Checking Your Hoya Rear View Mirror:
Helping the Average (or Above Average) Georgetown Basketball Fan Put Things into Perspective
We've all been there. Your favorite men's basketball team is flying high, seemingly invincible, and then puts up a dud of a performance. It's one of the worst games you've ever seen and you lose all hope. And then the very same team goes on to score a major upset, one of the greatest wins in the history of the program, and OMG we're going to the Final Four. For those of you who enjoy the extreme highs and lows, congratulations. So do I. For those of you who want to moderate your extreme reactions to a bunch of college kids attempting to toss a ball into a hoop, it's time for you to put things into perspective.
Everyone's perspective is different. No two frames of reference are exactly the same. We all went to school at different times, or attended different games, or hate certain teams more than others, and we experience these games during different stages of our lives. Still, the context is always important.
Below is my personal list of the most memorable wins and losses of the JTIII era (which began in the 2004-05 season, when Jeff and Roy were freshmen). I could have started earlier or later in the history of the program, but it just seemed to make more sense to start with the last decade. If you're older, the 1984 national championship win over Houston might be at the top of your win list, while the 1985 upset by Villanova will be your most memorable loss. If you were in college during the Esherick years, you might have something to say about that four overtime home loss to Notre Dame, or the excitement you felt after Nat Burton made that game-winner against Arkansas in 2001. For now, let's take a look at the last decade and see how things stack up.
Next time the Hoyas score a monster win, or suffer a devastating loss, take a look at this list, figure out how the win or loss compares to the all the others, and then relax, or don't. And if you're keeping score out there, the extreme highs and lows we experienced during the 2012-2013 season are off the chart and probably increased the alcohol intake of vast numbers of Georgetown fans everywhere.
Quick note: In assessing each of these wins and losses, I took many things into consideration, most notably the opponent, the significance of the game, late game drama, etc. This is obviously a very subjective list, but there are clear reasons for ranking these games exactly the way I did.
The 25 Most Memorable Wins
1. Georgetown 96, North Carolina 84 - March 25, 2007: No explanation necessary.
2. Georgetown 87, Duke 84 - January 21, 2006: The game that put us back on the map. We beat the undefeated #1 team in the country and haven't looked back since. (Personal Reflection: I was in Tel Aviv for this game. I was following the game on the only desktop in the business lounge of my hotel. After the game, my cell phone started buzzing, even though the phone hadn't worked during any other portion of my trip. I spoke with friends who were on the court after the game. Dozens of texts and calls. Didn't get charged for a single one. And my phone stopped working the very next day.)
3. Georgetown 61, Syracuse 39 - March 9, 2013: We clinched first place in the Big East regular season, dominated Syracuse in our final regular season conference match-up, and held 'Cuse to its lowest point total in the Boeheim era. (Personal Reflection: I wanted to put this win second on the list. I really did. I think it's a toss-up between #2 and #3, and to be honest, had we not played Syracuse a week later in the BET, this would almost certainly rank as our best home win in the JTIII era. To put things into perspective, we just beat Creighton pretty handily. Creighton shot 20.8% from the field and missed 42 shots. But they still scored 40 points. Syracuse only had 39.)
4. Georgetown 66, Vanderbilt 65 - March 23, 2007: The Jeff Green game-winner created a frenzy at the Meadowlands.
5. Georgetown 57, Syracuse 46 - February 23, 2013: Otto Porter's 33 points allowed the Hoyas to close down the Dome in style, in front of the largest crowd to ever attend a college basketball game, and on the same day that Carmelo's jersey was retired.
6. Georgetown 65, Pittsburgh 42 - March 10, 2007: This was a coronation, as the Hoyas secured their first Big East tournament title since 1989 and their first (and currently only) title under JTIII. (Personal Reflection: JTIII leading a "We are Georgetown" chant on the floor of the Garden was pretty special. And the subsequent "Six more wins!" chant by the crowd was awesome.)
7. Georgetown 91, Syracuse 84 - March 11, 2010: This was the quarterfinals of the 2K10 revenge tour. The #8 Hoyas defeated the #1 Orange on a Thursday afternoon at the Garden. Chris Wright led the way with 27 points and Greg Monroe poured in 15 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. (Personal Reflection: This game represented everything that was awesome about going to the Garden for some sweet Thursday afternoon action. I love approaching hordes of Syracuse fans to ask for their tickets after kicking them out of the BET.)
