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 Wednesday night for the Hoyas’ game at Capital 1 Arena and prepared this photo essay about their matchup against Seton Hall.
I had a delicious pregame meal: chicken/salmon/broccoli/mac and cheese/rice/tomatoes/kale Caesar salad! Call me a traditionalist but I am not a fan of the teal uniforms:
Let’s tip off the home opener for 2026 with the biggest student section all season:
There was not a lot of offense during the 1st 20 minutes…but if you like rock fights then you came to the right place! It was also a tale of 2 Williams. Seton Hall G Mike Williams III did all of his work inside with an alley-oop layup and a pair of pull-up jumpers:
In contrast, Georgetown F Caleb Williams backed down his defender for a floater in the lane but made both of his 3-PT attempts for a team-high 8 PTS.
The score was tied at 29 as we headed to halftime. During intermission I got a real thumbs-up from HoopsHD’s favorite imaginary handshaker: former Siena and Loyola MD coach Jimmy Patsos!
Georgetown is 4-0 this season when they had 5 players score in double-figures, and their backcourt finally got going in the 2nd stanza. KJ Lewis made a layup and a 3, then made sure the ref appreciated all his hard work:
Malik Mack got hit in the nose midway through the half, causing the trainer to stuff a bandage up his left nostril after it started bleeding, but he played through the pain with a floater, a fadeaway jumper, and a layup to finish with a team-high 14 PTS:
Seton Hall trailed by 11 PTS with 14 minutes to go, then their bench players flipped the switch as Tajuan Simpkins (left) made a pair of threes and an old-fashioned 3-PT play, while Josh Rivera (right) made a dunk and 3 to help the Pirates regain the lead:
The shortest player on the court was also the best player on the court as 5’10” PG Adam “Budd” Clark helped seal the deal for the Pirates. He knocked down several jump shots as well as 10-12 FTs en route to a season-high 22 PTS as the Pirates pulled off the comeback to win by a score of 74-67:
In the postgame press conference, I asked Georgetown coach Ed Cooley whether he felt his opposing coach (Shaheen Holloway) was a strong contender for national COY. He said that Shaheen would be very worthy of that award because his kids are outwilling everyone they are playing thanks to pressing and getting offensive rebounds. He closed with, “There are a lot of great coaches in our league and I think he is very deserving: the 1 coach who is not is me.”:
That is a wrap for now but check back next weekend when UConn comes to DC!
-Miami OH ran away from Toledo on the road. It was never really even a game. The Redhawks remain unbeaten on the season after what is perhaps their most impressive showing to date.
-USC got a much needed road win against a so-so Minnesota team, but needed overtime to do it. They barely escaped 70-69.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-NEBRASKA AT INDIANA (Big Ten). Indiana has won four straight, is 3-1 in Big Ten play, and is unbeaten at home. Nebraska is unbeaten for the entire season, but this will be a very tough challenge going on the road to face a team that’s playing well and who should be way up for this one.
-TENNESSEE AT FLORIDA (SEC). This is a very tough road test for the Vols who are still looking for their first true road win of the season. Florida has won five of their last six, is coming off a big win against Georgia, and is starting to play a lot better, so it won’t be an easy road game.
-VCU AT GEORGE MASON. George Mason has a bloated record against a weak schedule. While VCU is good, they still feel like more of an NIT team than an NCAA Tournament team, so this is one that GMU can’t afford to lose.
-HOUSTON AT BAYLOR (Big 12). It’s a tough road test for Houston, but we’ve seen that Houston is certainly capable of passing this type of test. A win for Baylor would give their resume a boost even though they’re at home. (Stat of the Day from Jon Teitel: Kelvin Sampson is 25-1 as a head coach against Baylor; the Bears’ only win came in the 2021 Final Four)
-SMU AT DUKE (ACC). SMU is coming off a loss at Clemson and they’ll face an even tougher opponent on the road today as they take on Duke. Duke is coming off a very impressive win against Louisville and is in the hunt for a #1 seed.
