The Casual Awards: Creighton II - Electric Boogaloo

HOLY SHIT.

While you were waiting patiently for the Virginia Department of Transportation to plow the freaking snow off your street, we were curling up next to a pint of Ben and Jerry's peanut butter cup ice cream and a glass of Macallan 12 FTW.  Before we turn the page to Krissy Dunn and the Friars in a battle for second place in the conference, we celebrate and vilify those most deserving on a night in which your favorite basketball team SAVED ITS SEASON in one of the most epic and improbable come-from-behind victories of the JTIII era.

Let's do the damn thing.

The HOYAS WIN Award:

Rich Chvotkin.

I'd like to think he is still saying "HOYAS WIN" somewhere.  (UPDATE:  he stopped at 19.  a record!)

The Chris Wright Heart of a Champion Award:

The Georgetown Hoyas.

This goes to the coaching staff, the players, and all of the fans in attendance.

Listen, we all know that this season has had its fair share of disappointment and tumult.  After four days of snowstorms and shoveling, a Tuesday night affair against Creighton didn't exactly seem like the most tantalizing ticket in town.  And when we were down 11 with 3:08 to play in a game in which the officials were absolutely killing us, the Hoyas could have folded and effectively quit on the season.  But they didn't.  Why?

BECAUSE THAT IS NOT WHAT CHRIS WRIGHT WOULD HAVE DONE.  THAT DUDE WOULD HAVE PLAYED THROUGH A BROKEN HAND IF THE DOCTORS LET HIM.  THAT DUDE GOT M.S. AND NEVER GAVE UP ON HIS DREAM OF PLAYING IN THE NBA, A DREAM WHICH WAS EVENTUALLY REALIZED WHEN HE PLAYED FOR THE DALLAS MAVERICKS.  THAT DUDE HAS THE HEART OF A CHAMPION.

And tonight, so did everyone representing the Blue and Gray at the Verizon Center.

The "Austin Freeman UConn Game "Award:

D'Vauntes Smith Rivera.

In what will someday come to be remembered as the "DSR Creighton Game,"  DSR led the Hoyas with 19 points, including seven points in the last 93 seconds of the game, to cap off a stunning 11-2 run that gave Georgetown a miraculous victory at the Phone Booth.  That he may have called his shot brings a tear to my eye.

"In the TV timeout... [DSR] was saying, 'Calm down, we're gonna win.'"

— The Hoya Sports (@thehoyasports) January 27, 2016

I really hope this team makes the NCAA Tournament.  Do it for DSR, dudes.

The Ocean's 11 Award for Great Thefts:

L.J. Peak and Kaleb Johnson.

There's no comeback without Georgetown forcing two crucial steals in the final 93 seconds.  Down 71-66, L.J. Peak stripped Toby Hegner, leading to two free throws by DSR the other way to cut it to 71-68.

On the very next possession, Kaleb Johnson thought this:

"I knew I had to make a play and did." -Kaleb Johnson on his steal off Watson at the end of the game

— The Hoya Sports (@thehoyasports) January 27, 2016

He proceeded to cleanly strip our tormentor, Maurice Watson Jr., at midcourt,

and then dunked the ball the other way to make it a one point game.

Peak and Kaleb: the new Clooney and Pitt.  SUCK IT TERRY BENEDICT!

The Tom Coughlin "In Retrospect, Maybe He Should Have Taken the Points" Award:

[thanks for the memories, Tommy]

The aforementioned Maurice Watson Jr. went coast to coast with 36 seconds left and had a two-on-one opportunity with teammate Isaiah Zierden, an 89% FT shooter, against Marcus Derrickson that probably leads to a layup.  He passed the ball back out to kill more clock, and we fouled Khyri Thomas, a 46.7% FT shooter who missed both of his takes from the line.  Not only did this give the Hoyas the ball with a chance to win, but it also got everyone a Jettie's sandwich.  So, you know, two birds.

(NYHoya note: Mo Watson is really freaking good at basketball.  The guy had 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.  But those six turnovers were killers, and giving the ball up at the end of the game essentially cost his team the victory.  I'll take DSR, thanks very much.)

The John McEnroe Award for Not Believing the Refs Were Being Serious:

JTIII.   And also, everyone.

This year's iteration of the Hoyas commits a lot of really silly fouls.  Marcus Derrickson committed an asinine three shot foul towards the end of Crieghton's shot clock that put us down 68-57 with 3:08 to go.  It inspired this look, which summed up everyone's feelings at the time:

However, the calls on Jessie Govan for his fourth and fifth fouls, the call on Bradley for his fourth foul, and the call on Peak for simply boxing out were trash.  LOOK AT THIS CALL ON GOVAN.  TO CALL IT HOT GARBAGE WOULD BE AN INSULT TO STATEN ISLAND DURING THE SUMMER.

