On March 13, the Georgetown Hoyas (16-18, 6-14 BIG EAST) stepped off the court for the final time in the 2025-2026 season, leaving behind a streaky record with both energizing highs and hair-pulling lows.
Despite a victory over DePaul (16-16, 8-12 BIG EAST) and an upset over Villanova (24-9, 15-5 BIG EAST) in the BIG EAST Tournament, the third round was not the charm for the Hoyas. They left Madison Square Garden at the bottom of the regular season conference rankings after losing to the No. 7 University of Connecticut Huskies (30-5, 17-3 BIG EAST) 67-51 in the semifinals. This is the sixth time in seven years that the Hoyas have finished with a losing record.
The tournament felt like a microcosm of the season as a whole. A surprise upset followed by a game in which the Hoyas never led, reflecting Georgetown’s tendency to show glimmers of hope ultimately dampened by inconsistent scoring. Despite winning two early games against Kentucky and Clemson, from Dec. 31 to Jan. 21 Georgetown lost six conference games in a row, then won the next four before another six-game losing streak began.
The Hoyas had a 44% field goal percentage on the season, and made just 31.8% of their three-pointers. Their free throw percentage was 74%. Considering Georgetown lost at least five games by four points or less, every point matters. In a league with big dogs like St. John’s and UConn, Georgetown needs to at least stay consistent and healthy to stand out.
Junior guard Malik Mack was poised to have a breakout season as a leader on the squad. In the 2024-2025 season he averaged 12.9 points and 4.3 assists per game, and appeared ready to step into the leadership gap left behind by former Hoya guard Micah Peavy, who was drafted 40th overall and now plays for the New Orleans Pelicans.
While Mack was certainly one of the team’s centerpieces, he struggled to fill Peavy’s shoes. Mack started all 34 games this season, averaging 13.6 points per game (PPG), the second highest on the Hoyas behind junior guard KJ Lewis. During the BIG EAST tournament games, with senior center Vince Iwuchukwu playing limited minutes and Lewis out, Mack took on the brunt of their scoring pressure. However, he occasionally seemed hesitant to pass the ball, opting for oft-missed three point shots (he made only three of 13 in the post-season).
Lewis, who played in 28 games, averaged 14.9 PPG but had fewer overall points than Mack. Iwuchukwu rounded out the top three in scoring with 11.6 PPG, but started only six games. They both missed games for health reasons: Lewis injured his left ankle on Feb. 24 against Marquette, and Iwuchukwu, who suffered cardiac arrest while playing for the University of Southern California in 2022, sat out following a medical procedure in November.
Next season, the team must prioritize consistency. The Hoyas’ second-half play fell flat time after time—largely due to breakdowns in team play. Placing emphasis on passing plays and moving the ball around poises Georgetown to capitalize on individual talent by creating better shooting opportunities for everyone.
Despite the team’s setbacks, graduate guard Jeremiah Williams had nothing but love for head coach Ed Cooley and his brief time with the program.
“Playing for Coach Cooley was an awesome experience. He really cares about us, cares about all the players, all the staff, the support staff,” Williams said in an interview with Georgetown Athletics.
As Georgetown men’s basketball moves into the offseason recruiting process ahead of the 2026-2027 season, that positive team environment can be a draw for transfer players looking to take their game to the next level. One of those factors is crafting the vibrant home fanbase Georgetown once boasted. At the beginning of the season, Cooley emphasized the need for a home-court advantage, telling the Voice he hoped students would “infuse energy and strength” into the arena.
Even opponents suffered from under-attendance at home games. After a game at UConn’s Gampel Pavilion on Feb. 15, Cooley said, “Honestly, I was surprised there were empty seats up in some sections. I mean, you’ve got a national championship team. This place should be sold out every day.”
Students, however, might not currently see enough reason to invest in the team. Top-level high school recruits bring significant competitive power to their collegiate programs. Georgetown has not had a five-star recruit since 2014, and Cooley did not recruit any high school graduates for the 2025-2026 season. While transfers like Iwuchukwu and Lewis contributed when they were on the court, injuries kept them off for far too long.
In addition, on March 24, Lewis told sports outlet On3 that he plans to enter the transfer portal after just one year at Georgetown. To build a powerful team, students expect to see retention and player development over a longer period of time—not just a constant recycling of talent.
Still, the BIG EAST Tournament wins over DePaul and Villanova infused much-needed energy into the end of an otherwise lackluster season. Williams received motivation from the Georgetown support at Madison Square Garden.
Reflecting on the Madison Square Garden atmosphere during their DePaul matchup, Williams said, “It was a great feeling to hear [fans chanting Hoya Saxa. …] Our fans showed out […] so it just meant a lot, and it’s going to give us some energy going into tomorrow.”
And they certainly did bring that energy against Villanova before ultimately losing to UConn. Moving forward, the team needs to bottle and feed off of that support to drive themselves forward as they move into the offseason and beyond