8. Georgetown 84, Notre Dame 82 - March 9, 2007: This was a mammoth win against a hated rival in the semifinals of the BET. Jeff Green had 30 points, including the game-winner with 13 seconds left, to give the Hoyas the gutsy win, after having trailed the Irish by 14 in the first half.
9. Georgetown 55, Louisville 52 - March 8, 2008: In this final game of the 2007-08 regular season, the Hoyas edged Louisville to claim their second regular season title in a row. Austin Freeman led the way with 15 points, and DaJuan Summers hit a dramatic three from the corner with less than a minute to go to give the Hoyas the win. Hibbert, Wallace, Crawford and Ewing celebrated by posing with the plaque at the end of the game. (Personal Reflection: DaJuan Summers is a polarizing player. But the three he hit to win this game was something special. To have four seniors celebrate a title at home on Senior Day was awesome.)
10. Georgetown 70, Ohio State 52 - March 19, 2006: In this NCAA second round matchup, the #7 Hoyas smoked the #2 Buckeyes behind Roy Hibbert's 20 points and 14 rebounds. Notably, only four Georgetown players scored in this game. Brandon Bowman missed all six of his shots.
11. Georgetown 89, Duke 77 - January 30, 2010: In this rare mid-season battle between two top ten teams, the Hoyas smothered Duke in front of President Obama to defeat a team that would eventually go on to win the national championship. Monroe, Wright and Freeman each scored over 20 points. It was a beautiful thing.
12. Georgetown 72, Connecticut 69 - January 12, 2008: Roy Hibbert sank a three-point game-winner to cap a lovely Georgetown comeback and give the Hoyas a huge win. Hibbert's 20 points and eight rebounds were impressive enough, but his earth-shattering three capped Georgetown's 11-2 run in the final three minutes to propel Georgetown into first place in the early part of the Big East schedule. The Hoyas overcame tremendous shooting by A.J. Price (17 points, nine assists) and Doug Wiggins (15 points).
13. Georgetown 103, Villanova 90 - February 6, 2010: This was the infamous snow game. With a blizzard outside, the Hoyas put on a torrid shooting display inside. Behind Austin Freeman's 25 points, Jason Clark's 24 points (including six threes), and Greg Monroe's 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists, the #7 Hoyas raced out to a 19 point halftime lead and held on late to edge the #2 'Cats. Scotty Reynolds and Corey Fisher led Villanova with 23 points apiece. The lone weak spot for the Hoyas was the 59 points they allowed Villanova to score in the second half; this would later haunt the Hoyas in March when they allowed a hot-shooting Ohio team to do the same for two halves. (Personal Reflection: I was in New Orleans for this game. It was much warmer than it was in DC. It was the day before the Saints won the Super Bowl.)
14. Georgetown 64, Syracuse 56 - February 9, 2011: This was JTIII's first win at the Carrier Dome, and a special victory for seniors Chris Wright, Austin Freeman and Julian Vaughn. In a back-and-forth contest, Wright worked his way into the middle of Syracuse's zone to dish out a team-high nine assists. The win was Georgetown's seventh in a row and ended a nine-year drought of losses at the Dome.
15. Georgetown 72, West Virginia 55 - March 14, 2008: In the semifinals of the 2008 BET, Georgetown left no doubt that it deserved to win these teams' earlier matchup in Morgantown (that ended with the controversial Ewing block), as the Hoyas absolutely pasted the Mountaineers by 17. The day before, Georgetown hit a barrage of threes to beat a pesky Villanova squad, as Roy Hibbert was held scoreless. In this contest, Hibbert absolutely dominated, scoring 25 points and grabbing 13 boards. After the game, he said, "I'm a monster. I'm a monster. Be afraid."
16. Georgetown 62, Boston College 55 - March 17, 2007: In their second round matchup against Jared Dudley and BC, the Hoyas stormed back behind Roy Hibbert's 17 points and Jeff Green's two three-point plays in the final two minutes of the game. Tyrese Rice scored 22 points for the Eagles, which had opened an eight point lead in the second half before Georgetown roared back in the first matchup between these teams since BC left the Big East for the ACC.
17. Georgetown 53, Louisville 51 - January 26, 2013: After an acrobatic lay-in by Aaron Bowen proved to be the winning field goal with over three minutes to go, the Hoyas notched a key home win against the #5 team in the country, a win that would prove to be gigantic in Georgetown's march to the top of the conference. Markel Starks and Otto Porter scored 17 apiece for the Hoyas.
18. Georgetown 78, Villanova 58 - January 19, 2015: This was the win that finally put Georgetown on the national radar in 2015, as the unranked Hoyas raced out to a 22 point halftime lead and never looked back against the #4 Wildcats. DSR and Isaac Copeland paced the Hoyas with 17 points apiece, while Jabril Trawick filled in admirably at the point, while also using his patented hard-nosed defense to fuel the Hoyas' offense with four steals and one memorable step-back three-pointer at the end of the first half.
19. Georgetown 72, Connecticut 69 - January 9, 2010: This was the Austin Freeman game. Matching the same exact score as their 2008 win against the Huskies, the #12 Hoyas stormed back from a 15 point deficit to shock the #13 Huskies by scoring 47 points in the second half. Freeman netted 28 of his 33 points in the second frame, as Georgetown held UConn without a bucket in the last three and a half minutes. After the game, Jim Calhoun said: "Part of the thing is you hear sometimes about Georgetown, 'They run a five-man system. Nobody is a star.' Austin Freeman was a star today, I'll tell you that." Yes he was.
20. Georgetown 63, Notre Dame 47 - January 21, 2013: In their final Big East game against Notre Dame, the Hoyas went into Purcell Pavilion and completely dominated the Irish. Celebrating the sixth-year anniversary of "The Duke Game," Georgetown held Notre Dame to season lows in points, field goal percentage and assists. Otto Porter led the way with 19 points, as the Hoyas thoroughly embarrassed Jack Cooley and his friends. Mike Brey said it was like watching men against boys. (Personal Reflection: This was a shocking win. We had just lost a heartbreaker to South Florida and didn't have Greg Whittington. This came out of nowhere. No one expected us to dominate ND the way we did.)
21. Georgetown 70, Marquette 68 - March 1, 2008: In what proved to be a nail biter, the #11 Hoyas edged the #21 Golden Eagles after Jonathan Wallace, who was fouled while shooting a three with 2.8 seconds left in regulation, hit all three of his free throws to send the game into overtime. Hibbert and Wallace led Georgetown with 20 points apiece, while DaJuan Summers pulled down an impressive 14 rebounds. A balanced attack from the Hoyas was just enough to defeat Marquette's three-headed monster: Wesley Matthews (22 points), Jerel McNeal (17 points) and Dominic James (15 points). The win set the stage for the epic showdown with Louisville the following week to determine which team would win the Big East regular season.
22. Georgetown 58, West Virginia 57 - January 26, 2008: This is the game that ended with a thunderous Patrick Ewing Jr. block to seal #9 Georgetown's comeback victory. After the Hoyas overcame a ten point deficit in the second half and held West Virginia without a field goal over an eight minute span, Jessie Sapp hit a big-time three-pointer from the top of the key with only six seconds to go to seal the win and keep the Hoyas in a tie for first place in the conference. WVU fans proceeded to scream and shout and lob objects onto the court after Ewing blocked Da'Sean Butler's shot along the baseline. Although Butler would eventually get his revenge against the Hoyas two years later, on this day, no one in Morgantown was dancing to "Country Roads".
23. Georgetown 79, Connecticut 78 - February 27, 2013: In a game that Georgetown should have lost multiple times, the Otto Porter-led #7 Hoyas surged back from seven points down in double overtime to keep their massive winning streak alive and steal one at the XL Center. Despite only scoring one point in the first half, Porter erupted for 21 in the second half and overtime to help the Hoyas edge UConn. The lasting image from this game is Otto Porter streaking down the court for a silky-smooth lay-in with twelve seconds to go to cap an 8-0 run to end the game.
24. Georgetown 74, Connecticut 63 - December 29, 2008: In our final game of 2008, on the road against the #2 ranked team in the country, the #11 Hoyas surprised the Huskies in the first game of conference play. DaJuan Summers led four Hoyas in double figures and Greg Monroe poured in an impressive 16 points, including two huge three-pointers, and four assists. Shockingly, this team didn't even qualify for the Tourney. (Personal Reflection: This was the last game before my wedding. Good thing we won. Marriage saved.)
25. Georgetown 55, Notre Dame 54 - January 23, 2005: This is the game that ended with a game-winning Roy Hibbert dunk at the buzzer. After leading for most of the second half, the Hoyas gave up a three-pointer to Colin Falls with just six seconds to go, and then Ashanti Cook raced down the court, found a streaking Hibbert and watched the big fella throw the ball through the hoop for the victory. Keep in mind that this was when Hibbert was still uncoordinated and could barely make it up and down the court. It was a good win against a hated rival. Brandon Bowman and Jeff Green played well against the likes of Chris Quinn, Chris Thomas and Falls.
(List of honorable mention victories at the bottom)
The 25 Most Devastating Losses
1. Florida Gulf Coast 78, Georgetown 68 - March 22, 2013: No explanation necessary. This loss came less than a week after the heartbreaking loss to Syracuse in the BET, making it possibly the worst week in the history of Georgetown basketball since at least 1985. (Personal Reflection: I will never watch another game at Bleecker Heights again. Good thing it closed later that year.)
2. Ohio 97, Georgetown 83 - March 18, 2010: The #3 seeded Hoyas were pummeled by the #14 seeded Bobcats in a game that was never close. Armon Freaking Bassett put up 32 points as he hit almost every shot he took. Chris Wright led the Hoyas with 28 points, and Monroe had a solid 19 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists. But there was no defense. None. And this was a Georgetown team that was peaking toward the end of the season and had a real chance to go to the Final Four.
3. Davidson 74, Georgetown 70 - March 23, 2008: This #10 seeded Davidson squad overcame a 17 point second half deficit to edge the #2 Hoyas in Raleigh. Curry scored 25 points in the second half, Roy Hibbert was in constant foul trouble and the Hoyas just didn't have an answer. This was another potential Final Four team and it was also the final game played by star seniors Hibbert, Wallace and Ewing Jr.
4. Syracuse 58, Georgetown 55 - March 15, 2013: Syracuse needed a third game against the Hoyas to finally eke out a victory, this one coming in an overtime thriller in the BET semifinals. This was one of the saddest nights at the Garden I can remember, and remains, at least for the time being, the last time Syracuse and Georgetown have faced off. (Personal Reflection: I've re-watched the end of this game a couple of times. The turning point is when they called a nonsense touch foul against Markel Starks. After he fouled out, we really struggled. DSR hit only one of six from the field and only one of three from the line. People forget that this was the best game of Mikael Hopkins's career. He led all scorers with 15 points and eight rebounds.)
5. West Virginia 60, Georgetown 58 - March 13, 2010: This one still hurts. Having avenged losses to South Florida, Syracuse and Marquette, the Hoyas stormed into the BET championship game and almost did the same to the Mountaineers, but they fell just short, as Da'Sean Butler hit a ridiculous jumper with only a few seconds to play. Two weeks after Austin was diagnosed with diabetes and Georgetown got pasted by West Virginia up in Morgantown, the Hoyas put up a valiant effort and clawed back from an 8 point deficit with seven minutes to go, but alas, it wasn't enough.
6. NC State 66, Georgetown 63 - March 18, 2012: The #11 seeded Wolf Pack stunned the #3 Hoyas in a nail biter. Hollis Thompson put up 23 points, but it wasn't enough, as a foul-plagued Henry Sims had only four points in 21 minutes. This was the last hurrah for Sims, Thompson and Jason Clark, who was visibly upset in the post-game press conference. Loved this team. (Personal Reflection: People were upset that Otto Porter was the one who attempted the game-tying jumper from the corner. People wanted Henry or Hollis to get a touch. After a year went by, I don't think anyone was still crying about Otto taking that last shot. He's Otto Freaking Porter.)
7. Virginia Commonwealth 74, Georgetown 56 - March 18, 2011: #11 VCU pasted the #6 Hoyas in a game that was never close. Brandon Rozzell came out of nowhere to hit six threes for the Rams, and Hollis Thompson's 26 points came too late. Lubick, Sims, Benimon and Vaughn combined for only 2 points in 51 combined minutes. This was Chris Wright's first game back after fracturing his wrist two weeks earlier.
8. Pittsburgh 74, Georgetown 65 - March 15, 2008: The Hoyas fell short in the Big East championship game, as Pittsburgh avenged its loss from the previous year to send the Hoyas packing. Ronald Ramon and Sam Young led the way for the Panthers, as Hibbert's 17 points weren't good enough. (Personal Reflection: I went straight from my office to the Garden for this game. After it was over, I went back to the office. What an awful night.)
9. Florida 57, Georgetown 53 - March 24, 2006: In what would prove to be the closest Tourney game Florida played en route to winning the title, Georgetown damn near pulled off the upset until Darrel Owens's potential game-winning three clanked off the rim with seven seconds to play in this NCAA regional semifinal matchup. The Hoyas were up by a point with 38 seconds to go before Corey Brewer hit a crazy, off-balanced shot for which he was rewarded with a free throw (we were all left to loathe everything about this play: the sequence leading up to the shot, the shot itself and the foul on Bowman). Joakim Noah had 15 points to lead Florida. This would be the last game for seniors Bowman, Owens and Ashanti Cook.
10. Ohio State 67, Georgetown 60 - March 31, 2007: In a foul-plagued slugfest, Ohio State more or less controlled this game from the start, despite Greg Oden's constant foul issues. Hibbert and Jonathan Wallace scored 19 apiece, but Hibbert was in foul trouble of his own, and Jeff Green only contributed nine points on a total of five shots. The Hoyas had zero bench points and couldn't match the speed of Mike Conley (15 points, six assists, five rebounds) and Jamar Butler (ten points). (Personal Reflection: The highlight of that weekend in Atlanta was checking out "Blades of Glory" at a local theater and going to Waffle House on multiple occasions. What a miserable freaking weekend.)
11. Syracuse 58, Georgetown 57 - March 10, 2006: In the semifinals of the BET, Gerry McNamara willed the Orange to another stirring victory en route to winning the conference championship the following night. After squandering a 15 point halftime lead, Georgetown failed to hang on in the waning seconds. McNamara hit a three with 48 seconds to cut the deficit to one point; after a Demetris Nichols steal, Eric Devendorf then hit the game-winning layup to give the Orange the victory by a single point. Hate Gerry Mac.
12. Connecticut 66, Georgetown 62 - March 10, 2005: In JTIII's first season on the Hilltop, Georgetown got off to a promising start before dropping its last five conference games to end the season very much on the bubble. After dropping Seton Hall, the Hoyas were set to face UConn squad that they had not defeated in eight years, and they had a chance to avenge a recent 19 point loss to the Huskies in Storrs. The game started with an impressive Brandon Bowman reverse jam and ended with the Hoyas maintaining possession, down only two points with ten seconds to go. After dribbling around, Ashanti Cook settled for a long two-pointer, never seeing a wide open Jeff Green at the top of the key. A win could've propelled the Hoyas into the Tourney.
13. Cincinnati 72, Georgetown 70 - March 8, 2012: The Bearcats stunned #11 Georgetown in a double overtime thriller in the quarterfinals of the BET. Although the slugfest between Yancy Gates (23 points, eight rebounds) and Henry Sims (22 points, 15 rebounds) was fun to watch, the outcome left Hoyas fans wanting more. The teams combined to shoot 4 for 31 from beyond the arc. After Cincy erased an 11 point deficit in the last eight minutes of regulation, the Hoyas could never regain control and faltered at the end, despite some heroics from Henry, including a game-tying bucket at the end of the first overtime. The silver lining is that Cincy would go on to upend Syracuse the very next day. (Personal Reflection: This is the only time I was forced to DVR one of Georgetown's games in the BET. As a result of the double overtime, I botched the recording. It was an all-around awful performance.)
14. Syracuse 75, Georgetown 71 - February 18, 2010: This game was a tale of two halves at the Verizon Center, as #5 Syracuse raced out to a 23 point lead and then the #10 Hoyas stormed all the way back to cut the deficit to a single point. Georgetown somehow outscored Syracuse by 21 points over a nine minute period late in the second half, capping it off with a monstrous dunk by Austin Freeman to ignite the crowd. The comeback came up short, though, as Kris Joseph, who had been ineffective all night, hit a big shot with eight seconds to go. Andy Rautins led all scorers with 26 points.
15. South Florida 61, Georgetown 58 - January 19, 2013: This game led to a lot of soul-searching for Hoyas fans. Having lost two in a row to Big East foes, the Hoyas were desperate for a win in the Sun Dome. They were well on their way, as they led by eight points at the half and seemed to smother the Bulls with an effective 2-3 zone. But it wasn't meant to be, as USF overcame an 11 point deficit and the lack of a field goal in the final six minutes of regulation to notch its first Big East win of the season. Otto Porter scored 21 points, but he fumbled the ball in the last few seconds and was unable to hit a game-winning shot. Anthony Collins scored all 14 of his points in the second half. This game, devastating as it was, proved to be the kick in the pants Georgetown needed before beginning its legendary run through the conference en route to the regular season title. We weren't smiling on that day, though.
