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Georgetown Basketball: February 2013 News Archive

Georgetown 79, Connecticut 78 (2OT) 2/27/13 11:00 pm EST

In the wildest game of the 2012-13 season, Georgetown's Otto Porter scored 22 points, including a driving layup with nine seconds remaining in double overtime as the #7-ranked Georgetown Hoyas overcame a seven point deficit in the final 1:50 of the second extra period, escaping Gampel Pavilion with a 79-78 win over Connecticut, its tenth straight victory in Big East play.

This was a game where the Huskies (19-8) came back from 12 down with 4:36 in regulation and down five with one minute remaining, but also where Georgetown scored the last eight points of the double overtime period in dramatic form.

Georgetown opened with the first five points of the game but defense on both sides soon overwhelmed the game. From an 11-11 tie with 12:47 to play, the teams managed just six field goals combined for the remainder of the half, with Georgetown missing 13 straight shots over eleven minutes, a run that ended with a Jabril Trawick layup at the 56 second mark. Connecticut was strong in attacking the basket off transition, but had no outside shot and led by only three at the half, 22-19. The teams combined for 15 field goals and 18 turnovers, but its leading scorers--Shabazz Napier (0-3), Otto Porter (0-1)-- were absent from the stat sheet. UConn scored 16 of its 22 first half points inside, shooting 34 percent from the field compared to just 28 percent for the Hoyas (6-21). The 19 points was the fewest scored by Georgetown in a a first half since the Towson game on Dec. 8.

Shabazz Napier scored the first points of the second half for UConn, but Georgetown began a 17-6 run over the next five minutes, with two threes from Markel Starks and one from Otto Porter to put the Hoyas up six, 36-30. Georgetown led by as many as 11 on two different locations, then survived a run where the schools combined for three pointers on four consecutive possessions, with the Hoyas holding a 50-39 advantage midway in the half.

The air assault kept coming. A D'Vauntes Smith Rivera three, Georgetown's eighth of the half, was matched by Ryan Boatright for UConn's fifth of the half, 53-44. UConn's DeAndre Daniels scored the next seven for UConn, but baskets by Porter and Smith-Rivera kept the lead in double digits until the 4:46 mark, 60-48, when UConn began to return to its first half inside game, outscoring the Hoyas 7-0 and closing to 60-55 at the 3:10 mark.

Porter had scored 13 second half points, but on GU's next drive he was stuffed inside, with UConn getting two of two from Daniels at the line, 60-57. A busy possession followed for the Hoyas, with Starks missing a three, Lubick snaring a held ball which gave Georgetown a second chance, only to see Starks miss a second there, returning the ball to UConn. With the huskies looking to tie the score, Smith-Rivers picked Napier at halfcourt, and raced for the basket, giving Georgetown a 62-57 lead at the one minute mark.

And then things got crazy.

Fouled with 51 seconds remaining, UConn's Ryan Boatright missed the front end of the one and one, and the Hoyas were milking the clock until Lubick was called for a moving screen with 23 seconds to play, still up five. Off the foul, the Huskies missed a field goal but Omar Calhoun picked up the offensive rebound and drove in for a quick two, 62-59. Fouled with seven seconds to play, up three, Starks needed one free throw to put the game away but missed the front end of the one and one, whereby Calhoun drained a 26 footer with 2.2 seconds left, 62-62. Off a Georgetown time out to set up a last second play, the inbound pass from Nate Lubick was picked off by Niles Giffey, who nearly won the game with a shot at the buzzer, ending a run of five points in the final ten seconds and forcing the first overtime between the schools in 32 years.

 22
Three pointers,
combined

1
1st half pts.
Otto Porter

21
2nd half pts.
Otto Porter

0
1st half pts.
Shabazz Napier

16
2nd half pts.
Shabazz Napier

+10
UC advantage,
rebounds

10
Rebounds,
DeAndre Daniels

19-1
First GU win since
1987 when Uconn scored
70 or more
points vs. GU

Starks scored the first five points for Georgetown to open the overtime, but UConn continued its inside-outside game, with a Napier three giving UConn a 69-67 lead. Otto Porter drove inside to tie the score at the 2:39 mark, and the defense soon tightened up on both sides. Georgetown held for the last shot at the 30 second mark, but Porter was blocked inside. In transition with five seconds remaining, Ryan Boatright missed a wide open DeAndre Daniels under the basket, tossing up a basket that sailed wide at the buzzer, 69-69.

The start of the second overtime looked grim for the Hoyas, which had not won a multi-overtime game since the 2000 NIT versus Virginia. UConn's DeAndre Daniels drained a three to open the period, part of a 9-2 run which saw the Huskies pull away at 78-71. Down and nearly out, Porter hit a long three with 1:50 to play, 78-74. One the ensuing possession, Georgetown's defense caught a break when Smith-Rivera forced a turnover but lost it out of bounds, but the shot clock did not reset. Off a Napier missed three, the Huskies turned over possession on a shot clock violation. On Georgetown's next possession, Smith-Rivera shook off an apparent wrist injury in the previous series to nail a big three from the wing with 49 seconds remaining, 78-77 and the Hoyas were back in it.

"I said, 'Let's get a stop and then get it to Otto and let him go," said Georgetown coach John Thompson III. "I didn't want to take a timeout and let them set up their defense."

Into the final seconds of double overtime, UConn held the ball and the Hoya defense was as good as it was all evening, with Starks forcing a steal that DSR lost out of bounds but the Hoyas again kept the shot clock in their favor. Napier's shot with 14 seconds to play was again broken up by Smith-Rivera and Porter took over, driving into three Huskies for the layup with nine seconds remaining, 79-78.

"Once we got the stop," said Porter, "I just sprinted the lane."

Despite still having nine seconds to work with, UConn's movement into the frontcourt was slowed by sound defense by Smith-Rivera. Much like the end of the first overtime, Boatright failed to see a teammate (Giffey) open under the basket. Instead, cornered by the UConn bench, Boatright missed a three as the buzzer sounded.

The final two minutes of the game told the story:

Georgetown:
1:49: Three pointer, Porter
 
0:49: Three pointer, Smith-Rivera
0:09: Layup, Porter		 Connecticut:
1:15: Missed three pointer, Napier
1:09: Turnover
0:15: Turnover
0:00: Missed three pointer, Boatright

The teams combined for a remarkable 15 second half threes: eight for Georgetown, seven for Connecticut. DeAndre Daniels led the Huskies with 25 points and ten rebounds while Porter led the Hoyas with 22 points, 21 after halftime.

Georgetown's contributions were team-wide. Despite the late game miss at the line, Starks had a big night with 19 points and four threes, followed by 14 from Smith-Rivera. Nate Lubick had nine points, seven rebounds, and six assists, while Mikael Hopkins had eight points and four rebounds in limited play due to foul trouble, but played a big role down the stretch defensively in the overtime.

The Hoyas ended the game shooting 47 percent from the field, including 7 for 12 in the overtime period. UConn battled to the end thanks to 11 threes and a 38-28 rebound margin, but gave up 18 turnovers, including three in the second overtime and two in the final three possessions.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Starks       49   3-7   4-10  1-2   2   1  4   19
Trawick      44   1-2   1-1   0-0   1   3  0    5
Porter       49   4-8   3-4   5-7   5   4  2   22
Lubick       40   4-6   0-0   1-2   7   6  5    9
Hopkins      20   2-4   0-0   4-4   4   2  4    8
Reserves:
Smith-Rivera 37   2-8   3-4   1-2   3   0  2   14
Bowen         3   0-2   0-1   2-2   1   0  1    2
Ayegba        8   0-0   0-0   0-0   2   0  1    0
DNP: Allen, Bolden, Caprio, Domingo, Hayes
Injured: Adams
Suspended: Whittington
Team Rebounds                       3
TOTALS      250  16-37 11-20 14-19 28  16 19   79

Additional coverage follows below.

Saturday's Big News 2/25/13  

Courtesy of the Georgetown Hoops Twitter feed, a collection of the online coverage following Saturday's game:

Hoyas Win: The Call From Rich Chvotkin 2/25/13  

From Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post, the last 10 seconds of the game from announcer Rich Chvotkin.

ESPN: Porter In "Elite Company" 2/25/13  

If some in the college basketball world still didn't know much about Otto Porter, Saturday's 33 point effort against #8 Syracuse opened some eyes.

"Otto Porter should be in the national player of the year conversation. Right now," writes Dana O'Neil at ESPN.com. "Because even on the laundry list of impressive things Trey Burke, Victor Oladipo, Doug McDermott and Cody Zeller have accomplished this season, none have done what Porter did on Saturday."

"Namely, he convinced 35,012 people who desperately wanted to despise him to instead shuffle quietly out the doors with a deferential tip of the cap."

Or as one Syracuse fan told her about Porter's play, "This is just unbelievable. I've never seen anything like it."

Back To Back 2/25/13  

With D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera scoring 33 Wednesday versus DePaul and Otto Porter matching it Saturday, when was the last time two Georgetown players scored 30 or more in back to back games?

It was 17 years ago, and it not only happened twice in a row, but in four consecutive games near the end of the 1995-96 season. Sophomore guard Allen Iverson scored 34 in a loss to Providence, than returned home to score 37 in Georgetown's epic 106-68 rout of #6-ranked Villanova in the regular season finale. Five days later at the Big East tournament, Iverson dominated Miami with a 38 point effort in the quarterfinals, followed by 34 from freshman Victor Page in the semifinal versus Villanova.

