The 9th ranked Georgetown Hoyas added some icing on what has already been a sumptuous cake of a season last night in an epic comeback win against 20th ranked Marquette at Verizon. I could go on and on about how much of a joy it has been watching this team progress so far this season, but since (I hope) there will be many more opportunities to do so, let's get to the hardware. Away we go...
The Chris Wright Heart of a Champion Award:
Jason Clark. Down 17 and with any hope of victory against Marquette waning, Jason Clark put the rest of the Hoyas on his back and single-handedly decided that Georgetown wasn't going to lose this game. Driving to the hoop on nearly every possession, Clark made layups, got to the foul line, and created open looks for all of his teammates. This was the game from Clark that we have been waiting for. Honorable mention: Henry Sims. Sims was possessed in the 2nd half, running the floor like a gazelle for driving layups, baseline jumpers, grabbing rebounds and altering numerous shots. Honorable honorable mention: Hollis Thompson.
More Awards after The Jump:
Dickie V Award:Adam Amin. I'd never heard of this guy who called the game along with LaPhonso Ellis on ESPNU, and at first glance I thought I was going to hate him. However, this kid was fantastic. Displaying some solid knowledge of the Hoyas and the Golden Crapfarts throughout and ramping up his game to sound like a poor man's Gus Johnson down the stretch, he was probably the most enjoyable play by play guy I've heard call a Hoyas game all year.
The Best Game That No One Was There to See Award:
From a Casualty who works at Verizon Center, the total attendance last night was 8,205. That includes 88 student tickets. I'll just let that one sit in a bit.
Thanks, Buzz! Award:
From SI's Andy Glockner:
A time(out) for regrets. When Todd Mayo swished a corner three-pointer to give Marquette a 17-point lead with 13:12 left, there was an immediate timeout on the floor. The TV announcers assumed (understandably) it was Georgetown needing to regroup. Even ESPN's box score has it listed as a Hoyas timeout. Except it wasn't. The minute the ball splashed through the net, Golden Eagles coach Buzz Williams was off the bench calling for time. I have no idea why. According to folks at the postgame interviews, Williams acknowledged he called it, but wouldn't discuss why. Maybe he saw a fool's gold approach and wanted to settle his team down or maybe he wanted to get some fresh legs in, but killing the profound momentum seemed very, very curious. Georgetown was on the ropes and didn't even need to burn its own timeout to get a breather.
The Captain Bar Mitzvah Award:
Hollis Thompson. Welcome to manhood, Hollywood. The Alabama shot was incredible, but that was a great moment rather than a crucial performance. Against Marquette, it was clear Jason Clark could do enough on his own to keep the Hoyas close, but his free throw shooting wouldn't let him take them all the way back. Someone else had to step up, especially in the final minutes as Marquette continued to answer on the offensive end. And Hollis heeded the call. A couple of enormous threes, including the winning margin plus a midrange pull-up for good measure.
The Award For the One to Have When You Need to Have One to Relax After a Game like That:
Suntory Hibiki 12.
For relaxing times.
Brandon Bowman Memorial Award for Interesting Behavior With the Line in Play:
Jason Clark. The line closed at Hoyas -4 and Georgetown was up three with 0.7 seconds left and our star senior at the line to drain two easy free throws to ice the win and what would have been a miraculous cover. We don't have to tell you what happened. OOF. Let's say that again: OOF.
The 110% Award for Fan of the Game:
OldHoya. No, our eyes did not deceive us in the first half when we saw OldHoya legitimately courtside instead of in his usual seats behind the scorer's table. Well, we know how that went. Fortunately, a nice halftime adjustment put OldHoya back where he belonged, and within SHOUTING DISTANCE of the refs to ensure the Hoyas win. Who told OldHoya to get his ass back in his regular seats? None other than JT3's sister.
The 109% Award for Fan(s) of the Game:
The Young Alumni Section. This is the last pass the student section gets. Exams and Kwanzaa and Winter Solstice break is over. They had better be back for Cincinnati. But in the interim, kudos to the Young Alums next to the barren student sections for bringing the noise when the game was at its darkest moments.
The Poor Choice of Absorbant Fabric Award:
Marquette. Are your uniforms supposed to be more than one color of blue? Well THEY WERE. And that was an all-natural dye of HUMAN PERSPIRATION. As we at The Global Phenomenon like to say: Never let them see you sweat.
