players. Entering halftime down 33-30 due to poor shooting, missed layups, and lackadaisical defense, the Hoyas found their groove in the second half, shooting 52 percent, while also increasing their defensive intensity.
“I think we were a bit more attentive in the second half … In the first half I thought we got a bit too spread out and they were able to get right to the rim,” Thompson said. “I think we did a much better job of protecting the paint but then closing out on their shooters … that made a difference.”
After the game while en route to the locker room, Starks, who most likely just played his last home game as a Hoya, shouted and gesticulated wildly at his peers in the student section, praising them for the tangible homecourt advantage they created. Starks wasn’t wrong. Strong campaigning on the part of the university to get students to the game made for an incredible gametime atmosphere.
“I just had fun,” Starks said when asked about his emotions following the game. “The energy from the crowd translated to us and I wanted to give it back, just to let them know I was having fun too.”
Georgetown will now advance to the second round, where they travel to face number one seed Florida State (20-13, 9-9 ACC). After defeating Georgetown nemesis and Dunk City residents Florida Gulf Coast in their first round matchup, the FSU Seminoles will meet the Hoyas for the first time since the second round of the 1992 NCAA Tournament, where they defeated the Alonzo Mourning-led Hoyas 78-68. Although the exact date and gametime have yet to be determined, the matchup will be played sometime between March 20 through 24.
