Following three consecutive losses and a devastatingly close 92-91 defeat to Xavier, Georgetown was eyeing Tuesday’s matchup against the Butler Bulldogs as a winnable game. Both teams rank in the bottom three of the Big East conference. 

Donning their tidal blue jerseys, Georgetown (8-11, 1-7 Big East) looked like the better team for the first 10 minutes before Butler (13-7, 4-5 Big East) went on a commanding 15-0 run. The Bulldogs never looked back, burying the Hoyas 90-66 in a home game at Capital One Arena. 

First-year Head Coach Ed Cooley poignantly captured the magnitude of the loss in the postgame interview.

“I can’t point to one positive thing Georgetown did today. Not one,” Cooley said in a postgame preference. “Other than we put on an incredibly nice-looking uniform and we had a great bus ride over, we had an incredible pregame meal and everybody’s still on scholarship.”

This season’s second matchup between the Hoyas and the Bulldogs began competitively — sophomore guard Jayden Epps kicked off scoring for Georgetown with a graceful floater inside the paint. Epps’ next shot attempt was short from three, but junior guard Dontrez Styles exploded toward the rim and crashed the boards to earn 2 second-chance points.

Senior forward Supreme Cook also took advantage of second-chance opportunities early on, snagging 1 of his 12 rebounds and 2 of his 12 points on a thunderous putback dunk off another miss by Epps. Cook has been a consistent piece for this otherwise shaky Georgetown team, averaging a double-double over his last three games.

Capitalizing on the momentum from Cook’s dunk, senior guard Jay Heath showcased his shot-creation ability with a tight crossover and dagger 3-pointer from the corner to put the Hoyas up 13-12 with 14:42 left in the first half. Overall, Heath shot 3-for-6 from three on the night.

Hopes for the Hoyas to dig in and pull out a fighting win disappeared after Butler guard Pierre Brooks II spearheaded a 15-0 run midway through the first half. Brooks set the tone for Butler with 18 first-half points. He would finish as one of five Bulldogs in double digits who also shot 50% or better from the field.

Cooley acknowledged this defensive breakdown, pointing to the team’s lack of consistency in recent games.

“We have to do a better job communicating. Back-to-back games we’ve given up 90 points. I don’t think we’ve had a Big East game where we’ve held somebody under 50%, and particularly from two. They were 27-for-42 from two today — that’s almost like being in a gym by yourself.” 

Georgetown was also in shambles offensively, running several minutes off the clock without scoring on multiple occasions. In addition to the Bulldogs’ 15-0 run in the first, the second half saw them go on a 19-2 run, completely exploiting the Hoyas’ inability to score or defend against a physically more imposing squad.

“They beat us at every facet of the game, especially the physical part, and that’s the most disappointing to me,” Cooley said.

A pull-up three from graduate guard Cameron Bacote fell through at the 2:56 mark to end a four-minute field goal drought. At this point, the Hoyas were down 84-58 and a stream of blue and gray t-shirts had already trickled from the stands.

Epps led all Hoyas in scoring with 16 points, despite shooting a poor 4-for-19 from the field, including 1-for-9 in the second half. He was not the only Hoya to experience shooting woes — the team as a whole especially suffered in the first half where Butler nearly doubled Georgetown’s field goal percentage at 62.1% compared to 32.3%.

Despite a performance that largely disappointed viewers, Cooley said Georgetown fans can maintain some optimism.

“We’re gonna be okay,” Cooley said. “There are days where it just don’t go in the basket, there are days where it’s just not your day. Today wasn’t our day.”

The Hoyas’ previous three games had all been close losses to challenging opponents in Xavier, UConn and Seton Hall, and the team appeared to be meshing better with each showing until Tuesday’s setback.
Cooley and the Hoyas will hope that Jan. 27 is their day, as Georgetown faces the Providence Friars (13-6, 4-4) on the road in what should feel like a playoff environment for the budding Big East rivalry. This match-up is Cooley’s return game against the team he coached for 12 seasons and a must-watch for Hoya fans.