Recap & Recovery: 5 Things We Learned in Georgetown's Win over Belmont

The Georgetown Hoyas knocked off the Belmont Bruins today by a score of 74-59, and it was a convincing win that revealed a lot about this Hoyas team.

Belmont may have just been a No. 14 seed, but they are a veteran team that played Duke and Memphis very close earlier this year. Beating them by 15 points is a very impressive feat no matter which way you slice it.

Here's a look at what we learned about Georgetown during this second-round win, and what to expect during their next game with NC State. 

During the regular season, the Hoyas averaged 64.5 possessions per 40 minutes (277th fastest in the country), so they are clearly used to a slowed-down tempo.

That was evident today against Belmont.

In the half court, Georgetown used a serious of cuts and really good movement to get its shots off. Sometimes when teams get settled in the half court, they became stagnant, but Georgetown's players never stand around.

They were able to get an open shot really whenever they wanted, as evidenced by their amazing 61.2 percent shooting on the day.

Belmont sometimes forced the Hoyas into a faster-paced game by pressing them, but Georgetown looked just as comfortable on the break, too.

NC State will try to speed up the game with all of its athletes, but it's clear the Hoyas will be just fine with that.

Most people probably already knew this about the Hoyas, but they are incredibly tough on defense, and that's mostly because of their length.

They sit back in a 2-3 zone, but because they have a bunch of NBA-looking athletes who are quick, long and fast to the ball, they make things really difficult for opposing offenses.

Belmont actually moved the ball incredibly well (16 assists on 21 field goals), and as a result were able to hit 10 three-pointers, but they just couldn't get anything going on the inside.

If someone is going to beat the Hoyas, they will have to absolutely light it up from the outside. The Wolfpack have really good athletes and they like to score inside, so it will be a very interesting matchup on Sunday.

It's a little amazing that John Thompson III hasn't gotten more attention this year as one of the better coaches in the nation. 

He entered the season with a team that most expected to finish near the middle or back of the Big East, but he he has done an absolutely tremendous job with them.

Today, he continued to prove his worth.

Belmont, an underrated team, came after Georgetown and threw lots of different looks at the Hoyas, both on offense and defense.

Thompson, however, responded in the right way time after time. He made all the right adjustments and is willing to let his team play any style. Don't be surprised if Thompson takes the Hoyas to a second Final Four in five years. 

Junior forward Hollis Thompson is Georgetown's second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder. He is also one of the Hoyas' best shooters as he leads the team in three-pointers and shoots 44 percent from deep.

Today, however, Thompson just never got into a groove.

He shot just three-for-nine (zero-for-three from deep) for only six points, five rebounds, zero steals and zero blocks. 

Nonetheless, Jason Clark, Otto Porter and Henry Sims all stepped up on offense and were able to carry the Hoyas to victory. It's a good sign Georgetown can win with such a poor performance from one of its best players. 

In their last four seasons, the Hoyas have lost in the second round, failed to make the tournament, lost in the first round, and lost in the first (newly-named second) round.

They hadn't won a tournament game since 2008, and there were some bad upsets in there, which led many people to believe they would lose that game.

Now that Georgetown is over that early-exit hump, they should have all the confidence to make a deep run in this tournament.