All in all, the "30 back to back" has happened eight other times in Georgetown history:

30 Or More Points In Consecutive Games:
Date Score Opponent Site High Scorer
12/29/62 L 77 85 vs Western Michigan Cobo Hall Jim Barry, 35
1/3/63 W 108 83 Loyola McDonough Gym Jim Barry, 31
2/10/63 W 85 84 Holy Cross McDonough Gym Jim Christy, 34
2/16/63 W 89 87 Manhattan McDonough Gym Jim Barry, 39
2/23/63 L 84 97 at Rhode Island Keaney Gym Jim Christy, 32
2/26/63 L 72 75 at LaSalle Palestra Jim Barry, 30
12/12/68 L 73 74 OT George Washington McDonough Gym Charlie Adrion, 31
12/14/68 L 61 74 at St. John's Alumni Hall Charlie Adrion, 33
12/4/82 W 70 66 OT at Western Kentucky E.A. Diddle Arena Patrick Ewing, 30
12/8/82 W 99 76 Alabama St. Capital Centre Bill Martin, 30
1/28/87 L 79 82 at Providence Civic Ctr. Reggie Williams, 33
1/31/87 W 83 81 Syracuse Capital Centre Reggie Williams, 30
12/3/94 W 74 68 DePaul US Air Arena Allen Iverson, 31
12/7/94 W 76 74 Providence US Air Arena Allen Iverson, 30
2/27/96 L 77 84 at Providence Civic Ctr. Allen Iverson, 34
3/2/96 W 106 68 Villanova US Air Arena Allen Iverson, 37
3/7/96 W 92 62 vs Miami Madison Sq. Garden Allen Iverson, 38
3/8/96 W 84 76 vs Villanova Madison Sq. Garden Victor Page, 34
2/20/13 W 90 66 DePaul Verizon Center D. Smith-Rivera, 33
2/23/13 W 57 46 at Syracuse Carrier Dome Otto Porter, 33
 

One For The Ages 2/24/13  

Otto Porter accounted for 57.9 percent of his team's scoring in Saturday's win at Syracuse. It is only the 16th time in program history that one player with a minimum of 25 points in a game has accounted for more than 50 percent of the scoring, and Porter's percentage now leads all who came before him. The top 15:

Date Opponent City Site High Scorer Points % Total
2/23/2013 Syracuse (#8) Syracuse, NY Carrier Dome Otto Porter 33 57.9%
2/7/1962 St. Joseph's Philadelphia, PA Palestra Bob Sharpenter 40 57.1%
1/21/1997 St. John's Landover, MD US Air Arena Victor Page 35 56.5%
12/18/1953 LaSalle (#20) Philadelphia, PA Convention Hall Bill Cowley 27 55.1%
2/25/1964 Maryland College Park, MD Cole Field House Jim Christy 44 54.3%
1/27/1996 St. John's New York, NY Madison Sq. Garden Allen Iverson 39 54.2%
12/14/1968 St. John's New York, NY Alumni Hall Charlie Adrion 33 54.1%
2/15/1918 Gallaudet Washington, DC Ryan Gym Fred Fees 30 53.6%
1/25/1947 Niagara Buffalo, NY Buffalo Auditorium Andy Kostecka 35 53.0%
1/18/1997 Miami Miami, FL Miami Arena Victor Page 34 52.3%
1/27/1954 Duquesne (#2) Pittsburgh, PA Duquesne Gardens Warren Buehler 29 51.8%
2/27/1965 Fairleigh Dickinson Rutherford, NJ Campus Gym Jim Barry 46 50.5%
12/11/1947 Loyola-Chicago Washington, DC D.C. Armory Andy Kostecka 27 50.0%
3/5/1981 Seton Hall Syracuse, NY Carrier Dome Eric Floyd 29 50.0%
12/17/1988 DePaul Landover, MD Capital Centre Charles Smith 37 50.0%
 
Georgetown 57, Syracuse 46 2/23/13  

"I'm sure you guys are waiting for a Manley Field House type of statement. You're not going to get it."
--John Thompson III at post-game press conference

Georgetown went out on top.

With a career high 33 points from Otto Porter and the 10-rebound game of his life from reserve center Moses Ayegba, the #11 ranked Georgetown Hoyas ended the great legacy of its games in Syracuse as they began it--ending the nation's longest home winning streak in a masterful second half effort over #8 Syracuse, 57-46, before a record 35,012 at the Carrier Dome.

Syracuse entered the game having won 38 straight at the Carrier Dome since a Feb. 9, 2011 loss to Georgetown. Ranked in the top 10 nationally in four defensive statistics, Syracuse figured to be a tough defensive assignment and it was apparent from the start that Georgetown would have trouble on its hands, particularly inside.

Georgetown had no touch whatsoever to begin the game, missing its first nine attempts from three point range as the Syracuse zone frustrated Georgetown and depleted the shot clock on many early possessions. On the other side of the court, threes by Brandon Triche and James Southerland fueled an early 10-2 spurt to give the Orangemen a 12-4 lead eight minutes into the first half. Inside, Georgetown found little to work with, with Nate Lubick being blocked three times inside by taller SU defenders.

At the 10:58 mark of the first half, John Thompson III substituted Moses Ayegba for Mikael Hopkins. As 34,500 or so Syracuse fans collectively asked, "Moses who?", the substitution proved to be one of the biggest moves of the game. With Georgetown's move to a 2-3 zone and Ayegba tightening up the middle, Syracuse responded with a cold stretch of its own from outside, launching six straight misses from three and eight overall, many at an unnecessary 25 feet or more from the basket. Fighting back with better interior defense and points at the free throw line, the Hoyas closed to 13-12 at the 7:27 mark on its first three of the afternoon from Otto Porter, who accounted for nine of the Hoyas' first 12 points.

A cold wind continued across both sides of the Carrier Dome. Georgetown had missed 10 of 11 when Porter hit back to back baskets, giving Georgetown a 19-15 lead, a 15-3 run over the last nine minutes of play. Syracuse had missed 14 of its last 15, with just one basket since the 12:04 mark, when guard Michael Carter-Williams was fouled by D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera as he was driving for the basket at the 2:23 mark, 21-18. With Ayegba on the bench for the final 4:09 of the half, the Hoyas began to struggle on defense again. Feeding off consecutive Georgetown turnovers, Syracuse finished with the last eight points of the half as the Orangemen ended the half up two, 23-21.

Without Otto Porter, Georgetown might not have been let back in the building. Porter finished the first half 6 for 10 for 16 points, the rest of the Georgetown team finished a stunning 1 for 20 (.050) and contributed just five points, for a combined 7 for 30 from the field, 2 for 13 from three. Syracuse was 9 for 29 at the break, 3 for 15 from three, but outrebounded Georgetown 24-19 and had six blocks in the half compared to one for the Hoyas.

 38
Consecutive home
wins by Syracuse
entering game

19-1
SU record when
leading at halftime
before Saturday's game

12
Field goals,
Otto Porter

12
Field goals,
SU starting five

60%
Porter's shooting,
1st half

5%
Rest of team's
shooting, 1st half

12-19
Porter's shooting,
entire game

7-35
Rest of team's
shooting

10
Rebounds, Moses Ayegba

Scoring was at a premium. The 44 combined points between the teams was the fewest in a first half within the series since the eponymous Manley Field House game in 1980.

Georgetown opened the second half on a quick 5-0 run, with a three from Markel Starks and a tip-in from Nate Lubick to go up three, 26-23. An missed layup by Ayegba was cashed in on the other side of the court by Southerland, 26-25, for the Saltine Warriors' first basket of the half at the 16:12 mark. Down 27-26 at the 14:06 mark, the Hoyas put together its best run of the game, a 14-4 run which featured consecutive threes by Porter, a Lubick tip-in, a Porter jumper, and a DSR three that rattled and rolled into the basket to give Georgetown its largest lead to date at 39-31 with 11:26 to play.

The first eight minutes were a complete struggle for Syracuse. From its energized finish to end the first half, the Orangemen opened the second half 3 for 6 from the field but with four turnovers. Defense soon took its toll on the game clock: neither team scored for nearly three minutes until a James Southerland three brought the Orangemen to five at the 8:31 mark, 39-34. On Georgetown's next possession, a long three from Smith-Rivera was missed and was apparently tipped in by Syracuse center Rakeem Christmas, with Porter getting the two points en route to a new career high in scoring.

Syracuse's zone defense remained resolute, and Georgetown often was up against the shot clock when setting up plays. GU's first shot clock violation of the game came at the 7:08 mark, the first of three consecutive turnovers that closed the lead to four at the 6:07 mark. The game turned on a series which, had it gone to form, would have closed the lead and set the record breaking crowd into overdrive.

With 5:25 to play, a pass inside to center Rakeem Christmas was swatted away by Moses Ayegba, and Georgetown picked up its biggest play of the game on the next series. With the shot clock winding down and no good looks on his side of the court, Jabril Trawick found Porter open along on the far perimeter. late to the play, Brandon Triche fouled Porter with the shot, which sank for a three pointer and the foul, 45-37.

