Revenge Tour Rolls To A Close: West Virginia defeats Georgetown 60-58

by itsallthatmatters on Mar 14, 2010 12:07 AM EST in Game Summaries Comment 21 comments

In a tough loss reminiscent of the Ray Allen off-balance heave in the 1996 Big East Final against UConn, Georgetown lost by 2 to West Virginia tonight by a score of 60-58.

We'll have plenty to say about this tomorrow, but this was a solid game that was determined by the best players on the floor. The Hoyas had some phenomenal teamwork, highlighted by three plays that deserve immediate recognition: Greg Monroe leading the break to find Chris Wright for the dunk, Wright's heroic full court sprint to save the ball and feed Austin Freeman for a layup, and Wright feeding Freeman for a 3 with under a minute left - even getting the normally stoic Freeman to show some emotion.

In the end, Georgetown was unable to overcome two things: West Virginia's power on the boards (outrebounded 34-19 and the Mountaineers had 17 offensive boards) and Da'Sean Butler, the tournament's MVP who came through with two last second game winning shots in this tournament.

Georgetown's run through the Big East cemented the fact that they can play with anyone in the country and set the stage for at least a 4 seed and possibly a 3. There are definitely lessons to be learned from this game but here's hoping that it provides a solid sendoff as the Hoyas enter the NCAA Tournament.

Now the real fun begins.

Box Score

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We should be a 3.

They'll like us when we win!
- Toby Ziegler

by tashoya on Mar 14, 2010 12:08 AM EST reply actions

Best case scenario

A low 3 seed that puts us against a weak 1 (Duke) and a strong 2 ( K St)?

by 3626 on Mar 14, 2010 12:14 AM EST via mobile up reply actions

I think Bethenny has gotten a bit too big for her britches on Real Housewives of NYC this season

Casually.

by CasualHoya on Mar 14, 2010 12:17 AM EST reply actions

i'll take our loss here

as tough as this loss is, I find it a bit improbable that this team would go on an 11 game unbeaten run, and I think taking the lessons from this loss as well as how good they’ve played over the past 5 games makes a 6 game streak much more attainable.

They definitely deserve no less than a 3, truthfully with their RPI I believe they were playing for an outside shot at a 2 tonite, so i’ll take a 3 in a bracket with any of the other 2’s…the only teams i see really matching up well or being capable of straight out outplaying the Hoyas are KU and KU…and the 2nd KU is a little too immature so anything is possible.

Lets Go Hoyas.

by ghostofjoeybrown on Mar 14, 2010 12:30 AM EST reply actions

We were tired...........

…nothing to be ashamed about. We fought till the end. We clawed back…………..kept close…………they hit a shot with 4 seconds left and we tried out best. Nothing to be ashamed about. Actually great heart out there. But clearly the 4 games in 4 days hurt our 3 point range….everything seemed short. Almost wanted to give the ball to Hollis and Vee and say shoot it…….you guys have the energy.

Bottom line……great tournament………….ok to lose now and get re-grouped for the Big Dance!!

Go Hoyas!!

With paranoia,

by hoyaparanoia on Mar 14, 2010 1:01 AM EST reply actions

Not that disappointed by the loss.

OK, a little bit, but I gotta hand it to the guys, they played amazing basketball and had a really good chance at the end. Unfortunately they just couldn’t make the bucket to send the game to OT. No blame and no need to hang your heads. We’ll probably be a three or four seed come tomorrow night and I will take it. Get ready, America, the Hoyas are on the prowl!

Hoya Saxa

by Cuse Swallows on Mar 14, 2010 1:21 AM EST reply actions

elephant in the room

We had a TO left. Why no TO???

You can’t argue with CW’s effort. The guy played inspired hoops. C’mon lumpy, call the TO and give yourself a chance to deliver the the final nail.

Btw, #4 was a muthaF*ckin’ WARRIOR this weak!

HEAD HIGH, CHRIS!!!!!

Blip

by JahidiLikesPie on Mar 14, 2010 1:44 AM EST via mobile reply actions

respectfully disagree

I actually think it was the right thing to do not calling that TO. With such little time left on the clock (especially after subtracting the time it would have taken Chris to cross half court before calling a TO), I think it would have been extremely difficult to inbound a pass and get a better look than Chris ended up having on that drive, especially since WVU would have had time to set their D. You saw on the reply that several of WVU’s guys were celebrating Butler’s shot and in general they weren’t in a position at the moment to put any kind of good D on a driving Chris, so I think he did the right thing.

But I do agree with you 100% that Chris was the truth this week, SO proud of him to finally see this. This is good news for tourney time.

by Hoyadonkulous on Mar 14, 2010 3:50 AM EST up reply actions

The bigger elephant in the room is the rebounding problem

There’s likely to be a lot of nitpicking in the press about the end of the game – lack of a TO for the final play, CW’s foul, etc. I think driving for the basket with four seconds and change makes sense, especially against that zone West Virginia put up. (not that it matters but did it look to anyone else like Wright got hacked on the arm for the last shot?) We can’t fault CW’s effort or his contribution in this game. The play where he chased down that ball and then got it to Freeman was AMAZING. West Virginia neutered Monroe for large portion of the game. Clark disappeared. Freeman was in it at key moments, but Wright carried us on his back for much of the game.

