It is difficult to beat a team three times in one season.  Georgetown found that out on Friday night.  The No. 5 Hoyas (25-6, 14-4 Big East) fell to the No. 19 Orange of Syracuse (26-8, 11-7 Big East) 58-55 in overtime of the Big East Tournament.  It was the third time Georgetown faced Syracuse this year, with the Hoyas winning the two other match-ups.

“Obviously we will learn from this experience,” junior guard Markel Starks said. “Obviously it hurts right now.  At the same time, we just didn’t execute when we really needed to.”

It was only right that the final game of one of the fiercest rivalries in college basketball had to go to an extra period.

“Yes, It’s fitting it went into overtime,” Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson III said. “It is a shame they are heading down to Tobacco Road for a few dollars more.  This is rivalry that has meant a lot to our program and their program.”

The Blue and Gray fought back from a 12-point deficit in the second half to tie the game with seven seconds remaining in regulation. Sophomore forward Otto Porter Jr. sent the contest to overtime with two clutch free throws that tied the game at 51-51.

In overtime, Brandon Triche’s lay-up on the first possession gave Syracuse a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

A few plays later Starks fouled out.  Without him in the game, the Hoya offense stalled and mustered only one field goal in overtime.

Nonetheless, with the Orange up by 3, the Hoyas had a chance to tie the game twice with under a minute remaining.  First, Syracuse swarmed Porter Jr. outside the three-point line and forced him to make a bad pass and turn the ball over.

With 3 seconds remaining, Syracuse’s C.J. Fair missed two free throws giving the Hoyas one last chance to tie.  Sophomore guard Jabril Trawick heaved a shot from half-court at the buzzer but it banged off the backboard.

“I thought it was going in,” Thompson said.

“Definitely,” Porter agreed.

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Memories of last year’s Big East Quarterfinal started to creep into the heads of Hoya fans early in the second half.  Georgetown (25-5, 14-4 Big East) trailed Cincinnati (22-11, 9-9 Big East) 33-31 at the start of the half after losing a 16-point lead. Head Coach John Thompson III even admitted he was nervous.

“Yes, [when you lose that lead] you’re worried,” Thompson said. “On the first four possessions of the second half we looked extremely flat.

The Hoyas didn’t panic, though.  They clamped down defensively and advanced to the semi-finals of the Big East Tournament with a 62-43 victory over Cincinnati.  The semi-finals will be a rematch with arch-rival Syracuse.

“For the most part, this group doesn’t get rattled,” Thompson said. “They went to a match-up which threw us off.  It didn’t take too many possessions for us to get settled into what we were trying to do.”

Sophomore forward Otto Porter Jr. led all scorers with 18 points and went 11-of-11 from the free throw line.  The Wooden Award candidate also recorded 6 rebounds and 2 assists.  Junior guard Markel Starks shot 6-of-10 from the field and finished with 14 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals.

Georgetown’s bench was crucial once again for the victory.  Freshman guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera added 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.

“Otto is getting a lot of attention and he should,” Thompson said. “But we have a very good team.  During the same stretch, Otto played well, Markel, and Nate played very well.”

After struggling with his shot for much of the year, Smith-Rivera seems to have found his stroke.  He knocked down 5 of his 11 shots in the game.

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A 6-foot-10 imposing figure, John Thompson Jr. does not blend into crowds all that easily. But during his son’s reign over Georgetown’s basketball program, the legendary Thompson has done just that, disappearing in the back-right corner of the press room.

Except on this day, there was a little too much emotion seeping out of Thompson. For the man who essentially started the Georgetown-Syracuse rivalry by declaring the Orange’s former home, Manley Field House, closed in 1980, this final iteration of the team’s Big East rivalry meant a little too much.

And so after his son’s Hoyas dominated the Orange for 40 minutes—with a 61-39 final—he had to interject at the postgame press conference.

“Kiss Syracuse goodbye,” he said with a smile.

“Oh, excuse me,” he added after the laughter died down.

In the storied history of the rivalry, no team had held Jim Boeheim’s Orange to fewer than 40 points. That is, until John Thompson III took a page out of his father’s book and rode his vaunted Georgetown defense to a historic performance—holding Syracuse to just 39 points two weeks after holding them to 46 in a victory at the Carrier Dome.

On that day, Hoya sophomore Otto Porter Jr. burst on the national scene and dominated the Orange with a 33-point performance in front of 35,012 orange-clad fans.

