#20 Marquette (12-2, 1-0) at #9 Georgetown (12-1, 2-0) Recap

How exactly did we win this game again? This was not the first game I've seen the Hoyas play as a Top 10 team. But it was certainly the first, in the short time I've been able to call myself a Hoya, that I've seen them play with the fortitude of a Top 10 team. Despite showing a porous first half defense, being unable to set up any sort of offensive rhythm for a stretch of about 20 minutes from the first half to the second, and the refs propensity to make terrible calls against the Hoyas for the majority of the game, the Old Blue and Gray mounted a 34-14 run after Todd Mayo's three-pointer with 13:12 left in the second half and upended the Golden Eagles of Marquette.

Last season, our beloved Hoyas were rewarded for their trouncing of #17 Memphis in Memphis with a Top 10 ranking (9th) for the first time all season. How did they respond? With an embarrassing loss at #15 Notre Dame. If you remember, though, the Hoyas rattled off a nice Big East win streak and again made it into the Top 10 (9th again) after a win at #13 Syracuse. Georgetown responded by losing at #12 Connecticut and BARELY making it out of South Florida with a win. This was the first game Georgetown has played as a Top 10 team since then, and for once, they ended up looking the part. My gripe with this team has always been their inability to run away with games, to kick a team while they're down. This is most often the case against teams that Georgetown SHOULD beat handily, and yet still seem to have some issues with. Georgetown can keep games close even when they should be running away with them, but they have never, before tonight, shown me they could dig themselves into a huge hole and proceed to pull themselves out and beat a REALLY GOOD TEAM. The Hoyas may not have looked like the 9th best team in the country for 30 minutes of the game tonight, but those last 10 minutes showed everyone why they deserve that spot.

Likes:

Early Offense - Unlike in the Providence game, Georgetown had no issues finding ways to score points early in the game. The Hoyas made 9 of 13 shots and scored 21 points in the first 8 minutes. Four of those baskets were layups, indicating the Hoyas' ability to get in the paint early. Hollis Thompson was also fed well during this stretch; he made two three-pointers and scored 8 in the early part of the game. This was something we absolutely needed to see from the Hoyas after their poor showing against Providence on New Years' Eve.

Hollis Thompson's Return - Speaking of Hollis, how about Hollywood? We were wondering where he's been for about the last month, and he finally reminded us why we love him so. 'Fro or no 'fro, Hollis came to play tonight. Shooting 6-7 (4-5 3-pt) for 16 points and just 1 turnover, Hollis Thompson's amazing effort book-ended a horrendous offensive performance for the majority of the game. Jason Clark may be the guy you want to lead the team at the end of the game, but that is now 2 game-winning three-pointers Hollis has hit. Can you ask for much more when it really counts?

Crunch Time Defense - Darius Johnson-Odom hit a three-pointer with 12:07 left in the game to put Marquette up 59-44. Do you know when Marquette's next basket was? Three minutes later, when Jae Crowder's basket put the Golden Eagles up 12. After that, Marquette did not make a single field goal until Davante Gardner's layup tied the game at 68 with 1:37 left. Seven and a half minutes without a field goal from a team that looked like they could score at will in the first 25 minutes?! It would be easy to say that the Golden Eagles just went cold, but I attribute this to tough defense on DJO, Crowder, and Todd Mayo, who only attempted a combined 2 shots and were credited with 3 turnovers. Huge crackdown by the defense there.

There's No Quit in These Boys - I'll be honest, folks, I didn't need to see the deficit pushed to 17 to be ready to throw in the towel on this one. Todd Mayo's three-pointer 5 minutes into the second half, which put Marquette up 16, made me about ready to quit. It seemed like there was nothing the Blue and Gray could do to stop these guys. We were playing high school defense and could get no sort of rhythm offensively. But, as the Hoyas have done all season, they surprised me yet again and pulled of one of the ballsiest, gutsiest, grittiest, toughest, and all out impressive comebacks I have ever seen. JTIII may not exactly be the greatest at lighting a fire under someone's ass, but these kids want to win, and they want to win badly.

