Welcome to the weekly Thompson’s Towel Mailbag! In this week’s edition, Dan and Will talk about the DePaul loss, the Hoyas’ positioning for the Big East Tournament, and Jamorko Pickett’s recent role on the team.
What are the Hoyas’ tourney chances after the loss to DePaul?
Will: Win the Big East Tournament or bust. That’s the whole game right there.
Georgetown’s bubble imploded in spectacular fashion in Chicago. Just truly spectacular- it wasn’t as much fun as watching YouTube videos of big buildings and stadiums being demolished, but it’s on the same scale of destruction.
Dan:
Thank you, next.
How does the Big East Tournament positioning look for the Hoyas?
Will: I’m stunned that this might even happen considering we had sole possession of third place not even 48 hours ago, but it’s very possible that the Hoyas might be playing on Wednesday night yet again. You have Villanova and Marquette up at the top, and then the other 8 teams are fighting it out at the bottom. If the Hoyas end up tied with the likes of Creighton and Xavier for third place, we would actually place in fifth because of how the tie-breaker rules work, something I explain more in depth here. That’s not to mention if Seton Hall also gets into third, then we’re probably at sixth and playing on Wednesday.
Dan: Georgetown will more than likely be playing on Wednesday night AGAIN. After their electrifying 2OT win over Seton Hall coupled with Xavier and St. John’s losing, the Hoyas found themselves alone in 3rd place. All they had to do was beat a mediocre DePaul team at Wintrust Arena to clinch a spot in the Big East Quarterfinals. Instead, we watched the most inexcusable performance from this team that I have ever witnessed. Pat Ewing went from being the most proud he’s ever been of his team to searching for answers yet again. Another sign that this team is at least a year away from being a true contender. Barring a miracle win at Marquette, the Hoyas will probably find themselves playing Wednesday night.
What’s the deal with Jamorko Pickett? How come he’s not getting played anymore?
Dan: This is a critical situation that most people have kind of glossed over due to the Hoyas’ recent (excluding the demolition at DePaul). Jamorko’s sophomore campaign has been anything but smooth. Everyone expected JP to step up and be the Robin to Jessie Govan’s Batman on offense. Instead Jamorko struggled to find his shot on the outside and showed little to no confidence attacking off the dribble. I thought that while he regressed offensively, Pickett made tremendous strides as a defensive weapon. I thought his awareness, anticipation, and confidence gradually increased throughout the season and culminated when he completely shut down Alpha Diallo at Providence. But after struggling from the field against ‘Nova and going scoreless at Creighton, Ewing benched him against DePaul and has not said the kindest words about him since. Jamorko has always been one of my favorite players on this team and I think his development is crucial heading into next season. Unfortunately, I can’t help but think he’s turning into Isaac Copeland 2.0. Wherever this ends up, I will always root for JP and be grateful for his contribution to this team.
Will: Your guess is as good as mine. I’m not going to speculate about players, since they are still teenagers and students at the end of the day. But I will say this: this quote from Ewing doesn’t look good.
I’ll also say this: like Baldwin, I’m a huge Pickett fan- his performance freshman year was pretty electrifying when he was on, and he was one of the few highlights in that bleak season. I hope he figures it out, and I’ll always root for him as a person and as a player.
That concludes this week’s edition of the Mailbag! Don’t forget to submit your questions (you can also submit using the form below!), and we’ll be back up next Friday!