HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel will spend the upcoming months covering several Georgetown basketball home games, with (hopefully) a very special reward coming in March. He was in attendance Saturday afternoon for the Hoyas’ game at Capital 1 Arena and prepared this photo essay about their matchup against Clemson.
My pregame birthday lunch was…underwhelming: lukewarm chicken strips/fries/toast from Raising Cane’s. The biggest non-conference home game in 2 years = the biggest flag they could find for the national anthem:
I was hoping for a huge turnout, and props to the student section which was at full-capacity…but the rest of the arena did not make it in time for the 12PM tip-off:
Let’s tip off the battle of the unbeatens:
I was not the only person in the house celebrating his big day, as it was also Clemson coach Brad Brownell’s birthday!
1 person I was surprised to NOT see (which is why he is not pictured) was Georgetown G Kayvaun Mulready: he has been a poor shooter this season (4-16 FG), but since he was tied for the conference lead with 7 STL, I assumed (incorrectly) that he would at least get some quality minutes on the defensive end. Speaking of poor shooting, the Hoyas are 1 of the worst shooting teams in the country from behind the arc (20 3P%), but F Caleb Williams knocked down a 3 on their opening possession and then another 3 later in the half:
His teammate Malik Mack went scoreless during the opening stanza of their game vs. Binghamton last Wednesday, but got off to a strong start today with a 3 and a pull-up J in the lane:
In contrast, the Tigers relied on their Twin Towers early on. 6’10” Nick Davidson (left) made a lefty layup off the glass, a baseline jumper, and a 3, while 6’11” Carter Welling (right) made a pair of layups, a lefty hook in the lane, and a 3 from the top of the key to help give the team in orange a 36-33 halftime lead:
Davidson showcased his entire array of offense around the rim in the 2nd half with a scoop, a put-back, and then backed down his opponent for a baby hook in the lane. 1 reason for his low-post success was that both of Georgetown’s big men were in serious foul trouble. 7’1″ Vince Iwuchukwu picked up his 4th foul with 16 minutes left, while 7-footer Julius Halaifonua fouled out with 14 minutes left. However, Iwuchukwu was able to play smart and made 2 key baskets down the stretch: an alleyoop dunk from Mack to give his team a 72-68 lead with 3 minutes left, and a jump shot in the lane with 14 seconds left to seal the deal:
The hero of the day was Georgetown G KJ Lewis. I did not think he could improve on his performance from the previous game (20 PTS/10 REB for his 1st career double-double)…but somehow he did. He made a STL that he turned into a dunk, then made a jumper from the FT line, a drive/scoop, and a 3-PT play that brought the crowd to its feet as the Hoyas hung on to win it 79-74. The stats of the Arizona transfer were simply spectacular: a career-high 26 PTS, a career-high 11-14 FTM, and tied a career-high with 5 STL while not committing a single turnover despite playing 37 minutes:
In the postgame press conference, I asked Coach Brownell whether seeing his family tonight after he heads home could still save his big day or if he would just be in a bad mood for the rest of the night (he entered today 6-1 as a head coach in the 7 career games that took place on his birthday). He said it would challenge him for sure: the 1 he lost was on his 40th birthday when he was head coach at Wright State. His wife had scheduled a party for him that night…and it ended up getting canceled(!), “but hopefully I am a little more mature for my 57th”:
With the win Geogetown became 1 of just 13 power-conference teams in the country with a 4-0 record, so I wondered if Coach Ed Cooley felt that his team deserved to be ranked in the top-25 when the next poll came out. He explained that polls do not mean much to him and that a high ranking is not his goal. If the voters feel his team is worthy then he certainly appreciates their vote, but he thinks we should get rid of preseason rankings and follow the example of college football where the playoff committee waits several weeks before announcing their picks. Of course they want to be ranked, but their focus is on their next game. That being said, “if you look at our body of work, we have some flaws…but I think that we are 1 of the best teams in America”:
That is a wrap for now, but check back next weekend when winless Wagner visits undefeated Georgetown!