-SAINT JOHN’S AT CREIGHTON (Big East). Both teams have a lot of work to do and both could really use this win. Both can still make the NCAA Tournament, but they’ll need to finish a lot stronger than how they started and there should be a sense of urgency coming into this one.
-STANFORD AT VIRGINIA (ACC). Stanford’s last two games have been huge wins against Lousiville and then on the road at Virginia Tech. I’m now a believer in the Cardinal! I don’t know if I’m such a believer that I think they can win at Virginia, but the Hoos better not overlook them.
-OKLAHOMA AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). Both have shown signs of being able to play really well, but both still have a ton of work to do and both could really use this win today. It has a bubblicious type of feel to it.
-ARIZONA AT TCU (Big 12). TCU is coming off what had to be a maddening loss at Kansas where they appeared to be in complete control with less than 90 seconds to play. They need to bounce back and focus on another big game today. They’re hosting the top ranked team at home. Arizona’s resume is already phenomenal and this is their chance to add another very good win to it.
-OKLAHOMA STATE AT IOWA STATE (Big 12). Oklahoma State has an impressive 13-2 record, but none of their wins are anything close to the caliber that this one would be if they’re somehow able to pull off the upset. Iowa State is one of the best teams in the Big 12 and is in the hunt for a #1 seed.
-CALIFORNIA AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC). Both teams feel like bubble teams right now, and both could really use a win in this game to help get them on the right side of it. Both are also coming off losses, so there should be a big sense of urgency to this one.
-ARKANSAS AT AUBURN (SEC). It’s been a frustrating year for Auburn and they are coming off what is perhaps the most frustrating of all their losses. But they’re still positioned to make a run at making the field and they’ve got another tough game at home today. Arkansas is just 1-1 in true road games, so this is a win that would polish up their resume some.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Boston College @ Louisville (ACC) – this should be a virtual buy game
-Georgia Tech @ Miami FL (ACC) – Miami is having a solid year and should be able to hold serve at home
-NC State @ Florida State (ACC) – NC State has fallen way short of expectations so far and needs to start stringing together wins just to get themselves into the tournament discusison
-Kansas @ West Virginia – Kansas is coming off a big come from behind win against TCU. This is a road game they should be able to pick up
-DePaul @ Connecticut (Big East) – UConn should be able to hold serve at home
-Wisconsin @ Michigan (Big Ten). Michigan got a scare in their last game but held on to beat Penn State. Wisky has struggled all season long and appears to be overmatched in this one. They need some big wins just to get back inside the bubble
-LSU @ Vanderbilt (SEC). LSU has lost two straight and they’re still looking for their first win. Vanderbilt is unbeaten on the season and has been very tough to beat at home, so they should be able to hold serve in this one.
-Penn State @ Purdue (Big Ten). Penn State gave Michigan a scare in their last game. They’ve got another seemingly impossible task today going on the road against Purdue.
-Georgia @ South Carolina (SEC) – this is a game where the Bulldogs should be able to pick up their second true road win of the season. However, the Gamecocks are coming off of a surprising win at LSU. Dawgs beware.
-High Point @ Charleston Southern (Big South) – a fun UTR matchup in the Big South. High Point is the better team, but they may have their hands full in this one
-Syracuse @ Pittsburgh (ACC) – This should be a winnable road game for the Orange, and it’s one they kinda need.
-Yale @ Princeton (Ivy League) – Yale should hold serve in this one. Yale really should be able to win out
-Buffalo @ Ohio U (MAC) – a tough road game for Buffalo who is looking to stay perfect in MAC play and get to 14-2 overall on the year
-Villanova @ Marquette (Big East) – Nova needs to rebound from a somewhat surprising loss earlier in the week, and they should be able to do that against a struggling Marquette team
-South Florida @ Tulsa (American) – simply put, I don’t think Tulsa can afford to lose another game
-Kansas State @ Arizona State (Big 12) – I’m still not sold at all on Kansas State, but I know several at Hoops HD still have their eyes on them. They are still looking for their first conference win, and what would be their second road win
-New Mexico @ Air Force (Mountain West) – New Mexico should be able to hold serve in this one
-Liberty @ Sam Houston (Conference USA) – it’s a challenging road game, but it’s one Liberty should be able to win and remain unbeaten in CUSA
-Saint Louis @ La Salle (Atlantic 10) – this should be a layup road win for SLU.
