Georgetown Basketball

Who are the 2009-10 Georgetown Hoyas?

Are they the team that opened up a 20-point lead on the current No. 5 team in the country (Duke)?  Are they the team that swallowed up Villanova, scoring 103 points on a once-respected Wildcat defense?  

Or are they the team that managed to lose to Rutgers on Valentine's Day, after they'd beaten the Scarlet Knights by 25 points earlier in the season?  What about the team that laid an egg against USF, or the team that was down 23 points to Syracuse in the second half last week?

Whichever identity the Hoyas want to run with for the rest of the year, one thing is abundantly clear: The Georgetown Hoyas will go as far as Greg Monroe takes them, and no further.

What, you say?  Austin Freeman was the one who singlehandedly keyed Georgetown's comeback last night against Louisville with another bananas second half performance (24 points in the final 20 minutes, 29 overall) to save the Hoyas from another one of those can't-feel-feelings, soul-crushing losses?  

True.  Freeman went nuts.  At this point, that can't be altogether unexpected, considering he's averaging a ridiculous 20.2 points in conference play.

But not far behind him was Monroe, the 6'11" sophomore who finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, and a steal against the Cardinals.

In fact, without Monroe keeping the Hoyas relevant in the first half, Freeman would have needed to conjure even more magic from three-point land to make Louisville sweat their lead.  

Bottom line: Without Monroe, the Hoyas lose that game against Louisville.  By double digits (and they lose just about every other game this season, while we're at it).

Go ahead and focus on Freeman knocking down 29 points on a paltry 12 shots.  His shot efficiency was nothing short of absurd, but that's just the problem: Georgetown can't rely on those types of shooting performances by Freeman every game as it approaches the Big East and NCAA tournaments.

Sure, Freeman will likely score 20 points in a given game, but does he do it on 12 shots like last night, or does he chuck up 20-25 shots in a game to get there?

Instead, take a look at how Monroe impacted the game last night on both the offensive and defensive ends.

In the first half, when Georgetown missed seven of its first eight shots and fell behind by double digits early, the Hoyas fed Monroe often, and Monroe took it hard to the basket. Monroe finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds, one assist and a steal in the half.

Georgetown finished with 29 points in the first half.

Meanwhile, defensively Monroe was responsible for holding Louisville's best player, Samardo Samuels, to 11 points and six rebounds in the game—five points and two rebounds below his season average.  

When Samuels was chucking up desperate, off-balance close-range shots in the second half over Monroe's outstretched arms, the Hoyas clawed back and took the lead.  Samuels missed a jumper and two layups in the first six minutes, as Georgetown turned a six-point halftime deficit into an eight-point second half lead.

Samuels finished the half having hit three of seven buckets, with two defensive rebounds and a turnover.  

Monroe finished the second half scoring only four points (2-4 FG), but he grabbed seven more rebounds and dished out four assists.  

Now, it's no secret that Georgetown's offense flows through Monroe, but thanks to the statistical wizards at HoyaProspectus , they (and now, so do I) have some stats to prove just how valuable of a cog Monroe is to the Georgetown machine.

HoyaProspectus has recorded every possession that each player is on the court, and how that possession ended.

Unsurprisingly, Freeman is ranked first offensively for Georgetown, producing an average of 114.7 points per 100 possessions, but Monroe doesn't trail far behind with his 110.3 per 100 possessions.  Again, seeing as Freeman leads the Hoyas this year with 17.5 ppg  while Monroe scores an average of 15.7 ppg, these aren't earth shattering statistics when analyzed independently.

But a gander at Georgetown's defensive statistics spells out Monroe's all-around impact on the team's well-being.  According to these stats, Monroe is the best Hoya defender by far , allowing only an average of 86.5 points per 100 possessions.  The second closest on the team, point guard Chris Wright, gives up an average of 92 points per 100 possessions.

When the guys worked their magic to figure out the players' net points (net points defined as average of [ORtg - DRtg]*%Poss and [Pts. produced - Pts. allowed], clearly) , Monroe comes out Georgetown's most effective player by a mile.

Monroe's net points produced comes out to 127.7.  The next highest on the team, Austin Freeman, clocks in at 71.1.  Only the starters have positive values for net points produced.

Again, Freeman's got the unquestioned ability to shred a lead into pieces quicker than anyone else on the Hoyas.  But Monroe is by far the Hoyas' best player on the court.

If the Hoyas remember this, and continue to feed their big man no matter how successful at first , good things will come.  

When they forget to feed their big man (see: down 71-70 against 'Cuse, immediately after Monroe recovered the ball and called timeout with less than a minute left)...they suffer losses that make you unable to feel feelings (trust me).

Want an answer to where to put Georgetown in your NCAA bracket?  

Watch Monroe over the next two weeks.

Chris Wright isn't the bellwether of this Georgetown team.  They can clearly win when he doesn't score 10 points.

Monroe's the bellwether, and Monroe's the glue that keeps the Georgetown engine running.

65 teams brawling for the chance to be crowned the best college basketball team in the nation. Now that sounds like madness to me, and I don't believe there is a better sound in the world than the crazy scream of jacked-up fans ready to see their favorite team fight to the death in a one loss and go home situation.

Hearts will be broken, the clock will strike midnight on Cinderella's, heroes will be made, and most importantly, a champion will be crowned. March madness is one of the most exciting times of the year for sports fans, filled with upsets and glory.

Here are some teams that I think could shock the sports world when March rolls around.

Ohio State Buckeyes-

Most people will say that the Bucks are known to well around the nation and are way too good to be considered a Cinderella kind of team. Well, you may be right, lots of people have heard about Ohio State, but they don't get nearly enough publicity for how good they really are.

