Notes From Hoya’s Win Over South Florida

By Adam Chasen:

Would the Hoyas look past an opponent in South Florida, despite a 6 and 3 Big East record, in anticipation of Wednesday night’s matchup with league leading Syracuse?  Not in the least, especially on the defensive end.  Georgetown walked-away with a 75-45 victory, the second consecutive opponent they have held under 50 points.

NOTES FROM YESTERDAY’S WIN:

1. John Thompson III Must Have Read My Game Notes From the UConn Game

From start to finish the Hoyas used a 2-3 zone, with only a scarce few possessions in a man to mix it up.  As I have pointed out time and time again, this incarnation of Gtown basketball has great length at all 5 positions and is best served while forcing opponents to shoot over their length in a zone defense.  Coach Thompson’s use of the 2-3 zone has continued to increase all year, but Saturday was the first time he went in that direction almost exclusively.  I hope to see it continue.

2. Cheering for John Caprio is The Sole Activity Georgetown Students Get Pumped Up For

With just over 4 minutes remaining, the almost unnoticeable sound of the Hoya’s student section began the Cap-Ri-O cheer, hoping to get a glimpse of the above averagely skilled walk-on.  JTIII obliged a couple of minutes later with the game decided, and Caprio entered to much fanfare.  Does this really bother me? No. But, it is a bit annoying that even a late We-Want-Cuse chant was met with minimal enthusiasm, yet a walk-on, who has pretty obvious skills for the role, receives overwhelming support.  Caprio is deserving, and I want to take nothing away from him, just would like to see the students find a way to show interest at other points in the game as well.

3. Whittington Is Already the Hoyas Best Inbound Passer in a While

Maybe, the Hoyas have not had the right guy for the job in the past, but in comparison freshman Greg Whittington looks very good as the team’s designated inbounder when in the game.  He had a few oops moments earlier this year, as any freshman might, but has handled the role well in recent weeks.  Besides a heady play calling timeout before a violation in the 2nd half, he makes the job look effortless using his 6’9″ frame to find open teammates underneath and over the top.  I am really bullish on the Whittington stock for next season.

4. Mikael Hopkins Will Be a Huge Factor This Season, Forget 2013

It’s obvious that Hopkins is going to have to play a huge role next year after the graduation of Henry Sims.  The hope of most Georgetown supporters was a combination of a recovering Moses Ayegba, Hopkins, and fellow freshman Tyler Adams would man the center spot, with veteran Nate Lubick holding on to the 4 spot.  Ayegba is a question mark in the fact that he has been injured and unable to show how comfortable he will be with more minutes than a minimal role player.  Adams is out with a heart condition and little is known about what’s next for him or his role.  Hopkins on the other hand has looked like he has the ability to be a potential above average starter on both sides of the court.  He showed so well against South Florida, you would expect some increased minutes against Cuse on Wednesday, and be a factor in the team’s success for the remainder of the year.  Right now, Georgetown has one big-man, 6’10″ Brandon Bolden, coming in next year.  Bolden has obvious athletisicm and size, but has not had major achievement on the court so far in high school.

Here is the box score from the game:

Technicals: 1 GTOWN ( N Lubick 1 ) SOUFLA ( )
Officials: Mike Stuart, Jeff Clark, Bill Mccarthy
Attendance: 11,916