Georgetown Basketball

This is not the big-man Hoya team with Dikembe Mutombo wagging his finger in an opposing player’s face or Patrick Ewing dominating. But, this new crop of Hoyas are no slouches by any means.

Take out one Thompson, plug in another Thompson (I intentionally left out the Esherick era because quite honestly, it’s not worth mentioning minus one NCAA run into the Sweet 16) and this Hoya program is a new kind of exciting.

Sure there have been big men in the JT3 tenure, but it’s hard to place Monroe, Hibbert or Green or anybody in the same company as Mutombo, Ewing or Alonzo Mourning.

JT3 is accomplishing something quite different with Hoya basketball than his old man.

And it is something that speaks volumes for his coaching ability as well as the new style of Hoya basketball. He’s converted a Princeton offense utilized by smart, (it is Princeton after all) lightly-recruited basketball players into an efficiently run offense played out, at times to perfection, by much more talented guards.

He doesn’t have to run the offense around his big men. Quick, without looking, tell me who Georgetown’s starting big men are without cheating. Yep, that’s what I thought.

The point is this: Chris Wright, Jason Clark and Austin Freeman are exciting to watch in this style of offense. Anyone watching the Mizzou thriller knows what I’m talking about, because that was pure brilliance.

Mizzou would make a basket and the Hoyas would have an inbound pre-coached play converted into a basket before you could scream, "Don’t do this to me Hoyas!!!"

I recall talking about this game the following day and couldn’t shut up about the game plan. JT3 deserved credit for that win just as much as his players did. Hell, he probably deserved that win more than any other I’ve seen him coach.

Now I’ll admit this offense needs good ball handlers and smart players to work like it is. I’ll even admit it hasn’t always worked in this Hoya system.

Jonathan Wallace made me pull my hair out when he handled the ball in past years. Honestly, I wouldn’t be able to watch at times. But this crop of guards has put my nerves to rest and I can just focus on a fine tuned offense overseen by JT3.

Don’t get me wrong. I will gladly take a Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Morning or Dikembe Mutombo to dominate the inside. Who wouldn’t?

But I’ll tell you this, JT3 can win and keep the Hoyas as a powerhouse without the big man. And that, my friends, is the new era of Hoya basketball.

Temple 68, Georgetown 65

The Georgetown Hoyas lost their first game of the season last Thursday night in Philadelphia to the  Temple Owls.

Despite four of their five starters scoring in double-figures, the Hoyas played from behind the entire evening—their quest to remain undefeated ending when Austin Freeman's three-pointer failed to drop with two seconds left.

A tie was as close as the Hoyas got all night—56-56 at 6:13 of the second half.  Georgetown was forced to play catch-up from the outset as Temple rattled off a 6-0 lead to start the game and set the tempo.  The Owls led by 11 at one point in the first half and took a 39-32 lead into the break.

The Hoyas came out of the locker room determined to trim the deficit and rolled off five straight points to narrow the gap to two, 39-37.  The Owls recovered and kept the Hoyas at bay for most of the period, until Chris Wright's second free throw with just over six minutes left finally tied the game.

Owls' junior guard Ramone Moore—who led the floor with 30 points—came right back, though, and sank a three-pointer to give Temple the lead for good.

With a minute left and the score 66-63, Georgetown forced a turnover and senior forward Julian Vaughn made a layup to make it a one-point game.  The Hoyas had a chance to take the lead, but Hollis Thompson missed inside with seven seconds to go.  Temple recovered the ball and Austin Freeman fouled the Owls' Rahlir Jefferson who proceeded to make both free throws and give Temple the lead 68-65.  That was how it ended after Freeman's desperation shot missed.

Georgetown fell to 8-1.  Temple upped their record to 6-2.

Box Score

Georgetown 89, Appalachian State 60

On Sunday, it was Georgetown's turn to lead from start to finish as they pounded the overmatched Appalachian State Mountaineers by 29.  Starting guard Jason Clark led the Hoyas with 15 points as all 13 Hoyas who entered the game scored.  Freshman forward Nate Lubick was hot off the bench with 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Georgetown jumped out to a 4-0 lead to start the game and never looked back. At 13:51 of the first half, the Hoyas extended the lead to double-figures, 16-5.

Meanwhile, the Georgetown defense made its presence known, holding the Mountaineers to just 11 points over the first 10 minutes of the game.

After being down by as many as 17 in the first period, the Mountaineers managed to cut the lead to nine, 41-32, at the half.

But the Hoyas came out of the gate fast, scoring the first seven of the second half, quickly grabbing a 16-point lead.

At 14:23 of the second period, App State junior guard Marcus Wright slam dunked to bring the Mountaineers to within 12—the closest they would get for the remainder of the game.

Three minutes later, the Hoyas were enjoying a 21-point lead.  From that point on Georgetown would keep a minimum 19-point distance between they and the Mountaineers.  The final score, 89-60, was the Hoyas' largest lead of the night.

Georgetown moved to 9-1.  Appalachian Sate fell to 3-4.

Box Score

Rosters

Georgetown Hoyas 2010-11 Roster

Temple Owls 2010-11 Roster

Appalachian State Mountaineers 2010-11 Roster

Up Next

Georgetown vs. Loyola (MD), Sat Dec .18 at 12PM

Georgetown @ No. 19 Memphis, Thu Dec. 23 at 8PM

Loyola Greyhounds 2010-11 Statistics

Memphis Tigers 2010-11 Statistics

Bonus

The Georgetown Hoyas have been playing for 103 years.  Here are the Hoyas' top 15 scoring leaders of all time:

1. Eric Floyd..................2,304 (1978-82)

2. Patrick Ewing.............2,184 (1981-85)

3. Reggie Williams.........2,117 (1983-87)

4. Alonzo Mourning.........2,001 (1988-92)

5. Othella Harrington.......1,839 (1992-96)

6. David Wingate............1,781 (1982-86)

7. Mike Sweetney...........1,750 (2000-03)

8. Kevin Braswell............1,735 (1998-02)

9. Derrick Jackson..........1,673 (1974-78)

10. Mark Tillmon.............1,598 (1986-90)

11. John Duren...............1,587 (1976-80)

12. Brandon Bowman......1,548 (2002-06)

13. Allen Iverson.............1,539 (1994-96)

14. Gerald Riley..............1,485 (2000-04)

15. Roy Hibbert...............1,476 (2004-08)

Georgetown won its second game this week, comfortably dispatching the WAC's Utah State Aggies in a game owned by senior guard Chris Wright and the Hoya defense.

After upsetting the higher-ranked Missouri Tigers in Kansas City on Tuesday, the Hoyas returned to Washington to prepare for what could have been a tricky game against an under-the-radar Aggie squad.  Georgetown kept their guard up, though, preventing a come-down loss from marring their perfect record.

They stifled Utah State, holding all Aggies to under 10 points.  Meanwhile, Chris Wright scored 21 for Georgetown, including eight of 10 from the line.  Fellow senior guard Austin Freeman added another nine points as the Hoyas' starters alone totaled 52—more than the whole Aggie team combined.

Georgetown did not need to rely on its big offensive weapon Saturday: the three-pointer.  This season the Hoyas are draining treys at a 44 percent clip (77 of 175).  Against Utah State, they went two for eight from downtown, not really needing the big score for most of the game.

The Aggies led by as many as four (12-8) but their last lead of the contest was at 8:46 of the first half when they were ahead 13-12.  Just over a minute later, the Hoyas were enjoying a nine-point lead (22-13) thanks to buckets by junior guard Jason Clark and Austin Freeman and six made free throws—and multiple defensive stances that stopped the Aggies cold.

But Utah State came back and tied the game 26-26 at 1:46 of the first half on a Brian Green three-pointer.  That was as close as it would get for the remainder of the game.  The Hoyas took a four-point lead into the locker room at the end of the period, 33-29.

The second half was all Georgetown, who led by double figures for most of the period and at one point held a 22-point lead.

Georgetown looks to rise from 16th in the AP poll when it's posted later this week while Utah State, who spelled much of the season in the "others receiving votes" section, will possibly fade into oblivion.  They are in the middle of the pack of the Western Athletic Conference, behind Boise State and Louisiana Tech.

Box Score

Georgetown Hoyas Roster

Utah State Aggies Roster

Up Next
Georgetown at Temple, Thu. Dec. 9 at 9PM, on ESPN2
Utah State vs. Long Beach State, Tue. Dec. 7 at 9:05PM

The 16th-ranked Georgetown Hoyas pulled out a thrilling upset on the road Tuesday, beating the ninth-ranked Missouri Tigers in a high-scoring game of comebacks, lead changes and three-point bombs.

In a night of premier college matchups that saw 10 of the Top 25 in action, the Big East-Big 12 battle between the Hoyas and Tigers turned out to be the most exciting of them all, perhaps even the best game of the young college basketball season so far.

After being up by as many as 18 in the first half, 35-17, the Hoyas let the Tigers out of their cage, allowing them to catch up and go ahead in the second half.

The Tigers roared back from a 54-47 deficit at the start of the second period and chiseled away at the gap, overtaking the Hoyas on a Marcus Denmon (G) three-pointer with 8:24 to go, 77-75.

Georgetown answered just a minute later with a three-pointer of their own, as Vee Sanford (G) reclaimed the lead for the Hoyas 78-77.

With just over six minutes to go in the game, the Tigers' Michael Dixon (G) made a layup to take the lead back again. Missouri would then extend their lead to five, but with four minutes to go, Georgetown's Austin Freeman (G) drove to the hoop, making the layup and getting the foul. After he drained the free throw, the Hoyas were down by two, 85-83.

The Tigers failed to score on their next possession, and Freeman again scored a running layup, knotting the game at 85.

But Missouri would pull away again, and with less than a minute and a half to go and the game tied at 87, Laurence Bowers (F) hit a layup from under the basket. The Hoyas missed a jump shot after that, allowing the Tigers to go back to back, when Marcus Denmon hit another layup to extend the lead to 91-87 with 48 seconds to go.

The desperate Hoyas fought back on their next possession. In a scramble, Jason Clark (G) missed a three-pointer, Austin Freeman missed a layup, Hollis Thompson (F) missed the tip-in but finally Henry Sims (C) tapped it in to cut the score to 91-89 with 27 seconds to go.

In the next second, Sims fouled Michael Dixon on the inbound. Dixon proceeded to make both free throws to put the lead back to four, 93-89.

After a personal foul on Jason Clark, the lucky Hoyas survived two missed free throws by Laurence Bowers with 19 seconds left.

Michael Dixon fouled Chris Wright on the rebound of the second missed free throw, and Wright drained both foul shots to make the score 93-91, still in favor of the Tigers. Wright, in turn, fouled Dixon on the inbound, who made his first free throw to make the score 94-91—the Tigers' last lead of the evening—with 14 seconds to go.

Dixon missed his second foul shot, which was rebounded by Hollis Thompson. He passed it to Chris Wright, who charged it across the half-court line and then passed it back to Thompson, who rushed an ill-advised shot at the top of the three-point arc with nine seconds to go. It was a clunker that deflected right.

Missouri's Kim English (G) leaped for the rebound, but the ball bounced out of his hands and headed out of bounds. With five seconds to go, English lunged after the ball to save it, tossing it back into play. It wound up in the arms of the Hoyas' Jason Clark in the middle of the key.

With three Tiger defenders swarming in, Clark kicked it out to Chris Wright, who was waiting just outside the three-point line, right of the basket. With 2.5 seconds on the clock Wright got the shot off, draining it to tie the game, 94-94, with 0.3 seconds left. Overtime.

Jason Clark would hit three three-pointers in the extra period (for three consecutive Hoya scores), his first giving the Hoyas the lead for good, 101-98, with three minutes left in the game. The Tigers gave up at the 18-second mark, down 111-102, and let the clock run out rather than continue to foul.

Box Score

OT

The Hoyas drained 15 three-pointers in the game. Their best three players, Austin Freeman (31), Jason Clark (26) and Chris Wright (21), combined for 78 points, including 12 three-pointers.

The Hoyas go to 7-0 with the following schedule for December:

vs. Utah State (Dec. 4)

at Temple (Dec. 9)

vs. Appalachian State (Dec. 12)

vs. Loyola (Dec. 18)

at No. 14 Memphis (Dec. 23)

at No. 25 Notre Dame (Dec. 29)

Marcus Denmon led the Tigers with 27 points, followed by Ricardo Ratliffe (F) with 22 off the bench. The Tigers go to 5-1, with the following schedule for December:

at Oregon (Dec. 2)

vs. Vanderbilt (Dec. 8)

vs. Presbyterian (Dec. 11)

vs. Oral Roberts (Dec. 16)

vs. Central Arkansas (Dec. 18)

vs. No. 20 Illinois (Dec. 22)

vs. Northern Illinois (Dec. 27)

vs. Old Dominion (Dec. 30)

2010-11 Georgetown Hoyas
NO	NAME	POS	HT	WT	CLASS	HOMETOWN
1	Hollis Thompson	F	6-7	205	SO	Los Angeles, CA
4	Chris Wright	G	6-1	208	SR	Bowie, MD
5	Markel Starks	G	6-2	175	FR	Accokeek, MD
11	Vee Sanford	G	6-3	180	SO	Lexington, KY
12	Ryan Dougherty	G	6-0	192	SR	Kensington, MD
14	Henry Sims	C	6-10	230	JR	Baltimore, MD
15	Austin Freeman	G	6-3	227	SR	Mitchellville, MD
20	Jerrelle Benimon	F	6-7	242	SO	Warrenton, VA
21	Jason Clark	G	6-2	170	JR	Arlington, VA
22	Julian Vaughn	F	6-9	247	SR	Vienna, VA
23	Aaron Bowen	F	6-6	200	FR	Jacksonville, FL
25	John Caprio	G	6-5	210	FR	North Caldwell, NJ
32	Moses Ayegba	C	6-9	250	FR	--
34	Nate Lubick	F	6-8	238	FR	Southborough, MA

2010-11 Missouri Tigers
NO	NAME	POS	HT	WT	CLASS	HOMETOWN
1	Phil Pressey	G	5-10	168	FR	Dallas, TX
2	Ricky Kreklow	G	6-6	195	FR	Columbia, MO
3	Matt Pressey	G	6-2	185	JR	Dallas, TX
10	Ricardo Ratliffe	F	6-8	240	JR	Hampton, VA
11	Michael Dixon	G	6-1	180	SO	Kansas City, MO
12	Marcus Denmon	G	6-3	185	JR	Kansas City, MO
15	Kadeem Green	F	6-8	200	FR	Toronto, ON
21	Laurence Bowers	F	6-8	210	JR	Memphis, TN
23	Justin Safford	F	6-9	230	SR	Bloomington, IL
24	Kim English	G	6-6	200	JR	Baltimore, MD
25	Jarrett Sutton	G	6-4	190	JR	Kansas City, MO
32	Steve Moore	C	6-9	270	JR	Kansas City, MO
35	John Underwood	F	6-9	228	SO	Phoenix, AZ

No. 14 Georgetown barely got the win this Tuesday night against No. 8 Missouri; but in the end they showed they are a very good team and that they will not be beaten easily.

The Hoyas started the game strong, getting an 18-point lead with eight minutes remaining in the first-half. Nevertheless, the Tigers slowly came back thanks to some key defensive stops. At the end of the first half, Missouri made a big push and ended the half losing 54-47.

By the final five minutes, the Tigers had surprisingly taken the lead and seemed in control of the game, yet the Hoyas didn't back down. They kept scoring and crashing the boards effectively. When Austin Freeman scored six straight points, Georgetown was able to tie the game.

From then on, it was an back-and-forth battle. No team had a bigger lead than four points and on the waning seconds, losing by three, Chris Wright shot from downtown and made the game-tying trey.