Led by the Big Ten Player of the Year award candidate Evan Turner, this team has one of the best and most explosive starting five in the entire nation. John Deibler is a sharp shooter from beyond the arc and big man Dallas Lauderdale is an absolute beast in the post, leading the Big Ten in field goal percentage. If the Buckeyes can establish any bench player over the rest of the regular season, they could be an EXTREMELY tough out in the tournament and I wouldn't be surprised to see them sitting pretty in the Final Four.

Siena Saints-

Usually there is always a mid-major team that steps it up come tournament time and I think Siena has all the attributes to be that team this year. Ronald Moore, Siena's star point guard, is one of the main reasons why I think they have a shot to be heard in the big dance this year.

Moore has been averaging 7.7 assists per game this year as a college point guard, that i by far and away the best in the nation. Not only that, this guy is lightning fast and can get up and down the court in a heartbeat. He is an unbelievable point guard that has been basically hidden away from the world because he is in such a minor conference, but if Moore plays up to his potential, his name could be known around the states after the tournament.

Temple Owls- The Atlantic Ten conference has been the best in the nation outside of the power six conferences this year (And Frankly, they have been twice as good Pac Ten this year), and with an impressive non-conference schedule, the Owls have proved they can ball with the best of them this year.

Temple has really impressed me this year with solid wins over Siena, Virginia Tech, Rhode Island, Xavier and a great win over the Villanova Wildcats. Not only do they have a list of impressive wins that most teams don't have, they also play some of the best defense in the country, which is a key to having a successful tournament run.

They have shown sparks of offense throughout the year like they did against Villanova and if they can get someone on their team to get hot, the Owls have good enough defense to make a few upsets and go to the sweet 16 and possibly even the elite 8.

Texas A&M Aggies-

This Aggies team has been smoking hot over the past few weeks and has been able to claw themselves into the top 25 for the first time this season. With a faltering Texas team struggling to beat the bottom of the barrel teams in the Big 12, the Aggies have become the third best team in their conference. This is not an easy feat considering how tough the Big 12 has been this year.

This group has become a real team over the last two weeks beating Baylor, Mizzou, Texas Tech, and had a close loss to Kansas in their most recent game. An impressive stretch to say the least and I think this A&M team will stay hot into the tournament and could upset a few highly ranked teams before they are eliminated from the Big Dance this year. 

Illinois Fighting Illini-

This Illini team is extremely talented and had been on a role up until their most recent game against the Buckeyes, but still, wins over Michigan State at home and the Badgers on the ROAD (first unranked team in 50 games to accomplish that). That is extremely impressive and it looks like the Illini have finally come together as a team and they are starting to live up to the high expectations.

I believe that the success of Illinois in the big dance can be summed up pretty well in two words- Demetri McCamey. When McCamey is scoring and spreading the ball around to his teammates, this team is hard to beat, just ask the Wisconsin Badgers. I like the Illini and I think they will make a solid run in the big dance. Don't be surprised if you see this team in the sweet 16 or further.

These five teams have been flying under the radar for the most part this season, but have shown they have the ability to beat some of the best teams in the nation and consistently win ball games.

Don't be surprised if you see a couple of these teams in the sweet 16, elite 8, and maybe even the final four because all of these teams can ball when they are playing their best. Don't be afraid to pick these teams and Bracket Busters in your pools because they all have the ability to shock the nation this year

Hopefully this past Valentine's Day you found yourself busy with much better things to do than watch Georgetown presumably beat up on a Rutgers team they beat by 25 points earlier this season.

If you're like me, you would have casually glanced at the score of the game with 10 seconds left...only to see that Georgetown was somehow losing.  

If you had the stomach to keep watching it, you'd have seen Rutgers finish the deed in knocking off the eighth-ranked Hoyas.

Disregard the fact that Georgetown hadn't lost to Rutgers since the 2002-03 season, when Craig Esherick was still the head coach.

Forget that last year's Georgetown squad that finished 16-15 (7-11 in conference) even managed to scrap together a win against Rutgers.

Instead, focus on the fact that eight days ago these very same Hoyas humbled Villanova, then the No. 2 team in the country.  A week before, they also welcomed Duke to their home court, and opened up a 20-point lead on the top-10 ranked Blue Devils in the second half.

So how did this Hoya squad succumb to such a crappy team when they've beaten the likes of Villanova and Duke at home, in addition to Pittsburgh on the road?   

Are the Hoyas, who had been considered a legitimate national championship contender after their thrashing of 'Nova, still worthy of being in that conversation after showing their inconsistencies in recent weeks?

A quick glance at Kenpom.com shows some telling statistics about the Hoyas and may suggest the ceiling for this year's squad.

Here are the adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency statistics (a combination of effective field goal, turnover, offensive rebound, and team free throw percentages) from Pomeroy:

Year, Off. Eff./Rank

2005-06, 117.1/9
2006-07, 124.8/2
2007-08, 117.2/18
2008-09, 111.2/45
2009-10, 115.0/21       

Year, Def. Eff./Rank

2005-06, 92.9/38
2006-07, 89.3/20
2007-08, 86.4/4
2008-09, 91.1/22
2009-10, 91.4/36

I'm shocked to see their offensive efficiency as poor as it is, considering I've been affectionately referring to them as the most offensively gifted team John Thompson III has coached at Georgetown.

Apparently not.

Unquestionably, this team has the ability to pile on points and explode on scoring runs like no other Thompson-coached G'town team. Go back to the 103 points they scored against 'Nova, Duke (89), or even Providence (79).  

It's no secret that Thompson's Georgetown teams rely on the Princeton offense to generate high-percentage shots.  (Nationally, they rank fifth in two-point FGs and 13th in three-pointers this season.)  To create those high-percentage shots, the Hoyas milk the shot clock on every possession, leaving G'town towards the basement of possessions per game since Thompson's taken over.

