HINKLE CHECK UP: Has Hoyas’ Hot Shooting Held Up on Hinkle Hardwood?

Over the past 8 years, the Georgetown Hoyas have had some pretty good luck at Hinkle Fieldhouse when facing the Butler Bulldogs. The Hoyas and their clinically depressed fans could really use some time watching the ball go through the net often on Saturday. The question is, has the Hoya-Hinkle-Heat kept smoldering?

The short answer is that they cooled down. However, before 2021, Patrick Ewing’s teams had not lost in Hinkle. Last year Georgetown actually played two games at Hinkle: the January 6th game against Butler and the March 20th NCAA Tournament game against Colorado. Each resulted in a loss.

Over the past 8 years the Hoyas are 6-2 when playing away against Butler. A quick look at the percentages indicates that Georgetown overall shoots the ball pretty well in Hinkle Fieldhouse, which may go a long way for a team who struggles with consistency.

Last year’s poor shooting against Butler brought down the averages significantly. Georgetown shot well from three (43%) but was 11 for 38 (29%) for two-pointers. Check the full box score below. Ouch.

The Colorado tournament game was not factored in, but shooting 23 for 58 from the field and 8 for 24 from three is hardly any kind of hot shooting. It’s pretty safe to say that any Hoya Hinkle Heat has simmered considerably. In two games at Hinkle, Dante Harris is 3 for 12 for 2FGs and 3-9 3FGs, while Donald Carey is 2-6 2FGs and 3-6 from three. At least, Timothy Ighoefe is 3 for 5 in three games!

Hopefully Georgetown shoots the ball well in this trip to Indiana. Overall this year, the Hoyas have been 442 for 1045 (42.3 %) from the field, which is not great, but have shot 144 for 373 (38.6%) from beyond the arc—good for 16th in the nation. A solid game plan might include launching 30 three-point attempts.

Then again, Creighton just shot 2 for 22 from downtown on a Wednesday night trip to Hinkle where they lost 72-55. Read that again, the notoriously free-shooting Creighton only made two three pointers at Hinkle, only a few days before Georgetown has to visit Butler. Yikes.

Maybe looking back at past Georgetown-Butler performances is not as informative as we thought. Still, each GU performance at Butler, with box scores below, has its own top shooters from inside and outside the arc (save for 2021), but there was some pretty high percentage shooting by each team. It’s hard to deny that Georgetown’s shooters like D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, L.J. Peak, Rodney Pryor, Marcus Derrickson, Jessie Govan, and Greg Malinowski have demonstrated that Hoyas can be timely heroes at the Hinkle Fieldhouse itself.

Do players better see the hoop with the gym’s different depth? Is there some Hoosier-Hoya-Hinkle-magic? Did Indiana-native DSR share some tips with the squad to be passed down?

Which game stands out in your memory?

January 6, 2021: 55-63 (Recap)

February 15, 2020: 73-66 (Recap)

January 2, 2019: 84-76

February 13, 2018: 87-83

January 28, 2017: 85-81

February 2, 2016: 76-87

March 3, 2015: 60-54

January 11, 2014: 70-67

We’ll see if the Hoyas can get back to their hot shooting at Hinkle on Saturday.

We can hope, right?