LL Cool J Award:
Don't call it a comeback
by who will sex dikembe tonight on Jan 4, 2012 8:43 PM EST reply actions
Otto Porter Award for Filling the Boxscore:
Henry Sims. 13 points, 5 rebounds, a team-high 5 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals for the big fella, who was simply everywhere in the second half.
Mirror, Mirror On The Wall Award:
In the 1st half, Marquette outscored Georgetown 43-29. In the 2nd, the Hoyas outscored Marquette 44-27.
Barclays Presents the FIFA Award For Futbol Inspired Flopping:
Jae Crowder. Let's just narrow this down to the first half foul where he was brushed in the back and went "flying" about six rows deep in the tunnel. There were others, all surely designed to win a yellow card from the Morrocan referee. But unlike in soccer, it only ALMOST worked.
Ted Leonsis Award for GETTING THINGS DONE:
There are beer guys now roaming the aisles of the Phonebooth peddling delicious Miller and Bud Light. If this isn't reason enough to get your ass to Verizon to watch the nationally ranked powerhouse Georgetown Hoyas, I just don't know what is.
The Stay Puft Marshmallow Award for Making Me Look Up Your Weight on the Marquette Website After the Game:
Davante Gardner. 6-9 and 290 pounds? Yeah right. And I don't drink Stella Tallboys after halftime.
There Once Was a Time When Georgetown Had a 70 Point Lead in the First Half Award:
Nice work, ESPNU
The Award for Being Worse Than Hitler:
The Refs. Let's be honest, there were bad calls that went each way, but you know what: Hitler killed a lot of Jews AND Gentiles. Those refs were singularly atrocious. Perhaps they were overreacting to the early hard foul involving Starks, but then they were vainly trying to regain control of a game that wasn't out of control. So the fouls had no rhyme or reason, killed the flow, and will probably give Buzz Lightyear some kind of basis for sobbing and brow sweating to justify the loss. Bad refs!
The chrisharvey'sfacialhiar Award for Photoshop Excellence:
The Hoyas are now 4-0 when this Casualty gets to work on his photoshopping.
The Colt McCoy Concussion Award:
Markel Starks. From our VIP vantage point behind the Hoyas bench it was clear Starks was more than a little shaken up after that early-first half fall. And don't just trust us: we share a row with a cop. And cops know a thing about head injuries. But Starks got a breather and was back on the court in no time. Of course, for the rest of the game he wasn't in nearly as much danger as a Cleveland Browns quarterback, so maybe the medical opinion was a-ok.
The Award for Best Ostensible Syracuse Bar:
Clyde's Gallery Place. Yes it hosted the Marquette Chubby Alumni reception. Yes it will host the same for Syracuse in the future. And yes it was crowded. But when somebody may have put a bit too much elbow into a discussion about Richard Cordray's recess appointment (we DID go to Georgetown, mind you) and accidentally topple a tray of beers being carried by a passing waitress, they couldn't have been nicer about it. Even a dry-cleaning voucher for my constitutional-precedent-disrespecting friend who got about 16 oz of Yuengling all over his Brooks Brothers suit (he DID ALSO go to Georgetown, mind you). No hard feelings all around!
I See You, #3 Award:
Mikael Hopkins. Hopkins provided a huge spark for the Hoyas in the second half when JT3 opted to have freshmen Porter, Trawick, Whittington and Hopkins all on the floor at the same time. Hopkins hustled his way to 4 points and 2 assists in just 6 minutes, and planted the seed in some Hoya fans minds that he can be a future force at the 4 spot in the future, producing against tough Big East competition for the first time.
False Prophet Award:
To the legions of Casualties on the Casual Gamethread who, as the Hoyas dug themselves into a double digit deficit decided that the season was over, this one's for you:
starks dead, season over.
by Brasky on Jan 4, 2012 7:13 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
delusion train crashes into wall
by who will sex dikembe tonight on Jan 4, 2012 7:14 PM EST reply actions
Sorry folks
I turned on the video feed and we turned in to a high school team. Better go away for a while. Expect we’ll be up 20 when I return.
by TouomouIsMyHomie on Jan 4, 2012 7:40 PM EST reply actions
aaaand let the Big East schedule collapse begin!