This year's Georgetown team also has the ability to run up and down the court unlike any other Thompson-led squad, explaining the apparent scoring acumen.  Compared to the 2007 Final Four team, these Hoyas are averaging nearly seven more possessions a game.

What's holding this year's team back?

The scoring increase correlates with the increase in possessions, but it's adversely affected the Hoyas as much as it's helped them.

Check out statsheet.com to see that the Hoyas average 14.7 turnovers per game this season. That number doesn't sound bad on the surface, but when you only average about 67 possessions, that means they're giving the ball away 21.8 percent of the time on offense.

That 21.8 percent is an awful sounding number.

Moreover, if you're looking to find the cause of these turnovers, look no further than the frontcourt. Thanks to the fantastic job done compiling stats by HoyaProspectus, you can see that in Georgetown's 18 wins this season, Greg Monroe, Julian Vaughn, and Jerrelle Benimon have posted turnover rates of 19.3, 19.9, and 35.8 percent, respectively. In their losses: Monroe (27.5), Vaughn (30.5), and Benimon (53.3).

In other words, the formula to beat Georgetown simply appears to be pressuring their big men into throwing the ball away.

As you can also see from Pomeroy's defensive rankings, the once vaunted Georgetown defense that propelled them to back-to-back Big East titles in 2007 and 2008, appears to have left Healy Gates with the departure of 7'2" Roy Hibbert.

In the 2007-08 season, Hibbert's last as a Hoya, their defense ranked first in the country, holding opponents to an effective field goal percentage of 42.0.  

This year it's 46.3 percent according to Pomeroy, good for 67th in the nation.

The defensive lapses can be somewhat attributed to the turnover problem: It's harder to block shots and play tenacious defense when trying to stop fast breaks.

This is where Georgetown's lack of depth comes into play.

Since the Hoyas only have two legitimate post presences—Monroe and Vaughn—they must be extra wary of cheap fouls.  

I've noticed a tendency where if one of them goes all-out for a block and fails, the opponent is often left with an easy layup or dunk. All this occurring while other Hoyas  stand and shrug their shoulders.

Now, are these problems correctable?  

Yes.  

Easily correctable?  

No.

The turnover problem has plagued Thompson's past teams so I wouldn't expect a sudden turnaround anytime soon.  Regardless, keeping our frontcourt players out of double-teams will go a long way in curbing that problem, making opponents pay if they attempt to do so in the post.

As for the rest of the season, the primary concern has to be the defensive lapses. You really start to wonder if you're a legitimate contender when Providence goes on a 32-18 run against you.

In one of his most recent mailbags, Sports Illustrated writer Seth Davis wrote: "A good player knows how to play well when he's not playing well. The same can be said for a great team...You have to dig out that kind of a win at some point during the NCAA tournament."

Currently, Georgetown is not a great team.

Can they get there before March?  

Sure.  

The wins over Duke, Pittsburgh, and Villanova prove that the Hoyas can compete with any team in the country on a good day.

However, if the Hoyas don't figure out how make it through the slough of turnovers and defensive breakdowns, they'll miss their third consecutive Sweet 16.

You do realize they haven't won more than three straight games since December, don't you?

After a loss to the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers on February 14, everything that I thought I knew about Georgetown basketball flew right out the window as I watched them fall to 18-6 on the year. Week in and week out, I puzzle myself to figure out what this team is all about, and my mind is continually being changed because of how sporadic the Hoyas are.

They can play so spectacular, like the Hoyas did against Duke and Villanova at home, blowing them both away. They can awe you with their offense when it is clicking on all cylinders, with Austin Freeman and Jason Clark knocking down threes, Greg Monroe dominating the interior, and Chris Wright quarterbacking the high powered attack.

It is a beautiful thing when the Hoyas are performing their best (at least if you’re a Georgetown fan. It probably didn't seem so beautiful to the Cats or the Blue Devils after getting kicked out of Washington). Georgetown is so talented that can beat any team in the nation on a given night and when they get hot, they are unstoppable.

However, there is another side to these Hoyas that isn't quite as glamorous as the high voltage team that can show up to the game. When Georgetown is having an off night, they are WAY off. It is extremely disappointing to see them so far away their  best ball because you know what kind of talent they have, but they can just play absolutely miserable.

Threes are not falling, big men in foul trouble, little to no defense. It is like there is a completely different team that traded places with the spectacular Hoyas that can play so well.

The most recent example of the Hoyas falling flat on their face against a below average team was when the Hoyas failed to hit a three in the second half of the Rutgers loss last Sunday, even though they are the most efficient outside shooting team in the Big East.

Some of this inconsistency can be credited be to the weak bench play the Hoyas have had throughout the season, especially at guard.

There is nobody, outside of occasionally freshman forward Hollis Thompson, that can come off the bench and make an impact when one of the starters is not performing or is in foul trouble. Even though the bench play has been poor, I believe that coaching has a large deal to do with the sporadic play of the Hoyas.

John Thompson III has done a solid job throughout his time with the Georgetown, but I think he and his staff are one of the main problems with the Hoyas inconsistency over the past few years. If you look at their schedule, there is a somewhat nerve racking pattern going on with the Hoyas over the season and especially the past five or six games.

Before or after big games for the Hoyas, there always seems to be a let up against an inferior team, taking away from some of the Hoya's thunder.

A perfect example of this was their recent loss to Rutgers, just days before the upcoming game against No. 5 ranked Syracuse on Thursday. Or their let up against USF right before their game against then-No. 2 ranked Villanova. You could also say that a let up happened when Georgetown was upset by Marquette, just three days before the Hoyas were scheduled to play their once highly ranked rival, the UCONN Huskies.

