Georgetown just threw a major scare across college basketball.
Center Roy Hibbert went scoreless on one shot before fouling out. The Hoyas were outscored by 14 at the foul line without even taking a free throw in the first half. Villanova opened the second half 11-0 for the lead.
Sure sounds like a loss. Instead, Georgetown advanced to the Big East Tournament semifinals after thumping Villanova 82-63 yesterday.
The No. 9 Hoyas look Final Four bound again. Not many teams can survive getting zero from their All-American big man, but Georgetown thrived on the outside from every direction. Jessie Sapp led with 23 off six 3-pointers. Jonathan Wallace scored 20 off five treys and DaJuan Summers added 19 with three 3-pointers. The Hoyas shot 17 of 28 outside the arc compared to 11 of 23 inside.
Scary. Very scary.
Georgetown is probably a No. 2 seed when the NCAA Tournament field is revealed Sunday. Winning the Big East Tournament might give the Hoyas a shot at No. 1, but it doesn’t really matter. Georgetown can’t play its opening-weekend games at Verizon Center anyway because teams aren’t allowed to play on their home court. George Mason has a better chance of staying local where it won the 2006 NCAA Regional over Connecticut.
North Carolina looks No. 1 in the East over Georgetown. Memphis and Tennessee will get top seeds and probably UCLA, too. But, Georgetown just showed it’s a true Final Four contender for the second straight year.
That said, Hibbert can’t take days off anymore. He showed nothing in 15 minutes on the court. Maybe there was a questionable foul or two called against him, but that always happens to big men. Hibbert can’t leave the game to the backcourt no matter how talented they are.
Hibbert returned this season for a chance to become the top pick in the NBA draft. He would have been a top 10 pick last year if leaving early, but Hibbert’s goal was to become the next Greg Oden. The next month will decide the draft’s pecking order, but Hibbert still looks like a No. 10-14 pick unless jumping up.
Instead, Patrick Ewing Jr. might be the one working his way up the draft. Nothing like being named for a legend, but Ewing showed why he was named BigEast Conference Sixth Man of the Year when scoring five critical second-half points. After Villanova gained its only lead, Georgetown went 13-3 behind two smart inside plays by Ewing. He may be the passion underneath sometimes lacking in Hibbert. Ewing will get drafted, but coming weeks may mean a million dollars more in the deal.
It’s not easy for national contenders to take conference tournaments seriously. They’re too busy looking ahead. But, the Hoyas look sharp and could hoist the first of two more trophies after taking the Big East regular-season crown. They just need the hardware to be lifted by a 7-foot-2 senior.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
