Tough One

90-78, bad guys.  Team looked much, much better than yesterday, but the wheels fell off with about 8 minutes to go in the game.  We're a young team that just had a great learning experience--not a victory (moral or tangible), but we gained the knowledge that we can play with one of the best teams in the country.

3-0

A truly ugly win yesterday over the Wichita State Wheatshockers, but it gets the team one closer to 20 wins (the very rough rule of thumb for NCAA tournament credentials), and it gets the team a chance to face off against Tennessee.  

Despite a quiet second half, Greg Monroe still looks like the real deal.   If we start making a few three-pointers, we're going to be dangerous on offense.  We could go for a few more rebounds on both sides of the ball, but hey--third game of the year, hard to expect too much. 

1-0

71-62, good guys. I may be giving up the predictions business after missing the final score by 2 Jacksonville points (again, late credit to Frank), and by predicting Greg Monroe's debut within one point and one rebound (14-7).  

Quick thoughts:

-Monroe is the truth.  Scoring, rebounding, shot-blocking, passing, and running the floor: what more can you ask for from a center, regardless of age?  What a great player.

-Both teams struggled with outside shooting--the AP article raises a good point about adjustments to the new 3 point line.

-Hoya defense looked tough, as usual.  More steals than I remember last year, balanced by a few more unguarded looks underneath for Jacksonville. 

-Unlike previous years, it seems like it's going to be a few games until the rotation is set.  Sapp, Wright, Monroe, Summers, and Freeman seems like it will be the starting 5, but after that, it's anyone's guess.  Julian Vaughn came in early off the bench, as did Omar Wattad.  Henry Sims saw very little action in the first game, and Jason Clark didn't come in for a while, but he got a lot of time in the 2nd half.

-Crowd was good.  Large student sections on both sides, and a good number of alums/non-student fans, as well, particularly considering a Monday night game. 

All and all, good stuff.  Looking forward to Drexel on Saturday.

Hey Georgetown: How Long Has it Been?

It's been so long...

Season opener tonight! Jessie Sapp leads the Georgetown Hoyas against the Jacksonville Dolphins at the Verizon Center.

Prediction: Georgetown 71, Jacksonville 60.  Greg Monroe with a solid 13 points and 8 rebounds in his much-awaited debut.

UPDATE: After reading Frank's prediction, I then went and made this prediction (for the score).  His excellent intuition must have so completely brainwashed me that I forgot to show him some love.  Go, Frank!