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By Joel Welser
jwelser@collegehoops.net
Georgetown Hoyas
Big East (26-6, 13-3)
Seed: #2
East Region
RPI: 9
Big Wins:
2/10 Marquette (76-58), 2/17 at Villanova (58-55), 3/10 vs Pittsburgh
(65-42)
Bad Losses:
11/19 Old Dominion (62-75), 11/29 Oregon (50-57), 2/26 at Syracuse
(58-72)
Last NCAA
Appearance: 2006, Sweet Sixteen loss to Florida
Coach:
John Thompson III (2-3 in 3 NCAA appearances)
Probable
Starters:
Jonathan
Wallace, Junior, Guard, 11.1 ppg, 3.0 apg
Jessie Sapp,
Sophomore, Guard, 8.7 ppg, 3.4 apg, 1.1 spg
Jeff Green,
Junior, Forward, 14.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.3 apg
DaJuan Summers,
Freshman, Forward, 9.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg
Roy Hibbert,
Junior, Center, 12.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.4 bpg
Key
Roleplayers:
Jeremiah
Rivers, Freshman, Guard, 1.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg
Tyler Crawford,
Junior, Guard, 2.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg
Vernon Macklin,
Freshman, Forward, 2.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg
Patrick Ewing
Jr., Junior, Forward, 4.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg
Why They Can
Surprise:
Heading into
the season, the Georgetown frontcourt was ranked among the best in the
nation. And they have not disappointed. Jeff Green can do everything and
nearly leads the team assists. Freshman DaJuan Summers has become a major
scoring threat and can rack up the points inside and outside. Vernon Macklin
and Patrick Ewing, Jr. are quality options off the bench and could be
starting at many other Big East schools. Yet it is Roy Hibbert who makes the
frontcourt so dynamic. The 7-2 center averages 12.7 points and 6.3 rebounds
and is a major presence on the defensive end.
Hibbert shoots
an amazing 68.8% from the floor. Sure none of those shots are from far out,
but with the team shooting over 50% from the floor, it is an incredibly
efficient offense. On the defensive side of the ball, the numbers are almost
as good. The opposition only shoots 38.3%, in large part due to the massive
interior presence of Hibbert.
Why They Can
Disappoint:
Despite those
great defensive numbers, Georgetown will not create many turnovers. That is
a bad thing in the sense that the Hoyas rarely get easy buckets, but that is
not what Coach John Thompson III wants to do. The Hoyas are perfectly happy
to wait out the shot clock, force the opposition to take a bad shot, grab
the rebound and work the ball into the big guys on the offensive end.
Who To
Watch:
Opening up the
interior by hitting the outside shot was the main concern for Georgetown
heading into the season. However, point guard Jonathan Wallace has proven
that he can do more than keep the defense honest with the long range
shooting. Jessie Sapp will not hit as many three balls as Wallace, but the
sophomore has developed into a trustworthy scoring option for Georgetown.
Joel’s
Bracket Says: National Finals loss to Florida
▪
2007 NCAA Tournament Bracket
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