The #20 UConn Huskies made their presence felt last night, dominating Georgetown en route to a 96-73 win.
After competitive loses to #17 Providence and #11 Villanova in their last two outings, the first half followed a similar arc for Georgetown. Despite Georgetown’s lack of offensive rhythm, largely due to UConn’s aggressive on-ball defense, the Hoyas shot well from beyond the arc. Aminu Mohammed flexed his growth as a jump shooter, connecting on three triples, and Collin Holloway continued his aggressive streak, dropping two threes of his own. When the Hoyas moved the ball and made UConn pay for their overeager defensive scheme, they got open and clean looks. Where they struggled though, was actually hitting the open roller and trying to do much with the ball, which led to 7 turnovers and 11 UConn points off of those turnovers.
On the defensive end, Georgetown played solid in the half court throughout the first half. UConn made a clear effort to get the ball to stand out center Adama Sonogo in the paint, who finished with 19 points. Yet, while the game was still competitive, this is not where Georgetown was hurt most. The Huskies did a phenomenal job of pushing the ball in transition, running the floor and generating offense off seemingly every long rebound, blocked shot, or turnover, leading to open threes and inside buckets. Second-chance points were huge for the Huskies as well, who dominated the glass with 8 offensive rebounds and 9 second-chance points in the first half. Despite these woes, the Hoyas only trailed 40-52 at the half.
Unfortunately, things started to unravel for Georgetown in the second half. After only scoring 4 points in the opening six minutes of the half, the game suddenly felt out of reach. The most glaring difference between the Hoyas and the Huskies is the latter’s experience and depth, which clearly showed in the second half. After continuing to capitalize on transition buckets and offensive putbacks, UConn found their footing midway through the period and made offense look easy. With a very balanced attack, five Huskies found themselves in double figures amidst a flurry of open threes, dunks, and layups. Georgetown looked tired on both ends, with four starters notching more than 30 minutes of game time. Offensively the Hoyas were stymied, with each bucket feeling as hard-earned as it could get.
At the 11:23 mark, Georgetown found themselves in an insurmountable 20-point hole, which essentially was the end of the contest.
On a day in which so much negativity has surrounded the program, first with the inclination that Georgetown’s McDonough game could be fanless, then Patrick Ewing Jr’s baffling takes on the student base, and the national media questioning Coach Ewing’s future, let’s at least consider some of the positives.
Ryan Mutumbo received real playing time and showed promise, with a strong knack for rebounds and a sweet spin move inside. Collin Holloway again showed real offensive promise, which will hopefully continue to develop as the season goes on. Aminu Mohammed was more in control and efficient, even showing growth as a jump shooter.
It’s been a tumultuous season for the Hoyas, and tonight’s loss did not do much to assuage any fears. Let’s not take any credit away from the UConn Huskies, a well coached team with depth and talent poised to make a NCAA tournament run, but the questions are beginning to pile up for the program. Let’s hope they right the ship soon.
Side note to the broadcasters: Please stop harping so much on Patrick Ewing’s accolades as a player. This has been going for four straight seasons, on every single broadcast. By this point, we are all fully aware of how much of an impact Coach Ewing had on the program in his time here as a player. I understand it is an easy way to fill time and keep Georgetown basketball relevant, but continually bringing this up multiple times a game is starting to get old.
