Hoyas underdogs against their next three opponents
This weekend Georgetown will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its 1984 national championship while the current Hoyas face the first of three more daunting contests against ranked teams that could very well determine whether or not they make it into this year’s NCAA Tournament at all.
No. 10 Marquette
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Unlike the past two seasons, or the great teams of the 1980s, Georgetown enters its latest stretch as a clear-cut underdog, starting with No. 10 Marquette, which scored like an NBA team in a 94-82 triumph over the Hoyas three weeks ago at Bradley Center in Milwaukee. No. 7 Louisville arrives on Monday night, preceding a trip to surging No. 12 Villanova next weekend.
In theory, the Hoyas (14-10, 5-8 Big East) could still finish as high as fifth in the conference. They could also fall into a tie for last. The final answer likely lies somewhere in between.
“Every game has a critical impact, both good and bad, on postseason, on your seed and all those things,” said Golden Eagles first-year head coach Buzz Williams, who has never played at Verizon Center. Following this weekend clash with the Hoyas, Marquette (21-4, 11-2) has its own formidable run-in, with games against Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse.
“A lot of people in the media have said that the next five games are going to be really hard on us,” said Williams. “I would agree with that. I thought the first 13 games were really hard on us.”
Regardless of the opponent, Georgetown still needs to play better than it did in its 65-40 mid-week win over South Florida, a team that was as bad as the Hoyas were good.
“Our focus and our execution — our focus and our attentiveness, there were a few lapses but there weren’t as many hills and valleys as we’ve been seeing,” said Hoyas head coach John Thompson III.
The Hoyas’ NCAA luster may have dulled dramatically over the past month. Perhaps history and the talk of 1984 will help restore that shine.
“Lets just be honest about it, Georgetown in probably every other major conference is going to be top three in that league,” said Bulls head coach Stan Heath. “There is no way you are a top 10 team a month and a half ago and all of a sudden you’re no good. They’re a very good basketball team who plays in a great conference and has a tough schedule.”
