Teddy Gerkin:
Let’s take a deep breath. Was it extremely frustrating to drop three consecutive winnable games against the top three teams in the conference? Yes. Did it hinder our chances at getting selected come March? Yes. Are the Hoyas in a bad spot? Absolutely not. We cannot forget not only how young this team is, but also where the program was just a year ago. To be 12-5 (3-3 Big East) in January is still an extremely exciting development. We are likely going to get Hoya postseason basketball for the first time since the miracle BET run in 2021.
Second half collapses destroyed the Hoyas’ momentum where, at halftime, they were up 9 against Marquette, down 4 to UConn, and up 10 against St. John’s. Depth and health are causing the players on the floor to become exhausted, something that more athletic teams have taken and will continue to take advantage of. The Hoyas’ youth (and thus, immaturity) was likely another factor in their inability to close out these games.
With Halaifonua still in the boot, Sorber has been hung out to dry. He’s been asked to take on tons of minutes and is getting hammered down low by physical Big East bigs, tiring him out and making it more difficult for him to get open to receive entry passes to the post. Everybody (including Cooley) knows that Sorber needs to touch the ball more if the Hoyas want to win. Furthermore, Mack and Peavy have been forced to shoulder the brunt of the ball handling with Epps’ lingering injury. Without Epps on the floor, Mack and Peavy are susceptible to committing bad turnovers and forcing ugly shots. The offensive possession consisted of some dribbling then a drive into the lane too many times against St. John’s. Epps spaces the floor and provides another threat from deep that opens up the inside for Sorber. Lastly, I need more Curtis Williams.
Over the next five games, I would really like to see 4-1. At home against DePaul on a Friday night is a great opportunity to right the ship. I am in favor of sitting Epps, giving him extended time to recover for Villanova. Winning at Providence would be a signature win for Cooley and give the team momentum heading into a home tilt with the Johnnies. Butler just earned their first Big East win against Seton Hall and should be a team we can handle. Despite the stretch of losses, Georgetown didn’t suffer any negative effects in KenPom, ranking at 61 overall and 20 for defense as of late night 1/15. While I do not deny that I’m ecstatic to see the program have these ranks, the numbers also tell me that we can analyze and critique the team as one that should be competing in and winning games against the best of the Big East. We should take these losses in stride, but don’t think that those performances are the status quo.
Andrew Parry:
Ten days ago, health and youth were two major vulnerabilities I mentioned regarding the rest of Georgetown’s season, and they both have shown up in a big way over this three game skid.
Jayden Epps is no longer being asked to play as much hero ball as he was last season, but he is still a prolific scorer and a veteran presence on the court. His health has been an issue as the Hoyas have given away second-half leads against both Marquette and St. John’s. The calming presence when talented opponents began to make a run seemed to be missing. Even against UConn, where the game script was different, Georgetown could not call on Epps to be at 100% when elite shotmaking was needed to keep the Huskies from pulling away.
Julius Halaifonua remains out, and Thomas Sorber is being asked to match up physically as a true freshman against a rugged group of Big East centers, which has both taken a physical toll and allowed consistent foul trouble to become part of the narrative. Georgetown is much improved, but there is still a depth problem that has been exposed by these injuries, and there is only so much that can be done.
Still, fans should not be reaching for the panic button yet. These games were all against tournament-caliber teams, two were on the road, and the team is still 3-3 in conference play with eight games remaining against teams below them in the standings. No after how painful the losses or winnable the games seemed, losing three games against teams that are a combined 17-2 in the Big East is not a sign that the sky is falling. If Friday night’s home date with DePaul ends in a fourth straight defeat for the Hoyas, maybe that changes the prognosis, but waving the white flag on the season now would be premature.
