Hoyas have work to do, but a top spot in dance is a real possibility
Georgetown began the season as a mystery team.
Picked before the season to finish fifth in the Big East by its coaches and ranked a middling 20th nationally, the projections for John Thompson III’s Hoyas indicated that no one really knew how they would fare after a 16-15 campaign last year. And no one knew whether their solid but thin returning roster could overcome the exodus of players leaving the program early or transferring.
But with six games remaining in the regular season, beginning with reeling Rutgers (12-12, 2-9 Big East), the answers are becoming clear, as the Hoyas have established themselves not only as a conference contender but as a favorite in next month’s NCAA Tournament.
Proof of their ascendancy would be earning a No. 1 seed — one spot higher than that of the Georgetown team that advanced to the Final Four in 2007 — and the teams standing in the way are all conference contenders: Syracuse, Villanova and West Virginia.
Headed into the weekend, Austin Freeman and the Hoyas (18-5, 8-4) were behind all three, in fourth place in the conference, but still possessing a chance to control their destiny.
Syracuse comes to Verizon Center this week, and the Hoyas travel to Morgantown on March 1. They also likely will have to go through some combination of the Orange, Mountaineers and Wildcats in the Big East Tournament, even with the crucial double-bye that advances the top four teams to the conference quarterfinals.
But while having the No. 1 next to Georgetown’s name in the NCAA bracket would be prestigious — they already are well positioned to earn a No. 2 seed — it may not be necessary to win a national title.
“If the teams ahead of them win, then there’s nothing they can do,” said ESPN analyst Jay Bilas on Friday. “But I don’t see the difference between a one and a two this year. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.”
Bilas said Kansas was the clear top team in the country, and Kentucky also had just one loss heading into the weekend. Both teams are projected as No. 1 seeds, and the latest tournament projections on both CBSSports.com and ESPN.com Web sites have Big East teams taking the other top seeds.
If the Hoyas do end up with two seed, the Jayhawks may be the only team they want to avoid.
“Kentucky is younger, but they’re more powerful,” said Bilas. “I would say in a seven-game series, you’d probably favor Kentucky, but I kind of like — the way that Georgetown plays would give Kentucky a really hard time.”