16. Notre Dame 78, Georgetown 64 - February 27, 2010: Reeling from injuries, Notre Dame used its brand new "slow burn" offense to absolutely stun the Hoyas at the Verizon Center behind Ben Hansbrough (21 points), Tim Abromaitis (17 points) and Carleton Scott (17 points). The Irish basically did it all with a six man rotation, as Luke Harangody was out with an injury. For the Hoyas, Greg Monroe scored 15 points, while Hollis Thompson and Jason Clark each contributed twelve; unfortunately, Austin Freeman was limited to five points in 23 minutes because of a stomach flu (which we later discovered was diabetes). Still, it was a surprising and heartbreaking loss. (Personal Reflection: I remember this game vividly. I was there. It ruined the weekend. I've seen many, many losses to Notre Dame. This was the only game in which we got punched in the stomach and never recovered.)
17. Cincinnati 58, Georgetown 46 - February 23, 2011: After surging through the Big East in late January and February, #11 Georgetown stumbled in a big way at home when it got bullied by a very physical yet unranked Cincy squad. This was the beginning of the end for the Hoyas, as Chris Wright fractured his hand. The Hoyas would go on to lose their next four games. (Personal Reflection: The result was bad enough. Chris Wright's injury made the next two weeks sad as hell.)
18. Northeastern 63, Georgetown 56 - November 21, 2013: This first round loss in Puerto Rico was a sign of the doom and gloom to come for the Hoyas, in what turned out to be arguably the worst season in JTIII's tenure. Georgetown squandered an 11 point halftime lead and was absolutely steamrolled by Reggie Spencer and a Northeastern team that, we would later learn, wasn't even that good. Unfortunately for the Hoyas, neither were they.
19. West Virginia 75, Georgetown 58 - January 22, 2009: Days after losing to Duke, Georgetown was absolutely punished by the Mountaineers at the Verizon Center. Da'Sean Butler scored 27 points and West Virginia used its defense, rebounding (16 second chance points on 14 offensive boards) and overall toughness to punch the Hoyas in the mouth and never look back. This was a devastating home loss for the #12 Hoyas, as the ‘Neers came into this game as a middling Big East power.
20. South Florida 72, Georgetown 64 - February 4, 2010: This was the Dominique Jones "yes sir" game. After crushing Duke a mere four days earlier, the Hoyas squandered a 13 point lead at home, while allowing Dominique Jones to score 22 of his game-high 29 points in the second half to stymie the #7 Hoyas. After hitting an array of shots from all over the court, Jones was seen nodding, smiling and yelling "yes sir" to a stunned Georgetown crowd.
21. Old Dominion 75, Georgetown 62 - November 19, 2006: This loss came out of nowhere, as the Monarchs ran away from the #8 Hoyas on a cold night at McDonough. ODU overcame an eight point deficit, pulled down 15 offensive rebounds and didn't have a turnover in the final 15 minutes of the game. Valdas Vasylius led the way for ODU with 16 points, while Roy Hibbert led the Hoyas with 17 points and eight rebounds. Interestingly, Marc Egerson chipped in 11 points and ten boards, while Jeff Green had only two points and five fouls.
22. Providence 68, Georgetown 65 - March 5, 2005: Capping off a horrific end to the regular season, the Hoyas dropped their fifth in a row, this time at home to a lowly Providence team. This loss basically burst Georgetown's bubble and ended any realistic chance it had of making the NCAA Tourney.
23. Pittsburgh 73, Georgetown 45 - January 8, 2013: This was our last game against Pitt as members of the Big East conference. It was also Greg Whittington's final game as a Hoya before his suspension. We were absolutely embarrassed and tattooed at home. The game was never close. After this result, how many of you had the Hoyas blitzing through the conference and winning the regular season crown?
24. Marquette 49, Georgetown 48 - January 5, 2013: On the road against Marquette, the Hoyas came out listless. Marquette extended its lead midway through the second half and Georgetown found itself down three with the ball and under ten seconds to go. Greg Whittington attempted a three, was promptly fouled (a la the Jonathan Wallace play from 2008), but he couldn't hit all three foul shots and the Hoyas dropped an important game to Marquette that would later prevent the Hoyas from winning the conference outright.
25. Syracuse 98, Georgetown 94 - February 14, 2009: Georgetown had a chance to save its season at the Carrier Dome, but couldn't do enough to snag the win. Trailing by 10 with 2:30 left in regulation, the Hoyas went on a massive run to tie the game and send it into overtime. They even had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, but DaJuan Summers missed an open three near the top of the key and the Hoyas couldn't hold on in overtime. This was a frustrating, then exciting, then heartbreaking loss. (Personal Reflection: I saw this one at Barrow Street Ale House. I still think Summers should've passed it to a streaking Chris Wright.)
