Many Georgetown fans are quick to complain about recent home-and-home contracts, but few have offered realistic solutions. This article will take a deep dive into some of the programs that Patrick Ewing should be calling up right now to improve the Hoyas’ schedule.
Scheduling concerns may be a real issue for the program going forward. Conference alliances such as the Gavitt Tipoff Games (Big East/Big Ten) and the Big East-Big 12 Battle are both set to expire in 2022. The Georgetown-Syracuse rivalry has only been renewed until 2022 and remains in jeopardy due to the potential retirement of Coach Boeheim and the ever-expanding ACC conference schedule.
In June, the Hoyas announced that they had signed a home-and-home series with the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. While it will be exciting to watch Malcolm Wilson and Kaiden Rice return to play in their hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, many fans were not enthused to discover that the Gamecocks finished last season with a weak 4-11 record in the SEC. This means that the game will likely fail to provide more than a Quad 2 game for the Hoyas’ NCAA Tournament resumé.
Perhaps these series were signed out of mere necessity. Ewing had failed to bring Georgetown to the NCAA Tournament until the magical Big East Tournament run last year. It is quite possible that higher-level opponents were not willing to sign a deal with an unproven Hoyas program (at the time). Yet, the team’s recent success and promising roster should allow Georgetown to engage better home-and-homes with more quality programs. I have discussed some of these issues in A Big East Manifesto: Realignment, Schedule, and the Sunflower State, as well as on Kente Korner with Bobby Bancroft and Will Cromarty. Now, let’s get into some of the most attractive and feasible opponents with whom Ewing should seek home-and-home contracts. All rankings listed next to team names refer to 2021 Pomeroy Ratings, and teams are broken down into how easy I think it would be for Ewing to make the series happen (Reach, Target, and Safety).
Reach
Duke (36)
According to Will and Jacob, “[the refs] robbed us what could’ve been an all-timer of a game between the Blue Devils and the Hoyas” when Duke took down Georgetown in the 2019 Empire Classic championship game by a score of 81 to 73. The packed MSG event is evidence that the Hoyas-Blue Devil series still holds weight. While a reach given Georgetown’s present state of affairs, it may become more realistic with this star-studded freshman class and winning culture that Ewing is now reaping the benefits of. There is reasonable precedent to the series as well: Georgetown and Duke played each other a whopping five times during the JT3 era alone.
Virginia (19)
As far as true regional games go, this matchup ought to be a top priority. The Cavaliers are still riding the high of their 2019 National Championship. Charlottesville to DC is a relatively easy day trip (just over 2 hours by car), and many students already make the trip down to Charlottesville each spring for the Foxfield Races. The familiarity and proximity of UVA and Georgetown make this a highly desirable match-up that Ewing must explore if he hasn’t already. There are very few programs in the entire country that can match the quality of basketball played by the Cavaliers, not to mention that their highly defensive game plan could make for some fun old-school basketball when paired with the Hoyas.
North Carolina (34)
Patrick and Ewing and newly-appointed UNC head coach Hubert Davis played together on the New York Knicks from 1992 to 1996. Of course, Georgetown could provide UNC an intriguing matchup in a large metropolitan area, which is also a recruiting hotbed. There would also undoubtedly be extra media coverage for a rematch of the 1982 National Championship game that featured Ewing as a player. The Tar Heels’ new Head Coach, Hubert Davis, also played on the Knicks from 1992 to 1996 with Ewing.
Target
Michigan (3)
The stories of both head coaches returning to their respective alma maters make for a fantastic overall narrative for these games. Michigan is also an ultra-premium program in its current form and would be an awesome matchup for fans. There also seems to be a personal connection between the two coaches. Back in 1996, there were even reports that Ewing may have been trying to get Howard to join the Knicks because they shared the same agent. Eventually, Howard and Ewing both starred in Space Jam and are said to have played pick-up games with Michael Jordan. Juwan’s son, Jett Howard, recently took an official visit to the Hilltop with his family this past weekend after receiving an offer from Georgetown. While he still did ultimately commit to play for his dad at Michigan, we have to wonder if the familiarity between the two coaches could blossom into a home-and-home series. Jason Munz also reported back in 2019 that there were talks regarding an MSG event featuring Memphis, Michigan, Vanderbilt, and Georgetown. We can only hope that the Hoyas and Wolverines end up playing each other sooner rather than later.
West Virginia (23)
Unfortunately, the Hoyas dropped a game to the Mountaineers at home this past season in a game at McDonough Arena featuring no fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The historic Big East rival has been on an upswing the past few years. West Virginia fans are known to travel as well, and Morgantown to DC could be a reasonable trip for many. In front of fans, this game seems like it should draw a solid crowd. In some ways, this matchup is just a practical, regional matchup against a quality opponent. There would also be a fun narrative with the wildly different cultures of Morgantown and DC. It would be fun to watch the different energies of Huggy Bear and Big Pat on the court – much like Carnesseca and Thompson did back in the Sweater Game era.