The Orangemen needed a response on its next two series, but Southerland drove into an offensive foul and C.J. Fair missed the front end of a one and one. With a tighter backcourt press, Syracuse defense forced turnovers on Georgetown's next two possessions, closing back to six at the 3:02 mark, 45-39. With time and patience on its side, Markel Starks found Jabril Trawick inside for a layup with 2:31 mark, 47-39, and off a Syracuse turnover, Trawick returned the favor to Starks for the layup, 49-41.

Forward Jerani Grant made one of two at the line to close to seven, 49-42, but Porter put it away with a basket and the foul to go up ten with 1:21 remaining. Georgetown made six of seven free throws down the stretch. A jumper by Triche, only his second field goal since the 12:54 mark of the first half, closed the scoring with 25 seconds left. Syracuse opted not to foul as the Hoyas ran out the clock.

Porter's numbers were remarkable: 33 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals, 2 assists, one turnover. The rest of the team combined for 7 for 35 shooting, 2 for 15 from three. A similar disparity was seen on the orange half of the scoring ledger: forward C.J. Fair and James Southerland combined to go 10 for 24, the remainder of the team 7 for 26. The 46 points were the fewest points ever scored by a Syracuse team at the Carrier Dome, and the fewest scored in any game versus Georgetown since the 1942-43 season.

"We are a very young team,” said Georgetown coach John Thompson III. “But the guys are poised. But more importantly, we’ve taken a business-like approach to this year. And it shows up more at the defensive end, where the guys have done a very good job of helping each other, covering for each other.”

"They are a good defensive team, but I don’t think we attacked the zone very well," said Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim in post-game remarks. "Our defense was fine for a long time. It broke down a little bit in the second half a couple of times, but you’re not going to hold people in the 40s every time. Our offense just was not good enough today.”

"I thought Georgetown played a tremendous defensive game and I thought [Otto] Porter was clearly a difference in the game.”

The subdued quotes from the Syracuse locker room were reflective of how big this game was promoted, particularly in the local area. For a fan base which has set its calendars by the annual Georgetown game, losing its last home game versus Georgetown is the kind of defeat not easily forgotten among the Orangemen and their fans. For all the Georgetown greats that walked into the Carrier Dome, none had a game like Otto Porter.

And thanks to ESPN and the ACC, none ever will, either.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Starks       36   1-3   1-8   0-0   1   2  4    5
Trawick      20   1-3   0-2   2-2   2   5  3    4
Porter       40   7-9   5-10  4-4   8   2  2   33
Lubick       32   2-7   0-0   1-2   4   0  1    5
Hopkins      16   1-2   0-0   0-0   1   0  0    2
Reserves:
Smith-Rivera 29   0-3   1-5   4-4   4   2  1    7
Ayegba       27   0-2   0-0   1-2  10   0  3    1
DNP: Allen, Bolden, Bowen, Caprio, Domingo, Hayes
Injured: Adams
Suspended: Whittington
Team Rebounds                       4
TOTALS      200  12-29  7-25 12-14 34  11 14   57

Post game coverage follows below.

Georgetown-Syracuse Pre-Game Articles 2/23/13  

A game recap will be posted here at approximately 8:00 pm EST.

 
Carrier Dome: Ten Memorable Games 2/21/13

The Carrier Dome has not been friendly to Georgetown fans over the years: Georgetown is 8-21 all time in the building for men's basketball and has lost 14 of 17 since 1992.

Over the 32 years of games in the Dome between the schools, however, there has been no shortage of great games. Here are ten to remember:

  1. Feb. 9, 1981: Georgetown's debut at the Dome witnessed a memorable Big East performance by Syracuse senior Dan Schayes, who scored 19 points and collected 23 rebounds in a 66-64 Syracuse win. The rebound total remains the most by any Georgetown opponent since 1973.
  2. Jan. 17, 1983: Just two years earlier, Georgetown-Syracuse drew 17,092 at the Dome. Two years later, a record crowd of 31,327 saw the Orangemen erase a 21 point halftime deficit to lead with under 2:00 left, but Georgetown scored the last six points of the game to win 97-92, behind a Big East freshman record 31 points from Michael Jackson.
  3. Jan. 28, 1985: Two days removed from its loss to #2 St. John's, #1-ranked Georgetown was upset at the Dome, 65-63, before 32,329. Patrick Ewing's 21 points and 17 rebounds were matched by Rafael Addison's 26 point, 12 rebound effort, while Dwayne (Pearl) Washington engineered the last minute win.
  4. Feb. 22, 1987:Georgetown's 6-4 "point-center" Perry McDonald turns in a career 26 points and nine rebounds in a 72-71 upset of #9-ranked Syracuse. The Orangemen, en route to its first Final Four since 1975, shoot 15-34 from the line in the one point loss before 32,602.
  5. Jan. 24, 1988: One of the single most memorable games of the decade: in a season where the Hoyas upset the Orangemen twice on last second wins, the Hoyas saved some magic for its game in the Carrier Dome. Syracuse had all five starters in double figures and took the the lead with sight seconds left. "Charles Smith will take it all the way!" pronounced CBS' Billy Packer, and that is precisely what the 6-0 guard did, weaving right through the Orange defenses for a finger roll lay-up at the buzzer before 32,419 shocked Syracuse fans.
  6. March 4, 1990: The largest on-campus crowd in NCAA history (33,015) saw a wild game, including only the third ejection in coach John Thompson's 18 year tenure. Dwayne Bryant scores a career high 25 and the Hoyas lead go ahead by two with :05 left. Then, with time expiring and little hope for a long distance shot, Georgetown senior Sam Jefferson inexplicably fouls Syracuse's Billy Owens, allowing the Orange to send the game into overtime with free throws and to an eventual win.
  7. Feb. 26, 1995: Allen Iverson's debut at the Dome drew 31,643, but it was a career effort by senior Othella Harrington that paced the Hoyas, 81-78 over the #22 Orangemen. While Iverson scored 21, it was Harrington who finished with 27 points as Syracuse center J.B. Reafsnyder managed only six points in response.
  8. Jan. 29, 2001: A second half ejection of Wesley Wilson propelled Syracuse towards a 70-63 win over #10 Georgetown before only 21,603 due to poor weather. Syracuse big men Preston Schumpert and Damone Brown combined for 46 points and 18 rebounds, while Gerald Riley and Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje were a combined 0-10.
  9. Jan. 18, 2005: In John Thompson III's first Carrier Dome game, Brandon Bowman's buzzer beater was ruled a two pointer instead of a three because his big toe was on the line; in overtime, Gerry McNamara hit the biggest of his five threes on the evening for a 78-73 win before 23,485, marking Jim Boeheim's 12th overtime win in his last 13.
  10. Feb. 9, 2011: The Hoyas rallied for a 64-56 win, holding the #12 ranked Orangemen to one field goal in the final nine minutes of the game. The win ended a nine year losing streak at the Carrier Dome, and marked the largest margin of victory by a Georgetown team playing in Syracuse since the 1983-84 season.
  11. Feb. 8, 2012: In the fifth game where the Hoyas and Orangemen have gone to overtime in the Carrier Dome, a Kris Joseph three with 26 seconds in overtime was the margin of victory in a 64-61 overtime win, the 20th straight home win for the #2-ranked Orangemen, and the fifth overtime loss in as many games for Georgetown at the House That Jim Boeheim Built.
Georgetown At Syracuse: 1980 Through 2012 2/21/13
Date Score AP Ranking Leading Scorer Attend.
GU  SU
2/13/1980* Georgetown, 52-50   2 Eric Floyd, 21    9,234
2/9/1981 Syracuse, 66-64     Eric Floyd, 16  17,092
3/6/1981** Syracuse, 57-53     Eric Floyd, 26  17,101
1/17/1982 Syracuse, 75-70 8   Eric Floyd, 20  25,623
1/10/1983 Georgetown, 97-92 17 9 Michael Jackson, 31  31,327
1/30/1984 Georgetown, 80-67 4 20 Reggie Williams, 22  30,758
1/28/1985 Syracuse, 65-63 1 11 David Wingate, 16  32,329
2/23/1986 Syracuse, 64-63 13 9 Reggie Williams, 19  32,475
2/22/1987 Georgetown, 72-71 11 9 Perry McDonald, 26  32,602
1/24/1988 Georgetown, 69-68 15 14 Charles Smith, 13  32,419
3/5/1989 Syracuse, 82-76 2 6 Mark Tillmon, 18  32,683
3/4/1990 Syracuse, 89-87 (OT) 7 10 Dwayne Bryant, 25  33,015
3/3/1991 Syracuse, 62-58   6 Alonzo Mourning,  24  33,048
2/23/1992 Georgetown, 72-68 25 17 Alonzo Mourning,  27  32,996
2/8/1993 Syracuse, 76-61     Othella Harrington, 13  28,861
3/6/1994 Syracuse, 81-75   14 Othella Harrington, 19  30,205
2/26/1995 Georgetown, 81-78   11 Othella Harrington, 27  31,143
2/10/1996 Syracuse, 85-64 8 18 Jerome Williams, 24  32,589
2/8/1997 Syracuse, 77-74     Victor Page, 26  29,877
3/1/1998 Syracuse, 77-72 (OT)   22 Shernard Long, 24  27,726
2/27/2000 Syracuse, 67-52   13 Lee Scruggs, 22  31,009
1/29/2001 Syracuse, 70-63 10 12 Kevin Braswell, 23  21,054
2/24/2002 Georgetown, 75-69     Gerald Riley, 18  29,215
2/3/2003 Syracuse, 93-80   19 Mike Sweetney, 32  20,702
1/18/2005 Syracuse, 78-73 (OT)   7 Brandon Bowman, 19  23,485
2/26/2007 Syracuse, 72-58 12   Summers/Ewing Jr., 10  26,287
2/16/2008 Syracuse, 77-70 8   Jonathan Wallace, 26  31,327
2/14/2009 Syracuse, 98-94 (OT)   23 Chris Wright, 25  31,841
1/25/2010 Syracuse, 73-56 7 5 Austin Freeman, 23  26,508
2/9/2011 Georgetown, 64-56 11 12 Austin Freeman, 14  26,904
2/8/2012 Syracuse, 64-61 (OT) 12 2 Otto Porter, 14  27,820
* Manley Field House, all others at Carrier Dome
** 1981 Big East Tournament
 
Carrier Dome Sold Out For Saturday's Game 2/20/13

The end of the Georgetown-Syracuse rivalry is taken seriously in upstate New York, where Syracuse officials have already announced 35,012 tickets have been sold for the Feb. 23 game, a new Carrier Dome record.