Get it together, zebras.  We already have one of the worst foul rates in the country; we don't need a bunch of Greg Monroe phantom fouls to add insult to injury.  There was some straight up Australian Open mixed doubles shit going on by the refs there.

Shout out to the Creighton farmboy in Section 121 who was defending all of these calls by saying things like "Creighton doesn't foul much.  That definitely wasn't a foul."  Settle down, Nebraska.  Just admit that we got hosed on a few calls, and then go husk some corn or something.

[NYHoya note: Congrats to the American hero in Section 121 who pointed out, very politely, that Creighton had only been called for one foul more than halfway through the first half.  "The fouls are 6-1.  How does that make any sense?  I know you can hear me, refs, because there's no one here."  The refs didn't respond.]

The Elevators Award:

L.J. Peak.

L.J. has raised his game recently.  We're still waiting for my main man Ike to start clicking on offense, but in the meantime, L.J. is quietly filling the box score, chipping in 11 points, four boards, two assists, and two steals tonight, along with this tremendous dunk:

Huge dunk from @Ljpeak0. While he's taking a bow, the announcers should take a lap for that corny line...#Hoyas #H4L pic.twitter.com/ch7o1jzTSd

— Hoya Saxual (@Hoya_Saxual) January 27, 2016

Let's keep it going, my dude.

The Cautiously Optimistic Award:

Isaac Copeland.

Unless three different websites are wrong, it appears that our guy Ike had a pretty casual seven points, ten rebounds, and a career-high seven assists?  Did we read that correctly?  Despite once again struggling from the floor (he only hit three of his ten shots), Cope made a difference in every other facet of the game.  He dove for loose balls, he tried to be a little more aggressive by taking the ball to the hoop, and he pulled down boards and found open shooters.

Look, Isaac will probably be the first to tell you he's in the middle of a rough stretch, but this could be the game that causes him to turn things around.  In the meantime, if the shots aren't falling, we'll take ten boards and seven assists every damn night, young fella.

The Real Fans Awards:

Everyone at the Verizon Center tonight.

If you braved the elements and asinine commute times tonight, well done.  Despite loads of empty seats, it got really loud at the end there.  I'd like to think you guys helped rattle Creighton and spark our boys in Blue & Gray.

[NYHoya note: Thanks.  I was there.  It's possible that I may have congratulated myself earlier in these Awards for shouting at the refs.  But I f*cking deserve it.]

[SwordOfBrunner note:  No worries.  I'm about to give myself an award, brah.]

The Adorable Terrified Sloth Award:

Me. SwordOfBrunner. Smiling in a pool of my own urine after the game.

ALSO, LOOK AT THAT LITTLE GUY.

[context here:  http://jalopnik.com/ecuador-cops-save-tiny-terrified-sloth-in-most-adorable-1754914835]

The D.C. Cab Award for Hilarious Comedy in a D.C. Cab:

The D.C. Taxicab Commission.

I realize it must be tough to drive a cab on the mean, snow-filled streets of the District only three days after a snowstorm that everyone knew was coming, but what kind of sorcery can possibly justify A $15 SURCHARGE FOR ALL PASSENGERS, REGARDLESS OF DESTINATION?  On my way home from the game, my cab fare was $18.33 before we even went a block.  How does this make any sense?  It's my own damn fault for not taking Uber (which, to be fair, had some silly surge pricing of its own), but how can you possibly charge $15?  IT'S NOT EVEN SNOWING OUTSIDE ANYMORE. AND IT'S A SCHOOL NIGHT.

Want to complain?  Here's your chance!

D.C. Taxicab Commission

Phone: (202) 645-6018

Email: dctc@dc.gov

(NYHoya note: If you haven't seen the movie D.C. Cab, you absolutely should.  It features Mr. T, Bill Maher and Gary Busey.  It's one of the most tragically 80s comedies ever.)

(SwordOfBrunner note:  1. You should have taken the Spruce Moose, dummy.  2.  This movie looks terrible.  I'm going to watch Mad Max Fury Road again instead.)

The 2013-2014 New England Patriots Award for Falling Short against the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game:

The 2015-16 New England Patriots.

Sorry Tom Brady!  Maybe if you start incorporating tomatoes and mushrooms into your diet, you'll be able to get over the hump next season.

(NYHoya note: this is a real thing.  Tom Brady refuses to eat tomatoes and mushrooms because they supposedly cause inflammation.  Does this mean that our very own CasualHoya will start doing the same?  Yes, without a doubt.)

(SwordOfBrunner note:  SHUT UP ABOUT TOM BRADY THESE AWARDS ARE IMPOSSIBLY LONG AS IT IS.)