The Verizon Center crowd did their best to counter that effort on Saturday, filing in to the tune of 20,972 people—good for the largest turnout for an indoor sporting event in DC metro area history.

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Well, Georgetown finally had to come down from wonderland. The No. 5 Hoyas (23-5, 13-4 Big East), who hadn’t lost since January 19th in the disaster at South Florida, fell to the giant-killing Villanova Wildcats (19-12, 10-8 Big East) in a scarily exposing performance.  The game got the Wildcats off the tournament bubble, greatly solidifying their tournament resume. The Hoyas, on the other hand, fell off the line for a 1 seed, and will have a lot of work to do in order to make their way back. Pertaining to the more immediate future, the Hoyas went from controlling the Big East outright, to, in all likelihood, having to win on Saturday just to finish with a share of the Big East title.

In the 67-57 loss, the Hoyas committed 23 turnovers and only got to the free throw line 8 times while Villanova got to the stripe a whopping 42 times. With the officials blowing the whistle so often, junior center Moses Ayegba, junior guard Markel Starks, and sophomore guard Jabril Trawick all fouled out of the game, while junior forward Nate Lubick, who played all 40 minutes, had 4 fouls. With these factors going so strongly against the Hoyas, Villanova did not need to shut down sophomore forward Otto Porter Jr., who scored 17 points.

Head Coach John Thompson III said, “We’re playing for a championship. That’s something just as important. We were desperate coming into this game, also.”

For the Wildcats, Darrun Hilliard scored 14 points and Ryan Arcidiacono scored 11 while JayVaughn Pinkston had 20. At least half of each player’s points were scored at the free throw line.

This loss made the Hoyas look weak for the first time in almost two months, but will serve as a wake-up call for the team, who now have no more margin for error. Each of the upcoming games between now and the NCAA tournament will be critical in affecting both seeding and momentum for the Hoyas, who, after looking like the best team in the country, suddenly look lost. The Blue and Gray will face Syracuse on Saturday in their final Big East regular season grudge match with not only bragging rights, but also the Big East title on the line. Whether this loss was an isolated event or a turning point for the season is yet to be seen.

File Photo: Andres Rengifo/Georgetown Voice (Mar. 2, 2013, vs. Rutgers)

The No. 7 Georgetown men’s basketball team (23-4, 13-3 Big East) took on Rutgers (13-14, 4-12 Big East) at home Saturday night, bringing in their eleventh win in a row. The first half revealed a close contest as Rutgers did not let the Hoyas pull away with a significant lead, but foul trouble in the second half for the Scarlet Knights would be their undoing. After only leading by 1 point coming into the second half, 16 made free throw attempts would allow the Hoyas to secure a final score of 64-51 over Rutgers.

The stand out performance belonged to none other than sophomore forward Otto Porter Jr., who posted 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals for the Hoyas. No other Georgetown player would break the double-figure mark in scoring but both junior guard Markel Starks and freshman guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera brought in 9 apiece while junior center Moses Ayegba pulled down 7 rebounds. Ayegba was a strong presence down low in the second half as he helped Georgetown out-rebound Rutgers 35 to 27 in the game.

“Well, I know who I’m voting for for BIG EAST Player of the Year,” said Rutgers Head Coach Mike Rice of Porter in his opening statement.

This matchup was physical throughout as it ended with a total of 51 combined personal fouls for the two teams. Porter alone was sent to the line to take 18 attempts, of which he made 15 and gave Georgetown an offensive boost that was reflected in the final score. With the Rutgers defenders prone to fouling, Porter noticeably took the ball inside more frequently instead of relying on long jumpers.

“That’s the way tonight played out. They were very physical. There were a lot of fouls made during that game at both ends. In the second half, both of us were in the 1-and-1 with 15 minutes left. It’s one of those games that puts pressure on the officials, because when there’s a foul called every possession down the court, then they start looking at the scoreboard,” said Head Coach John Thompson III.

The Hoyas effectively emulated their signature stingy defense as Rutgers struggled mightily to get the ball inside for the better part of the game. Their 54 field goal attempts were a direct effect of tough defense from Georgetown. The Hoyas managed to keep the Scarlet Knights out on the perimeter for the most part while not committing an exorbitant number of fouls. Rutgers only took 15 free throws and, luckily for the Hoyas, only made 6 of those.