It's only the second game since the Dome opened in 1980 that was announced as a sellout before the game, according to the Syracuse Post-Standard. The latest prices via Stubhub for the game range from $24 per ticket (an obstructed view upper deck seat, at the opposite end of where the basketball court sits) to $3,950 courtside.

Georgetown 90, DePaul 66 2/21/13  

With Otto Porter banged up in the first half, D'Vauntes Smith Rivera stepped up for a career high 33 points as Georgetown won its 20th game of the 2012-13 season in a 90-66 win over the Blue Demons before 9,987 at Verizon Center Wednesday.

DePaul scored the first five points of the game and led 7-2 with a combination of some good inside shooting and rebounding, but the Hoyas were warming up behind the three point line. With Mikael Hopkins in early foul trouble, Jabril Trawick and D'Vauntes Smith Rivera opened up the three pointers on back to back possessions, while Markel Starks added a three to give Georgetown the lead for good at the 12:00 mark of the first half, 13-11. Off the 12 minute time out, DePaul coach Oliver Purnell picked up a technical foul, perhaps mindful of the turnaround that Mike Brey engendered the night before in Notre Dame's dramatic upset of Pitt. No such drama for DePaul, however, as Smith-Rivera scored the next two baskets and GU was up for good, 19-14.

At one point in the first half, Georgetown scored on 10 of its next 11 field goals, many of which were layups and easy drives inside against the Big East's poorest defensive team. Surrendering just three turnovers in the first 20 minutes and outscoring DePaul 17-0 on points off turnovers, Georgetown took a 43-29 lead into intermission.

Otto Porter opened the second half with a basket, which would be his lone points of the half, as he was held out of most of the second half as a precautionary measure. Up 12 at 47-35, DSR scored the next ten points to blast open the game, 57-38 at the 15:36 mark, as Georgetown's lead grew to 26, 67-41, with 12:21 to play. DePaul took a 9-0 run to close to 67-50 at the 10:26 mark, but a turnaround jumper from Hopkins and four more from Smith-Rivera pushed the lead back to 20. DePaul got no closer than 18 the rest of the way, as their outside shooting failed and Georgetown owned the defensive boards throughout the second half.

Smith-Rivera's 33 is the most points by a Georgetown freshman since Victor Page versus Villanova on March 8, 1996.

A team effort paced the stat charts for Georgetown's highest scoring output of the season. DSR was joined by 15 points and 8 rebounds from Nate Lubick, 13 from Trawick, and 11 from Porter. Markel Starks had eight points and seven of GU's 22 assists on the evening.

 61.5%
GU shooting, 1st half

65.4%
GU shooting, 1st half

22
GU assists

+14
DePaul advantage,
offensive rebounds

12
Consecutive wins by
GU over DePaul

41
Consecutive losses by
DePaul to
ranked opponents

Georgetown shot a solid 63 percent from the field, 9-15 from three point range, and held DePaul to 38 percent from the field and 3-16 from three point range, and was able to prevent the game from a complete rout thanks to an 18-2 advantage over GU on second chance points. Then again, when Georgetown is shooting 63 percent, there aren't a lot of second chances needed.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Starks       33   1-2   2-3   0-0   4   7  2    8
Trawick      26   4-4   1-2   2-3   3   1  3   13
Porter       20   2-7   1-2   4-6   3   2  0   11
Lubick       19   7-11  0-0   1-2   8   3  0   15
Hopkins      35   2-3   0-0   0-0   3   4  4    4
Reserves:
Smith-Rivera 34   5-6   5-6   8-10  3   1  0   33
Allen         1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  0    0
Bolden        1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  0    0
Bowen        12   3-4   0-0   0-0   3   1  4    6
Caprio        2   0-0   0-0   0-0   1   0  0    0
Domingo      11   0-0   0-2   0-0   1   1  1    0
Ayegba        6   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   2  2    0
Hayes         1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  0    0
Injured: Adams
Suspended: Whittington
Team Rebounds                       2
TOTALS      200  24-37  9-15 15-21 31  22 16   90

Post-game links follow below.

DSR: One For The (History) Books 2/21/13  

Not only was D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera's 33 points only the ninth total of 30 points or more in the JT III era (2004-present), it raises this question: when as the last non-starter to score 30 or more points in a Georgetown game?

According to the Georgetown Basketball History Project, it's happened only once before.

On March 5, 1988, Jaren Jackson came off the bench to score 38 in a 102-98 overtime win over Seton Hall at Capital Centre. Jackson and Mark Tillmon, who scored 35, combined for 73 of the Hoyas' 102 points that afternoon.

IAC Moving Forward 2/20/13  

The Georgetown University Board of Directors has authorized $5 million for design documents to be drafted for the Intercollegiate Athletics Center, the next hurdle in the effort to bring the first new athletic facility to the Hilltop since 1951.

A release at GUHoyas.com reads, in part, "Costs associated with obtaining the construction documents were built into the IAC's fundraising plan; the university has met the fundraising goals required to begin the construction documentation phase and implement the facility's design. The full design work will cost $5 million and take approximately 9 months to complete."

"The authorization to pursue the full design of the IAC is an affirmation of the central role that athletics play at Georgetown, not only for our talented student-athletes, but for the entire university community," said athletic director Lee Reed.

Reed cautioned that the $60 million needed in fundraising has not been met, only that the fundraising is at a point where design and construction documentation can begin.

"While this important milestone is a testament to the fundraising progress for the IAC to date, this building must meet the same high fundraising goals as other recent capital projects if it is to proceed on a fast schedule," Reed said. "We need as many philanthropic players as possible on the donor team to be successful in our efforts."

A slight design change in the illustration below notes the addition of a courtyard separating the practice courts from the offices per the most recent approvals by federal and community boards:

Carrier Dome: Ten Memorable Games 2/21/13

The Carrier Dome has not been friendly to Georgetown fans over the years: Georgetown is 8-21 all time in the building for men's basketball and has lost 14 of 17 since 1992.

Over the 32 years of games in the Dome between the schools, however, there has been no shortage of great games. Here are ten to remember:

  1. Feb. 9, 1981: Georgetown's debut at the Dome witnessed a memorable Big East performance by Syracuse senior Dan Schayes, who scored 19 points and collected 23 rebounds in a 66-64 Syracuse win. The rebound total remains the most by any Georgetown opponent since 1973.
  2. Jan. 17, 1983: Just two years earlier, Georgetown-Syracuse drew 17,092 at the Dome. Two years later, a record crowd of 31,327 saw the Orangemen erase a 21 point halftime deficit to lead with under 2:00 left, but Georgetown scored the last six points of the game to win 97-92, behind a Big East freshman record 31 points from Michael Jackson.
  3. Jan. 28, 1985: Two days removed from its loss to #2 St. John's, #1-ranked Georgetown was upset at the Dome, 65-63, before 32,329. Patrick Ewing's 21 points and 17 rebounds were matched by Rafael Addison's 26 point, 12 rebound effort, while Dwayne (Pearl) Washington engineered the last minute win.
  4. Feb. 22, 1987:Georgetown's 6-4 "point-center" Perry McDonald turns in a career 26 points and nine rebounds in a 72-71 upset of #9-ranked Syracuse. The Orangemen, en route to its first Final Four since 1975, shoot 15-34 from the line in the one point loss before 32,602.
  5. Jan. 24, 1988: One of the single most memorable games of the decade: in a season where the Hoyas upset the Orangemen twice on last second wins, the Hoyas saved some magic for its game in the Carrier Dome. Syracuse had all five starters in double figures and took the the lead with sight seconds left. "Charles Smith will take it all the way!" pronounced CBS' Billy Packer, and that is precisely what the 6-0 guard did, weaving right through the Orange defenses for a finger roll lay-up at the buzzer before 32,419 shocked Syracuse fans.
  6. March 4, 1990: The largest on-campus crowd in NCAA history (33,015) saw a wild game, including only the third ejection in coach John Thompson's 18 year tenure. Dwayne Bryant scores a career high 25 and the Hoyas lead go ahead by two with :05 left. Then, with time expiring and little hope for a long distance shot, Georgetown senior Sam Jefferson inexplicably fouls Syracuse's Billy Owens, allowing the Orange to send the game into overtime with free throws and to an eventual win.
  7. Feb. 26, 1995: Allen Iverson's debut at the Dome drew 31,643, but it was a career effort by senior Othella Harrington that paced the Hoyas, 81-78 over the #22 Orangemen. While Iverson scored 21, it was Harrington who finished with 27 points as Syracuse center J.B. Reafsnyder managed only six points in response.
  8. Jan. 29, 2001: A second half ejection of Wesley Wilson propelled Syracuse towards a 70-63 win over #10 Georgetown before only 21,603 due to poor weather. Syracuse big men Preston Schumpert and Damone Brown combined for 46 points and 18 rebounds, while Gerald Riley and Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje were a combined 0-10.
  9. Jan. 18, 2005: In John Thompson III's first Carrier Dome game, Brandon Bowman's buzzer beater was ruled a two pointer instead of a three because his big toe was on the line; in overtime, Gerry McNamara hit the biggest of his five threes on the evening for a 78-73 win before 23,485, marking Jim Boeheim's 12th overtime win in his last 13.
  10. Feb. 9, 2011: The Hoyas rallied for a 64-56 win, holding the #12 ranked Orangemen to one field goal in the final nine minutes of the game. The win ended a nine year losing streak at the Carrier Dome, and marked the largest margin of victory by a Georgetown team playing in Syracuse since the 1983-84 season.
  11. Feb. 8, 2012: In the fifth game where the Hoyas and Orangemen have gone to overtime in the Carrier Dome, a Kris Joseph three with 26 seconds in overtime was the margin of victory in a 64-61 overtime win, the 20th straight home win for the #2-ranked Orangemen, and the fifth overtime loss in as many games for Georgetown at the House That Jim Boeheim Built.
Georgetown At Syracuse: 1980 Through 2012 2/21/13
Date Score AP Ranking Leading Scorer Attend.
GU  SU
2/13/1980* Georgetown, 52-50   2 Eric Floyd, 21    9,234
2/9/1981 Syracuse, 66-64     Eric Floyd, 16  17,092
3/6/1981** Syracuse, 57-53     Eric Floyd, 26  17,101
1/17/1982 Syracuse, 75-70 8   Eric Floyd, 20  25,623
1/10/1983 Georgetown, 97-92 17 9 Michael Jackson, 31  31,327
1/30/1984 Georgetown, 80-67 4 20 Reggie Williams, 22  30,758
1/28/1985 Syracuse, 65-63 1 11 David Wingate, 16  32,329
2/23/1986 Syracuse, 64-63 13 9 Reggie Williams, 19  32,475
2/22/1987 Georgetown, 72-71 11 9 Perry McDonald, 26  32,602
1/24/1988 Georgetown, 69-68 15 14 Charles Smith, 13  32,419
3/5/1989 Syracuse, 82-76 2 6 Mark Tillmon, 18  32,683
3/4/1990 Syracuse, 89-87 (OT) 7 10 Dwayne Bryant, 25  33,015
3/3/1991 Syracuse, 62-58   6 Alonzo Mourning,  24  33,048
2/23/1992 Georgetown, 72-68 25 17 Alonzo Mourning,  27  32,996
2/8/1993 Syracuse, 76-61     Othella Harrington, 13  28,861
3/6/1994 Syracuse, 81-75   14 Othella Harrington, 19  30,205
2/26/1995 Georgetown, 81-78   11 Othella Harrington, 27  31,143
2/10/1996 Syracuse, 85-64 8 18 Jerome Williams, 24  32,589
2/8/1997 Syracuse, 77-74     Victor Page, 26  29,877
3/1/1998 Syracuse, 77-72 (OT)   22 Shernard Long, 24  27,726
2/27/2000 Syracuse, 67-52   13 Lee Scruggs, 22  31,009
1/29/2001 Syracuse, 70-63 10 12 Kevin Braswell, 23  21,054
2/24/2002 Georgetown, 75-69     Gerald Riley, 18  29,215
2/3/2003 Syracuse, 93-80   19 Mike Sweetney, 32  20,702
1/18/2005 Syracuse, 78-73 (OT)   7 Brandon Bowman, 19  23,485
2/26/2007 Syracuse, 72-58 12   Summers/Ewing Jr., 10  26,287
2/16/2008 Syracuse, 77-70 8   Jonathan Wallace, 26  31,327
2/14/2009 Syracuse, 98-94 (OT)   23 Chris Wright, 25  31,841
1/25/2010 Syracuse, 73-56 7 5 Austin Freeman, 23  26,508
2/9/2011 Georgetown, 64-56 11 12 Austin Freeman, 14  26,904
2/8/2012 Syracuse, 64-61 (OT) 12 2 Otto Porter, 14  27,820
* Manley Field House, all others at Carrier Dome
** 1981 Big East Tournament
 
Carrier Dome Sold Out For Saturday's Game 2/20/13

Meanwhile, the end of the Georgetown-Syracuse rivalry is taken seriously in upstate New York, where Syracuse officials have already announced 35,012 tickets have been sold for the Feb. 23 game, a new Carrier Dome record.

It's only the second game since the Dome opened in 1980 that was announced as a sellout before the game, according to the Syracuse Post-Standard. The latest prices via Stubhub for the game range from $24 per ticket (an obstructed view upper deck seat, at the opposite end of where the basketball court sits) to $3,950 courtside.

Georgetown 62, Cincinnati 55 2/15/13 11:30 pm EST  

Despite scoring one basket in the final 8:58 of the game, the #15-ranked Georgetown Hoyas won its seventh straight game, a hard fought 62-55 road win at Cincinnati Friday night.

Between two of the best defensive teams in the Big East, there was little surprise that the game would start out as a rock fight. Georgetown shot 3 for 10 to open the game, but Cincinnati fared none better, shooting 1 for 10 from the field but staying close via numerous free throw attempts. From its cold start, the Hoyas would score on its next six of eight from the field to lead 13-9.

Cincinnati struggled mightily from the free throw line. Despite putting four Georgetown starters in intermediate foul trouble with two fouls each, the Bearcats connected on only 8 of 17 attempts, which hurt as the Hoyas engineered an 11-5 run late in the first half behind baskets by Markel Starks, D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, and back to back baskets from Nate Lubick. Georgetown led by as many as eight in the final minute, but were stung by a defensive travel by Mikael Hopkins with one second in the half and a bad misread under the basket by Moses Ayegba which gave UC a layup at the buzzer to end the half, 31-25.

The returns at intermission were poor for both teams. Georgetown had just one offensive rebound by halftime and shot 1 for 9 from three point range, while Cincinnati was 1 for 11 from three. In its 35 first half possessions, the Bearcats did not manage baskets on any back to back possessions and shot just 8 for 26 overall.

Foul trouble was a running subplot throughout the second half. Markel Starks picked up his third 31 seconds into the second half, but answered on the next possession with with a drive to put the Hoyas up nine, 35-26. A possession with three straight offensive rebounds by Cincinnati forced Hopkins into his third foul at the 18:06 mark, part of a 5-0 Cincinnati run that was answered by back to back GU baskets to go back up eight, 39-31.

Porter's third foul came with 16:18 to play, Lubick's third a minute later. Porter took a brief seat on the bench, only to see Cincinnati score five straight, which was answered by back to back baskets from Smith-Rivera to go back up nine at the 12:00 mark, 47-38. Cincinnati turned up the intensity, blocking two Georgetown shots and scoring on two more to close to 47-42. A JaQuon Parker three pointer closed the margin to 47-45 at the 9:24 mark, which was answered by a Porter three thirty seconds later, 50-44. It was Georgetown's only basket in a six minute period midway during the half.

 18-18
FT shooting from
GU's Otto Porter,
last three games

8
UC blocked shots

9
UC 2nd half FG's

9
UC 2nd half FT's

+8
UC advantage,
offensive rebounds

+8
GU advantage,
bench points

0-4
GU shooting,
last 5 min.

1-9
UC shooting,
last 5 min.

Mikael Hopkins picked up his fourth fouling a three point shooter with 8:31 to play, Porter his fourth at the 7:29 mark. JaQuon Parker scored the next six for UC to regain the lead 51-50.

"That was a tough stretch where they were picking apart our zone," said coach John Thompson III. "Like I said before, we were in zone because of the foul situation and were just trying to hold on. Once we went back to man-to-man we settled down a little bit."

A markel Starks free throw tied the score, but Lubick's fourth foul followed with 6:04 to play, whereupon UC's Titus Rubles missed both free throws and Starks answered with a three at the 5:35 mark, 54-51.

"Their last two field goals were from guys that we committed to not let beat us," said Cincinnati coach Mike Cronin. "Porter hit a three and we didn’t switch... Starks went left corner and hit a three over Cheikh [Mbodj] that is supposed to be a trap. He shouldn’t have been able to get it off."