Dislikes:

Transition Defense - One major reason Georgetown ended up giving up so many points in the first half was their inability to get back on defense. In fact, the transition defense was so bad that Marquette was getting fast break layups off our MADE baskets! In fact, 7 of Marquette's 17 first half field goals were scored within 10 seconds of Georgetown relinquishing possession of the ball. We knew coming into this one that Marquette liked to run and liked to drive the lane. You would have thought that JTIII would have prepared them a bit better for that sort of attack.

Again, Not Feeding the Hot Hand - Maybe this team is scared to give the ball to the guy who is shooting well, but I am not understanding why Hollis only had 6 shots in 30 minutes of play. He wasn't in foul trouble either. The guy was stroking it in the first 10 minutes of the game, why did he not get more shots?! Don't get me wrong, the guy got the ball in the hoop when it counted at the end, but why didn't anybody stop down and say "hey, this guy's been struggling for a while, and it seems like he's found his touch, let's milk him for all he's got tonight"? Hollis could have been a much bigger factor THROUGHOUT this game instead of being relegated to hitting the clutch shots at the end.

Henry Sims' Struggles (Kind Of) - This is the second game in a row that I've been absolutely baffled by Henry's play. Let me first say that his stat line is a significant improvement from 2-13 against Providence (5-6 with 3-4 FT tonight) and that is appreciated. The important thing to remember about this game AND the Providence game is that Henry was the biggest guy on the floor in both of those games. In the Providence game, he couldn't hit a shot to save his life. In this game, he seemed to be floating around the perimeter WAY too often! I don't know what was going on down there in the paint, maybe linebacker Davante Gardner said some mean things about his momma, but why would he be drifting so far away from the paint when he has the decided height advantage? In the end, it all worked out for Hank, as his sexy finger roll completed the Hoya comeback.

Letting Marquette into the Bonus - Marquette was into the Bonus with 13:49 left in the 2nd half. That means that it took the Hoyas barely 6 minutes to commit 7 fouls against Marquette. As if they weren't having enough problems already. Marquette is in the top 20 in free throws attempted per game and I'm pretty sure the ESPNU broadcasters threw up a stat saying Marquette has made more free throws than their opponents have even attempted. It is truly astounding that the Hoyas were able to come back after allowing Marquette to shoot free throws starting so early in the half. This is unacceptable regardless of the opposing team, though.

Three Key Plays You May Not Remember:

1) With just under four minutes left in the first half, Marquette had just scored, putting them up 8, which is still a manageable deficit. As Georgetown came down the floor to set up their offense, Jae Crowder ran into a screen from Jabril Trawick and fell to the ground. The referee called an offensive foul. Now, if you DO remember this play, you will remember how horrendous of a call it was, but this led to another Marquette basket and was sort of where the unraveling really started for the Hoyas. For the remaining 4 minutes of the half, Marquette outscored the Hoyas 10-4 and was 4 of 9 from the floor with 3 offensive rebounds.

2) Georgetown was up 1 with 9 minutes to go in the first half. With just 5 seconds left on the shot clock, Jae Crowder had to jack up a three-pointer which was well-contested by Greg Whittington. Crowder missed the three, and Georgetown had a chance to push. But wait, a foul was called on Whittington. It was a tough play to see, but it didn't look like Whittington really hit him at all and Crowder possibly just fell on Greg after the shot, but he was awarded the three shots anyway. Crowder made two of them, giving Marquette the lead, and Jason Clark's score on the next possession marked the last time Georgetown would hit a field goal until Clark scored again with just 2 minutes left in the half.

3) After Hank Sims nicely fed Otto Porter for a cutting layup to cut Marquette's lead to 5 (the smallest it had been in almost 20 minutes of game time) with 7 minutes to play, the gigantic Davante Gardner decided to attempt a shot from the top of the key, just inside the arc. Needless to say, that's not the big man's shot. Considering this, you would think that this was a perfect opportunity for the Hoyas to get a stop and further diminish the Golden Eagle lead. Well, you'd be wrong. Davante's laser shot displayed so little arc, that when it clanged off the back of the rim, it bounced right to Junior Cadougan. Darius Johnson-Odom was fouled on the resulting possession and his free throws brought the Marquette lead back up to 7. Obviously, an opportunity squandered by the Hoyas.

