It’s March 21, 2015, in Portland, Oregon. The buzzer sounds to close the second half of the men’s NCAA Round of 32 match-up between 4-seed Georgetown and 5-seed Utah. Despite an impressive 18-point showing by Georgetown’s freshman guard L.J. Peak, the Hoyas fall to Utah 75-64.
At the time, this loss was simply an addition to the Hoyas’ ever-growing list of painful tournament exits—most notably being upset by *whispers* Florida Gulf Coast in 2013. Now, however, the Utah game is remembered as the last time a Georgetown basketball team played in the NCAA Tournament. The women’s team hasn’t made the tournament since 2012, when the then-No. 17 Hoyas, led by Sugar Rodgers, fell in the second round of the tournament.
To preface this article, I would like to note that it comes from a place of residual disappointment born from love. Growing up in D.C., with alumni parents, I’ve been a huge Georgetown basketball fan my whole life. I’ve witnessed many of the highs and lows that both teams have had to offer over the past decade and a half. That being said, these past five years have been on the low side, without a single NCAA tournament appearance.
2015, in terms of sports fandom and popular culture, feels like both yesterday and eons ago. Here are some of the happenings in the world since Georgetown basketball last went to the NCAA tournament.
- Donald Trump Presidency
This is the biggie. In March 2015, few of us would have predicted that our executive branch would look as it does today. The Trump Presidency has been riddled with controversies and has defined the politics of the last three years.
2. The Death of the Whip
Truly a blessing. Do you remember a time when all the white people at your middle/high school dance would crowd in a circle and whip to The Chainsmokers’ “Roses”? Yeah, me neither, I black out every time I think about it.
3. The MCU Domination
People have always loved comic book movies, and Marvel Studios proved that they could also be a massive commercial hit with The Avengers (2012). However, the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) didn’t quite dominate the big screen until its Phase Four began with Captain America: Civil War in 2016. Since then, the industry has been absolutely saturated with hits like Black Panther, the Spider-Man reboots, and the final Avengers movies. Like them or not, it’s hard to say that Marvel hasn’t dominated this half of the decade.
4. Patriots Went to 75% of the Super Bowls that Have Occurred Since —and Won Two of Them
As loathsome as they are, you have to hand it to the Patriots. Since the Hoyas lost to Utah, the Pats have appeared in three consecutive Super Bowls, winning two out of three (or 66.6% ? ) of them. They’ve certainly been a dominating force in the sports world since 2015.
5. Meme Culture Became Increasingly Abstract
Maybe this says something about the degenerative state of youth mental health, or maybe art has just reached a new peak, but memes have evolved. Gone are the days of bold-faced text over a picture of a derpy dog. Minion memes are banished to Facebook. Instead, humor is now at its most complicated form. Things that have no business being funny are funny. Why is “vibe check” so good? Why are people obsessed with the worm on a string again? I don’t know. All I know is that now I see a picture of a poorly drawn Sonic the Hedgehog and laugh until I cry a little bit.
6. Obama said “Gay Rights!”
It is almost absurd to think that the last time the Hoyas went to the NCAA tournament, gay marriage was not yet fully legal in the US, but that’s the truth. Here’s a reminder of how recent these advancements in equal rights really are!
7. Fetty Wap Came and Went lmao
Y’all remember Fetty Wap? Man, whatever happened to him? “Trap Queen” and “My Way” took over the nation for a hot minute there back in 2015-2016 but then it seems like he faded into oblivion. If nothing else, these instant classics will live on in our hearts.
8. Vine was replaced by Musical.ly and then TikTok
Out with the old, in with the new. Vine references dominated internet culture for several years (even posthumously, as the app was deleted in 2016) from “Hi, welcome to Chili’s” to “Hey, uh, it’s ya boy skinny penis.” The seven-second app was filled with instant classics. Following Vine was the Dark Age that included the rise of Musical.ly, a lip-syncing app in which children could become famous mouthing Ariana Grande lyrics. Finally, we’ve come full circle with TikTok, an app that started much like Musical.ly and now is arguably equally as goofy and hilarious as Vine. Truly incredible that we could watch a digital Renaissance occur before our very eyes in only five short years.
9. Patrick Ewing Becomes Men’s Head Coach
In terms of recent Georgetown men’s basketball history, this is the most significant change. The Georgetown basketball legend replaced John Thompson III who had coached for 13 years. We still have yet to see how impactful this change will be, but coming into the third year of Ewing, myself and many others are hopeful.