-UIC @ Illinois State (Missouri Valley) – Illinois State should be able to hold serve at home
-Washington State @ Saint Mary’s (West Coast) – SMC should be able to hold serve at home
-SELA @ McNeese (Southland) – if McNeese can win out they should get a serious look from the committee, but anything short of that and they’ll need the auto-bid
-Wake Forest @ North Carolina (ACC) – it’s a rivalry game and Wake has really pushed some good teams to the limit this year, but it’s still one that UNC should win at home
-Belmont @ Drake (Missouri Valley) – blowing through this conference the rest of the way is probably too hard for Belmont to do, but they do have a really good team and will be a dangerous opponent in the round of 64 if they can get into the field
-Seton Hall @ Georgetown (Big East) – Seton Hall’s astonishingly good season continues. They have what should be a winnable game today, which would get them to 14-2 overall on the season
-Clemson @ Notre Dame (ACC) – Clemson is having a fantastic year, but this will not be an easy road game. ND is just 10-5 on the year, but they’ve lost in some real battles and they are a very solid 7-1 at home
-UNC Wilmington @ Stony Brook (CAA) – UNCW is looking to remain unbeaten in conference play
-Missouri @ Ole Miss (SEC) – Mizzou has managed back to back wins against Florida and at Kentucky and is starting to play a lot better. To get another one on the road would give their profile another boost
-Texas Tech @ Colorado (Big 12) – winning this on the road could be a challenge, but Texas Tech has shown that they are capable of winning games that are challenging to win
-Texas @ Alabama (SEC) – Alabama should hold serve in this one; Texas is coming off of a loss at Tennessee that saw 3 starters benched for almost the entire second half. More Sean Miller Theater today?
-Maryland @ UCLA (Big Ten) – UCLA needs to start stringing together wins. What they don’t need is to drop games at home against teams that are nowhere near the bubble
-UC San Diego @ UC Riverside (Big West) – UCSD has had a tough start to conference play and they’re running out of strikes. Tonight is another tough road game
-Mississippi State @ Kentucky (SEC) – Kentucky is still looking for their first conference win and Mississippi State is looking to improve to 3-0 in SEC play
-Utah State @ Boise State (Mountain West) – this will be a tough road test for Utah State, but it’s one they should be able to win if htey are a top 25 caliber team, which is what I believe them to be
-BYU @ Utah (Big 12). It’s one of the most bitter rivalries in all of college sports! It’s also a huge mismatch. You never want to discount the role that the rivalry plays in a game like this, but even with this being on the road it’s one that BYU should win.
-UC Irvine @ Hawaii (Big West) – this is a tough road test for the Eaters who are looking to remain unbeaten in Big West play
-I believe 10 teams have separated themselves from the pack. My 1 and 2 seeds plus Houston and Nebraska. These teams are playing at a very high level but it’s early January so it will be interesting if I feel this way when we enter March.
Under the radar teams I strongly believe in at this time:
St. Louis UNC-Wilmington Murray State Oakland Yale Miami (OH)
-A team I believe most are still sleeping on this year and I feel is for real is the Miami Hurricanes. Coach Lucas has completed turned this roster over and has the ‘Canes playing smart basketball on offense and tough defense. Look for this squad to spend the next two months working on their seed.
-A team I see in others brackets that is not close in my mind, the LSU Tiger. A soft non conference schedule led to a sweet win/loss record but I’m thinking the tough conference games will show us that these Tigers do not belong in the bracket.
-It’s conference time in college hoops, where we separate the contenders from the pretenders.
