Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

After Pitt Win, GU Continues Schedule’s Toughest Stretch

It’s not often a game in the middle of January is a must-win, but that’s exactly what Wednesday’s game was for Georgetown.

The Hoyas had gone from goats to heroes in a mere 20 minutes against then-No. 14 Connecticut, and while the win was nice, it was an escape act that would have made Houdini nervous.

Then came last Sunday against then-No. 4 Villanova, the kind of physical, grind-it-out game that Georgetown teams have historically loved. The Hoyas didn’t shy away by any means, but it was a war of attrition, and the Wildcats simply had more bodies to throw into the trenches than the Hoyas did.

Georgetown was still a respectable 13-3 and 3-1 in the Big East, but they were about to take up the gauntlet against a string of tough competition. The Hoyas had two days of practice before facing arguably the hottest team in the nation, No. 9 Pittsburgh, on the road in a building where the Panthers had not lost in 31 games. Just on the horizon three days later would be a trap game against Mike Rosario, a pure shooter who hasn’t found a shot he doesn’t like and who has the ability to go off on any team in the nation, and Rutgers.

The reason – besides Rosario – that Rutgers is a trap game is that tip-off will occur just 50 hours before the Hoyas square off against No. 5 Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, a place that has not been kind to Georgetown in recent years.

Oh, and then the Hoyas have a nice and easy week to prepare for a midseason non-conference matchup against No. 6 Duke.

That’s where the Hoyas stood on Sunday night as they headed south on I-95 back to Georgetown. They were basically having their own “Jaws” moment sitting there looking at the schedule. They were thinking, “We need a bigger boat.”

“It’s definitely there,” Jason Clark said about this brutal stretch for the Hoyas. “But we really try to take it one game at a time and focus on the next opponent.”

Then Wednesday came, and the Hoyas played like a team riding a nine-game win streak, not the one that fouled and air-balled its way to a loss against Villanova.

In fact, you had a feeling things were going to be different from the start, when Chris Wright nailed his first three from the left wing in almost the exact same spot where he had air-balled his first three against Villanova.

It was a team effort though, and no player exemplified that effort like Julian Vaughn. He did it all, scoring a hard-earned 11 points with Gary McGhee bodying him up at every turn. Toss in six assists – an obvious display of his increased feel for the offense – and five rebounds, and you had one of the more complete games of his career.

As has been the case for much of the season, the second half was Georgetown’s half. The Hoyas outscored the Panthers 43-35 and just seemed to make every big play, en route to a huge 74-66 win.

This brings us back to how bad they needed this win.

The Villanova game was nothing more than a snowball in the face. It was cold, it stung a bit, but as long as it got wiped off it was not a problem. What the Hoyas couldn’t do was let the snow ball get rolling.

Losses to Nova and Pitt by themselves are understandable, but back-to-back with Duke and Syracuse on deck? Close to devastating.

That’s what happened last year to Georgetown. A tough road loss – which was in their hands – at Duke turned into a lifeless home loss to West Virginia. Then, that 17-point loss turned into a stunning road defeat at Seton Hall. After that? A road loss to Cincy before heading to Marquette, but by that point the season’s trajectory was decided.

This year, Georgetown’s date with Rutgers and Mike Rosario after dropping back-to-back games would have had “Seton Hall” written all over it.

“Absolutely,” said Head Coach John Thompson III Wednesday about the importance of not losing two in a row. “Or not turning one loss into two and one victory into a loss.”

Thompson may caution against getting overconfident, but after Wednesday, Rutgers seems less like a Seton Hall-type and more like a win over a bottom barrel team before a mega-showdown in the Carrier Dome. And if the Hoyas could perform surgery on Pitt on the road, there’s nothing to say that they can’t do it again in Syracuse. And if they’re suddenly 3-1 heading into the final game of this five-game gauntlet, then what’s stopping them from knocking off Duke?

Wins can snowball, too sometimes.

Winning is contagious, but so is losing, as the Hoyas found out last season. Wednesday’s win at Pitt was great – now it’s time to see if the Hoyas can make it stick.

Ryan Travers is a senior in the College. Follow him on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/illprocedure). He can be reached at traversthehoya.com. Illegal Procedure appears in every Friday issue of Hoya Sports. “

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Hoya

Your donation will support the student journalists of Georgetown University. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The Hoya

Comments (0)

All The Hoya Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *