It's Poll Time: Was Georgetown's Road Win At Syracuse The Best In John Thompson III's Tenure?
by JGD on Feb 11, 2011 8:12 AM EST
in Random Ramblings
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PrintRemember that time Georgetown went up to the Carrier Dome and beat Syracuse? Wasn't that like the most awesome thing ever? Well that JUST HAPPENED like two days ago. While we continue our casual alcohol-induced celebration, we also know that huge wins over rivals demand some reflection. The Hoyas have had some magical road victories already this year - triumphing at Missouri and at Villanova. Yes, I know Missouri was considered a neutral game on the schedule, but that crowd was about as neutral as Fox News (get it? I went to Georgetown, I know politics).
No road win this year will come close to being as satisfying as Wednesday night's victory at Syracuse, giving John Thompson III his first win in the Carrier Dome. Now that we know this is fact, and not open for debate, we may as well try to figure out where this win stacks up against other memorable road wins in JT3's reign as head honcho for the Hoyas.
After The Jump, five candidates will be chosen, one will prevail.
Option 1:
February 9, 2011: Georgetown @ Syracuse, 64-56
Pros:
Umm, everything. The composure at the end of the game, the Syracuse fans silently shuffling out as the clock ticked down, silencing the internet trolls, seeing Jim Boeheim contort his squishy face like he was constipated, the lifeless look in Scoop Jardine's eyes when Austin Freeman leaked out on a layup to give Georgetown a 57-55 lead. EV-REE-THING.
Cons:
The only one I can think of is that we didn't make Hoya Suxa write the Positive Postgame Prognosis.
Option 2:
January 20, 2010: Georgetown @ Pittsburgh, 74-66
Pros:
Ended Pitt's 31 game home winning streak, made Levance Fields house four cartons of Beniman y Geraldo in whatever random Spanish-speaking country he is currently playing basketball, Chris Wright scored 27 points and thoroughly outplayed Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker.
Cons:
We got worked in the Carrier Dome, losing 73-56, less than a week later. Then we lost to South Florida. Then we lost at Rutgers. Then we lost to Ohio.
Option 3:
December 29, 2008: Georgetown @ Connecticut, 74-63
Pros:
Greg Monroe pwned Hasheem Thabeet, UConn was undefeated and #2 at the time, UConn went on to go to the Final Four, DaJuan Summers had 18 points, Jim Calhoun was quoted afterwards saying "I hated our body language early, saw some brief spurts, then detested it the last eight minutes".
Cons:
The rest of the season.
Option 4:
January 26, 2008: Georgetown @ West Virginia, 58-57
Pros:
Patrick Ewing Jr. made the sweetest block of all time to win the game, thwarting a Da'Sean Butler layup, Jessie Sapp continued to live up to his Onions nickname after nailing the go-ahead three pointer with six seconds left, Bob Huggins was extra fat and extra greasy, Georgetown was in first place in the Big East.
Cons:
JT3 and the players had to run off the court fearing for their lives because sisterhumpers were throwing objects at them.
Option 5:
March 1, 2008: Georgetown @ Marquette, 70-68
Pros:
Jonathan Wallace drilled three clutch free throws to tie the game and send it into overtime, Georgetown stayed tied atop the Big East with Louisville, Roy Hibbert and Wallace each scored 20 points in the game, the victory allowed the Hoyas to win two straight Big East Regular Season titles.
Cons:
Steph Curry came into our lives just 22 days later.
It is still a great day to be great.
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Ecstatic they won... but
Not sure it would be the best considering how well Syrexcuse has played in the last seven games. If Syrexcuse were undefeated it would probably be the best given the rivalry.
Good point
I was actually thinking that 2005 win at Pitt might be the most impressive – to me it was JTIII’s first statement win
But for the purposes of the poll I went with 07/08 WVU because Pat’s block was epically nasty
by rochesterhoya07 on Feb 11, 2011 9:53 AM EST up reply actions
Definitely, at Pitt on Jan. 5th 2005
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51653-2005Jan5.html
After that last, unholy row,
I never, ever play, basketball now.
It joins a list of things I'll miss like fencing foils and lovely girls I'll never kiss.
by vivanloshoyas on Feb 11, 2011 10:21 AM EST up reply actions
This needed to be an option
This was when Green, Roy, and Jwall were freshman and it was JT3s first win in the big east (in his first try) at a place that was supposedly impossible to win at. (only their 3rd loss ever or some shit). I remember my 14 year-old self thinking that maybe, just maybe, watching every fucking Esherick game was not a complete waste of my childhood. (Also fuck Carl Krauser)
"That is crap. It is unfair."
by Iwillpaytheway!! on Feb 11, 2011 3:23 PM EST up reply actions
Did Pitt also have Chevy Troutman back then? I’m going to assume that they did, because he seemed to play there for a freaking decade.
by rochesterhoya07 on Feb 11, 2011 3:29 PM EST up reply actions
agree
That 2005 win put Gtown on the radar again. Read the recap on hoyasaxa…Pitt was practically unbeatable at Petersen Events Center.
this past week’s game was not his best road win. We are giving a mediocre syracuse team far too much credit.
I dont think it is the significance of the win
as much as the emotional implications
the knocks on the other games
(except WVU) seem to largely fall into the category of “and then the rest of the season sucked”. We have no idea what happens neXt this year. So based purely on the games themselves, while Cuse was indeed the most satisfying, I think Pitt was the most impressive (although was the first win there under JTIII perhaps even better?)
The Pete was a true fortress, that was a strong Pitt team, coming into that game in much better form than Cuse this year – and Pitt are arguably the BE team of the last decade. Really high quality win for the Hoyas.
KBE
Can't measure 'Cuse win by these standards
It is weird that the “cons” of all the other games are later failures in that season. Measured solely on how great the Hoyas looked against top competition, you have to go with that UConn game. They were simply dazzling all night – UConn still played their style that got them to a Final Four but the Hoyas just seemed to be everywhere at once. From an efficiency standpoint, the Pitt win in 2010 is about equal, but I think if you factor in the quality of the opponent, you give the edge to the UConn game.
It’s too messy to evaluate the “best” win if you mix in 1) later failures of the season (contrary to popular opinion, getting upset in the first round does not invalidate great wins in the regular season), and 2) “meaning to the program”. How can you rate the Syracuse game against all these others if you’re throwing all these historical arguments in?
Best single game performance – UConn
Biggest milestone win for JT3 – Pitt (’10), though depending on how we finish this year, that Syracuse win could be just as valuable
Biggest road win for Casual Hoya – Nova (’11)
by WarmupEwing on Feb 11, 2011 10:58 AM EST up reply actions
Plus that UConn win
Marked the second straight Hoya big man to absolutely abuse Hasheem Thabeet. The torch was officially passed from Roy to Greg
by rochesterhoya07 on Feb 11, 2011 11:30 AM EST up reply actions
"Pitt are"
REDCOAT SPOTTED!
by Vee Sanford's Next-door Neighbor on Feb 11, 2011 1:58 PM EST up reply actions
Have to go with...
the Pitt win. ‘Cuse isn’t as though at home as Pitt is, especially this year.
It's a great day to be great - Greg Jennings
by Esteban d' Amur on Feb 11, 2011 8:41 AM EST reply actions
Ohio State in Dayton
Not technically a home game but the arena in Dayton was all red and OSU was heavily favored. Georgetown outscored Ohio State by 15 in the second half (or something like that) to move on to the Sweet 16.
+1
I remember I had to follow that game on my computer because of the UNC vs Portland State bullshit or whatever was on tv down here in hickville. I literally couldn’t believe the domination.
"Before the answer was a 3, I was down in Georgetown with a Hoya chick, lawyer chick....."
by brandonbowmansfootistoobig on Feb 11, 2011 8:49 AM EST up reply actions
That YouCon win
Was incredible at the time. They were undefeated, ranked #2 in the nation and the media loved them.
The Princeton O was working better than it may have ever. Monroe was dominant, Summers was huge, the guards were on fire. After that game, I was really looking forward to the Final Four…everything was right in the world….then came the Pitt game. I had driven all night from Fla with my dogs, I parked my car in a climate controlled garage & made sure the dogs were fed, watered, walked & comfy and went into the game to catch up with my friends and watch the DOMINANT HOYAS continue their run…except for…the figurative shitshow that I witnessed in the phonebooth was only topped by the literal shitshow that awaited me on my return to the car. One of the mutts decided that it would be a good idea to shit & smear said shit all over my nice leather interior…and I had to drive all the way back to NY with the windows open, though it was like 30 degrees out.
One of the worst days that I can remember
Andy Rautins has AIDS
Don't get all high and mightly with me, Ratdog
If you’re daddy loved you, he would not have supported the inbreeding puppymill that had your mammy racked and raped. But he did and you will have a casual future of bad hips and stomach issues.
Andy Rautins has AIDS
Love the self-correction
On this particular post
Why so Syracuse?
by HoyaJoker07 on Feb 11, 2011 4:59 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
lordnick thought he was going to die in hartford that night
Blip
by JahidiLikesPie on Feb 11, 2011 10:43 AM EST up reply actions
I was at that game too
It was fantastic. Thought Greg was gonna take us to a National Championship…womp. And really any time you spend too much time in Hartford (or gun wavin’ New Haven for that matter) you’re putting your life on the line…
Not to be a jackass
but there’s no way that UConn game was #1. I was there, and it was in DECEMBER. UConn came in with wins over a decent Wisconsin team on the road, and a “signature” win on a neutral court in OT over a Gonzaga team that lost to Portland State at home three days later (and lost 3 of 4 or 4 of 5 in the stretch). Also, Thabeet had at least 7-8 blocks in that game, shut down the paint after the opening ten minutes, and while Greg had some great assists, he had as many turnovers as rebounds, didn’t get a block, and 6 of his points came on 3s. It was a nice performance from the Hoyas, but let’s not re-write history here.
Jackass
If we got that win in late February in the midst of that horrendous losing streak, would it be any better? If you’re just looking at it game-by-game and not like the Selection Committee, regular season games count the same in December as they do in later months. I think while we’re evaluating UConn that year, it’s more telling to point out that they were 15-3 in conference and made the Final Four, rather than saying they weren’t that good because Gonzaga lost to Portland State.
The point was that UConn threw their best punches over the course of the game and we still won going away. Yeah, Monroe was draining threes and distributing the ball because Thabeet was playing really well – and that is AWESOME. You could point to any of the other games on that list and find sub-par performances by someone on the team. That was Monroe’s first big-time Big East game. Impressive debut and great game for the rest of the team.
I voted for the Syracuse game
but maybe should have voted for UConn. I was in Hartford that night, and watching Monroe thoroughly outplay Thabeet was so enjoyable. Thabeet had a ton of blocks and a decent number of boards, but following his four point performance, the New Haven Register ran a big article about how he always disappeared against top centers, e.g., Hibbert, Monroe, Blair, et al. And I agree that it’s not fair to devalue that individual win because of the way other things went that season.
What are these assertions!?
by DHB Enterprises on Feb 11, 2011 3:02 PM EST up reply actions
No,
which is why it shouldn’t change anything—it was a very good win, and it a very big stretch to say it’s the best road win of the JTIII Era.
Dook
gonna go out on a limb here and say georgetown’s win against dook in the 2005-2006 season. i regard that game as a true turning point for the program as a whole.
Maybe he was thinking of our win at Cameron in 2009 ...
You remember, that was the game where a technical foul wasn’t called on Greg Monroe while he was sitting on the bench and we went on to win the game going away.
Later that season, we made a deep run in the tourney, DaJuan Summers was named team MVP and Jessie Sapp and Chris Wright were best men at each other’s weddings.
by John Coctostan on Feb 11, 2011 9:50 AM EST up reply actions
Not a burrito...
but a queasy dilly.
After that last, unholy row,
I never, ever play, basketball now.
It joins a list of things I'll miss like fencing foils and lovely girls I'll never kiss.
by vivanloshoyas on Feb 11, 2011 10:25 AM EST up reply actions
at home or away, as a person who was a student at gtown at the time, it felt very much like a turning point for the program. the true beginning of JTIII’s reign. only one year later we would make the final four run
like it or not
The question is about the most memorable ROAD wins in JT3’s tenure, which is why the five answers available are all ROAD games.
by HoyaSmacksYa on Feb 11, 2011 10:51 AM EST up reply actions
Have to split between impressive & emotionally satisfying
emotionally satisfying- no question the Cuse win.
impressive- would be the UConn win
I feel soooo sad that you & your orange clad kinfolk can't get tickets to our home game.....
by SomebodyBuyAustinaSteak on Feb 11, 2011 9:26 AM EST reply actions
I voted for the WVU "goaltending" game
Just because that was the only one of these 5 that I was actually there for.
I realize that makes me the “George Bush looks like a guy I could share a beer with” kind of voter
Ewing Jr's block
was one of the most satisfying endings to any game
by Unfiltered Hoya on Feb 11, 2011 11:36 AM EST up reply actions
I don't know if it was more satisfying, but @ Villanova this year was a more important win ...
Wednesday night’s game @ Syracuse just confirmed what we already know — our early conference losses were just a hiccup and this is a really good team capable of playing with anyone in the country.
Going into the Villanova game earlier in the season, we were still near the depths of our despair. We had strung a few wins together, including a nice one over SJU that gave us reason for hope, but we hadn’t proven we could beat a top-tier conference opponent yet. If we had lost that one, we would have been back below .500 in conference and all the doubts would have resurfaced.
By beating them, particularly the way we did by coming up clutch down the stretch, it totally changed the season’s trajectory.
i dont think they were "hiccups"
look at the teams we lost to: ND, St Johns, WVU, Pitt
ND is a legit big east team and a legit contender for #2 after Pitt. Pitt is Pitt. St. Johns has beaten a ton of ranked big east teams this season… Georgetown wasn’t the only victim. WVU has also had a pretty remarkable season.
so all in all, georgetown’s defeats were very plausible.
I don't know if it was the best...
…but it was enough to get this 97 grad to stop trolling this blog and start participating!
thats good
I found your lack of participation…disturbing
Tarkin finally stop holding your leash?