STAFF COMMENTS:
From Chad:
I don’t have Dorman’s notes yet so I am not sure how he is going to explain a few things, but I have pretty much no complaints at all about the entire top half of his bracket. After the 8 line, I see a few teams that I feel do not deserve to be in the field right now.
Texas A&M: This team has only beaten two teams that I even believe belong in the discussion — a road win at Auburn (see below) and a home win over an LSU team that is right on the bubble. I can’t say choosing them was a mistake, but having them all the way up on the 8 line does not cut it for me.
Auburn: The Tigers are only 9-6 and have no true road wins yet. A neutral court win over a St John’s team that is barely in the field right now is their only notable win away from home — and they don’t have much on their home resume either. I can see putting a 9-6 team in with the right resume, but this team is 3-6 against the top three tiers — that is a non-starter for me.
UCLA: Even worse than A&M and Auburn, the Bruins have not beaten anyone in the at-large discussion. I just do not see it at all.
VCU: I have to assume this is a typo and he meant Saint Louis. The Billikens slot in perfectly on the 9 line as the A-10 auto bid winner.
I am not saying that there are many great choices to replace his picks — but teams like LSU, Oklahoma State, Missouri and even Stanford have, in my opinion, better resumes at the moment.
From Stalica:
I think Dorman got a team like Villanova correct; the win at Seton Hall is now a little offset with the home loss to Creighton. I wish I could have seen Dorman’s top 4 out to see how close Creighton is to his field.
I’m starting to join the Griggs camp on Kentucky. Losing at Alabama was forgivable (especially if you’re a fan of the ELO Chess concept). Losing at home to Missouri is not forgivable. I don’t think the Tigers are quite in the field yet, but they took a giant leap forward.
Would the Miami Redhawks be above or below his First Four? After a double-digit win at Toledo, there’s a great chance they’ll be a Top 25 team sooner or later. While their strength of schedule is atrocious, I also think it’s a byproduct of teams ducking Miami given the number of true road games scheduled in the noncon part of the schedule.
The exclusion of USC, LSU and Saint Louis is eye opening here. While winning last night at Minnesota isn’t a quality win in and of itself, it’s more than teams like Indiana and Iowa managed.
But upon further review, I do see one wrinkle that Dorman threw in the bracket – he has Dayton winning the A-10 as the autobid winner (seeing as how they’re in the First Four). Under this scenario, I can only assume that he had a Freudian slip and meant to put in Saint Louis instead of VCU. The Rams aren’t anywhere close to being safely in the field yet.
Posted inBracketology, News and Notes|Comments Off on Hoops HD Staff Bracket Projection (David Dorman) – Jan 9th
After a couple of days that were absolutely slammed with big games, very little happened yesterday in terms of games that will likely impact the bubble and board.
-Santa Clara hung with Gonzaga for about 25 minutes before the Zags got control and went on to win 89-77.
-Hofstra remains unbeaten in CAA play and has two nice ACC road wins on top of that. They took down Towson on the road yesterday 78-67
-Lipscomb, who we thought was the top team in the ASun, fell on the road at Stetson 91-83 in a game that was a bit of a surprise.
-Vermont was much more fortunate to escape an upset bid at home against Binghamton. The Catamounts trailed by as much as 6 late in the second half before denying Binghamton a pair of shots in the closing seconds and ended up winning by a single point.
-UT Martin came from behind to beat Morehead State on the road, and is once again looking like one of the top teams in the OVC.
-Seattle U, after playing both Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s very tough in back to back games on the road, did not look tough yesterday. They fell 68-55 to Oregon State.
-UC Irvine won the first leg of the Black and Blue Rivalry as they knocked off Long Beach State 74-64 to remain unbeaten in Big West play.
-MIAMI OH AT TOLEDO (MAC). This will be a tough road test for Miami. It’s a game they should win, but it’s also one of the tougher games they’ve had to play up to this point. Can they stay unbeaten?
