Saturday Showdown
Georgetown vs. Pittsburgh
Saturday, Jan. 28, 4:00 pm EST
TV: ESPN; Radio: WSPZ-570, SiriusXM 91
In-Game Updates At HoyaTalk Board

 

Thanks for visiting HoyaSaxa.com. This is the site where you will find more news and information than you'll probably ever need to know about Georgetown University men's basketball. If you're looking for the official athletics site instead, click here. For coverage of Georgetown football, visit our football site.   Pre-Game Report 1/27/11 Picked fourth in the Big East pre-season poll and ranked as high as ninth, the last six weeks have been disastrous for the Pitt Panthers. Injuries and poor game performance led Pitt into an eight game losing streak, and the acrimonious transfer of freshman Khem Birch was emblematic of the distractions that befell a program that has been near the top of the conference for over a decade. Wednesday's 86-74 win over Providence ended the streak and has given Pitt some strength it did not have for much of the last eight games; notably, the return of guard Tray Woodall and the subsequent benefit to guard Ashton Gibbs. Gibbs scored 14 of his 22 points Wednesday in a late first half run that put away the Friars, and both will be key as Pitt seeks a second win this week and its first over a Top 25 team this season. More on the Panthers follows at the Pre-Game Report page. Check the HoyaTalk board for additional articles in advance of the game--a recap follows here late Saturday night. Last Season's Game 1/27/11 From the HoyaSaxa.com News Archives, Jan. 12, 2011: Georgetown continued its march to the bottom of the Big East standings in yet another round of poor results from seniors Chris Wright and Austin Freeman, trailing by 17 at the half to #5 Pittsburgh and never recovered, 72-57. The loss marked Georgetown's third straight and the worst record in conference play [after five games] in 12 years. The game was close in the first five minutes, but really not much more than that. Georgetown opened the scoring with a Jason Clark three pointer, whereupon he did not make a basket the rest of the game. The Hoyas proceeded to miss five of its next six but suffered when Chris Wright committed two fouls within seven seconds of each other and spent much of the rest of the half on the bench. Georgetown only trailed by four when the team's lack of focus was exposed at the free throw line. It began when freshman Nate Lubick, entering the game shooting 7-8 from the line in Big East play, missed two free throws, and the Georgetown defense took a leave of absence, giving up consecutive layups to trail by six, 13-7, then watched as Pitt guard Ashton Gibbs went to work on Georgetown's increasingly porous perimeter defense. Off the 12 minute media time out, guard Travon Woodall fed Gibbs for an open three, 16-7. After a pair of Henry Sims free throws, Woodall fed Gibbs again, 19-9. Two missed layups by Georgetown later, Woodall and Gibbs hit for the hat trick and the Hoyas were down 22-9, scoring just three field goals in the first 11 minutes of the game. A sign of the times has been the play of Austin Freeman, whose first basket came at the 8:12 mark of the first half, down 13. He followed it with a three pointer on his next attempt with 6:32 left to close to 12, but took only two shots the rest of the half. The Panthers continued to pound the ball inside with impunity, part of a 58% shooting effort in the half which saw Pitt take a 17 point lead into intermission amidst a scattering of boos from the 15,712 in attendance. The 41-24 score was the largest lead any Pitt team had earned on the road in 28 years of Big East play, and marked Georgetown's largest halftime deficit at Verizon Center in the John Thompson III era. Guards Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker outscored the entire Georgetown lineup, 25-24, and despite giving up only three turnovers, Georgetown posted as many fouls as baskets (nine) over the first twenty minutes. Freeman scored the first two points of the second half but Georgetown didn't seem ready to make a serious run at the Panthers. Georgetown kept the deficit from 14 to 16 until the defense lapsed once again, allowing two steals and four straight layups over just 1:19 that pushed the lead to 22, 55-33, with 14 minutes to play. It was all ESPN could do not to cut away to any of the two other Big East games being broadcast. A stronger game inside by Julian Vaughn (13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks) kept the score from going beyond this point. Improved free throws by the Hoyas and some more aggressive traps at half court stalled the Pitt onslaught, and GU finally whittled down the lead to 11 with 5:22 left, only for Gibbs to end any false hopes by sinking a three to go up 63-49 and put the game out of reach. It was the last basket of the game for the Panthers, who cleaned up at the line (9-12 in the final 5 minutes) to make up for some poor shooting late in the game. The two teams combined to shoot just 34% in the second half but the outcome was all but decided and none of Georgetown's offensive weapons were much of a factor. Chris Wright had 10 second half points but only one basket, while Austin Freeman had just one field goal in the final 10:12 of the game. The Hoyas finished 5 for 20 from three point range." Preparing For Pitt 1/27/11 So which team does Georgetown prepare for in Pittsburgh? Coach John Thompson III told the Washington Examiner that the Panthers can't be taken for granted. "We're looking at and preparing for this game as what has happened to them the last couple of weeks being the blip as opposed to being who they are," Thompson said. "The theme for us, the formula for us this year has been the same regardless of the opponent. If we can defend and rebound, that's what's key." Suits & Sneakers 1/27/11 Do not adjust your set Saturday afternoon--the pink-shaded sneakers expected at the Georgetown-Pitt game are part of the "Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers" event, an effort of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Additional details can be found at this link to GUHoyas.com. News Archive   As always, prior stories over this past week or the last 12+ years of coverage can be found at the News Archive pages, including recaps of all prior games over the season. It's a good way to keep up to date if you've visit the site less frequently. To further search this site or the Basketball History pages, enter your query below. Loading Hoya Hoop Club   Please take an opportunity to affirm your support for the team by becoming a 2011-12 donor to the Hoya Hoop Club and Hoyas Unlimited, the official support organization for Georgetown athletics. Visit GUHoyas.com for more details, or link here to make an online gift. Disclaimer This is an unofficial site for Georgetown Basketball. If you are interested in playing a sport at Georgetown, please do not contact us. Instead, write to the Department of Athletics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057. General information for prospective student athletes and their parents can be found at this NCAA link. N.B.: This not-for-profit site is supportive of, but neither directly affiliated with nor under the supervision of Georgetown University or the Big East Conference. Cover page image(s) courtesy of Georgetown University. See the Fine Print page for more details. AMDG