Georgetown Hoyas
Record: 21-10, 12-6 Big East
Head Coach: John Thompson III (11th season)
Season summary: It was a surprise to many when the Hoyas were awarded a No. 4 seed in the South region despite losing in the Big East tournament semifinals to an unranked Xavier team. But Georgetown has the potential to make some noise and knock off elite opponents—see the Hoyas 78-58 Jan. 19 demolition of then-No. 4 Villanova—thanks to a fierce defense and a few players who are peaking at the right time. John Thompson III’s squad boasts the 25th-ranked defense in the nation, according to basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy, and is at its best in a grind-it-out kind of game where the winner barely eclipses 60 points.
Junior D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera has taken a slight step back from a very impressive sophomore campaign, but is still the Hoyas leading scorer and go-to threat on offense with a healthy 16.2 points per game. Georgetown boasts a monster in the paint with 6-foot-10, 350-pound Joshua Smith—who is more than a handful to deal with on defense and can compete physically with any big man in the country. Freshman Isaac Copeland has emerged as a lethal scoring threat as the season has progressed, earning nine starts at the end of the year. He has eclipsed 15 points five times already in his rookie campaign, with a 6-foot-9 frame that enables him to score inside and a soft shooting touch that can create mismatches on the perimeter.
How they make a run: Copeland comes through with another explosive scoring barrage and Smith solidifies his presence in the paint, allowing the Hoyas to make a deep run in the tournament.
How they falter: Smith-Rivera can’t carry an entire offense by himself, and when his fellow teammates can’t find ways to put the ball in the basket—as has been the case at times—Georgetown makes another early exit.
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