Honorable Mentions (in chronological order) -- Wins:
Georgetown 85, Notre Dame 82 - January 24, 2006: This was a big-time double overtime win in South Bend, just three days after that mammoth program-defining win against Duke. The Hoyas squandered a 15 point first half lead and survived Colin Falls' four-point play with 1.8 seconds left in regulation to win a thriller. Darrel Owens and Roy Hibbert had 18 points apiece.
Georgetown 61, Pittsburgh 58 - February 5, 2006: Georgetown erased a 15 point deficit and survived a late rally to edge the #9 Panthers and give the Hoyas their sixth straight win. Jeff Green scored a career-high 22 points, while Georgetown's defense did not allow Aaron Gray to score a single point after intermission. In the closing minute, Georgetown almost squandered a ten point lead, but Ronald Ramon missed an open three as the horn sounded.
Georgetown 54, Northern Iowa 49 - March 17, 2006: Despite trailing by four points at the half, Georgetown clamped down on defense and Roy Hibbert played well (17 points, nine rebounds), as the #7 seeded Hoyas edged the #10 seeded Panthers to earn a first round victory and a trip to play Ohio State.
Georgetown 61, Pittsburgh 53 - February 24, 2007: Jonathan Wallace led Georgetown with 17 points and the Hoyas used stifling pressure to beat Pittsburgh, claim their eleventh straight win and move into sole possession of first place in the Big East.
Georgetown 75, Maryland 48 - November 30, 2008: The Hoyas absolutely put on a clinic against the Terps in the Old Spice Classic. This is the last time these schools have played one another.
Georgetown 79, Memphis 70 - December 13, 2008: Avenging their loss from the previous season, the Hoyas won a thriller against the Tigers in overtime, as Chris Wright hit a gigantic basket in the extra session after picking up a loose ball, spinning at half-court and ultimately hitting a clutch layup while drawing a foul in the final minute. DaJuan led Georgetown with 21 points, while Tyreke Evans scored 20 for Memphis.
Georgetown 56, Villanova 54 - February 28, 2009: Georgetown kept its slim NCAA Tourney hopes alive by prevailing in a slugfest in Philly. At the time of the win, #12 Villanova was 23-5 and cruising in the Big East. Not many expected Georgetown to stick around, but the Hoyas kept it close and prevailed in a rock fight by two points. This unexpected victory raised hopes, until Georgetown lost twice in two weeks to St. John's (remember Nikita Mescheriakov?).
Georgetown 111, Missouri 102 - November 30, 2010: In a fast-paced, high-scoring affair, Georgetown squandered a seven-point halftime lead, tied the game at the end of regulation with a dramatic Chris Wright three, and then used Jason Clark's hot hand in overtime for the big victory. Austin Freeman led the Hoyas with 31 points, Wright chipped in with 21 points and ten assists, and Jason Clark hit three massive three-pointers in overtime to seal the win. The speedy Marcus Denmon led the Tigers with 27 points.
Georgetown 69, Villanova 66 - January 29, 2011: This was a massive win at the Wachovia Center by the Hoyas against the #8 ranked team in the country. Austin Freeman scored a game-high 30 points and dished out six assists to keep the two Coreys at bay. Henry Sims played a pivotal role off the bench, as he collected five big rebounds and did an effective job against ‘Nova's bigs.
Georgetown 57, Alabama 55 - December 1, 2011: This was the game that featured a last-second game-winning three by Hollis Thompson to allow the Hoyas to escape a tough contest on the road. This one was fierce and competitive throughout, and the Hoyas found themselves trailing by a single point with 12 seconds to go before Thompson buried a three after a pass from Jason Clark to finish off the Crimson Tide.
Georgetown 71, Louisville 68 - December 28, 2011: Markel Starks scored 16 of his career-high 20 points in the second half and Otto Porter made a few clutch plays down the stretch as the #12 Hoyas completed a hard-fought victory at the #4 Cardinals. In what was the Big East opener for both teams, Georgetown snapped Louisville's 20-game home winning streak and handed the Cards their first loss of the season.
Georgetown 59, Notre Dame 41 - February 27, 2012: In a key game late in the season, the Hoyas absolutely smothered the Irish at the Verizon Center, holding Notre Dame to their lowest point total ever during Mike Brey's tenure. Not a single Irish player scored in double figures, while the #11 Hoyas kept pace near the top of the conference standings.
Georgetown 64, Michigan St. 60 - February 1, 2014: It was Super Bowl weekend at Madison Square Garden and the struggling Hoyas put together a late-game run to overpower the banged-up #7 Spartans. It was easily Georgetown's best win in an otherwise frustrating season. Jabril Trawick ended the game with an emphatic dunk to seal the victory.