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Before Saturday afternoon, Otto Porter Jr. was not a serious contender for National Player of the Year.  Things may have changed.  On Saturday, No. 11 Georgetown (21-4, 11-3 Big East) pulled out an improbable 57-46 win against No. 8 Syracuse (22-5, 10-4 Big East) in the noisy Carrier Dome on the back of Porter Jr.’s career-high 33 points.  With the victory and Marquette’s Saturday night loss, the Hoyas have seized sole possession of first place in the Big East.  Georgetown has now won 9 games in a row and 11 of its last 12 games.

“It was special.  You saw the show that I saw,” Head Coach John Thompson III said about Porter Jr.’s game. “To play that game up here against that opponent, special players do it.”

The win broke Syracuse’s 38-game home win streak, the longest in the nation, as the game was the final Big East match-up in Syracuse between Syracuse and Georgetown.  Porter Jr. shined in front of a Carrier Dome packed with 35,012 Syracuse fans and a smattering of Georgetown fans.

“It’s a good win in a very difficult place to play, against very, very good team,” Thompson said. “Any time you can come up here and win it means a lot. This game, this rivalry means a lot.”

With 4:52 left in the game, sophomore guard Jabril Trawick swung a pass across court to an open Porter Jr. who drilled the three pointer and was fouled.  Porter Jr.’s free throw that followed made the score 45-37 Georgetown and swung the momentum back in Georgetown’s favor.  The 4-point play halted a threatening Syracuse run that had cut Georgetown’s advantage to 4 points.

“I don’t know how that went in, but it did,” Porter Jr. said. “I was speechless.”

As has become expected of him, the sophomore forward had a full game, contributing in all facets.  Porter Jr. recorded 8 rebounds (including 4 offensive rebounds), 5 steals, and 2 assists.  The sophomore forward made 12-of-19 shots on the night and 5-of-10 from three-point range.

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On Monday night, one of the hottest teams in college basketball, no. 15 Georgetown (18-4, 8-3 Big East), grinded out a 63-55 win over no. 18 Marquette (17-6, 8-3 Big East).  The Hoyas have now won six straight games and eight of their last nine, putting them at second place in the Big East.

As has been the case during this streak, sophomore forward Otto Porter Jr. and junior guard Markel Starks led the way for Georgetown.  Porter Jr. finished with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.  It is the fifth time Porter Jr. has scored over 20 points this season.  Starks had 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Junior forward Nate Lubick also reached double figures with 10 points and a team-high of four assists.  Lubick did most of his damage from the free throw line where he had eight free throws.  Sophomore Mikael Hopkins had a career-high and game-high of 9 rebounds and also added 6 points and 3 blocks.

“God bless him.  [Hopkins] has to do it again on Saturday,” Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson III said. “He did a good job in that regard, but he is supposed to do a good job in that regard.”

The Hoyas held Marquette’s leading scorer Vander Blue to just 7 points and powerful forward Davante Gardner to 2 points.  Georgetown also caused 19 Marquette turnovers including 11 in the first half.

“Mikael [Hopkins], Nate [Lubick], and Moses [Ayegba] did a good job of not letting their big men get the ball down low,” Thompson said.

Marquette grabbed an early 11-6 lead five minutes into the game.  The Golden Eagles scored easy baskets in the post including 6 points from center Chris Otule.  The Hoyas quickly responded, though, with 2 three pointers from Starks that started a 10-2 Georgetown run.  The Blue and Gray claimed a 14-11 advantage that they would not lose for the rest of the game.

“I think our big guys got in a rhythm of what they were trying to do,” Thompson said. “We didn’t necessarily make a tactical change.  Our big guys just did a better job of guarding [Otule].”

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The Georgetown Men’s basketball team (16-4, 6-3 Big East) defeated St. John’s (14-8, 6-4 Big East) at the Verizon Center earlier today with a score of 68-56 in front of 15,000 Gray Out fans. The Hoyas were led by junior forward Nate Lubick as he scored a career-high 16 points and secured 10 rebounds to earn his first double-double. Georgetown has now won six of their last seven games, with that stretch beginning the first time they faced St. Johns at Madison Square Garden on January 12. Today also marked Head Coach John Thompson III’s 200th win with the Hoyas.