It Was Over When: Jae Crowder's attempt at a game-tying three-pointer from the left corner bounced off the back of the rim and out to Jason Clark, who was fouled with .7 seconds left. Clark's missed free throws wouldn't matter, as Marquette could not cleanly rebound his miss.

Now to travel to the backwaters of West Virginia to take on the Mountaineers, whose only bad loss is to Kent State.

Providence (11-3, 0-1) at #12 Georgetown (11-1, 1-0) Recap

Ok everybody, deep breath in...and out...this one is over and Georgetown escapes. We were all worried about the possible letdown after the big Louisville win or maybe the team being distracted while looking ahead to the game against Marquette this week, and we were almost right. Instead, Georgetown did just enough to slip past Providence on Saturday afternoon and now we can all spend our New Year's Eve drinking to the Top 10 ranking we will surely see the Hoyas possess come Monday as a result of losses by #11 Wisconsin and #10 Florida.

This one looked like it might be salted away early, as Georgetown worked up a 27-13 lead with under 2 minutes left in the first half against a Providence team who could not buy a bucket. Incredibly cold shooting from the Friars' 3 C's, Council, Cotton, and Coleman, contributed largely to this dismal start, and turning the ball over 8 times in the first half didn't help either. A poor finish to the half left the Hoyas with only an 8-point lead heading into break, though. The terrible play by Henry Sims and Hollis Thompson nearly lost this game for the Hoyas. Despite the fact that Sims had a considerable size advantage in this one, he somehow could not manage to find the bottom of the net and Sims and Thompson shot a combined 4-22. A huge effort from Otto Porter bailed the Old Blue and Gray out once again, as he snagged 12 rebounds (3 offensive, 2 of which came down the stretch and led to Georgetown baskets).

Likes:

Nate Lubick's First Half Effort - FINALLY I can say I was impressed with something Thundersnow did! Lubick had all 4 of his points and rebounds, his 1 steal, his 1 assist, and 1 of his 2 blocks in a 10-minutes span in the first half. Granted, he did next to nothing for the rest of the game, he missed both of the free throws he took, and he shot ANOTHER 3-pointer (which, of course, he missed), I am impressed with Lubick amping up the effort in this one, even if it was for just about 10 minutes.

Henry Sims' Defense - Despite Henry's inability to score, he showed up on the defensive end this afternoon. 4 blocks and 8 rebounds for a guy who averages 1.5 and 5.3 a game, respectively, was sort of expected in this game because of Sims' size advantage. Nonetheless, these are the type of stats we'd like to see from Henry going forward, on the defensive side at least.

Forcing Turnovers Instead of Making Them - Georgetown finally won the turnover battle, committing only 7 to Providence's 13. Georgetown's tenacious defense in the first half caused the frustrated Friars to start forcing things on the offensive side of the court, resulting in even more mistakes. The press didn't work so great for forcing turnovers today, but keeping Providence off the scoreboard early definitely helped.

Dislikes:

Inability to Finish the Half Strongly - As mentioned before, Georgetown had a 14-point lead with less than 2 minutes remaining in the first half and were completely in control of the game. Providence then went on a mini 6-0 run to end the half. In a game in which it was obvious nobody was going to be scoring very many points, causing a lead of that size to shrink by almost 50% in such a short period of time after scoring 13 points through 18 minutes surely gave the pesky Friars a significant amount of confidence going into the locker room. One thing an elite team cannot do is allow lesser teams to stay in games. Georgetown's inability to finish the first half strongly allowed Providence to stay in the game.

Allowing Providence into the Bonus Early - The Friars were into the bonus with 8:05 remaining in the first half. Providence was shooting poorly from the field and Georgetown provided them with a way to score points without even having to attempt a shot for the 40% of the first half. As a result, Providence finished the half making as many free throws as field goals (6). This contributed to Georgetown's inability to hold their lead moving into halftime, as noted above.

Not Feeding the Hot Hand - The most infuriating part of this game, aside from Hank's complete ineptitude on the offensive side of the court, was Markel Starks taking just 3 shots. While I realize that Starks was in foul trouble and finished the game with 4 fouls, he did play 25 minutes and he has been, by a WIDE margin, the hottest player on this team. This guy carried you past Memphis and through Louisville, why would you not rely on him to provide much-needed offense when the rest of the team was cold?