I'm not sure why, but it is more than obvious the Hoyas have been overlooking certain opponents, or looking ahead to "More important" games. I believe that the Georgetown staff has been looking past some opponents and not taking them seriously. If this is true, there is a serious issue inside the Hoya team that needs to be amended if the Hoyas want any chance at going deep into the NCAA tournament this year.

No matter how much talent you have on your team, there is no way a anybody will ever win a couple games in the NCAA tournament if you are looking past opponents because if you don't bring your A game in the bid dance night in an night out, you’re going to get beat. The tournament is meant for the best teams, and it has no cheap wins.

Unless Georgetown gets their act together, I wouldn't pick the Hoyas going any further than the sweet 16. The Hoya's need to come together as a team and really focus on every game for the rest of this season. They can't look past teams because if you look past an inferior team, and they beat you, even if you win the "Bigger" game, your still only one and one.

Championship teams don't consistently lose to poor talent. Teams like the Tar Heels last season take it one game at a time and make every game seem as important as the next, because really, they are all important. The Hoyas have some serious problems and even though they have the talent to make a tournament run, they won't unless they make some changes to the teams focus over the rest of the season and into the tournament.

Has there been a more inconsistent team over the last three weeks than the Georgetown Hoyas?

Blown out by Syracuse, blow out Duke, lose to South Florida, smack Villanova, struggle to hold on against Providence, and finally yesterday's loss to Rutgers. After the win over Villanova, many pundits had the Hoyas slotted in the last two seed.

Its doubtful that is going to ring true anymore. Rutgers hadn't beaten a top 10 team in almost seven years, and this win may actually save their head coach's job. Not exactly a great loss.

The obvious answer is Chris Wright. When he scores in double figures, Georgetown is 16-0. When he doesn't, the Hoyas are 2-6.

But that isn't exactly what Georgetown's issue is.

As we said after the Villanova game, the Hoyas are a team that, when they play their game, will beat just about anyone in the country. When they are playing patiently on the offensive end, moving the ball quickly until someone has a good shot or penetration opportunity, and simply playing good, hard, fundamental defense, Georgetown is going to be nearly impossible to beat.

But they didn't show up against Rutgers. At all.

Georgetown got into a bit of a hole early, and completely lost the ability to execute their game plan. The Hoyas forced quick shots on the offensive end. They made ill-advised drives to the rim. They decided not to play any defense on Rutgers.

And that's the real reason that Chris Wright is the most important player for this team.

Wright is the Hoyas' point guard, but he isn't the guy that they run their offense through. That would be Greg Monroe, who proved why with 19 points, eight boards, and six assists last night. Wright, essentially, is a scoring guard trapped in a point guard's body. He doesn't have the mentality or the leadership to, when things are going badly, make a change in what the Hoyas are doing. He's not a vocal leader, and he's not a guy that will get on his teammates if they aren't hustling defensively or are taking bad shots.

The Hoyas, as a result, don't have that coach on the floor. They don't have that leader, the stopper that can get them running their sets. Wright is just as likely to force a dumb shot early in the shot clock as anyone on the team.

It's only natural for a team like Georgetown, who has had a lot of success this season, to come out a bit flat against inferior teams, especially during a road game late on a Sunday afternoon.

And while Georgetown is an excellent team when they do play Hoya basketball, there are going to be times during the postseason that they get into trouble.

If they don't have someone that can change the momentum when that happens, the Hoyas may be primed for an early exit come March Madness.

In the Big East, if you're not prepared to give your maximum effort for 40 minutes on any given night, your team is capable of being knocked off, no matter who you are.

Teams in the Big East don't care about the name on your jersey, or how many league championships you've won, or what your season record is.  Teams in the Big East, no matter how their season has gone, go into every game legitimately believing that they can end up victorious.

Georgetown and their fans were harshly reminded of that fact last Wednesday, when unranked, unheralded USF, led by junior Dominique Jones, came to D.C. and snapped the Hoyas' 11-game winning streak at the Verizon Center, giving the Hoyas a harsh wake-up call in the process.  

Jones, who had averaged 37 points-per-game over his past three games, lit up the listless Hoyas in the second half, leaving Georgetown fans wondering whether or not that blowout of Duke four days before was simply a mirage.

Moreover, after the Verizon Center had been rocking with 20,000 "Gray-ed Out" fans against Duke, the fan support against USF was minimal, at best.  The team couldn't feed off the crowd's energy because, well, there was no energy, Jones went to work, and the rest is history.

But the Hoyas, who needed to prove their place as legitimate national contenders after turning in up-and-down performances as of late, turned the corner and brought it hard  against then-No. 2 Villanova.  

The heart-attack Hoyas were gone, and these Hoyas looked like they had finally learned to deal with the rigors of the Big East. 

Just when the Hoyas couldn't be more hungry for a win, two feet of snow was dumped upon the nation's capital right in time for the Hoyas' matchup with 'Nova.

Somehow, 10,000 screaming fans made it through the torrential blizzard-like conditions to cheer on the Hoyas, and they responded.  After hopping up in the student section during warmups to thank the fans for making it out, the Hoyas started raining buckets on Villanova for two straight hours.

The man of the hour on Saturday was previously unheralded sophomore Jason Clark, who didn't miss a shot in the first half on his way to finishing with 24 points in the game.  Clark knocked down six of seven three-point attempts, including all four of his in the first half, and boosted Georgetown to a 50-31 halftime lead.

The Hoyas didn't stop in the second half.  After shutting Scottie Reynolds down in the first half and holding him to five points, Reynolds exploded out of the gates in the second half, on his way to 19 second-half points.

