Georgetown Hoyas' Upset of No. 2 UConn Provides Momentum to Begin 2009

Coming into the 2008-09 season, the Georgetown Hoyas were supposed to be in a rebuilding year after the graduation of Roy Hibbert, Jonathan Wallace, and Patrick Ewing Jr., along with transfers from key reserves Jeremiah Rivers and Vernon Macklin. In the preseason, they were picked to finish seventh in the Big East despite winning the regular season conference title for the past two years.

After Monday night's upset of No. 2 UConn on the road, the Hoyas sent a daunting message to the rest of the conference—the reports of Georgetown's demise were greatly exaggerated. The road to the Big East championship still goes through the District of Columbia.

Despite the victory, Hoyas coach John Thompson III reminded everyone, "The commissioner isn't handing out trophies tonight, and it doesn't get easier." This is the Big East, after all—the conference with eight teams currently in the AP Top 25.

Even with a huge win to open conference play, Thompson has to refocus his team’s attention immediately on the No. 3 Pittsburgh Panthers, who come to Georgetown on Saturday looking to end the Hoyas' 28-game home win streak.

After that, the road gets no easier, with a trip to Notre Dame on Jan. 5, Syracuse at home on Jan. 14, and—who could forget?—the non-conference battle with Duke on Jan. 17, in the middle of this brutal Big East schedule.

Georgetown can credit its early season success to its starting lineup and the ability of the youngsters to pick up coach Thompson’s difficult Princeton offense quickly.

Freshman center Greg Monroe—once the No. 1-ranked recruit for the Class of 2012—has immediately stepped into Hibbert’s 7’2” shoes with maturity befitting a four-year starter. Monroe’s offensive creativity, on full display against UConn with two three-pointers and a lefty running hook, perfectly complements his incredibly high basketball IQ and extremely skilled passing, especially for a big man. 

However, the beauty of Georgetown’s offense lies in the Hoyas' ability to find the open man on the court and take smart, high-percentage shots. Monroe is only one cog in the Georgetown offensive machine. After missing most of last season with an ankle injury, sophomore point guard Chris Wright has come back on fire, already inserting himself into conversations about the best point guards in the Big East.

Wright’s quickness brings an entirely new element to a Georgetown team that often found itself in slower, half-court sets for the past few years. Wright can break a press (something Georgetown routinely has struggled with), run the transition smoothly, and his quickness adds a dribble drive element to the already dangerous Georgetown offense.

Add the silent-but-deadly Austin Freeman, a 6’4” sophomore guard/forward with an ice-cold midrange game, Dajuan Summers, the three-year starting forward consistently growing into his newfound leadership role, and Jessie Sapp, the squad’s only senior (nicknamed "Onions" for his propensity for hitting clutch shots), and Georgetown’s starting five can hang with any team in the country—and that includes you, North Carolina.

Because of the current drop-off from starters to bench players, the Hoyas will be concerned with foul trouble all year. This was evident on Monday, as Thompson found himself subbing Monroe on offense/defense for most of the second half after Monroe picked up his third foul a minute in. The Hoyas have also been outrebounded in most of their games—meaning all five players must crash the glass to give the Hoyas a chance. 

If they succeed in limiting these weaknesses, don’t be surprised to see these Hoyas in late March...or even April.