View From Press Row: That's More Like It

WASHINGTON -- Yeah, that's more like it.

This was the best view from press row in nearly a month as the Hoyas snapped a 2-game home court losing streak. Before the game I tweeted out that I'd never really seen a team warmup like St. John's. I figured they were either really loose or really out of control. As suspected, it was more out of control than loose.

New lineup: This seems to be working pretty well. Copeland is playing at a high level and Hopkins had his best game of the season with 12 points and eight rebounds. I know it's a small sample size but the senior hasn't missed a shot coming off the bench 5-for-5 tonight and 1-for-1 at Seton Hall last week. Oh, and he had a matched a career-high with three steals. After the game - it was a podium game for both Copeland and Hopkins - JT3 said that no one on the team, and perhaps even some assistant coaches, understand what Georgetown wants to do each game. He's not surprised at all that the senior isn't letting the benching have an effect on his play.

Balance: A quick look at the stat sheet probably provides you with JT3's dream scenario. That is, six guys in double figures - five guys with 12 points and one with 11 points. With good ball movement and not a single guy to key in on, that's virtually an impossible offense to guard. Each of the starters took between eight (Trawick) and eleven (Smith-Rivera) shots. Any time Trawick is dropping multiple 3-pointers, the opposition is in serious trouble. No surprise that the last home game in which the senior did so was that court storming W over Nova.

For the Good of the League: Lavin seems like a nice guy after the game but this league needs St. John's to matter and he's just not getting it done. Lavin didn't even use any of his timeouts tonight as he watched his team go the last 8:45 of the first half without a field goal. Seriously, St. John's didn't use one timeout all game. Does he even care?

Numbers: With tonight's win the Hoyas numbers remain strong. Their RPI is up to 20. SOS remains at 2 while their record against the Top 50 improves to 4-8. That may change unless the Johnnies pick up some more wins as they are No. 45. Georgetown's numbers will remain solid assuming they don't pick up a bad loss. Cough, DePaul at home, cough.
Also important is that the Hoyas remain in the mix for the second seed in the BIG EAST Tournament, just a half game behind Butler for that spot.

JT3 on Hopkins: Here is that quote that I mentioned from earlier when JT3 was asked about Hopkins play coming off the bench:
"That's not surprising, Hop is a senior, Hop wants to win. I've said this many times, Hop may understand what his coach wants more than anyone in that locker room, some of the coaches included. Starting or not starting I know he understands what that's about and he's a player. He gets in there and plays."