In overtime, Jason Clark made three 3-pointers to put away the game. The Hoyas won 111-102 in OT over the Tigers and probably helped themselves move up the rankings while it might have moved Missouri out of the top-10.

What really proved to be a game-changer were the free throws. The Hoyas made 18 of 18 shots from the line, while the Tigers converted only 74 percent of their free throws. The most notable miss by Missouri was made by Michael Dixon, who made just one of two with 14.7 seconds left.

The Georgetown Hoya basketball team has started 2-0, eeking out a comeback victory over a solid Old Dominion squad and dominating Tulane at home. 

The 2-0 start looks pretty on paper, but let's go ahead and take a deeper look into the first couple of games.

Can the guards protect what the big men have built?

Known as a factory for producing quality big men (Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, Roy Hibbert, Greg Monroe), the Hoyas are without a dominant post presence this season. 

However, they do have three solid guards, two of who are former McDonald's All-Americans.  Austin Freeman was selected as the Big East's preseason Player of the Year.

Early in the season they have not disappointed.  Freeman, Jason Clark and Chris Wright are averaging 20, 17.5 and 13 points respectively and are the three leading scorers for the Hoyas. 

The trio spurred the late-game comeback against Old Dominion and a 21-3 that put Tulane away early.  They are shooting well over 40 percent from the field.

Can Monroe be replaced?

In a word, no.  It doesn't look like Julian Vaughn, Jerrelle Benimon, Henry Sims, or Freshman Nate Lubick will be able to collectively fill the shoes of Greg Monroe. 

Sims and Vaughn have both started down low and neither seem capable of scoring or rebounding at the same clip that Monroe did. 

In the Tulane game, the Hoyas scored only six points in the paint in the first half and did not make it to the foul line. With a small lineup, the Hoyas have got to get production and rebounding out of the center position. 

The Hoyas have got to get more out of their bigs if they want to make any noise in the Big East or NCAA tournament this year.

Is the bench better?

Last season the Hoyas struggled to get any production from their bench.  Hollis Thompson, last season's most productive bench player has been moved into the starting lineup. 

 Thus far, the bench has not been much more successful.  While Vee Sanford did put up 10 points against Tulane, Benimon and Lubick have not been able to put many points on the board, though they have rebounded well. 

A little added firepower from the bench would certainly make this team stronger, especially during a grinding Big East schedule that will wear out the starting guards and front line players.

Live by the 3 die by the 3

The Hoyas have hoisted a combined 50 3pt attempts through two games.  This high risk-high reward strategy has paid off early as the Hoyas have knocked down 20 of those attempts. 

However, this shooting percentage is hard to maintain and the Hoyas must find some ways to get into the lane rather than relying on the deep ball.

Two years ago, when the Hoyas struggled, they relied too heavily on the perimeter game, and this start is reminiscent of that season.  Shooting the three also creates scoring droughts.  The Hoyas, at least in my four years at school, have consistently been plagued my scoring droughts. 

This season's start is no different. 

Against Tulane, the Hoyas scored only four points in the last six minutes of the first half and three opening minutes of the second.  Doing this against Tulane won't kill you, but against the Big East's best, the Hoyas will find themselves in deep holes.

Overall, Hoya fans have got to be please with the production from the guard position, but should be concerned about the lack of production inside the painted area.  Both the big men and guards have got to do a better job of creating shots close to the basket.

The Georgetown Hoyas were highly inconsistent last year, and that came back to bite them in the NCAA Tournament. Despite earning a No. 3 seed in the Big Dance, the Hoyas were upset by the Ohio Bobcats in the first round.

Coach John Thompson III expects a lot from his team, and the way they finished last year had to leave a bitter taste in his mouth. Thompson will clearly be looking for some more consistent play from this talented team in the season ahead.

The Big East will be a tough conference as always, but Georgetown will be a tough matchup for everyone this year.

Georgetown Hoyas Basketball Offseason Changes

The Hoyas kept most of their players in the fold from last year’s squad, but the one player missing is a huge loss. Greg Monroe moved on to the NBA, and he will be sorely missed. Monroe averaged 16 points and almost 10 rebounds per game during his freshman year.

