THREE WORDS: NOT DONE YET! Fortunately for the Hoya faithful, the Cinderella run is NOT over. Our eighth-seeded Georgetown Hoyas finished off the fifth-seeded Seton Hall Pirates by a score of 66-58 on Friday night. After a spectacular finish to knock off #14 Villanova, the Hoyas (12-12, 10-9 Big East) made just enough plays down the stretch to close out the Pirates.
Jamorko Pickett led the way with 19 points and 6 rebounds. Not far behind was stud freshman point guard Dante Harris, who followed up his outstanding play from yesterday’s Villanova game with another strong performance tonight, tallying 15 points, 2 rebounds, and a steal. Qudus Wahab continued to be a major factor down low, adding 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks, all while solidifying himself as one of the best big men in the league. Patrick Ewing ended the game absolutely drenched in sweat, and the Hoyas are one win away from their first March Madness appearance since 2015 (*furiously knocks on wood*).
The first half really could not have been better for the Hoyas. After a quick opening layup by Jared Rhoden to make it 2-0 Seton Hall, Georgetown did not trail for the rest of the first half. Coach Ewing had his players open the game firing, taking an early 22-13 lead over Seton Hall. Pickett, Harris, and Jahvon Blair led the way early as the Hoyas forced the Pirates to commit turnovers and early fouls. The Hoyas had their way early, dishing the ball down low to Wahab and getting three early fouls on Seton Hall center Ike Obiagu.
Despite having a quiet showing in the Big East Tournament so far, Pickett absolutely came to play, leading the Hoyas’ attack with 13 points and 4 rebounds at halftime. Pickett was also very successful on the defensive end, holding co-Big East Player of the Year Sandro Mamukelashvili to just 3 first-half points on 1 for 8 shooting. Mamukelashvili finished the night with just 8 points, his lowest scoring output since Georgetown and Seton Hall’s first meeting on Dec. 23.
Although they turned the ball over an alarming seven times, Georgetown did what they needed to do in the first half: shoot well, stay out of foul trouble, and share the ball. The Blue and Gray shot 46% from the field and 71% from three, all while successfully getting themselves to the free-throw line. While they were outrebounded, the Hoyas committed just five fouls in the first half. Despite the Pirates’ full-court pressure and an 11-3 Seton Hall run to end the half, Georgetown led the game 36-34 at the break.
One clear difference between this post-COVID pause Hoyas team has been their ability to fight back. Prior to the pause, Georgetown blew double-digit leads to Marquette, Villanova, and Butler, but Coach Ewing has made sure to teach his squad how to punch back. In the past, if an opponent started gaining momentum or forcing turnovers, the Hoyas would often disappear for major stretches of the game and fail to stick with it. These Hoyas, however, have proven to be no pushovers. “We never go into a game thinking we’re gonna lose,” said Pickett after the win. “I can’t say what happened over the COVID pause that created a change, but it worked.”
The second half was a typical Big East affair: intense, physical, and down to the wire. This game seemed like an old-school, authentic dogfight in the World’s Most Famous Arena. Unfortunately for the Pirates, it didn’t work out in the end. Seton Hall and Georgetown continued to trade blows, albeit with a ton of missed shots and unforced turnovers, but a few crucial plays swung the tide in favor of the Hoyas. Chudier Bile’s three point play with a minute and a half left marked the beginning of the end for the Pirates, as the Hoyas took a three-point lead. 30 seconds later, Bile and Wahab combined for a block on a driving Sandro Mamukelashvili which then led to three more clutch free throws on the other end of the floor by Dante Harris to ice the game. Was it pandemonium? No, just the end to another game in the Big East Tournament.
Over the course of this tournament run, the Hoyas have exceeded even the most optimistic of expectations. As a matter of fact, Georgetown is the first team in league history to be picked last and play in the tournament’s title game. In the words of Coach Ewing, “We’re stirring the pot, and that gumbo is coming together. I’m going to be Top Chef.”
Three days, three games, THREE WINS. Georgetown has now played its way into the program’s first Big East Tournament Championship game since 2010 and the first of the Patrick Ewing era. The Hoyas will now face the winner of tonight’s matchup between #17 Creighton and UConn tomorrow night at 6:30 pm ET on FOX.