But Georgetown's Austin Freeman wasn't having any of Reynolds' heroics on Saturday.  When Reynolds would knock down a clutch three that threatened to narrow G'town's lead to single digits, Freeman would run right up the court and drain a counter three, as if to say, "Not today, Scottie."  

The Hoyas never let the Wildcats within single digits in the second half and left the Verizon Center with their most impressive win of the season, beating 'Nova 103-90 .

As USF proved three days before, no win was an easy win in the Big East, and while a Feb. 18 date with Syracuse loomed in the distance, the Hoyas first had to turn their focus to a date on the road with Providence on Tuesday.

In the first half and the beginning of the second half, it appeared that the Hoyas could be en route to another USF-like upset, as the Friars held a 47-40 lead at one point in the second half over the seventh-ranked Hoyas.

But unlike in the USF game, the Hoyas kept their calm, worked the ball to Monroe, and let the big man work his magic.  Monroe responded with one of his best games as a Hoya (and certainly most dynamic), as he recorded a rare double-double for a big man: one with points and assists.  

Monroe ratched up 12 points, seven rebounds, and 12 assists, consistently dissecting the Providence defense to find the cutting man for an easy basket.  Julian Vaughn was a main recipient of Monroe's passing, as he racked up a career-high 19 points mostly on easy dunks and lay-ups facilitated by Monroe.

In the end, the Hoyas finished 2-1 in this three-game stretch, and had you told any Hoya fan that they'd finish 2-1 in this stretch, they'd be happy.  Tell them that that loss didn't come at the hands of Villanova, and they'd realize that the win against 'Nova (especially the comfortable win it was) far outweighed the close loss to one of the middling Big East teams.

What it means in the long run: The Hoyas assuredly hear this every day from coach John Thompson III, but they must continue to take their schedule one game at a time. 

No more speculating about what a win against Syracuse would do to NCAA seeding when you've got two games in front of you.  No more coming out listless for inferior opponents and acting completely surprised when they start knocking down difficult shots.  

And for the love of God, no more cheap fouls.  (But it's the Big East, so Lord knows that won't happen.  Thanks, Villanova.  Keep letting teams shoot 50 free throws .)

As they proved against Villanova, this Hoyas team is capable of beating nearly any team in the nation on any given night.

And as they proved against USF, this Hoyas team can lose to any team in the nation on any given night as well.

If the Hoyas can manage to stay modest, hungry, and keep up their strong team chemistry, there's no telling what this team is capable of doing into March.

But if they lose their focus...tell them to remind themselves of the 2007-08 Hoyas, Stephen Curry, and the pain of a second-round KO after back-to-back Big East regular season championships.

For those of you who were either too busy or preoccupied with Super Bowl weekend to watch college hoops on Saturday or Sunday, this rewind is for you.

No. 8 Georgetown 103, No. 2 Villanova 90.

In case you haven't heard, the Georgetown Hoyas are hot.

The eighth-ranked Hoyas put up 103 points en route to their thrashing of the Villanova Wildcats on Saturday.

The Big East is the nation's top conference in regards to basketball, and the Hoyas just threw their name in the national contender conversation on the strength of their stellar showing against Scottie Reynolds and company.

Reynolds scored 24 points for 'Nova (9-1, 20-2), but it wasn't enough to keep the hungry Hoyas at bay. Georgetown (7-4, 17-5) guard Austin Freeman went off to the tune of 25 points in the Hoyas' 103-90 win.

Look for the Hoyas to move up in the AP/ESPN rankings come Monday. No. 6 anyone?

No. 4 Syracuse 71, Cincinnati 54

The Orange (23-1) are tops in the Big East at 10-1, and they rolled over the Bearcats (5-6, 14-9) on Sunday thanks to guard Andy Rautins' 20 points. Bench scoring played a vital role for Jim Boeheim's club, as Kris Joseph came off the pine to finish with 17 points and Scoop Jardine added 11.

The Orange should move up a spot in the rankings due to 'Nova's loss to the Hoyas of Georgetown.

No. 1 Kansas 75, Nebraska 64

The Big 12's front-runners had a couple of scares this week. The Colorado Buffaloes took Sherron Collins and friends to overtime, only to fall 72-66.

With the season winding down, there's always going to be that team that wants to spoil the party for the big dogs—Nebraska (1-7, 13-10) was close.

Down only five points at the half, the Huskers looked like they could hand the Jayhawks (8-0, 22-1) their first conference loss.

Fortunately for the Jayhawks, Marcus Morris and Collins made sure that didn't happen. Morris finished with 20 points, Collins with 17.

Kansas will sit tight at the No. 1 slot for now. The struggling Longhorns are next on the birds' menu, Monday in Lawrence.

Oklahoma 80, No. 10 Texas 71

Speaking of the Texas Longhorns (5-3, 19-4), the 10th-ranked team in the nation suffered yet another loss to the unranked Oklahoma Sooners (4-4, 13-9) in another installment of the Red River Rivalry.

Dexter Pittman was efficient on the glass with 13 boards, but Pittman scored only eight points. Avery Bradley poured 21 points on the Sooners, but turnovers and lack of zeal caused the 'Horns to drop their third game in their last four contests.

Sooners' guard Tommy Mason-Griffin went 5-7 from three-point land, scoring 24 points. Cade Davis wouldn't be denied as he finished with 20.

Panic mode is setting in Austin as the once mighty 'Horns looked nearly unbeatable in December when they thrashed the Michigan State Spartans 79-68 but have recently lost their luster.

Illinois 78, No. 5 Michigan State 73

What happens when a team's star player becomes a spectator due to ankle injury?

It drops two conference games in a row, that's what.

The Michigan State Spartans (9-2, 19-5) are dealing with the loss of reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Kalin Lucas and struggling while he heals.