Three Key Plays You May Not Remember:

1) With Georgetown hanging onto a precarious 7-point lead a few minutes into the second half, LaDontae Henton stole the ball from Hank Sims and with a chance to narrow the lead to 5, Hank made up for his turnover by blocking Vincent Council's layup attempt. 4 seconds later, Jason Clark hit a layup that extended the Hoya lead to 9. This delayed the Friar onslaught for a small time, as it took Providence another 3 minutes to whittle the lead down to 5.

2) Georgetown was up 13 with just over 9 minutes left in the first half when Clark committed a foul. Before Providence could even inbound the ball, Lubick was slapped with a foul as well. Two fouls with no time run off the clock. Some senseless work while the ball wasn't in play gave Georgetown their 6th foul, giving the Friars free throws for the rest of the half.

3) Up 27-13 with 2 minutes to play in the first half, Henry Sims was given the ball deep in the paint but missed a layup that would have put Georgetown up 16 with time running down in the half. 5 seconds later, Bryce Cotton hit a 3-pointer and Georgetown's lead was just 11. Sims' missed opportunity caused a 5-point swing which provided Providence with momentum to finish the half.

It Was Over When: Markel Starks stole the ball from Vincent Council with 30 seconds remaining, dished to Jason Clark, who ran the floor and dumped the ball in the hoop with the foul to give Georgetown the 9-point lead they would finish the game with.

Now for a big home test against Marquette on Wednesday.

#12 Georgetown (10-1) at #4 Louisville (12-0) Recap

This is the first installment of a series of recaps I will write for each of the Hoyas' remaining basketball games. Expect to see my own personal take on the events of the game rather than a simple summary of the game.


First of all: wow, what a win. We all thought that Georgetown's stunning road win at Alabama would define their season. I think we can all agree now that the only way this could be topped would be with a win at Syracuse in February. With this win, Georgetown becomes the first team in college basketball to win 3 games against ranked opponents. When we look back, doesn't that Kansas game seem incredibly winnable, considering the Jayhawks' recent struggles? Imagine what we'd be saying if the Hoyas were 12-0, but I digress.

This game featured another gritty effort from Markel Starks, who missed only one shot and was perfect from 3-point land. We spent the first 10 games being impressed with the emergence of Henry Sims and now we can drool as we watch Markel turn into the leader he absolutely MUST be going forward for the Hoyas. This gives Hoya fans lots to be excited about for the next few weeks, and with Marquette now on the schnide, the Hoyas may not play another great team until their home matchup with UConn at the beginning of February. Georgetown must take advantage of their relatively easy schedule in early Big East play if they want to have momentum going into the Syracuse/UConn games later on.

Likes:
The Freshmen - Otto Porter can hit clutch free throws and this team can, once again, hang with a great team with only underclassmen on the floor. When your oldest player on the floor is Markel Starks and you are hanging with the #4 team in the country, you know you've got something special. Tip of the hat to Jabril Trawick and his attitude. We definitely need a thug on this team and Jabril doesn't take crap from anybody.
Defending the Perimeter - This team got beat bad in the tournament last year partly because VCU took advantage of the shots they were allowed to take along the perimeter. Louisville only shot 33% from behind the arc, and they sport two excellent distance shooters in Kyle Kuric and Russ Smith. An impressive effort for sure.

Dislikes:
Turnovers - Oh man, do I hate turnovers. If I have one gripe about this team, it would be its propensity for losing the ball. Georgetown coughed up the ball 9 times in the first half alone, 16 time in total. That is not how you win basketball games against good teams. Georgetown was able to build it's large lead in the 2nd half because it STOPPED turning the ball over. In fact, they gave it up only twice in the 2nd half before Louisville's run. I know Georgetown sports a young team and young teams will be prone to making mistakes, but these guys have to understand that turning the ball over can cost you the game. Heck, it damn near cost them this one.
Jason Clark is Cold Again - Jason was 2 of 8 from the field for just 7 points. No bueno. This team lived off of Clark's hot shooting at the beginning of the year. Despite the emergence of Porter/Starks, they cannot count on those two guys to always be there and Clark needs to find his stroke again. If he doesn't, we'll be talking about him the same way we were at the end of last year, describing him as a player who disappears in the part of the season that counts the most.
Nate Lubick - If you know me, then you know I've hated Lube since the first time I saw his snowy white face on the court last year. This guy is terrible. He takes deep shots that someone of his ability should not be taking (he never makes them either), he is a turnover machine (3 turnovers in just 12 minutes in this game) and he doesn't score (averaging 4 PPG this season).