With 4:17 to play, an exchange during a loose ball at midcourt was ruled a double foul, taking out Hopkins with his fifth. Down two with 3:01 left, the Bearcats took threes on its next three possessions and missed them all, part of a five minute run without a field goal. For its part, Georgetown could not get a good shot either, but Porter got to the free throw line with 1:16 left, hitting both, 57-53.

Again Cincinnati went outside and again, similarly poor results. Instead of driving on any of the three Hoyas in foul trouble, a long three from Cashmere Wright was off, and Starks added one of two at the line at the 47 second mark to extend the lead to 58-53. Inexplicably, UC went outside again, missed, and sent Starks back for two at the line at the 31 seconds mark, 60-53. UC added a quick layup to close to 60-55, its first basket in seven minutes, Back at the line, Starks added two, and UC added two more misses from outside to close out the game.

"I shoot a lot of free throws every day,"Starks said in post-game remarks. "It just hurts when I miss one or two because in my head I think, I shoot so many of them. At the same time, you have to keep your composure because the crowd gets going and your nerves start to go. You just have to keep your composure and stay calm. You practice this shot every day. You just have to stay with it. I am glad I hit them.”

Georgetown's last eight points were from the free throw line, finishing 8 of 10 down the stretch and 18 for 24 overall, versus 17 for 30 for the Bearcats. The Hoyas outscored the Bearcats 12-4 in the final 6:53 of the game.

Next up, a midweek home game versus DePaul before traveling to Syracuse next weekend.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Starks       36   4-7   1-3   6-8   1   3  3   17
Trawick      30   1-4   0-3   1-2   4   0  4    3
Porter       32   3-6   1-2   7-7   7   1  4   16
Lubick       34   3-7   0-0   0-0   7   4  4    6
Hopkins      17   1-4   0-0   2-2   4   1  5    4
Reserves:
Smith-Rivera 33   4-7   1-3   3-4   4   2  0   14
Bowen         8   0-0   0-1   0-2   0   0  0    0
Ayegba       10   1-1   0-0   0-0   0   0  1    2
DNP: Allen, Bolden, Caprio, Domingo, Hayes
Injured: Adams
Suspended: Whittington
Team Rebounds                       5
TOTALS      200 17-36  3-12 19-25  32  11 21   62

Post-game links follow below.

Georgetown's Big Two 2/15/13  

One is quiet and self-assuming. Another likes to speak his mind and keep his coach guessing. Together, Otto Porter and Markel Starks have carried much of the load for the Hoyas this season, and both are the subject of a feature from the Associated Press.

"There are a lot of similarities between Otto and Jeff [Green] in many, many ways, said coach John Thompson III. "Their particular games aren't similar, but who they are as people, their caring, their ability to take over... [Otto] has the ability to take over a game because he's going to get that rebound. He made some terrific passes in that game the other day. His passing and his ability to create for others, I thought was terrific. He has the ability to dominate a game if he had six points in that game. Now, we need him not to have six points. We need him to have closer to what he's been doing, and he's been coming through."

Starks can get the coach's attention at times but he has also picked up his game when it counts. Starks told the AP that Porter is ready for the challenge.

"If that's what we need him to do, then that's what he's going to do," he said.

Spingarn: The Last Hurrah 2/14/13  

With the exception of his four years at Providence College and two in the NBA, John Thompson has lived in or near the District for 65 years. It is appropriate, therefore, for the Washington Post to get Thompson's thoughts on the end of basketball at Spingarn High School, which is closing this spring due to a severe decline in enrollment within the DC public school system.

Spingarn, created in 1952 during a period when Washington's public high schools were still segregated, was a sports power for five decades, beginning with its all-time all-star, Elgin (Rabbit) Baylor.

“All you would hear, everybody would talk about Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit,” Thompson said. “So he had an enormous impact on my desire to even want to play basketball, because at that point they were playing night games over at Spingarn, and a lot of the people who were coming out would be passing my home talking about Rabbit. That was his name. They called him Rabbit, not Elgin.”

The Green Wave was also the home for 26 All-Met selections over the years and NBA alumni such as Dave Bing, Ollie Johnson, Earl Jones, and Sherman Douglas. For Georgetown fans, Thompson recruited Billy Lynn (1972-76) and Michael Graham (1983-84) from the Benning Road school.

Though Thompson grew up near the Spingarn campus, he attended Archbishop Carroll, which defeated Spingarn for the 1960 city title. Thompson is mindful of the loss of Spingarn to the city's basketball culture, much as other schools from the past (Armstrong Tech, Central, Western, Mackin, St. Anthony's) have faded from civic memory.

"From the standpoint of whether the city can finance [Spingarn], whether there’s enough student population and those kind of things, that’s for somebody else to determine. I can’t determine that,” Thompson said. “But I hate the history of [losing] those things, and the impact of what those places had on us, to go along with the building. And unfortunately that will happen.”

Williams-Flournoy: Rebuilding At Auburn 2/14/13  

Former Georgetown women's basketball coach Terri Williams-Flournoy knows about rebuilding projects, but it doesn't make her first season at Auburn any less of a struggle, writes the Cullman (AL) Times.

After starting the season 11-3, the Tigers have dropped eight straight in SEC play, including a game where Auburn committed 30 turnovers and another where the Tigers shot 3-15 from the free throw line.

"It's the reason why you're taking over a program, so you have to expect that there are going to be growing pains there," Williams-Flournoy said. "You're adjusting to a new team. They're adjusting to a new coach."

AP: Big East To Sign With NBC 2/13/13  

The Associated Press is reporting that the Big East Conference is poised to sign a television contract with NBC Sports that will pay the 11 schools obligated to the league in 2014-15 approximately $2 million per school, down from the $3.1 million per school under the current ESPN contract that expires this spring and is expected to be renewed for an additional year through the 2013-14 season.

The $2 million per school offered by NBC is down from a reported $10 million per school discussed by the New York Daily News in August.

Why? Look no further than ESPN. It was the "Worldwide Leader In Sports" that was widely suspected to be destabilizing the Big East's negotiating leverage by encouraging the Atlantic Coast Conference to add Syracuse and Pittsburgh for the 2012-13 season, which was followed by a subsequent grab for Notre Dame and Louisville for 2014-15 and Rutgers following Maryland to the Big Ten Conference in 2014. With the loss of schools, the value dropped.

The $2 million sum would be a decided step up for the six new members joining the league (Central Florida, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, SMU, Tulane), which averaged about half that in Conference USA, but a far cry from that of other major conferences. Rutgers will leave for the Big Ten, where a partnership with Fox Sports guarantees the Scarlet Knights about $22 million per year in TV rights, while a 15 team ACC would receive approximately $15-17 million per school.

ESPN may also be trying to compete with Fox in establishing an ACC cable network, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The article notes initial discussions with ESPN on the subject, though the ACC's footprint would lack the Washington cable market with Maryland's planned exit.

An announcement from NBC is due within the next two weeks if ESPN does not match the offer, reports the source. If it chooses to match the offer, ESPN will have saved itself as much as $110 million a year over the life of the new contract, destroying the league in order to save it.

Rise Of The Stonewalls 2/13/13  

Despite a two year home record of 27-2, Georgetown's best since the Allen Iverson years of 1994 through 1996, student turnout at Verizon Center is surprisingly down, with prospects for a tepid turnout in two of the next three home games: a midweek game with DePaul and a rare Saturday night tilt versus Rutgers. The Hoya Blue student group has been less visible than in recent years, but the loyal students of the past may be gaining on them.

"Georgetown isn’t exactly known for their raucous home court atmosphere," writes NBCSports.com. "The Georgetown Stonewalls are looking to change that."

The young alumni section in Verizon Center section 118 known as the Stonewalls are enjoying a spirited turnout in their debut season, including its share of local and national press coverage. A large tifo (an Italian term for sports signage, usually seen at soccer matches) was displayed by the Stonewalls during Monday night's game with Marquette, celebrating some of Georgetown's expected post-Big East rivalries.

"Hopefully this is just a preview of what's to come from the Stonewalls because the idea of banners like this at every Georgetown home game has a lot of potential," writes Jeff Eisenberg at Yahoo Sports. "Roll-outs at Big Five games between Philadelphia rivals are one of college basketball's most fun traditions. This could be Georgetown's soccer-style answer to that."

Additional coverage follows below:

Georgetown 63, Marquette 55 2/11/13  

Three numbers set the tone for Georgetown's 63-55 win over Marquette at Verizon Center: 19, 21, and 24.

Marquette lost 19 turnovers, gave up 21 points to Georgetown's Otto Porter, and returned 24 points to Georgetown off those 19 turnovers in a game dominated by tough, physical defense and the inability of the Warriors to solve the Georgetown interior zone.

Early returns were promising for Marquette. Center Chris Otule, who entered the game averaging 4.6 points per game, opened the game shooting 4-4 as Marquette went inside and led 11-6. Georgetown managed just two baskets in the first seven minutes, but stayed close thanks to Marquette's shaky ball handling. Over a run which saw the Warriors lose the ball eight times midway in the half, Markel Starks added back to back threes to capture the lead, 14-11, and Georgetown never lost it thereafter.

Marquette was still shooting well (7 of 12 from the field) but by the middle of the first half it wasn't getting enough shot attempts due to numerous turnovers. The Warriors closed to 20-18 at the 5:33 mark before Georgetown closed out the half on a 13-5 run to lead by 10 at the break, 33-23. With 12 first half turnovers overall, Georgetown had nearly half its first quarter points (15 of 33) from points off turnovers.