Georgetown 75, Creighton 63 - March 4, 2014: On senior night at the Verizon Center, Markel Starks and DSR combined for 35 points and did just enough to preserve a 14 point halftime lead against Doug McDermott (22 points) and a very solid Blue Jays team. This was one of the lone bright spots in a season filled with distress, as Markel Starks received the hero's send-off that he so rightfully deserved.
Georgetown 66, Florida 65 - November 26, 2014: DSR's buzzer-beater capped off a frantic finish in overtime at the Atlantis, as these two heavyweights traded baskets at the end, until DSR hit a step-back jumper from the top of the key to give the Hoyas some measure of revenge for the loss in 2006. The freshmen were huge for the Hoyas, as both L.J. Peak and Paul White hit big shots down the stretch.
Georgetown 91, Indiana 87 - December 27, 2014: This one was an overtime thriller, as DSR (29 points), Aaron Bowen (22 points) and the rest of the Hoyas overcame a ten point halftime deficit and a barrage of late-game threes by Yogi Ferrell to put away the Hoosiers in overtime at Madison Square Garden.
Georgetown 61, Butler 59 - January 17, 2015: Isaac Copeland hit a game-winning three from the corner to help the Hoyas overcome a career-high 28 points from Roosevelt Jones. The Hoyas avenged their earlier loss to the Bulldogs and Jabril Trawick was instrumental in facilitating Georgetown's run in the second half.
Georgetown 95, Marquette 85 - January 24, 2015: The Matt Carlino game. After surrendering a late lead, Georgetown allowed Carlino to hit what appeared to be a game-winning three, but alas, the refs confirmed it was only a two and the game went to overtime. DSR, Isaac Copeland and Joshua Smith all had big games for the Hoyas, and little Tre Campbell hit a massive corner three to preserve Georgetown's narrow win on the road.
Honorable Mentions (in chronological order) -- Losses:
Syracuse 78, Georgetown 73 - January 18, 2005: This was the game involving Brandon Bowman's big toe. After pulling off upsets at Pittsburgh and Villanova, the Hoyas were looking to thwart #7 Syracuse on the road, but came up just short as Bowman's game-tying shot with 2.3 seconds left in regulation was initially thought to be a three. Once in overtime, the Orange escaped with a narrow five point win and remained undefeated in conference play. After the game, Bowman said he wished his shoes were a size 14.
Duke 76, Georgetown 67 - January 17, 2009: Georgetown kept it close at Cameron Indoor Stadium until the refs assessed Greg Monroe with a mysterious technical foul midway through the second half. Chris Wright and Jessie Sapp were held to a combined three points, which prompted rumors of in-fighting after the game.
Old Dominion 74, Georgetown 66 - December 19, 2009: This was the second time ODU came into McDonough and stunned the Hoyas. This time, Ben Finney and the Monarchs raced out to an 11 point halftime lead, extended the lead to 18 in the second half, and then tried to weather the storm (literally, as the game took place during a snowstorm), as the Hoyas' furious rally came up just short in the final minutes.
Rutgers 71, Georgetown 68 - February 14, 2010: This was just a bad, bad mid-February loss at the RAC for a #7 Georgetown team that had finally looked like it was putting the pieces together. Greg Monroe's big day wasn't enough to overcome Jonathan Mitchell's career-high 24 points. It was just a bad loss.
Syracuse 64, Georgetown 61 - February 8, 2012: In what turned out to be an overtime thriller, the #12 Hoyas narrowly missed upsetting the #2 Orange at the Carrier Dome. Kris Joseph had 29 points, including six threes, to lead Syracuse, while Otto Porter led Georgetown with 14 points and 13 rebounds. There were a few mysterious whistles in this game, including a ball that was ruled out of bounds on Otto with two minutes to go in overtime. This could have been a season-defining win. We tend to forget about this one because there have been so many close games against the Orange, but it was painful at the time.
Xavier 80, Georgetown 67 - January 15, 2014: The Hoyas squandered a 17 point second half lead in the final 15 minutes of the game at the Cintas Center and lost convincingly to Xavier by 13 points. Markel Starks' 19 points weren't good enough, as Semaj Christon and the Musketeers kept attacking the Hoyas' zone and hitting threes in the second frame. It may have been the largest deficit overcome by a Georgetown opponent since Davidson did the same thing in 2008.
Xavier 66, Georgetown 53 - January 27, 2015: No explanation necessary. Burn those awful pink-patterned jerseys and make your damn free throws.