-USC @ Minnesota (Big Ten) – USC has hit a bit of a skid and could really use this road win to help get things turned back around.
-Connecticut got a much bigger battle than expected from Providence and was actually behind for most of the game. In the final minutes of regulation Providence appeared to be in control, but through a sequence of big and crazy plays UConn got it to overtime and escaped with a 103-98 OT win.
-Alabama stayed within arms reach of Vanderbilt, but Vandy still felt like they were in control and picked up a tough 96-90 win against a Bama team that is not easy to beat. Vandy remains unbeaten and has a case for being the best team in the SEC.
-Saint Louis picked up their biggest and most impresssive win of the year as they went into VCU and won 71-62. It was a road game in a tough environment against a good team, and every time VCU appeared to be building momentum SLU had an answer. They are getting close to the top 25, and they deserve it.
-Clemson survived a late from from SMU to hold on for a 74-70 win at home. The Tigers are now 13-3 on the year and are still perfect in the ACC.
-Belmont bounced back from two tough 1pt losses and got a big win at Northern Iowa 78-65. Northern Iowa is a very tough place to play and if Belmont can play like that the rest of the way they can win the league and be a very tough team in the NCAA Tournament.
-Miami FL is now 13-2 on the year and a perfect 2-0 in the ACC after getting a nice road win against a Wake Forest team that at one time looked to be getting better, but who has now lost three of their last four.
-Stanford went across the country and got a huge road win at Virginia Tech. This follows up a big home win against Louisville, which improves them to 13-3 on the year and makes their resume look a lot better.
-Virginia was less than hospitable against California. The Hoos beat the Golden Bears by 24 on the heels of a win at NC State.
-Missouri won their second straight game as they knocked off Kentucky on the road 73-68. The Tigers are now an impressive 12-3 on the year with back to back wins against Florida and Kentucky. They are looking a lot better than they did just a week ago. The Cats, meanwhile, are running out of lives and need to begin cracking the win column, injuries or no injuries.
-Villanova, who seemed to be cruising, hit a major pothole yesterday with a somewhat surprising 76-72 loss at home to Creighton. Creighton is coming off a loss to Seton Hall where they seemed to have the game wrapped up, but just collapsed down the stretch. The Bluejays still have work to do, but they are also getting better and this win certainly helps.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-SANTA CLARA AT GONZAGA (West Coast). I like this Santa Clara team and think they can play their way inside the bubble. An upset win tonight will have everyone else saying the same thing. Having said that, Gonzaga is one of the hardest places to win in the entire country. The Zags are a solid protected seed, they are good enough to win out, and if they do they may have a shot at earning a #1 seed. Still, tonight should be fun and worth staying up for.
-Northwetern @ Michigan State – Michigan State is a solid protected seed level team and should be able to hold serve at home in this one
-Liberty @ Louisiana Tech (Conference USA) – Liberty has looked really good in conference play so far and while this can be a tough road trip it’s still one they should be able to win
-Rutgers @ Illinois (Big Ten) – the Illini should hold serve at home without too much trouble
-Western Kentucky @ New Mexico State (Conference USA) – Western Kentucky has a talented team, but this will be a really tough road game. I’m highlighting this simply because I feel it will be one of the more entertaining games of the day
-Seattle U @ Oregon State (West Coast) – Seattle has had two straight tough losses, but this should be a winnable road game for them
This week’s feature conference is the MEAC, which is entirely upside down with UMES, Coppin State, and South Carolina State all getting wins in their conference openers, and Norfolk State and Howard both struggling in their openers.
From there we run through the other 21 conferences and discuss Miami OH’s undefeated season and debate how good they really are. McNeese had a big come from behind win against Stephen F Austin, but they were definitely challenged and some of the other teams in the Southland are starting to catch up to them. The Big West is off to a wild start with UC Irvine as the only remaining unbeaten team in league play. The Missouri Valley continues to look really strong with as many as five teams that can still win it. We discuss all that and more. And, as we do every week, we close with this week’s UTR Top Ten.
And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…