After a Badger beatdown in Madison, Sparty was upset by the Illini in Champaign-Urbana. Needless to say, Sparty is missing "Too Easy's" presence as it tries to regroup for Tuesday's showdown with the Boilers in East Lansing.

Illinois' (8-3, 16-8) Demetri McCamey was beyond dangerous, shooting 6-9 from downtown and finishing with 22 points. Freshman guard D.J. Richardson caught the hot shooting bug as well—he dropped 14 on Tom Izzo's Spartans.

Delvon Roe and Raymar Morgan were no-shows for Izzo and sophomore guard Korie Lucious folded under pressure. The floodgates are open for the rest of the conference; can Sparty hold on in the competitive Big Ten?

Look for the Izzo clan to remain in the nation's top 10—barely. The green and white should occupy the No. 10 slot come Monday.

Other notable games

No. 6 West Virginia, St. Johns 60

Da'Sean Butler led a super-charged Mountaineer (8-2, 19-3) offense with 33 points. Kevin Jones scored 13 points, Devin Ebanks finished with 12 as Bob Huggins' boys rolled over the Johnnies (2-8, 12-10).

No. 9 Duke 66, Boston College 63

Late free throw shooting kept Duke (7-2, 19-4) from being upset by unranked Boston College (3-6, 12-11) on Saturday. Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith led Duke's offense, each scoring 21 points. Kyle Singler added 12 as Duke escaped by the skin of its teeth against the Eagles.

Maryland 92, North Carolina 71

Turns out losing four players to the NBA Draft is a problem for the Tar Heels. Roy Williams' bunch dropped its sixth conference game of the year (2-6) and will be lucky to get a tournament nod. After upending the Spartans in December, it's been nothing but downhill for the 'Heels.

Maryland's (6-2, 16-6) Greivis Vasquez finished with a game-high 26 points in the Terps' win. Maryland sits in second place in the ACC, right behind Duke (7-2).

On Saturday, in front of 20,000 screaming "gray-ed out" fans, President Obama and the national viewing audience on CBS saw the No. 7 Georgetown Hoyas hand No. 8 Duke their worst defeat of the season.

While the Hoyas may naturally puff their chests out after this game, now is truly not the time to boast.

If the Hoyas plan on making noise deep into March, this week will be a critical week to remain humble.

Make no mistake, Georgetown's win over Duke was a huge, signature win that should come into play for NCAA seeding in March for the Hoyas.  The Hoyas shot 33-for-46 (71.7 percent), which was the best shooting percentage for Georgetown since 1980, and the first time a team has rung up 70 percent shooting on Duke since 1984.  

Georgetown opened a 20-point lead on Duke, handing the Blue Devils their largest deficit of the season in the waning moments of the second half.  Duke scored the last seven points of the game in the final minute to make the blowout look slightly less embarrassing on the surface, but make no mistake, Georgetown owned Duke on Saturday.  

(P.S. Mason Plumlee?  When you're down 89-72 with 30 seconds left in a game, don't try and bring the house down with a massive dunk.  You just got whipped.   Act like it.)

With that said...playing in the Big East means putting your last game completely behind you when its over and devoting your focus to your next opponent.  If the Hoyas fail to do that, they could be staring at a devastating 0-2 week that would take all the wind out of the sails of the Duke stomping.

First, the Hoyas welcome USF to the Verizon Center on Wednesday.  While the V-Center was rocking on Saturday with a sponsored "Gray Out," something tells me the atmosphere won't be quite as electric on a Wednesday night against an unranked team.

As No. 21 Pittsburgh can attest,  USF may be unranked, but they're no pushover.  In fact, USF is on its first three-game winning streak in the Big East in school history.  

USF guard Dominique Jones has only managed a 37 point-per-game average in those three games...and if the Hoyas don't remember how much damage a single guard on a seemingly inferior team can do, maybe they should think back to Stephen Curry and the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament? 

I'm not the first to note the danger this game poses: Georgetown blog site Casual Hoya dubs the USF game as "the classic trap game"  in their latest always-amusing recap.

The question posed at the end of the awards article, "Elite teams don't lose this game.  Is Georgetown elite?", speaks largely to the ultimate problem with this year's Hoya squad.

Namely, can Georgetown build upon this signature win and generate March momentum in the latter half of their Big East schedule?

Blame the bench (although 10 points against Duke was a great first step in the right direction), blame Chris Wright not scoring 10 points (Georgetown is now 16-0...aka undefeated when CW4 posts double-digit points), or blame the team's inability to crack a zone...but this team hasn't shaken the Jekyll-and-Hyde dynamic that they've displayed recently.

This team has displayed the talent to soundly beat most any team in the country when they execute their offense efficiently, similarly to the 2006-07 Final Four team.  While the Hoyas pieced together a complete 40-minute effort against Duke, they have also struggled in long one-sided scoring runs by Syracuse, Villanova, and UConn earlier this season.   

Georgetown coach John Thompson III attested to this problem, right after holding a 20-point lead over top-10 Duke.

"I think that this group can beat any team in the country if we do what we're supposed to do," Thompson said . "And if we don't, we can lose to everyone else on our schedule. That's not the plan. But I think we can beat anyone in the country, and they know that."

Assuming the Hoyas manage to dispatch the feisty South Florida team at home on Wednesday, they welcome No.2 Villanova to the Verizon Center on Saturday for a matchup that could catapult the Hoyas into the top five of the polls next week.  

While there's no word about whether or not the President/Vice President will be attending  the 'Nova game, understand that this game is more important to the Hoyas than the Duke win.  (Even if watching Coach K writhe is undeniably sweet.)

Villanova will come in as the No. 2 team in the country—possibly the de-facto No. 1 if Kansas loses before Saturday.  The Hoyas just suffered a heartbreaking loss on the road to them 14 days ago, where they battled back from a(nother) 15-point deficit to tie the game at 69, only to end up losing by five.