The versatility of a player like Monroe really helped the rest of the team get better shots at the basket, so they’ll need to adapt to life without him at the center position.

Georgetown doesn’t have anyone as good as Monroe coming in, but there are some solid players. Nate Lubick is a 6'8" forward with great passing skills and a good understanding of the game. Moses Abraham is more of a long-term project, but the big man from Nigeria will likely make a big impact before his time at Georgetown is done.

Markel Starks is a point guard that can score in bunches, and he should get a decent amount of playing time as a freshman.

Georgetown Hoyas Outlook

The Hoyas will be great on the perimeter this season. The trio of Chris Wright, Austin Freeman, and Jason Clark are all veterans that understand the system extremely well. Wright improved dramatically last year, and I expect to see him continue that improvement this season.

Freeman had medical problems in the middle of the season but he continued to play at a very high level. Freeman is a potential Big East Player of the Year. Clark is a good long-range shooter and he plays solid defense as well. It is tough to find many teams with a more impressive lineup on the perimeter.

The Hoyas aren’t nearly as strong down low, and most of their big men don’t really have a polished low-post game. Julian Vaughn will be counted on to step up his production at the power forward position.

Hollis Thompson is a versatile player that will likely be the sixth man for this team, and I think he has a chance to really shine this year. Lubick will likely get a great deal of playing time as a freshman, so the Hoyas will need him to keep his composure in big spots.

Georgetown Hoyas College Basketball Odds

The Georgetown Hoyas are listed as the fourth favorite to win the Big East. The book has posted the Hoyas at +650 to win the regular season in this brutally tough conference. What about Georgetown’s chances to win it all this year? They are listed at +2,500 to win the NCAA Championship.

Georgetown Hoyas Basketball Schedule

The Hoyas will open on Nov.12 with a bit of a tricky game at Old Dominion. In the non conference schedule, their toughest games appear to be against Missouri and Memphis, with both games taking place away from home. The Big East schedule will be tough as always. They only play Pittsburgh and Villanova once this year, but they do play Syracuse twice.

Georgetown College Basketball Predictions and Picks

This Georgetown team was a tough to get a read on last year, and I think they will be similar this season. I expect this team to knock off some of the top-ranked teams in the nation, but lose some games they aren’t supposed to lose. The veteran leadership will probably help take them a little farther in the tournament, but the lack of a low-post presence will hurt.

First off, I'd like to thank Nate Lubick for taking his time to do this interview. What a great kid, he will make Georgetown proud!

Lubick, a 6'9" power forward out of St. Mark's High School, located in Southborough, Mass., is Georgetown's top recruit from the 2010 class.

Lubick is the 48th-ranked prospect according to the ESPNU Top 100, and the 12th ranked power forward. He averaged 17 points a game during his senior year.

Georgetown and John Thompson III are in need of a better bench presence, and the team hopes that Lubick, along with other incoming recruits, can help solve the weak link of the team.

Nate was nice enough to answer eight questions with me.

Enjoy!

Garrett Tucker: At what point did you realize you really had a chance to play basketball past your high school days?

Nate Lubick: All along I knew I would be able to play, or at least hoped I would be able to. Basketball runs in the family with my dad being a coach for so long, so he had me working when I was young.

Tucker: For those that aren't aware of your style of play, who would you compare yourself to in the college/NBA game?

Lubick: I would say I play like Jeff Green played in college, maybe a little David Lee, too.

Tucker: You are signed with Georgetown. What stuck out to you about the school, program, etc?

Lubick: I loved how strong it was academically, I love [Washington] D.C., and I have a ton of family there. The style of play and coaches were great for me.

Tucker: What team first contacted you about playing college basketball? What kind of impression did you get on that team?

Lubick: I picked up my first scholarship offer from Colgate in eighth grade. I thought it was the coolest thing ever so I wanted to commit on the spot!

Tucker: What do you think you can bring to Georgetown as not only a freshman, but for as long as you decide to stay in college?

Lubick: I am going to go into the situation looking to be a piece to the puzzle. With Greg [Monroe] leaving, there is obviously some big shoes to fill in the front court, but I am not going in trying to be Greg Monroe. I'm going in trying to help my team win as much as possible.

