Coach: John Thompson III, four years at school, three years in NCAA
Tournament.
How they got here: At-large bid; Midwest first round: def. No. 15 UMBC 66-47
They'll keep winning if: Unlike Davidson, which is reliant on sophomore Stephen Curry to score 25 a
night -- or 40, as he did in a narrow first-round win over Gonzaga -- the Hoyas don't need Roy Hibbert to go for 20 and 10 every
night to dominate. It's a good thing, because Hibbert is not that kind of player. The Hoyas have good depth and the guard play
is better than most credit Georgetown for, not to mention the Hoyas play a style that will bother most teams in the bracket,
unless they meet Wisconsin in the Sweet 16. If the Hoyas keep playing strong defense and making all the key plays in the
final four minutes, as was typical in the regular season, Georgetown might challenge for a Final Four seat. The Hoyas aren't
a team that blows out top opponents, but when the time comes to hit a shot or get a stop in the final seconds, Georgetown's
veterans come through.
Memorable moment: Georgetown seemed to sleepwalk through the early season, and lost early tests
against Memphis and Pittsburgh. But the team followed the Pitt loss by blowing out Notre Dame by 19 points in one of the few
Georgetown games that didn't come down to the final few minutes. It's victory over Louisville in the Big East regular-season
finale was more typical, as the team clinched the title with a three-point win.
Roy Hibbert |
Go-to guys: Roy Hibbert is the All-American at center, and the player sure to be in the NBA next year. But
Jonathan Wallace has been the guy who's taken most of the big shots for the Hoyas this season. He's such a good foul
shooter that the ball is usually in his hands late in games.
Strengths: Georgetown is a veteran team that knows exactly what it has to do to win and exactly where
everyone is supposed to be on the court. Jesse Sapp runs a solid, efficient point, and Jonathan Wallace and Austin Freeman
can both score points in bunches. The Hoya defense pressures opponents into turnovers and bad shots, and usually
controls the paint with Roy Hibbert and Patrick Ewing Jr. They rarely panic and always find the open man, and the Hoyas
aren't going to beat themselves.
Weaknesses: The Hoyas sometimes struggle to score, particularly when Hibbert is less involved in
the offense. The center can still get taken out of the game by determined opponents and has times when he's less inclined to
be aggressive. Jonathan Wallace has been hot and cold from beyond the arc this season, and apart from Austin Freeman
and DaJuan Summers, nobody is going to score on offense based on athleticism alone. The Hoyas also keep their
opponents in the game most of the time, so every game seems to come down to the wire.