Hoya fans are hungry for revenge, and one can only hope that Wright, Freeman, and Monroe are gearing up for owning potential Big East Player of the Year Scottie Reynolds.

The press has been nothing but glowing for Georgetown following the Duke game...granted, it's hard to criticize a team that shot 71.7 percent against a top-10 team .

If the Hoyas buy into these press clippings, talking about "thinking about No. 1 overall seeds" (thank you, ESPN's Joe Lunardi) or being a "great" team, they only set themselves up for failure.  (Ask Texas and Kentucky.)

Instead, while Coach K sounded like a sore loser for saying this after watching his team get blown out, they should buy into his post-game comments:

"We're not a powerhouse," said Krzyzewski . "I don't think Georgetown's a powerhouse, either. We're both really good teams."

If Coach K doesn't think the Hoyas are a powerhouse after watching them thoroughly dismantle his team for 40 minutes, luckily, this week they have the chance to further prove their mettle.

If the Hoyas keep their cool, stay hungry, remain humble, and beat USF, they have as good of shot as any to take down Villanova at home on Saturday and move into their first top-5 ranking since the beginning of the 2007-08 season.

But it all starts with the guys in the locker room turning off ESPN and putting down the Washington Post this week.

The sky is not falling, and the Georgetown Hoyas aren't nearly as bad as Syracuse made them look on Monday night.

After opening the game with a blistering 14-0 run (including three three-pointers by Austin Freeman and another triple from Jason Clark), the Syracuse zone clamped down on the Hoyas and ground the G'town offense to a halt.

'Cuse outscored the Hoyas by 31 points after Georgetown's opening salvo, dominating them offensively and defensively en route to a 73-56 win.

Syracuse proved one thing: they're for real. Wes Johnson is dirty. Their zone is dirtier. And to see them in the Final Four wouldn't be the least bit surprising.

But while a 17-point loss rightfully raises some red flags for the Hoyas, all is not lost for this young Georgetown team.  

First, it's worth noting that historically, John Thompson III's Hoyas haven't fared too well on the road in Syracuse's Carrier Dome. The rare exception ironically came last season, when the 16-15 Hoyas pushed the Orange to overtime before falling 98-94. (The Final Four-bound Hoyas lost 72-58 to the Orange on the road in 06-07; the 07-08 Big East regular season champs lost 77-70 after a three-point barrage by the Hoyas' Jonathan Wallace narrowed the lead in the final minute.)

History aside, all sports teams are allowed one-game "blips", where some outside factor affects their performance on-court.  As crazy as Pitt's Peterson Center may be, this year's Hoyas hadn't been in an environment like the Carrier Dome yet, and the youngest Hoyas seemed to be the most rattled in-game.  

While it's not time to jump ship yet, the 'Cuse game did highlight three issues for the Hoyas to monitor going forward.  If they can address these questions, the sky's the limit for this year's team. (ESPN seems to agree. Even after Monday night's loss, ESPN's Pat Forde lists Georgetown as "One of 10 Who Can Win It All.")

Under Pressure

To me, this is the biggest issue going forward for this team if they've got their sights set high this season.  

How will the Hoyas respond to pressure situations?  And how do they deal with opposing teams pressuring them on the court?

In the Hoyas' offensive lulls this year (at Syracuse, the last ten minutes of the first half against Villanova and UConn), one thing has remained constant: the other team has cranked up the pressure and the Hoyas have been left flailing.

Against 'Nova and UConn, the Hoyas started out running their offense, but fizzled out in the latter portion of the first half. In both games, the Hoyas came back to tie the game in the second half (and they went on to beat UConn, thanks to Austin Freeman's 28 second-half points)...but they can't be expected to pull a rabbit out of a hat and make a 15-point deficit disappear every game.

The 'Cuse game appears to be a condensed version of the plot of the UConn/Nova games, but with the Hoya comeback about as M.I.A. as Chris Wright's three-point shooting was on Monday night. Hoyas come out running offense efficiently (apparently too efficiently), other team turns up pressure, Hoyas wilt. (Thank you, Greg Monroe's six turnovers.)

Problem is...the further these Hoyas get in the Big East and NCAA Tournaments, the higher the likelihood that they run into a high-pressure defense. Syracuse could very well be in the Final Four, John Calipari's Kentucky squad has adapted Cal's always-pestering defense, and Tom Izzo's defensively scrappy Michigan State could be a Sweet 16 or Elite 8 opponent in waiting.

Getting these young Hoyas up to speed on pressure situations that require veteran nerves is a must for JTIII and the rest of the Georgetown coaching staff.

Lack of Bench Scoring

As of last week, Georgetown had the third lowest-scoring bench in Division I, getting only 7.6 points per game from non-starters.

The bench stepped up with an encouraging 16 points against Rutgers...but it may have been fool's gold, as the Hoyas were in the midst of a 25-point blowout in which bench players collectively played 62 minutes.  

Why was the Rutgers' game fool's gold? Because the Hoya bench got shut out against Syracuse. That's right. A bagel in the box score. Zero points from non-starters.

I don't care if "bench scoring is an overrated statistic"...the Hoyas need something from their reserves. Monroe, Wright, and Freeman may be great players, but if the San Antonio Spurs taught us anything this past decade, it's that even three great players need solid role playing teammates.

And I'm not here to discount the production that JTIII's harvesting out of Jerrelle Benimon, the 6-foot-7 freshman who may already be the best rebounder JTIII has coached at Georgetown. (If not best, definitely toughest.)  