Another slow start followed the Hoyas out of the locker room into the second half, but defense kept the lead in good stead. Georgetown missed its first six shots of the half and did not score a field goal until the 13:09 mark, but still led by six, 37-31. Marquette closed to three on a Jamil Wilson three, 37-34, and MU stood on the verge of getting back in the game when a loose ball under the Marquette basket was ruled in favor of Georgetown, sending Marquette's peripatetic Buzz Williams off the sidelines and en route to a technical foul.

It was Williams who earlier got away with running onto center court to call a timeout in the first half, but his outburst over what was basically a judgment call was ill-timed and ultimately deflating. Whatever momentum the Warriors were building soon fell by the wayside, as Georgetown outscored Marquette 8-2 over the next 1:27, and the lead was safely back in double digits, 45-35.

"If you want to make a big deal of it, yeah, I got a technical," said Williams in post-game remarks. "I was just hollering at whoever would listen to me."

 12-28
GU shooting,
Porter and Starks

8-24
GU shooting,
rest of team

0
GU bench pts., 2nd half

20
MU bench pts., 2nd half

13
GU off. rebounds

+4
GU advantage,
rebounding

+6
GU advantage,
free throw shooting

Otto Porter and Markel Starks drove the Hoyas home to the win with a number of alert plays. With MU still hanging around at the 10 minute mark, Starks sank back to back baskets at the 9:06 mark, 49-39, and a three pointer (Georgetown's only three of the half) at the 6:25 mark to go up 11, 54-43. Porter responded on the next series by threading the needle to a driving Mikael Hopkins, 56-43, as Hopkins enjoyed his second strong effort in as many games. A free throw by Nate Lubick built the lead to as many as 15 in the final three minutes.

Marquette struggled from outside all evening (4 for 12) and simply could not match the Hoyas with ball control, while Georgetown's second half ball control gave Marquette no easy opportunities to climb back in the game. The Hoyas lost only turnover in the last ten minutes of the game, a bad pass with 48 seconds to play with the outcome assured.

Porter led all scorers with 21 points and seven rebounds, including 7-7 from the line, followed by 16 from Markel Starks and 10 from Nate Lubick. Georgetown shot only 38 percent from the field but its defense held Marquette when it counted.

With the win, Georgetown ties Marquette for second place in the conference standings at 8-3, but goes on the road for three of its next four, beginning Friday at Cincinnati.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Starks       38   3-5   3-8   1-2   4   3  2   16
Trawick      28   1-2   0-3   1-2   2   3  3    3
Porter       37   4-9   2-6   7-7   7   3  2   21
Lubick       37   1-5   0-0   8-13  4   4  4   10
Hopkins      27   3-6   0-0   0-0   9   1  3    6
Reserves:
Smith-Rivera 25   2-4   1-4   0-0   2   0  0    7
Ayegba        8   0-0   0-0   0-0   2   0  4    0
DNP: Allen, Bolden, Bowen, Caprio, Domingo, Hayes
Injured: Adams
Suspended: Whittington
Team Rebounds                       2
TOTALS      200 14-31  6-21 17-24  32  14 18   63

Post-game links follow below.

Lorry Michel Joins Georgetown Hall Of Fame 2/11/13  

More than 300 guests joined the Georgetown community Saturday evening in saluting men's basketball trainer Lorry Michel and five former student athletes as the newest members of the Georgetown University Athletic Hall of Fame.

Michel, who joined the staff in 1977 as the first female trainer of a major college men's basketball program, has battled through a serious health issue over the past two seasons and thanked the numerous doctors and hospital staff in attendance for her recovery. She was introduced by former coach John Thompson, who noted her importance to the young men that have gone through the Georgetown program over nearly four decades.

"Coach Thompson, I can't thank you enough," Michel said. "He could have picked anybody he wanted and when he asked me, I told him that would be the biggest honor. To him, I'm grateful. If you love your job, it's not work, and I definitely loved my job. It's my life."

A large contingent of former players showed their support for Michel, among them Patrick Ewing, Reggie Williams, Michael Jackson, John Duren, and other former players ranging from the classes of 1978 through 2007, as well as the upperclassmen from the current varsity. The audience also viewed a taped message from Allen Iverson, who was rumored to be attending, but was not able to do so.

Michel was joined by fellow inductees Christi Constantin Ireland (C'93, track), Steffanie Smith Jasper (C'93, track), Edward McCabe (C'95, lacrosse), Timothy Keegan (B'94, soccer), and Chris Murphy (B'93, football).

"I want to say this to the recipients, that a lot of times people come up and talk about the number of graduates that we had in the basketball program," Thompson said. "That's irrelevant to me. Truthfully I don't know the number, but what is far more significant to me is what they do with their education. It just makes me feel so damn proud that some of the players that are in here can not only hear and understand what you folks did on the field or the court, but what you're doing with your lives, because to be educated and not use it is totally irrelevant."

Georgetown 69, Rutgers 63 2/10/13  

Otto Porter's 19 points and 14 rebounds helped Georgetown steer past Rutgers, 69-63, Saturday afternoon in New Brunswick, NJ.

Rutgers entered the game having dropped five straight and needed a inspired effort from its guards. They got it, as Eli Carter and Myles Mack successfully kept the Scarlet Knights in the game all afternoon, leveraging the early stages of the game to RU's advantage and not allowing the #20-ranked Hoyas to set the tone for the game.

From a 5-3 deficit early in the half, Georgetown held Rutgers without a field goal for over six minutes in building a 15-6 lead at the 12 minute mark. At a time of the game where a Seton hall or a St. John's let the lead get out of hand with poor outside shooting, Rutgers decided to go inside, helped in part on some baffling off foul calls that sidelined Nate Lubick with midway in the first half and neutralized his effectiveness all afternoon. Over RU's next four possessions, two layups and a dunk tied the score at 15. Four minutes later, when Georgetown was back up six, 27-21, Rutgers answered from outside, with consecutive threes to tie the score en route to a 33-33 tie at the break.

The first half box score was as good as Rutgers had hoped: 52 percent shooting from the field against the top ranked defense in the conference, 4-7 (57 percent) from three. Equally noteworthy, it had held the Georgetown front line of Porter, Lubick, and Hopkins to a combined 3-10 and six points despite Georgetown's size advantage inside. Whether good luck or good timing, Rutgers had plenty of both entering the second half.

"I can’t remember a team shooting 50 percent against us in a long time," said Georgetown coach John Thompson III in psot-game remarks.

"It was one of those games where we could tell early on it's going to come down to the end and we're going to have to make the plays at both ends of the court."

Georgetown had been carried in the first half by a combined 24 points from Markel Starks and D'Vauntes Smith Rivera, but picked up a big secpnd half from sophomore Mikael Hopkins, The pre-game report at this site noted that Hopkins could have a big game against Rutgers defensive sets, and hopkins was finally able to assert himself after halftime. Hopkins scored inside on Georgetown's first two possessions to return the lead back to GU, 37-33, and the Hoyas pushed it to six on an inside basket and foul shot by Otto Porter. back came the Rutgers artillery, as mack and Carter each sank long threes to tie the score at the 14:06 mark. For the next 13 minutes, no team led by more than two in what would become a chess match between the teams.

At the 12:48 mark, Hopkins stepped up again, with a layup and dunk, but Rutgers was able to convert its next two possessions via second chance points, and on Mack's third three of the game, Rutgers regained the lead, 52-51. The lead see-sawed over the next five minutes, and Rutgers look to have picked up the advantage when a phantom foul on Lubick sent him to the bench with his fifth. Free throws by Eli Carter carried RU back up one, 58-57 at the 6:11 mark when Otto Porter took charge.

 11
Ties within the game

14
Lead changes in game

+16
GU advantage,
points in paint

Even
Bench scoring

60.9%
GU shooting,
second half

30.3%
RU shooting,
second half

8:57
Last RU basket,
2nd half

2-3
GU shooting,
last 5 mins of game

1-11
RU shooting,
last 5 mins of game

Much like the entire team, Porter was not playing poorly but Rutgers was exceptionally tough on Porter and the Hoyas to this point. There was little margin for error, but the Hoyas needed to make a statement and got it at the 5:42 mark. Off a pass from Hopkins, Porter sank a three pointer, his only one of the game, to regain the lead, and with it, the defense began to tighten the insides against Rutgers.

Rutgers gained possession off consecutive offensive rebounds at the five minute mark, yet failed to connect on any of them before Carter added two at the line to tie the score. Porter quickly answered with a drive inside to push the lead to 62-60. Rutgers failed to convert on its next two possessions, adding one of two from the line to narrow the count to one, 62-61 at the 1:40 mark. On the next series, Starks fed the ball to a driving Porter for the basket and the foul, 65-61. A layup from Carter closed the lead back to two, only to see Porter respond with free throws to push back to four at the 39 second mark, 67-63.Carter missed two short drives in the final seconds and Hopkins added a pair of free throws to close out the scoring. In all, Porter scored ten straight points over a five minute stretch which proved the difference against a Rutgers team with one of its best team efforts of the season.