Three Key Plays You May Not Remember:
1) Just after Hollis Thompson hit a 3-pointer with 8:46 to go in the 2nd half to put the Hoyas up 4, Louisville called a timeout. Louisville coach Rick Pitino was promptly hit with a technical foul, much to the dismay of the entire KFC Yum! Arena. When reviewed, it didn't look like Pitino did anything to warrant the tech, but Jason Clark made both free throws, which increased the Hoya lead to 6. In just 8 seconds, the game went from being a manageable 2-basket game to being a significant deficit with time running down.
2) Henry Sims missed a layup after Kyle Kuric's 3-pointer narrowed the Hoya lead to 7 with just under 6 minutes left. Peyton Siva rebounded the ball, ran the length of the floor in 4 seconds, and attempted a circus layup with 3 Hoyas surrounding him. Jason Clark blocked the shot, and 12 seconds later, Henry Sims hit an easy layup to put the Hoyas back up 9 with just over 5 minutes left. Siva's poor decision to shoot instead of pass or set up the offense resulted in a basket for the Hoyas instead of one for the Cards.
3) With 1 minute left and down just 4 points, Louisville had a chance to make it a one-possession game again. Instead of using the shot clock and finding a quality shot, the Cardinals used just 12 seconds before Kuric hoisted up a highly contested shot from 26 feet away. He missed and the Hoyas regained possession and increased their lead to 6 shortly after. Had Louisville had just a little more patience, they could have put a bit more pressure on the Hoyas.

It Was Over When: Otto Porter, with ice in his veins, nailed 4 straight free throws in the last 40 seconds of the game to put it out of reach for the Cardinals.

Show 2.13: December 16, 2011

To listen to the show, CLICK HERE


This is our last show of semester...good luck on exams and have a Merry Christmas!

On the Docket:

STATE OF THE HOYA

Close game vs. Howard: any reason for concern?

Rankings change: up to #16

Injury updates: Tyler Adams out indefinitely: effect on team…

NCAA BBALL

New rankings: SU #1

Upsets: Kentucky by Indiana (wow!), OSU by Kansas

Xavier/Cincy brawl: should they cancel the rivalry games because of this?

NCAA FBALL

RGIII: deserves the Heisman?

NFL

Will Tebow get destroyed by the Pats? And will people finally shut up?

NFC East getting interesting: Cowboys still have a shot?

Houston Texans in playoffs for the first time…with TJ Yates

Playoff predictions…division by division, wildcard

NBA

Big names on the move...Chandler to Knicks, Paul to Clippers

Who is the best in the Eastern Conference now?? Heat? Knicks? Other?

LA divided: Clippers stand a chance vs. Lakers?

PREDICTIONS

Bama vs. LSU                                           Will Packers go undefeated?

Winner of NFC East                                 More points over the break: Clark, Hollis?

Heat @ Mavs                                            Bigger margin victory: OSU (SC), SU (NC St)

Bulls @ Lakers

Giants @ Jets (Christmas Eve)

Show 2.12: December 9, 2011

To listen to the show, CLICK HERE

Lessons learned in 2011 sports

It's already the end of the semester — the BCS bowl season has arrived, the NFL playoff picture is becoming clearer and the Hoyas are defying expectations on the hardwood. When you forget about final exams, it's definitely the most wonderful time of the year.

Now is also a great time to reflect on the lessons we have learned over the past few months. Not the lessons in the classroom, but the ones we witnessed on TV and in the arena. Here are the top 10 things we have discovered this semester in the world of sports.

10. The BCS system will always be controversial. We knew all along that LSU was the best team in the nation, but the question remains: Who is the second-best? The computers and voters have decided it's Alabama, but that doesn't really answer the question. In fact, we'll never really know the answer, although many of us are clamoring to see Oklahoma State battle LSU in what would have been a high-scoring affair. Instead, we're stuck with a defensive struggle that should come down to field goals. It's deja vu all over again.