Why so Syracuse?
by HoyaJoker07 on Feb 11, 2011 5:04 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
On an entirely different subject....
JT5 needs to chill a bit on twitter. He is filling up the news feed with nonsense.
GTFO!
Wowzers.
Does anyone know if Manley Field House is still open?
by January 21, 2006 on Feb 11, 2011 10:34 AM EST reply actions
I forgot how close to a goaltend that was ...
by John Coctostan on Feb 11, 2011 11:47 AM EST up reply actions
SO AWESOME!!!!
I’m going to pee my pants
by Unfiltered Hoya on Feb 11, 2011 11:51 AM EST up reply actions
I went with the Marquette game in 08
No business winning that game.
by VictorPage'sLeftEye on Feb 11, 2011 11:21 AM EST reply actions
Was there for that one...and 25 Sprechers later, the Hoyas escape with a win
By the way, Sprechers is a very underrated beer. And my all time favorite of the JT III generation, J-Wall knocking down three huge free throws, not to mention the banked three earlier to tie it. What a great day that was. The crowd was insane.
"Before the answer was a 3, I was down in Georgetown with a Hoya chick, lawyer chick....."
by brandonbowmansfootistoobig on Feb 11, 2011 11:52 AM EST up reply actions
Casual Sprecher reference
This Milwaukeean appreciates it. The Root Beer is some of the finest in existence.
by Vee Sanford's Next-door Neighbor on Feb 11, 2011 2:05 PM EST up reply actions
I voted for that one too.
…though I’m questioning my decision. It was the most exciting and improbable, that’s for sure; I was running around my house screaming lie a moron when they called that foul at the end of regulation. And JWall’s thirds free throw seemed to hang on the rim FOREVER. “Is today March 1st?” Great call.
But the wins at the Pete and the Dome are probably the “best.”
by WallaceAtTheLineShooting2 on Feb 11, 2011 1:16 PM EST up reply actions
Let's also reflect
on how totally AWESOME Cuse fans are…
Is it weird
that I really want to party with them one night
Define Best?
Most enjoyable?
Most impressive?
Over the best team?
by hoyasincebirth on Feb 11, 2011 12:12 PM EST reply actions
I thought of it as most satisfying when crafting post
But it’s a good point that when going off that requirement, I clearly got clouded by how season’s ended up.
In hindsight, it’s probably that 08-09 UConn game because the possibility didn’t enter my mind, and it was completely shocking and incredible.
My handle used to be Jeff Green's Dad, but it was confusing and creepy, namely because I am not his dad. My new handle is JGD. I am trim and in charge.
Most impressive: UConn
Most Satisfying: Cuse
Most Nerve-wracking: tie between WVU and Marquette. That 2007-2008 team took years off of every Hoya fans life.
For whatever, the Pitt win last year just isn’t as memorable as any of those other games.
yep, hate to say it...
But until they mentioned it when we played them, I had actually forgotten that we had won that game…as crazy as that sounds.
"Before the answer was a 3, I was down in Georgetown with a Hoya chick, lawyer chick....."
by brandonbowmansfootistoobig on Feb 11, 2011 4:53 PM EST up reply actions
exactly
just not a game that would come out of my mouth quickly when listing most memorable games of the JTIII era. All those others are.
The Correct answer is NONE OF THE ABOVE
A win at Nova in the Pavilion in 2005, like 2 weeks after the Pitt game mentioned above was the best in my mind. If you weren’t actually there, you wouldn’t actually understand. It was the 20th aniversity of some win they had in 1985 and they were letting us know it. Every single time out they took was some bash on us. Who caught the inbounds pass to beat Gtown, and what was the final score against Gtown, and these fuckers on the court at halftime beat Gtown, and this Old crazy man once coached a game where he beat Gtown so lets put his jersey up on a wall. Well fuck them. Darrel Owens made 2 free throws with like nothing on the clock to win by the same score we lost by 20 years earlier. 66-64. Karma. Fuck Villanova, Fuck Allen Ray, Fuck Randy Foye, and Fuck Rollie Massimino.
That one has been bugging me for some time now if you couldn’t tell.
"That is crap. It is unfair."
by Iwillpaytheway!! on Feb 11, 2011 3:27 PM EST reply actions
That's another good one
Thinking back on JTIII’s first year, it was sooo satisfying (in light of the unspeakable disappointment one year prior). That NIT game against Cal State Fullerton in McDonough was absolutely nuts. Made me wish we had an on campus arena. Then I graduated and have since loved being able to get to games on the Red Line
by rochesterhoya07 on Feb 11, 2011 3:35 PM EST up reply actions
Not having a metro stop on campus is another huge problem that will never get fixed
"That is crap. It is unfair."
by Iwillpaytheway!! on Feb 11, 2011 4:22 PM EST up reply actions
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