The Hoyas came out strong both offensively and defensively in the first half against the Johnnies. Shooting 58 percent from the field, they were able to score 39 points by the end of the half, which included 5 three-pointers. Rebounding was also a high point in the early going as the Hoyas out-rebounded the Red Storm 21 to 9, five of these coming as part of the day’s standout performance by Lubick. Sophomore forward Otto Porter Jr. got off to a solid start in the first half by making all three of his shots for 7 points, but with just over 7:30 left he was subbed out and would not return until the second half.

“He’s been playing at a very high level for a long time now, to tell you the truth. I said a couple of games ago, he wasn’t up here, but I said Nate gave us quality stats, not quantity stats. When we need something done, he gets a rebound, makes an assist, gets a basket. He’s been doing that consistently and tonight was no exception,” said Thompson III of Lubick’s play.

St. John’s was held to just 34 percent shooting, but was able to keep the score within 11 by making 8 of 12 free throw attempts. The half was topped off with another acrobatic play coming from sophomore forward Aaron Bowen. Freshman guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera bounced a three-point attempt off the rim when Bowen came running in from outside the three-point line to emphatically dunk the rebound.

The offense slowed down considerably in the second half for Georgetown as St. John’s was able to tighten up their defense in the paint and force shots from the perimeter. The Hoyas tossed up one more shot than in the first half but were only able to get 10 of them to go, dropping down to 46% shooting for the game. St. John’s also stepped up their rebounding on both sides of the court with 25 compared to Georgetown’s 20, allowing them to keep the score marginally close without much help from free throws.

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After its most disappointing loss of the year, Georgetown (13-4, 3-3 Big East) may have picked up its most impressive win. The Hoyas pulled off a 63-47 upset of no. 24 Notre Dame (15-4, 3-3 Big East) in front a noisy crowd in South Bend. The Blue and Gray jumped out to 10-4 lead and never looked back.

A suffocating defensive effort by the Hoyas held the Fighting Irish to season lows in points, field goal percentage, and assists. Georgetown, on the other hand, shot 53 percent from the field, one of its best shooting nights in conference play. Midway through the second half the Blue and Gray registered 18 consecutive points.

Sophomore forward Otto Porter Jr. had yet another strong offensive performance with 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists. Freshman guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera followed up a 16-point game against South Florida with a 14-point night against Notre Dame.

Junior forward Nate Lubick and sophomore forward Mikael Hopkins got into foul trouble in the second half. Hopkins would ultimately foul out with 10:21 remaining in the game. Junior center Moses Ayegba played a career-high 24 minutes and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds.

After initially gaining a small advantage, Georgetown seized control of the game with a 9-0 run that began to make the score 21-8 with 10:21 remaining in the half. Notre Dame answered back to reduce the deficit to four with 5:24 left in the half. The Blue and Gray, though, would respond with another 9-0 streak capped off by Porter’s fall away runner with time expiring.

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The Georgetown men’s basketball team (12-4, 2-3) traveled to Tampa, Florida on Saturday to face the Bulls of the University of South Florida (10-7, 1-4). The Hoyas went into the game riding two Big East wins over Providence and St. Johns. However, this game seemed to be a return to the rough start of conference play.

After a slow start, the Hoyas pulled ahead, leading by 8 at the half. However, a flurry of three pointers from the Bulls changed the game. After missing most of their attempts in the first half, USF made 7 of their first 9 three point shots in the second half. This caused the Hoyas to have to play the catch-up game for the second half, eventually falling 58-61.

South Florida thrived behind the strong play of sophomore guard Anthony Collins, who scored all of his 14 points in the second half. With a 58-59 deficit in the last 30 seconds, Head Coach John Thompson III called two timeouts to set up a play for the game-winning shot. This shot never came as sophomore forward Otto Porter Jr. lost his dribble with 3 seconds to go. South Florida then hit two free throws to extend their lead. Porter’s half court shot at the buzzer rattled off the rim.

The Hoyas clearly missed the play of sophomore forward Greg Whittington who was the squad’s second leading scorer before he was declared academically ineligible. Porter Jr. has stepped up his play recently, scoring 60 points in the last three games, including 21 last night. Freshman guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera has stepped up with Georgetown’s lineup being cut down in Whittington’s absence, scoring 16 points, his first double-digit performance since the second game of the season. Unfortunately, the play of Porter Jr. and Smith-Rivera was not able to bring the Hoyas past their overall sloppy play, which led to an -11 turnover deficit in the game.

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