Tucker: Any favorite college players or high school recruits you communicate with regularly?

Lubick: Well I talk to the guys on the Georgetown team quite frequently, but aside from that, Jordan Williams (Maryland) and Erik Murphy (Florida) are two of my good buddies from AAU.

Tucker: Many believe the Big East is the best conference in college basketball. Did that effect your decision to go to Georgetown?

Lubick: Of course it did; the Big East is a dream for all kids growing up on the East Coast.

Tucker: What are your goals for your stint as a Hoya?

Lubick: To win a lot of games, that's it.

Thanks for the interview Nate. Can't wait to see him take the court next fall as a Hoya.

Make sure to follow Nate Lubick on Twitter @natelubick  

You can also find this interview featured on Real Sports Net .

For more updates on college basketball, including recruiting and interviews, follow Garrett Tucker on Twitter @GTuckersports

The Big Dance has gotten a little bit bigger, but not to the extent of what the NCAA was discussing.

An expansion to 96 teams?

No.

An expansion to 68 teams?

Yes, the NCAA Tournament is now going to be a field of 68.

Most are relieved that it was not turned into a field of 96, because they believe it would have ruined the reputation of the best tournament in the history of sports.

So, as fans have discussed what their thoughts are on the whole situation, several people have also gives some information on what they were thinking about an expansion to 96 teams.

Here are some things players had to say:

“I haven’t met not one that likes 96,” D.J. Gay, a San Diego State Aztecs guard, said. “It goes from the Big Dance to just a dance."

“Not one person that I talked to,” Arizona State guard Jamelle McMillan said

Jamelle McMillan's team was a bubble team this year that, unfortunately, had their bubble popped.

Even McMillan, who would support a tournament expansion this year, thinks an expansion to 96 teams would have been too much.

“It was more of being competitors,” McMillan said. “Guys around here and from other teams definitely did not agree with that many teams in the tournament, and for good reason. We want to play for something, and (96) seems like it’s given. It’s the easy way, so to speak. Ninety six was completely far-fetched.”

He is completely in favor with an expansion to 68 teams though, because he believes it will help a few more deserving teams.

There are more players than those of bubble teams who dislike the idea of an expansion to 96 teams.

“It just ruins it,” Santa Clara forward Niyi Harrison said. “Once you make it, it’s not the same feeling you get.

“I’ve followed the tournament my whole life. If they made it 96, that would just kill the whole feeling.”

I think it is clear that many players, fans, coaches, and even bracketologists like Joe Lunardi are relieved about the news of the expansion to 68 instead of 96.

Here is what Joe Lunardi has to say about the situation:

"Thank heavens the powers-that-be came to their senses..."

"We assume, without confirmation, that the additional three teams will result in opening round games among typical No. 15 and No. 16 seeds. I suppose this leaves open the possibility, however remote, that the new opening round could instead involve the cut line of the at-large pool as opposed to the weakest automatic qualifiers."

"Thank heavens the powers-that-be came to their senses..."

"I hope at some point that an opening round doubleheader could be played at the Palestra in Philadelphia, which for a long time held the record for most NCAA tournament games hosted."

"Thank heavens the powers-that-be came to their senses..."

"We will see a No. 1 seed finally lose to a No. 16 seed sooner rather than later. The level of competition for top seeds in the first round is about to go up (not dramatically, but just enough to turn years of near-misses into the occasional historic upset)."

"Did I mention how great it is that the powers-that-be came to their senses?"

It is apparent to me that Lunardi did not support the idea of a field of 96, and he is now delighted to see it never happened.

Although I am a supporter of 96 teams, I am pleased that they did keep it to 68, because I have noticed that many people are upset by the idea.

I just hope that now that the tournament has changed, everything will calm down and we can get back to the basic idea of the tournament; sit back, relax, and watch some the great sport of college basketball.

With the new broadcasting deal CBS has made to televise every game in tournament, next year could be a great one!

Follow me on Twitter @Fball4life54