But the fact is, teams like Kentucky, who will likely be dancing in the NCAA's until the very last weekend, have NBA lottery picks on their bench. (See: Eric Bledsoe.) While a guy like Bledsoe is all but capable of shooting the Wildcats out of a game (see: Tuesday night against South Carolina), he's also capable of picking up the slack if future No.1 pick John Wall isn't playing up to snuff.

The Hoyas must start getting more production out of their bench; and I'm looking at you, Hollis Thompson, first and foremost. (Thompson, a freshman, enrolled at Georgetown this past spring, which gave him a six-month jump-start on learning the Hoyas' complicated Princeton offense.)

And one huge reason why the Hoyas need this depth, as proved this past Monday...

Greg Monroe's Foul Trouble

In 10 non-conference games this season, Greg Monroe never exceeded three fouls in a single game.

In nine Big East games this season, Monroe has only had two games with less than three fouls (two against St. John's, one against Rutgers).

While Monroe's getting great practice with the Rasheed Wallace/Allen Iverson incredulous "What foul, ref??" face, his foul trouble certainly isn't helping the depth-less Hoyas win games.

Against Syracuse, Monroe fouled out with 6:24 left in the game, with the Orange up by 14 points. The Hoyas couldn't knock the deficit down any further for the rest of the game, and that was no coincidence with Monroe on the bench.

The fact is, JTIII's Princeton offense is built around having a big-man facilitator in the game to create matchup havoc. As much as I've grown to love him this year, Julian Vaughn is not that guy.  

Monroe needs to stay in the game for the Hoyas to have a real chance to knock off some of the bigger names in college basketball this year. Much like Jeff Green was the cog that kept the Georgetown machine running to the Final Four three years ago, Monroe needs to serve as the glue that keeps the team together.  

His 21/14/6 line against Rutgers evidences what he can do when he's allowed to go to work. (To imagine any Hoya putting up those kinds of numbers under Thompson two years ago would have been ludicrous.)

He just needs to make sure he stays in the game to show what he can do.

6:10 PM (Monday, Jan. 25): 14. A 14-0 run to start the game by Georgetown against their hated rival, the Syracuse Orange. Shots fall, defense swarms the Orange offense, creating turnover after turnover, and everything seems to be smooth sailing for the Hoyas.

8:05 PM (Same Night): The Dome rolls on the campus of Syracuse University; Jim Boeheim and his team celebrate another huge win against a top ranked team, as they continue to boost their computer numbers. Greg Monroe and company cannot believe what the scoreboard reads—Syracuse 73, Georgetown 56. John Thompson III knows his team has let just another game get away from them.

After a great start and knocking the rival Orange back on their heels, the Hoyas let it all get away from them. The game was all but their's for the taking. Yet again, an inconsistent game and team cost Georgetown another tally in the win column.

Austin Freeman came out shooting (and playing) the best I've ever seen him. He started out hitting three triples from outside and was pacing Georgetown with 11 points to start the 14-0 run. Freeman has been a huge surprise for us so far this season as he has evolved into a third scorer for Thompson and his team.

But where was he after that roughly three or four minute start? We didn't hear much of anything from him did we? He added twelve more points in what was probably 36 minutes of play.

Chris Wright didn't have his best shooting night, only converting three shots, none of which were three-pointers; it was a very uncharacteristic game for a great shooter and player in Wright.

Despite his poor shooting, he didn't let it effect his overall play. He dished out seven assists to those that were open or to hot shooters like Austin Freeman. That has been something we have needed all season as well—a playmaker for everyone. Wright tried his best to fulfill that role last night and I have to give him credit for that.

Greg Monroe had a miserable night in all aspects of the game. Syracuse had his number as they threw a blanket over him every time he caught a pass or even tried to catch one. I have to give the Orange credit, they had a great game-plan for Monroe and they went out and did what they needed to do.

Even if the Syracuse defense was performing well, Monroe still needs to find some way to effect the game. He wasn't using his long arms to alter other players shots or to pull down every rebound that came his way.

His night can be summed up with this—he fouled out with roughly six minutes left in the game, which is way to early for a player that is as valuable as Greg Monroe. But, what could Thompson do? Watch his team suffer a bitter defeat with his star on the bench beside him?

This didn't even seem like we were watching the same team from the two previous games played against Pittsburgh and Rutgers. Actually, we weren't seeing the same Hoya team. It's all about being consistent and Georgetown didn't have a good showing of it against Syracuse.

I'm a firm believer that the biggest problem for John Thompson's team right now is consistency. I think it could help solve all our problems eventually. When this team plays consistent basketball, more and more doors open for them.

We saw two different teams Monday night—the team that Georgetown can be, as well as the team's Mr. Hyde. Fans and viewers alike saw how good and well rounded the Hoyas can be, as they opened the game on a 14-0 run. Granted everything was falling, but they did some little things as well.

The defense was forcing the Orange into bad shots. Everyone had that high energy level that you expect college basketball players to have and they came out using it. I believe the high level of energy helped the rebounding as well.

If Monroe, Wright, and Freeman can become more consistent from game to game, I believe we can be huge contenders in the Big East Tournament, as well as the NCAA Tournament. However, it's not only those three players that need to continue to play well. There is such thing as a bench right?

On Monday our bench was nonexistent; that was what John Thompson thought about Jim Boeheim's bench. Well, that back-fired a bit. In order for Georgetown to continue to succeed, the bench will have to become effective. If not, we could keep tumbling and tumbling; just as we did last season.

This team has the talent and the ability to go a long way this year. However, if the Hoyas expect to do any thing in March, consistency will be the key. If everything falls into place, that key (consistency) could open more and more doors for Georgetown.

Expect to see a better team for the rest of the season. I anticipate that John Thompson has a lot in store for his team in order to get them to play consistently well, which will open more possibilities for this team.