THE OFFICIAL GEORGETOWN BASKETBALL SEASON THREAD

[downyboy]

Great idea, would love to see it.

Won't happen.

Almost don't want to go to the game this week. I just hope we can turn this around. They need to realize that not only will their senior season go to shi+ but so will the little draft stock they had.

 

[lmbassclown]

nobody is innocent during these struggles. you can blame JT3, sure. not exactly a master motivator and it's not the smartest thing to do when you take a timeout right when your team's getting hot. however, coaches don't take the court. players do. especially when there are seniors out

there who are supposed to be leaders. this team's never been a model of consistency. what they need to realize is that they're capable of winning these games. but from the get-go, they play scared, like they're trying hard not to lose, instead of trying hard to win. how many games is it

now that we're playing from behind, make some desperate comebacks and fall short, usually off a dumb shot or a turnover. makes you think really how much of a miracle that comeback against mizzou was. that tweet by freeman whining about how people are fake when the going gets

tough. save your tears, you're supposed to be a leader, man up, and play some ball. get off your goddamn computer, get off twitter, and play like you're capable of. cry me a (jeremiah) river. this is your SENIOR year, don't let it become just another squandered season.

 

[lmbassclown]

and to JTIII, you gotta know when to make the adjustments and when to stick with them. i don't care if you're a senior, none of them are playing like it out there. the senior starters have gotten complacent, lazy, and sloppy. if changes need to be made, so be it.

 

[downyboy]

1-4 here we come. kinda hope that comes true, maybe it forces JT3s hand to make some changes.

lets go panthers.

 

[DeadsetAce]

hoyas get big, do work

 

[lmbassclown]

Pittsburgh bounced back from its first loss in fine fashion, cruising through its final two non-conference games before opening its Big East slate with three straight wins.

Georgetown isn't enjoying conference play nearly as much.

The No. 22 Hoyas should have their hands full in trying to avoid a three-game losing streak with Wednesday night's visit from the fifth-ranked Panthers.

Pitt (15-1, 3-0) shot 40.7 percent from the field and 59.5 from the free-throw line in an 83-76 loss to Tennessee on Dec. 11, but it's bounced back with five straight wins.

The Panthers' shooting has improved during their three conference wins. They have shot 55.0 percent -- 52.1 from 3-point range -- and averaged 83.3 points, including a 60.0 percent effort in Saturday's 89-81 victory over Marquette.

Pitt averaged 73.7 points and shot 46.5 percent in winning its first three conference games last season.

"I think we're good offensively. Are we better than last year's team offensively? I think we can be," coach Jamie Dixon said. "I think we're heading in that direction."

Georgetown (12-4, 1-3) doesn't seem to know which direction it's going these days. The Hoyas' 11-1 start, which included an overtime win over then-No. 9 Missouri in Kansas City and an 86-69 victory at then-No. 16 Memphis, is a thing of the past as they're off to their worst conference start since 2003-04.

Poor 3-point shooting has been the main culprit. Georgetown has shot 25.7 percent in its four Big East games, missing 12 of 17 in a 65-59 home loss to West Virginia on Saturday.

"We're in a place where we don't want to be right now," coach John Thompson III said. "Everyone in that locker room from myself on down has to figure out how to get us out of this place. We're the same group of guys who were in there two or three weeks ago, and now we just have to find out how to get back there."

The Hoyas are 11-0 when they shoot 33.3 percent or better from beyond the arc, and they especially need leading scorer Austin Freeman to get going. Freeman shot 56.8 percent (25 of 44) from 3-point range in November, but he's made 31.4 percent (11 of 35) in nine games since.

He had 11 points in the loss to the Mountaineers. All of those came in the second half after Freeman attempted two shots in the opening 20 minutes.

"It's something I can't do," Freeman said, "because my team needs me to be aggressive and be able to get my shot and be able to get them easy shots, too."

Freeman has averaged 9.3 points in four meetings against Pitt. He had 13 on Jan. 20 at the Petersen Events Center, but it was Chris Wright's game-high 27 points that sparked the Hoyas' 74-66 win -- the Panthers' lone loss in their last 50 home games.

Pitt's own backcourt duo struggled mightily to make shots that day, with Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker going 7 of 28 from the field.

The Panthers have been almost impossible to stop when Gibbs, shooting a career-high 45.5 percent as a junior, is on. Pitt is 17-0 over the past two seasons when he makes more than half his shots and 23-10 when he shoots 50 percent or worse.

Even if Gibbs and Wanamaker aren't hitting, the Panthers are dangerous. Pitt's plus-13.8 rebounding differential is easily the nation's best, while Georgetown has been outrebounded in three of its last four games.

Wright and Freeman missed 12 of 15 shots during the Panthers' last visit to the Verizon Center, a 70-54 Pitt win Jan. 3, 2009.

 

[al3xis]

what's there to even do at this point?

everyone is to blame. everyone sucks.

If they can't sweep the NJ schools this coming week, just let the young guys go.


A) How can your coaching staff not motivate enough to at least play with a spark at some-point during the course of a home game against a top 5 team?

B) How do your 3 starting seniors not motivate enough to at least play with a spark at some-point during the course of a home game against a top 5 team?

 

[lmbassclown]

shoulda played this before the game...

 

[lmbassclown]

Georgetown's stay in the Top 25 looks like it will come to an end following this weekend. The Hoyas, however, are more concerned with just picking up a win.

The 22nd-ranked Hoyas look to avoid another Big East loss Saturday when they visit a Rutgers team that defeated them in New Jersey last season.

Georgetown opened conference play with a 69-55 loss at then-No. 15 Notre Dame on Dec. 29 before bouncing back with an 86-75 home victory over DePaul on New Year's Day.