#cynical
I am not Casual Hoya.
Clark fucking sucks
by HoyafromBmore on Jan 4, 2012 7:48 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
by chrisharvey'sfacialhair on Jan 4, 2012 7:50 PM EST reply actions
It's not that the shots aren't falling
It’s that the looks aren’t good. This reeks of the sort of settling the team did far too much of last season. You can’t beat good teams without someone who can at least occasionally dribble drive. Or a decent big man, which we don’t have.
I fucking said it. Hank has regressed.
I don’t think the team can survive the emotional blow that will come with the second half going anything like the first. Someone needs to nut up.
Oh well
Marquette is very good and playing very well. We are playing very poorly. Not a great combination. Hope we can make the score respectable.
90% of the student section probably thinking
"this is why I haven’t been going to games."
Ugh
"I don't know. I'm making this up as I go."
Not sure who's enjoying his nap more
Sims or JT3.
by HoyaSmacksYa on Jan 4, 2012 8:20 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Not showing the composure tonight that we've had earlier this season
Markel just took a three from the parking lot…
by J-Wall's Mom's Broom on Jan 4, 2012 8:21 PM EST reply actions
Seriously Clark definitely forgot how to shoot a basketball
post December collapse
Who’s going to be the first to mention it?
Oh, wait.
tonight's positive prognosis
Positive Prognosis, the feature begins tomorrow or Friday.
I, for one, am excited!
Blip
by JahidiLikesPie on Jan 4, 2012 8:26 PM EST via mobile reply actions
JT3 just stepped onto the court
To ask the officials to a spot of tea after the conclusion of the contest this evening.
by HoyaSmacksYa on Jan 4, 2012 8:30 PM EST via mobile reply actions
hot wing challenge on man vs food
probably more inspiring than the end of the game
Hate to rain on everybody's Happy Parade, but Georgetown got very little production out of the point guard spot last night. Good sign that the Hoyas can throttle a top 25 team regardless, but Markel Starks and Jabril Trawick combined for 2 points, 3 assists, and 7 turnovers in 34 minutes. Though Trawick played some strong defense down the stretch, he had two crticial turnovers that if Marquette could have come up with any stops in the final moments could have been killers.
The Award for the Moment in Time When We Should Probably Have a Serious Sit-Down Talk About Delusion:
Now. All of us here at The Global Phenomenon are very well acquainted with how a game like last night would typically have gone: before the casual first-half Stella tallboy is finished, it becomes apparent that a possibly surmountable lead is insurmountable and a halftime of another Stella tallboy round becomes a second half of regret because we forgot the concession stand that pours Crown Royal. And though there is a noble effort to make a game of it, the deficit cannot be whittled and the Hoyas end up with a semi-respectable 8-point loss only because of some garbage-time threes. For many years that is how this portion of the season has ended up--and typically at this very time, right after the Hoyas crack the top 10. There is letdown and despair that presages March and despondency. But last night was very different. It wasn't an epic comeback (see UConn at home in years past) which can be marked down as a monumental triumph, or a late game run against a clearly inferior opponent (all those games where we trail Eastern Northern Western Savannah State or whatever in November); this was a serious, gutsy win against a serious, gutsy opponent. And a WIN WE SHOULD NOT HAVE WON. Marquette is an actual, worthy top-25 team. Georgetown was down by SEVENTEEN. Let's type that again: SEVENTEEN. The Hoyas trailed from midway in the first half until 2:08 left in the second, a deficit they somehow overcame through SHEER FORCE OF WILL. A theme here at The Global Phenomenon has been to note how this team plays with a defensive intensity and a heart we haven't seen in many years. Well, once again, in spades, they have shown it. So it must be said: Your Georgetown University Hoyas are an unstoppable juggernaut that will, WITHOUT A DOUBT, win the National Championship and then defeat the Red Chinese Army in an Asian land war. THIS IS FACT. WE HAVE A BLOG AND NOTHING ON A BLOG IS EVER WRONG.
Gratuitous Pic of Derek Jeter's Girlfriend in a Dillon Panthers Cheerleader Uniform:
Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose.
The Georgetown Hoyas are a nationally ranked powerhouse.
West Virginia is NeXt.