Hoyas left to ponder what happened at Syracuse

By Bud L. Ellis

It’s not like the Georgetown Hoyas have to start over. When you’ve won 15 of your first 19 games, find yourself in the mix in the nation’s toughest conference and are ranked in the top 10 in the nation, well, there are worst places to be.

And yet, the Hoyas nonetheless have spent the past two days wondering: How in the world did that happen?

THAT was running out to a 14-0 lead over the fourth-ranked team in the nation, then watch as everything fell apart.

Honestly, nobody thought the Hoyas would go into Syracuse and win by 14 points. The Orange are 20-1 on the year and ½ game behind Villanova for the Big East lead. But to let a 14-point lead just slide away in a matter of minutes, in a game you lose by 17 (73-56) has the Hoyas scratching their heads.

Georgetown was perfect in the first 3:24 of Monday’s game, going 4-for-4 on 3-pointers en route to sinking its first five shots from the field. But after that, the Orange crawled back into it. Although Syracuse didn’t take the lead until 2:18 were left in the first half, Syracuse pulled within four points with 8:44 left in the half.

Safe to say the Hoyas won’t forget this one for a long time. And Georgetown gets to stew over it until Saturday, when No. 8 Duke comes to town.

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Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at 8:48 pm by bud

Tags: Big East, Duke, Georgetown Hoyas, Syracuse, Villanova

After fast start, Hoyas stall in loss to Syracuse

By Bud L. Ellis

The Georgetown Hoyas couldn’t continue their road magic from last week.

After knocking off then-No. 11 Pittsburgh last week in Big East play, the Hoyas hoped for more of the same Monday night against No. 4 Syracuse. And things looked great for Georgetown three minutes in, the No. 7-ranked Hoyas racing to a 14-0 lead.

But the next 37 minutes was a different story. Syracuse outscored Georgetown by 31 the rest of the way, downing the Hoyas 73-56.

Austin Freeman led the Hoyas (15-4, 6-3 Big East) with 23 points. Jason Clark scored 15. Greg Monroe struggled to an eight-point, four-rebound night, fouling out with 6:27 to go. Chris Wright scored just seven, missing all six of his 3-point attempts.

The Hoyas cooled considerably after their flying start. Georgetown was buried in a decisive 18-8 Syracuse run after halftime that put Georgetown in a 15-point hole.

The Hoyas, now fourth in the Big East and two games behind Villanova, play Duke on Saturday and South Florida next Tuesday before returning to conference play with Villanova on Feb. 6.

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Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 6:05 am by bud

Tags: Austin Freeman, Big East, Chris Wright, Duke, Georgetown Hoyas, Greg Monroe, Jason Clark, Pittsburgh, South Florida, Syracuse, Villanova

Hoyas blow out Rutgers, look ahead to huge week

By Bud L. Ellis

No need to worry about the Georgetown Hoyas having a letdown.

Coming off a rousing victory at No. 11 Pittsburgh and facing showdowns next week with the No. 5 and No. 6 ranked teams in the nation, there was concern that the Hoyas might sneak a peek past struggling Rutgers on Saturday.

Greg Monroe made sure that didn’t happen. Monroe hit his first eight shots en route to a 21-point, 14-rebound performance, sparking No. 14 Georgetown to an 88-63 rout of the Scarlet Knights at Verizon Center.

Monroe finished 10-for-12 from the field, and missed a triple-double by three assists. He had plenty of help on the outside, as Chris Wright knocked down four 3-pointers on his way to 16 points. Austin Freeman scored 14 as the Hoyas finished 63 percent from the floor – their best shooting performance in 13 seasons – and hit nine 3-pointers, keeping Rutgers winless in the Big East.

Two 3-pointers from Wright sparked a 12-0 first-half run. Monroe scored twice in a 7-0 run to close the first half and send the Hoyas into the locker room ahead 46-29.

Georgetown led by 30 in the second half. Now 6-2 in the Big East, Georgetown travels to No. 5 Syracuse on Monday, then plays host to No. 6 Duke next Saturday.

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Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 3:13 pm by bud

Tags: Austin Freeman, Big East Conference, Chris Wright, Duke, Georgetown Hoyas, Greg Monroe, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse

Hoyas knock off No. 11 Pittsburgh for huge Big East win

By Bud L. Ellis

After a tough road loss at Villanova four days earlier, the Georgetown Hoyas got it done on the road against another big-time Big East opponent Wednesday night.

Chris Wright scored 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting, sparking four starters in double figures as the No. 14-ranked Hoyas knocked off 11th-ranked Pittsburgh 74-66.

The victory for Georgetown (14-3, 5-2) moved the Hoyas to within one game of first-place Villanova in the Big East. Georgetown lost 82-77 at Villanova, which is ranked No. 4 in the nation, on Sunday.

There would be no loss on this night, though. Tied at 31-31 at halftime, the Hoyas rode their strong guard play in the second half. Wright finished 3-for-3 on 3-pointers, as Georgetown shot 70 percent (7-of-10) from 3-point range.

Austin Freeman added 13 points. Greg Monroe scored 13 and pulled down 11 rebounds, and Julian Vaughn scored 11 points with six assists, five rebounds and two blocked shots.

The Hoyas ended Pitt’s eight-game winning streak, handing the Panthers (15-3, 5-1) their first Big East loss.

Georgetown looks to continue the momentum Saturday when the Hoyas play host to a Rutgers team that’s lost six in a row.

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Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 9:26 pm by bud

Tags: Austin Freeman, Big East, Chris Wright, Georgetown, Greg Monroe, Julian Vaughn, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Villanova

After tough loss at Villanova, Hoyas eye showdown with Pitt

By Bud L. Ellis

As far as January showdowns go, this one figures to be a dandy. The Georgetown Hoyas hope the result is just as pleasing as the matchup appears in advance.

The No. 14-ranked Hoyas travel to No. 11 Pittsburgh on Wednesday, a matchup of two of the top five teams in the Big East and two teams that look to play a big role in how the conference shakes out during the next six weeks.

Georgetown (13-3, 4-2) comes in off a tough 82-77 loss Sunday at conference co-leader and fourth-ranked Villanova, just the Hoyas’ third defeat of the season. The Hoyas have dropped two of their past three coming in, a 62-59 loss to Marquette followed by a 72-69 win at No. 21 Connecticut.

With six of the top 25 teams residing in the Big East, no conference game is easy. Going to Pittsburgh certainly won’t be easy. The Panthers (15-2, 5-0) are tied with Villanova for the conference’s top spot, have won eight in a row and are a perfect 10-0 at home this season.

The Hoyas have been sparked offensively by their guard play. Austin Freeman leads the team with 15.9 points per game. Chris Wright is third at 14.3 points and a team-best 4.0 assists per contest, and Jason Clark is contributing 10.9 points per game.

Georgetown will need that strong effort and then some on Wednesday. But in the rugged Big East, tough games come with the territory. Wednesday’s game is no exception, and it’s a jewel on the schedule.

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Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 7:06 pm by bud

Tags: Austin Freeman, Big East, Chris Wright, Connecticut, Georgetown, Jason Clark, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Villanova