The Hoyas, though, haven't won since.

They fell 61-58 at St. John's on Jan. 3, 65-59 at home to West Virginia on Saturday, and 72-57 to No. 5 Pittsburgh in the nation's capital Wednesday night. That defeat dropped Georgetown to 12-5 overall and 1-4 in Big East play, its worst conference start since opening 1-7 in 1998-99.

"It's not an ideal situation," guard Chris Wright said. "It's not a situation that any of us envisioned that we were going to be in, but at this point you can't do nothing about it.

"You've got to step up and we've got to make plays and win games. It's no time for us to be basically acting like punks. We've got to step up."

Wright and fellow senior Austin Freeman have struggled during the three-game skid. Freeman leads the Hoyas with 17.5 points per game but is averaging 9.7 and shooting 32.3 percent over that stretch, while Wright has shot 32.1 percent and averaged 10.0 points. Wright has missed 20 of his last 23 attempts from 3-point range.

Georgetown was 5 for 20 from beyond the arc and shot a season-worst 38.0 percent overall against the Panthers.

"We have to do a better job of getting to our second, third, fourth options possibly," coach John Thompson III said. "Getting back to the mentality of we just want a good shot, whether it's after 3 seconds or 33 seconds."

The Hoyas had won eight straight in this series before visiting Rutgers on Feb. 14, and the Scarlet Knights beat then-No. 7 Georgetown 71-68 for their first victory over a top 10 team in seven years.

Jonathan Mitchell, who leads Rutgers (10-6, 1-3) with 12.4 points per game, scored a career-high 24 in the win. Freeman had 17 points and shot 7 of 15, but Wright was held to six while going 2 for 8 from the field.

That victory is the only one for the Scarlet Knights in their last 20 games against ranked opponents. They're coming off a 67-53 loss at No. 10 Connecticut on Tuesday.

Rutgers was held without a field goal for the first 5 minutes of the second half and missed its first nine shots after intermission.

"You're going to get punched in the Big East every once in a while," coach Mike Rice said. "You've got to fight back, and boy we just took the standing-8 count."

Mitchell had four points and shot 2 for 12 after the senior forward scored 21 in an 85-72 home win over Providence on Saturday.

Rutgers has dropped four of five following a six-game win streak.

Georgetown hasn't lost four in a row since a five-game skid Jan. 17-31, 2009.

 

[al3xis]

step in the right direction.

I was happy to see the press used extensively in the first half. And while it didn't work with much success, I do think it helps this team stay active defensively and it gets them going. This was the best EFFORT this team has given since Memphis.

- thanks for returning, Austin.

- Chris was better, too. a few mistakes but I can live with that kind of game from him.

- Benimon just can't play unless an injury or major foul trouble occurs.

- Nate is a player. IMO, his play and maybe more importantly his size warrants 30 minutes a game now.


We make shots, we'll win games. We don't, we likely will lose. This team just doesn't do other things well enough. We are a better shooting team than we had shown in that 3 game stretch + ND, though. I think everyone knows that. Hopefully this snapped the guys out of their funk.

 

[downyboy]

Couple of notes from the pitt game:

- Roy had a pre-game video talking about how big of a game this was.
- the team went into the stands before the game to "pump up" the fans...didn't work.

We really have to push the ball. Our half court offense right now is just not producing much if our threes aren't going down.

- I don't understand JT3s yearly infatuation with a player that simply does not do much...Benimon. Last year this guy gave us some good minutes, but this year he's been absolutely worthless 95% of the time. With sims giving us decent minutes and Nate being productive, theres really no reason for Benimon to see much playing time.

- Love wright, even if he has fake yeezys that he loves to post on twitter (someone needs to break it to him). I know Hoya fans are split 50/50 on him, but he was the only guy during the Pitt game that actually looked bothered by what was happening on the court. Sure he becomes a wrecking ball at times, but as the defense collapse other guys need to move with him instead of just standing around.

- Nate, got nothing bad to say.

- Sims need to be stronger with the ball. Gets the ball batted out of his hands waaay to much.

- Vee, can he get some love JT3???

- Starks, i feel this guy is going to be a mix of Wallace and Wright, which has me very excited.

With such experienced guards its amazing that we continue to have so many turnovers and such lack of discipline on offense.

Hope these team and JT3 can pull it together.  I don't think I can go through another disappointing season

Lets go pirates!

 

[al3xis]

tonight is season defining. just find a way to win, I don't care how.

 

[downyboy]

Benimon is beyond garbage

 

[lmbassclown]

his warmups should never come off. ever.

 

[lmbassclown]

here we go again.

 

[al3xis]

Sorry, but some of these guys are just lazy and losers. will not get better until they graduate because III won't sit them.

 

[downyboy]

my god, our guards turn the ball over as if they were freshmen. what is going on!?

 

[al3xis]

My only hope for this year now is to see Austin and Jason actually get in a defensive position and move their feet.

They've yet to do it in their career so I'll probably be disappointed.

 

[al3xis]

Just can't take watching these guys play defense anymore. Play Moses, play Markel, and how about playing the best defender ON THE TEAM? Where is Vee?

 

[downyboy]

what a disappointing win.

 

[al3xis]

.

unreal. III--in your own words--"FIX IT!"

 

[al3xis]

well, at least he understands how bad we are defensively. with our guards it really is as simple as 'me against you'.

must win tonight for the 3rd straight game. have to get back to .500

 

[downyboy]

^ i believed about 10% of what he said. is it me or did some of the reporters sound scared of JT3? (just an observation)

 

[lmbassclown]

play with a chip on your shoulder and get some revenge tonight.

 

[lmbassclown]