Our problem was letting West Virginia get over 10 second chance points. We were supposed to have the size advantage. Someone explain why this is a recurring issue for us – Coaching? Mental focus? Sometimes, that’s just how the ball bounces? Such a large rebounding disparity is, as usual, extremely tough to stomach.

The team got the rebounds during our first three Big East Tournament games and tonight it’s the one stat where they got thrashed.

I agree this run has been great and the team deserves a ton of praise. Unfortunately, I think the selection committee isn’t going to give the team the credit it deserves. While I think a 3 seed is a possibility, given our past erratic behavior, they’ll probably put us at a 4.

by Missing Wallace on Mar 14, 2010 3:19 AM EST reply actions

the way the ball bounces

pretty much explains it. that and sheer exhaustion.

I know rebounding has been a problem at times this season, and it has appeared in some stints that other teams have simply wanted the ball more than the Hoyas, I didnt sense that tonite.

and i’ve never seen so many awkward bounces from missed shots in one game.

by ghostofjoeybrown on Mar 14, 2010 3:33 AM EST up reply actions

A few factors in the rebounding department

Not to completely excuse getting out rebounded nearly 2 to 1 but a few things worth mentioning:

- Height and Experience: I’ll second that we didn’t have a height advantage. Yea Greg and Julian were the tallest players on the court, but Ju Ju was in foul trouble and only saw 24 minutes. Hollis and Jerrelle played a combined 30 minutes down low. Not a knock on them, but as two freshmen, the long, athletic, and more experienced West Virginia front line proved too much for them on the board. Ebanks (Soph 6’9"), Smith (Sr. 6’7"), and Butler (Sr. 6’7") out rebounded our entire team.

- WVU got a fair number of offensive rebounds off of long misses.

- Fatigue: Yes, as a 19 year old myself, I claim to be invincible and full of boundless energy, but 4 games in 4 days is tough. I’m tired just from braving the floods yesterday to get to and from the game and from jumping around in the student section for 4 days, I can’t imagine playing 4 Big East games in 4 days.

Now accepting campaign contributions

by Clark-Sims 2012 on Mar 15, 2010 1:32 AM EDT up reply actions

boxing out

To me, that’s got a be a coaching and/or execution problem. I mean you have to know that WVU is going to hit the boards hard, and perhaps it needed to be more of a point of emphasis in the (albeit short) time the team had to prepare beforehand (although how would I know it wasn’t?) And the whole thing about WVU not being a tall team I don’t buy. Yeah, there’s no one taller than 6’ 9" but they got a bunch of guys in the 6’ 7" – 6’ 9" range, all long and athletic. And apart from Monroe and Vaughn it’s not exactly like we’re rolling in the height sauce.

Anyway, we did well in the rebounding category during the BE tourney, and while it is not a particular strength of ours, I don’t think it has been a consistent killer for us throughout the year. What has been a killer during the season is our drive/motivation/intensity and flow, all of which thankfully seem no longer an issue with how the team has played the last 4 days.

by Hoyadonkulous on Mar 14, 2010 4:10 AM EST reply actions

oops

meant to put that last comment as a reply, not a new post…still trying to figure this out.

by Hoyadonkulous on Mar 14, 2010 4:13 AM EST up reply actions

Cahill costs us again

Great game by the Hoyas. Cahill showed his ugly face again. Foul calls on the last 3-4 WVU possessions killed us in the end. Tough way to lose. Hopefully still a 3 seed. A Final Four will erase this bad feeling. LET’S GO HOYAS !!!!!

by Free Vee Sanford on Mar 14, 2010 4:45 AM EST reply actions

Seemed more fatigue than anything else

Although Bilas and McDonough and Raf all agreed that the final foul call on JV should have been a charge, not a block. That would have swung the game.

Shrug

It happens.

And props to Hoya Joker for being in the build up footage before tip.

Lunardi has us as the last 2 by the way – and Kentucky as the overall No 1.

Cursing Craig for leaving us 21 wins behind the bastards....

by PerryMcDonald'sRightCross on Mar 14, 2010 9:27 AM EDT reply actions

The Lunardi draw appears to be a favorable one. Playing out of Providence is nice, and the draw is one we can win. Now we’re into three, two game stretches. After this last week, I think a strong run is on the way.

They play so fine, don't you agree?

by FreeForThree on Mar 14, 2010 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions

tough loss - also who are the #1 seeds?

but given that it was essentially a 50/50 game and as ghost said, we werent going to roll to 11 straight, its not one to get too upset about

I think there is a good chance both cuse and WVU take one seeds. Only KState, Duke and OSU have an argument. Cuse beat WVU, WVU beat OSU. And Duke really does not have a great profile -espcially after getting run by the hoyas. With Kstate losing, I think it really is a good chance.

by bunk moreland on Mar 14, 2010 10:17 AM EDT reply actions

Never seen Free crack a smile like the one he did after that 3

tough game but we’re good. We can take that belief into the next tourney

High fives only on three pointers.

by TheYellofAllYells on Mar 14, 2010 12:03 PM EDT reply actions

Your team played well...

it took another off-balance bank shot from Butler to beat you. His third since last Saturday. G’Town will go farther in the tournament than WVU. Butler is going to miss one of those.

Never mistake effort for achievement.

Ah, beer, my one weakness. My Achille's heel, if you will. - HJS

by Esteban d' Amur on Mar 14, 2010 12:12 PM EDT reply actions