"I thought he was terrific, I always think he's terrific," said Coach Thompson on Porter's remarkable all-around effort. "He made a couple plays and he came through and got two big rebounds when we needed him, but that's what he does. He's one of the best players in the country and the best players in the country come through when it's winning time. He consistently comes through at winning time."

Hopkins was another big key to the win, primarily in the second half.

Overall, Markel Starks led all scorers with 20, followed by Otto Porter with 19 and Mikael Hopkins with 14. D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera was held to one point after halftime, but played most of the game due to foul trouble on both Lubick and Trawick. Hopkins' 12 second half points did not go unnoticed.

"I feel as though once Nate went into foul trouble, coach allowed me to play a little bit longer," he said. "When I made mistakes he let me play through it. But I was out there just trying to make my teammates better. Coach tells me all the time 'Don't help me score, help me get my team involved and then we can get the offense going, and then my shot can get going, so that's what I did."

"[Porter] is so disciplined and patient in his offense. He just allows his team and the offense to come to him," said Rutgers coach Mike Rice. The last cut-and-post, [assistant Rutgers coach and former GU assistant David Cox] called it right in the huddle. They out-executed and out-toughed us there."

"This was the most frustrating part of Rutgers' afternoon: It knew the pages of the Otto Porter playbook by heart," wrote Brendan Prunty of the Newark Star-Ledger. "[They] knew all the moves and tendencies he tries to lull teams into. And yet, it couldn't stop him."

Not the first team to say it, and certainly not the last.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Starks       40   5-7   3-5   1-2   4   3  2   20
Trawick      24   0-1   1-1   0-2   1   3  4    3
Porter       39   6-11  1-3   4-4  14   4  2   19
Lubick       15   0-2   0-0   0-0   3   3  5    0
Hopkins      32   6-9   0-0   2-2   3   1  4   14
Reserves:
Smith-Rivera 35   4-4   1-3   2-3   1   1  0   13
Bowen        10   0-0   0-1   0-0   1   1  0    0
Ayegba        5   0-0   0-0   0-0   1   0  2    0
DNP: Allen, Bolden, Caprio, Domingo, Hayes
Injured: Adams
Suspended: Whittington
Team Rebounds                       1
TOTALS      200 21-34  6-13  9-13  29  16 19   69

Additional coverage follows below:

Otto In Charge 2/6/13  

With the loss of Greg Whittington, it's no surprise that sophomore Otto Porter has stepped up to lead the Hoyas, reports Jason Reid in the Washington Post.

"In addition to being the Hoyas' second-best player, the sophomore forward is sensational on defense," he writes. "Thompson has made lineup adjustments to help compensate for the loss of Whittington’s scoring (the Hoyas have had success with three-guard lineups). But Georgetown’s roster isn’t equipped to replace a player with Whittington’s athleticism and defensive instincts. The Hoyas’ defense simply hasn’t been as tight without him. More scoring punch was necessary."

"He’s still doing all the other aspects of the game,” said coach John Thompson III. “From rebounding, to communication with his teammates, to defending, he’s doing everything he always has.”

Free Throws: A Second Look 2/6/13  

From Evan Hollander at The HOYA, Georgetown's inconsistent record at the free throw line is a continuing subplot in the 2012-13 season.

"With the exception of Georgetown’s win over a weak Seton Hall squad that fouled repeatedly late, the Hoyas have drawn seven fewer fouls than their opponents during the four-game winning streak," he writes. "Because three of those games were at home, where it is slightly more likely that the referees will call fouls on the visitors, that disparity might increase when the Blue and Gray take the show on the road.

"Of course, problems around the stripe seem minimal during a winning streak and are admittedly somewhat marginal compared to concerns over offense and defense. But Big East road games are won on the margins, and Georgetown cannot afford to give up easy points."

James D. Donnelly (1920-2013) 2/5/13

From the Plattsburgh (NY) Press-Republican, news follows on the death of Col. James Donnelly (C'43), a tight end on the Georgetown football teams of 1941 and 1942.

The president of his high school class in Malone, NY, Donnelly was a two year letterman for the Hoyas before wartime changes suspended the program after the 1942 season. Donnelly graduated early in 1943 and began a 30 year career in the U.S. Army, including tours in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Among his assignments were the director of the Electronic Warfare Lab at Ft. Monmouth, NJ, head of research and development at the Marshall Space Flight Center, and head of operations research at the Pentagon.

A Bronze Star and Legion of Merit recipient, Col. Donnelly will be buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on Feb. 27.

Georgetown 68, St. John's 56 2/2/13  

Over the three weeks since the Georgetown Hoyas lost Greg Whittington, a big game from Otto Porter or Markel Starks was essential. With Porter contained for much of Saturday's game with St. John's and Starks missing 12 of 17 shots, the Hoyas turned to Nate Lubick.

The 6-8 Lubick scored a career high 16 points and added 10 rebounds to steer past the Redmen, 68-56, before 15,925 at Verizon Center. Much like last year's game series which saw the Hoyas dominate in New York but fought threw a tougher opponent at home, the Redmen hung around for most of the game and made the Hoyas earn the win, ending a five game winning streak for St. John's.

After starting 1-7 against the Hoyas on Jan. 12, St. John's opened much better, thanks to the scoring of guard Phil Greene and forward Sir Dominic Pointer. The two combined to go 6 for 6 as St. John's took a 15-12 lead eight minutes into the first half. But the game turned Georgetown's way at the 12:00 mark, thanks to some good shooting from the Hoyas and even better defense.

A three pointer from Porter tied the score at 15, and the Hoyas stuffed St. John's inside, where Greene missed a layup and Pointer missed a dunk off the rebound. Porter added two more baskets as Green and Pointer each coughed up a turnover, whereupon Georgetown pushed the lead to nine, 24-15, off baskets by Mikael Hopkins and D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera. Early foul trouble on sparked the Redmen to close back to five before Lubick asserted himself down low, scoring on a pair of layups to get the lead back to nine at the 5:58 mark. The St. John's outside game let them down again, dropping three straight as Lubick and the Hoyas began to mine the middle. Lubick scored on a layup to go up seven, 26-19, and picked up an offensive rebound and layup. A Markel Starks three and a pair of baskets by Aaron Bowen put the Hoyas up 12, 33-21.

St. John's had no good answers for Lubick, who added a dunk and a short jumper to go up 15 at the 1:39 mark, 39-24. St. John's stayed close with the official's whistle, adding a run of four free throws (including a non-call near the buzzer on John Caprio) to close to 11, 39-28. Georgetown's advantage on the boards (21 to 9) and its defensive blanket after the early Greene-Pointer run (3 for 15 shooting) proved the early difference.

 0-9
Shooting for SJ's
D'Angelo Harrison
(averaging 19.7 pts)

6-12
SJ shooting,
first 12 attempts

14-51
SJ shooting,
remainder of game

+7
GU adv., assists

+7
GU adv.,
rebounds

+14
GU adv.,
pts. in paint

Freshman Jakarr Sampson (and his wayward elbow) scored the first eight points of the half for St. John's, and the Redmen closed to eight at the 12:40 mark despite losing guard jamal Branch to what looked like a serious knee injury at the 17:22 mark but which was later reported a a strain. Despite a rough afternoon when he had shot just 2 for 11, Markel Starks rallied the Hoyas with two three pointers midway through the half. St. John's then turned to reserve Marco Borgeault, who scored SJ's next nine points, but five of six foul shots closed it out for the Hoyas in a game that was never too close but never enough to be out of reach.

Georgetown put four scorers in double figures, but Lubick's 16 and 10, along with four assists and two blocks, was noticeable on both benches.

"He's been playing at a very high level for a long time now, to tell you the truth," said John Thompson III. "I said a couple of games ago, he wasn't up here, but I said Nate gave us quality stats, not quantity stats. When we need something done, he gets a rebound, makes an assist, gets a basket. He's been doing that consistently and tonight was no exception."

"Any coach would appreciate someone like him," said St. John's coach Steve Lavin. "He's all about the team, he's a grinder, he adds great value in so many ways at both ends of the floor and I thought he was really the key to the game in terms of Georgetown's success. You know with Porter and Starks those are two high level basketball players, you're aware of coming into the game the challenge those two present; but Lubick, if you watch game in game out, I think he's a central figure in Georgetown's success. The screening, the capable passing, cleaning up the boards for garbage points and there's timeliness to the ways he adds value. It seems like at the critical stretch of the game he'll have a hand in helping Georgetown move forward when they most need it."

Georgetown gets an added break, with its next game not until Saturday at Rutgers.

The Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Starks       38   0-5   4-12  0-0   3   6  2   12 
Trawick      29   1-3   2-4   4-4   5   4  3   12
Porter       27   2-5   2-3   1-2   7   1  3   11
Lubick       36   8-10  0-0   0-0  10   4  2   16 
Hopkins      25   4-6   0-0   0-0   2   0  3    8
Reserves:
Smith-Rivera 32   1-2   1-5   0-1   8   1  0    5
Bowen        10   2-2   0-2   0-0   3   0  0    4 
Caprio        1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  1    0 
Domingo       1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  0    0 
Ayegba        2   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  3    0
Hayes         1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  0    0
DNP: Allen, Bolden
Injured: Adams
Suspended: Whittington
Team Rebounds                       3
TOTALS      200 18-33   9-26  5-7  41  16 17   68

Post game articles follow below:

 

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