Tunneling out from under two feet of snow, a few thoughts on the Hoyas overwhelming Villanova at Verizon Center yesterday:
Turns out, the South Florida loss was indeed the aberration. I said after the Bulls game that Georgetown took their foot off the gas and put it into reverse, and they bounced back yesterday with the effort, passion and concentration that were missing at midweek and have become a huge part of the momentum that they’ve built with seven games remaining in the regular season. But who wouldn’t get up for Villanova — facing a team ranked No. 2 in the country should be plenty of motivation, whether there are 11 or 11,000 in attendance — and not every one of Georgetown’s remaining games will inspire that kind of emotion. The Hoyas need to find a middle ground where they can execute and play well even when the adrenaline might not be on their side.
Yesterday may have said more about Villanova than Georgetown. The Wildcats deserved every bit of their national ranking heading into yesterday’s game, especially an undefeated record nine games into the Big East. But it’s no secret how Villanova got there: Scottie Reynolds, who still deserves to be in the top two or three candidates for national player of the year. Reynolds struggled in the first half against the Hoyas, going 1 for 5 (5 points) with more turnovers (4) than assists (3), the kind of stat line that was more reminiscent of his freshman season than this one. Just like the hole that Georgetown dug themselves at Wachovia Center in January, even Reynolds couldn’t bring his team all the way back on the road, despite finishing with 24 points. Both games demonstrated how Georgetown, when it is focused, matches up nicely with Villanova. On a neutral court, the Hoyas should also have the edge.
The three-headed monster becomes four. In case the world hadn’t noticed Jason Clark before yesterday – simply because he wasn’t a McDonald’s All-American like Austin Freeman, Chris Wright and Greg Monroe – it does now. His pure stroke (career-high 24 points on 6 for 7 from 3point) was on display in the blizzard, but he has been an integral part of the way the Hoyas were built this season from the outset, both with his length on defense and with his leadership despite being a sophomore. He was the one who called out Georgetown for lack of effort in my story from Friday’s edition. Depth, foul trouble and length against certain opponents all still hang over the Hoyas, but effort and focus are the best explanation for why the Hoyas were upset last week. They might also be the only thing that prevents them from going deep in the NCAA Tournament.
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