It started so promising, with five teams in the mix — four with No. 5 seeds or better — and several promising locals starring on the national stage.
But the Washington area’s dominance of the NCAA Tournament ended in less than 48 hours, starting with George Washington’s opening-round exit Thursday and culminating with Virginia Tech crashing out against Southern Illinois on Sunday afternoon.
Only one area team is left standing: Georgetown.
“When you play at that level, it doesn’t surprise me,” said Colonials head coach Karl Hobbs. “Some people didn’t think Virginia would beat Albany in the first round.”
Why then did the Hoyas advance while the others wilted?
“They’re able to make adjustments and they’re experienced,” Hobbs said. “Remember, they came within a couple plays of beating Florida lastyear. And their best player, [Jeff] Green, is so versatile. He can post up in situations, he can play on the wing in situations, and he can run the point in situations.”
Green and Roy Hibbert are the premier one-two big-man combination in the country and they’re surrounded by guys who understand their roles within the Hoyas’ system.
“There was a lot we had to figure out, stick together and work our way through what they were doing,” said head coach John Thompson III after Saturday’s win over Boston College. “Our guys did a good job of not getting rattled, and now we’re moving on.”
George Washington had one of the worst performances in the tournament, but much of the blame was laid upon the upset run to the Atlantic 10 conference title the previous weekend.
This area’s three Atlantic Coast Conference representatives didn’t have the same excuse: Maryland’s athletes didn’t prove athletic enough to overcome Butler; Virginia couldn’t compensate after J.R. Reynolds rolled his ankle; and Virginia Tech once again was plagued by inconsistency.
Even freshmen phenoms Kevin Durant (Montrose Christian) and Scottie Reynolds (Herndon High) couldn’t lead Texas and Villanova, respectively, into the Sweet 16. That means all local eyes this weekend are on the Hoyas, who already have Big East regular season and conference titles.
“They’re playing their best basketball of the season,” said Hobbs. “They’ve also been consistent for the entire year.”
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.
