John Thompson III couldn’t remember the last time he was in a venue that was so loud his players couldn’t hear the whistle on a couple of occasions.
“It was supposed to be a neutral site,” senior guard Austin Freeman said of the Kansas City setting for Georgetown’s 111-102 overtime win against Missouri on Wednesday.
It was just another test for the Hoyas (7-0), whose hot-shooting offense has them on the brink of matching the best start of Thompson’s tenure, which came in 2007-08. Georgetown, which hit 15 3-pointers against Missouri, has soared to fourth in the nation in 3-pointers made a game (10.7) and fifth in 3-point percentage (.449).
“It’s not by design,” Thompson said. “It’s not like we said, hey, because of our personnel this year, we need to take a lot of 3s. I think that’s what the defense has been giving us. We have some very good shooters. One thing that I have been pleased with, I don’t think we’re taking bad shots.”
| Up next |
| Utah State at No. 16 Georgetown |
| Where » Verizon Center |
| When » Saturday, noon |
| TV » ESPNU |
Perplexingly, Thompson also said he hasn’t yet seen opposing coaches adjust to try and take them away. It’s a strategy Utah State (5-1) would be advised to consider Saturday, and it requires not only closing on shooters but also stopping Chris Wright from finding them with one of his 7.4 assists a game — fourth in the nation.
“Just for this team and our guards, we know when to take a 3 and when not to,” said Freeman, who is averaging 21.7 points a game. “We know not to force anything. If it’s open, we take the shot. That’s this team.”