9. Coaches are only as good as their players. See Caldwell, Jim. He can't muster a single win without his star quarterback, Peyton Manning. There's no question about who's really running the show in Indianapolis. Maybe the same could be said about Belichick and Brady or McCarthy and Rodgers. Do they win all those games without clutch performances by their field generals? You can draw up a brilliant game plan, but without the right players to execute it, the strategy fails.

8. Professional sports are all about the money. Both the NBA and NFL lockouts can attest to that. For months, there was a constant flow of players and owners walking in and out of fancy hotel conference rooms, with both parties being stubborn and unwilling to compromise. It was reminiscent of the eggheads on Capitol Hill. So while we're sitting on our couches and cheering in the stands, don't forget that there's more at stake than just a number in the win column. Massive amounts of money are changing hands.

7. Money is poison. When you're not getting paid, you are motivated to get paid. When you are getting paid, that spark seems to disappear. This year, Michael Vick, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Chris Johnson all signed big contract extensions. All three have also flopped on the field. Although Johnson has been steadily improving, Fitzpatrick has led the Bills to a 5-8 record after starting the season 5-2. And Vick — need I say more?

6. The college kids are taking over. With the NBA taking an extended leave of absence, college basketball has the spotlight all to itself, and it has hardly disappointed. Does anyone even watch the NBA regular season? At least it's now official.

5. The "Freshman 15" has been redefined. It's now the "Freshman 20," and it's not caused by Chicken Finger Thursday. Instead, it's the number of points that our Hoya freshmen are averaging on the basketball court. When ESPN ranked our recruiting class as the 14th-best in the nation, they weren't kidding. Led by forward Otto Porter, our young guns have become a sensation on campus.

4. Don't be fooled by expectations. Early in the semester, things were looking grim for Hoya basketball, and I personally wrote several scathing, critical articles. How quickly things have changed. We are now standing at 7-1 and are ranked No. 18 in the country. Big thanks to senior center Henry Sims for his high level of play.

3. Speaking of expectations, how about Tim Tebow? Denver's approach may be unorthodox, but it's certainly working, and Tebowmania is sweeping the nation. He doesn't throw, but he can run. And he can pray. Enough said.

2. Except for Tebow, who probably doesn't even swear, we've all got some baggage. And as hard as we try to forget it or cover it up, it's going to come back to bite us. Unfortunately for Joe Paterno, the truth got the best of him. It's a shame that such a legendary program and beloved coach ended his career on such shocking and embarrassing terms. Mistakes can define a career for eternity.

1. Character matters. It's why JoePa walked out with his tail between his legs. It's why we hate stompers like Ndamukong Suh. It's why we love Tim Tebow. You'll get noticed for your touchdowns and three-pointers, but you'll be remembered for something much more intangible. In the end, it's not what you did, but how you did it. You never want to be stuck on Santa's naughty list.

Show 2.11: December 2, 2011

To listen to the podcast, CLICK HERE
(we apologize for technical difficulties in the first chapter)

On the docket:

STATE OF THE HOYA

Amazing game last night…break it down

Hollis is clutch!

How have Hoyas done so far this year? 

MVP? Mr. Clutch Clark, Hank Sims? Freshman class?

NCAA Bball

UNC falls, OSU destroys Duke

More concern: UNC or Duke?

Who’s the team to beat in the Big East? Still Syracuse?

Who is #1: OSU or Kentucky?

NCAA Football

LSU and Alabama in BCS?

If not, who is the legitimate #2?

Unravel the BCS nightmare…

NBA

New deal reached!

Is this season a joke? Deal or No Deal?

Who wins the championship?

Does Chris Paul going to the Knicks make them better than the Heat?

NFL

Suh suspended…right move? Too little?

UNDER REVIEW

Jordan: Eagles are more of a disappointment than Redsox

PREDICTIONS

1.      UNC @ UK (Saturday)                      4. Tebow: 11 or more completions?

2.      Oklahoma @ Ok. St.                          5. Wisconsin @ Mich. State

3.      NE against the spread (21)                 6. Clark vs. Freshmen: more pts. scored?