Maryland (35)
Okay, I did talk down this series a little bit on Kente Korner, but UMD still is a very reasonable prospect for a home-and-home. Granted, the potential for this matchup seems to have been delayed by Qudus Wahab’s transfer to College Park. Nonetheless, they are the only power conference team on a Metro line and a consistently high-quality basketball opponent. The rivalry may not mean anything close to what it once did, but the sheer convenience of getting to and from UMD and the fact they are a high-quality opponent will always keep this matchup highly attended and exciting.
Memphis (31)
Penny Hardaway versus Patrick Ewing – that’s an easy game to market. The Tigers have improved since Hardaway took over in 2018. Perhaps this matchup would make more sense in a tournament with Michigan and Vanderbilt as previously mentioned, but I believe it makes a lot of sense as a home-and-home series as well. Georgetown has won the last four matchups against Memphis, and the two squads haven’t met since 2011. The narrative of NBA guys returning to coach at their respective colleges would also be a ton of fun for everybody. We also need Jordan Riley to avenge Hardaway’s 1995 dunk on Ewing.
Notre Dame (85)
According to IndyStar, there actually was a Georgetown/Notre Dame home-and-home expected to begin last season, but the Hoyas opted against the contract. There is an obvious rivalry of sorts between the Hoyas and Irish. While they both share identities as two of the top Catholic universities in America, Notre Dame is the football school out in Indiana while Georgetown presents itself as the urban basketball school in the nation’s capital. There would certainly be a great amount of fan interest on both sides for these matchups. If the rumors Georgetown withdrew from the home-and-home before are true, let’s hope that the relationship between Brey and Ewing is still solid enough where the two schools may reconsider the series down the line. We deserve the two premier Catholic universities in America going at it.
VCU (48)
Here’s another reasonable no-brainer addition. DC is under two hours from VCU in Richmond, and the Rams program has made the tournament 9 of the last 11 years. The A10 also frequently plays their conference tournament at Capital One Arena, so the Rams may want a game in DC before the postseason, much like Duke always finds a way to play in MSG before March Madness.
Loyola-Chicago (10)
The Ramblers have elevated themselves beyond mid-major status in recent years. The fellow Jesuit institution also would offer Georgetown fans the opportunity to see their Hoyas play in Chicago against a team not named DePaul. Again, their quality of play alone elevates them to a worthwhile home-and-home opportunity regardless of everything else. Their identity as a Jesuit school and the appeal of playing in DC could seal the deal.
Utah (44)
The Hoyas’ lone contest against the Utes was a Round of 32 loss in 2015. So, you might be wondering why they are even featured on this list. You may be surprised to hear that a 2018 article from Deseret News noted that there were “several teams Utah [was] talking to, including Georgetown and other programs with connections Krystkowiak has around college basketball.” Well, Utah opted to schedule away games with Minnesota and Kentucky in addition to a home game against Tulsa that year. Utah remains a quality opponent when compared to Georgetown’s recent home-and-homes. Maybe Hoya fans would make the trip out for some early-season skiing as well!
Safety
Wichita State (68)
I’ve written pretty extensively on why Wichita State would be a solid fit for the Big East. This certainly would not be a fun game to travel to, but their identity as a basketball school and a proven track record make the Shockers a Quad 1/Quad 2 lock and therefore home-and-home material.
Vanderbilt (104)
In many ways, this would be a subpar version of a Michigan or Memphis series. Jerry Stackhouse is another NBA guy who is returning to coach college hoops. The Commodores are a decent opponent and a home-and-home series would allow fans to spend a weekend in Nashville. Perhaps playing at Vanderbilt could help out with local recruiting in the South, too. It’s pretty clear that Ewing is no stranger to securing talent from the South – Ryan Mutombo, Dante Harris, Malcolm Wilson, and Collin Holloway all hail from states south of Virginia.
James Madison (177)
This matchup may not meet the standards for a home-and-home, but even a buy-game could be in order. Honestly, I would just really like to see JMU’s new stadium (looks pretty sweet). This matchup would also probably make JMU alumnae Bobby Bancroft’s year.
Temple (143)
The Owls would not be a phenomenal matchup, but they do check a couple of the boxes for a worthwhile home-and-home. Their basketball talent isn’t too bad, and the Temple brand is pretty solid. Nothing jumps off the page for this one except that the overall series is tied at five games apiece, so a Hoya victory could solidify this series in favor of the good guys. A game against a team the Owls could be the Quad 2 win that pushes the Hoyas to the right side of the bubble come Selection Sunday.
Making a college basketball schedule is much easier said than done. Nonetheless, I hope this serves as a good benchmark for the kinds of games we should be shooting for.
