Hoyas open Big East against Notre Dame
The element of surprise is gone. It could make Georgetown more dangerous than ever.
There was a time when the Princeton-style offense that coach John Thompson III brought with him back to Washington from the Ivy League was the Hoyas’ version of shock treatment, reliably flustering opponents who had little means of preparing for the seldom-used scheme.
But seven seasons later, Thompson is aware that the rest of the Big East knows what’s coming. This year, he adjusted accordingly by successfully putting the Hoyas (11-1) through the most difficult nonconference schedule in the country, a set of games that forced them to win in ways that required more than a backdoor cut.
“Once league play starts, every team is very good. Every team knows exactly what we’re going to do,” Thompson said after Georgetown beat Utah State earlier this month. “There are going to be no secrets, and we have to come in every game with a heightened sense of awareness, a heightened sense of attentiveness. … With this preseason schedule, hopefully it’ll help develop that hardness, that mindset that it’s about us, first and foremost.”
| Up Next |
| No. 9 Georgetown at No. 15 Notre Dame |
| Where » Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center, South Bend, Ind. |
| When » Wednesday, 7 p.m. |
| TV » ESPN2 |
The Aggies were just one of six preseason conference favorites the Hoyas faced during a slate that also included four brutally challenging road games (two against ranked teams) plus the Charleston Classic tournament. In Thompson style, Georgetown felt its way through, calling on what each contest needed, whether it was knockdown 3-point shooting, defensive pressure or up-tempo transition. The Hoyas’ lone loss — a respectable one at Temple — is the only reason they’re second in the Ratings Percentage Index behind undefeated Kansas (11-0).
But Big East play presents a different challenge. Thompson’s offense is now as much a staple as Syracuse’s 2-3 zone, and conference opponents no longer look like deer in the headlights when the Hoyas start cutting toward the bucket. The veteran-laden Fighting Irish (11-1), led by Tim Abromaitis (16.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and Ben Hansbrough (15.3 ppg, 4.0 apg), haven’t lost to the Hoyas in three years and have won four of the last five contests in South Bend.
But the backcourt trio of Austin Freeman (18.9 ppg), Chris Wright (13.7 ppg, 6.3 apg) and Jason Clark (13.7 ppg) continue to show that Georgetown has done more than simply move on without Greg Monroe, instead displaying the kind of versatility that on Tuesday had ESPN NCAA tournament bracket analyst Joe Lunardi projecting them as Big East champion and the NCAA tournament’s No. 1 seed.