The Diabetes Award for Weekend Gluttony:

Food Lion.

Stranded in Sterling, Virginia during one of the worst snowstorms ever?  Take a long walk (or hitchhike with a couple of chain smokers, if you must) to your local Food Lion.  It has EVERYTHING, except milk and cheese and stuff, but that shouldn't stop you from going to town on all of the deliciousness in that place.  Midway through the storm, I made the treacherous journey and picked up onion rolls, flaming crunch cheez doodles, two pints of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, sour patch kids, bananas, cake mix, cool ranch Doritos, Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches (FOR THE WIFE), two apples and Reese's peanut butter eggs.

In related news, I'm fat.

The Wisemiller's Super Sub Award:

Trey Mourning and Riyan Williams.

We needed everyone on Tuesday night.  With Jessie Govan and Big Brad Hayes in foul trouble throughout most of this contest, Trey chipped in with a very casual six points and two rebounds in 12 minutes.  During a surprising 8-0 run to end the first half, Trey's mid-range game gave the Hoyas a much-needed boost, and his defense and composure late in the second half did not go unnoticed.

And for his part, Riyan picked up a point and a rebound, along with some stingy defense, during his lone minute and a half of action.  Always love to see the sons of former Hoya greats doing well.

The Revenant Award for Coming Out of a Bear Attack Induced Coma to Get Revenge:

Your Georgetown Hoyas.

Dude, we survived a snowstorm and a bear attack and still managed to escape with one of the most improbable, epic comeback wins ever.  Paired with the loss at UConn on Saturday, these two games (and the weather outside) sum up our season pretty well.  During the blizzard, we choked away a very winnable game in Storrs, despite our opponent only hitting four field goals in the entire second half; once the blizzard subsided, we emerged from an 11 point deficit at home on Tuesday night to cap off a whirlwind of a weekend and SAVE OUR F*CKING SEASON.

The UConn Huskies Award for Finding Ways to Win Even When you have an Awful Shooting Night:

Your Georgetown Hoyas.

Of course, this game wouldn't have been so urgent, and this victory as euphoric, had we beaten UConn on Saturday.

I'm sorry, is this too soon for you?  On Saturday in Hartford, despite shooting 36% from the floor and hitting only FOUR DAMN FIELD GOALS IN THE ENTIRE SECOND HALF, the Huskies managed to eke out a victory over our beloved Hoyas because they defended well and hit 80% of their 36 (yes, 36!) free throws.

On Tuesday night, the Hoyas took a page out of UConn's book.  Despite only shooting 41.7% from the floor, including an abysmal 6 of 21 from beyond the arc, the Hoyas hung in the game with some solid defense down the stretch and by converting on 82% of their 22 free throws.  Sure, our 22 free throws were fewer than Creighton's 24, and the free throw disparity in Storrs was a bit more staggering (36-8); but let's at least give credit to our guys for finally finding a way to get to the line, particularly during WINNING TIME.  We didn't get to the line once in the final 8:30 of the UConn game.  That ain't good.

(SwordOfBrunner note:  Too soon.)

The Matt Foley Award for Wishing You Could Just Shut Your Big Yapper:

JTIII.

"OMG, I just wish JTIII would get fired up every once in awhile."

"How come we don't have a coach who screams at the refs and yells at the players?"

You guys realize we won by one point?  And technical fouls are two free throws for the other team?  I'll let you do the math and come back to me.

Good, you're back.

Look, JTIII was all over the refs on Tuesday night.  He was waving his arms to signal how he wanted our guards to defend; he called a timeout just to berate one of the refs who was out of position on a bad call; and he straight up deserved a technical after Govan picked up his fifth foul on one of the most egregious calls of the night.

JTIII's emotion, or lack thereof, isn't a concern.  Wins and losses are.

But no matter the result against Creighton, no one can accuse him of not giving a damn.

The "Maybe We'll Eat in the Cafeteria Together Tomorrow" Award for Team Chemistry:

The Georgetown Hoyas, celebrating together at midcourt.

I guess these guys like each other this week.  NO MORE TEAM TURMOIL, PASS THE RANCH DIP!

The Proud Papa Award:

JT2.

The 2 Chainz Award for Being True.

JT3:

"At the end of the day, #4 is #4."

— The Hoya Sports (@thehoyasports) January 27, 2016

The Kate Upton Award for Doing Kate Upton Things:

NYHoya:  This is one of those games that will remain on my DVR until it breaks.

SwordOfBrunner:  As I stated in the GameThread, I had goosebumps after a regular season win in a lost season vs a team from Nebraska.

Let's build off this.

Let’s go Hoyas.  Beat Providence.