DMV Hoopin’ is a weekly look at basketball in the Washington D.C. area
Georgetown was looking for a bounce back after their tough road loss to Syracuse when they face SMU. Unfortunately for the Hoyas, SMU had other ideas. The Mustangs were fully healthy and controlled much of the last 30 minutes in their 81-73 win.
Perhaps the biggest news for Georgetown was sophomore Jamorko Pickett being in a suit instead of his uniform. When asked why was Pickett not in uniform, Coach Patrick Ewing simply replied “coach’s decision”.
The definitely could’ve used Pickett. All season, Ewing has raved about Pickett’s defense. His length could’ve bothered the Mustangs’ shooters on close out situations. Instead, too often in the game, SMU perimeter players had clean looks at the basket. “We just couldn’t get any stop anybody” said Ewing. As simple as that sounds, it’s spot on. When trailing in close games, stops are a must. They didn’t get them against Syracuse a week ago nor did they get them Saturday.
Georgetown will look to rebound on Tuesday against Appalachian State.
George Washington (3-8) won the battle of local teams with a 70-64 win over Howard. In a game where both teams struggled, it was the Colonials defense on the Bison’s big three (RJ Cole, Charles Williams, & Chad Lott) , that made the difference. The trio shot a combined 11-42. Coach Maurice Joseph was happy with the effort “We knew the game was going to come down to making sure we stop their top three,” said Joseph.
As great as they were defensively, it was a Terry Nolan Jr., three pointer with 11 seconds left that sealed the game for the Colonials.
Other Teams
- Maryland would get two wins vs. the Loyola’s defeating Loyola (Chi) (54-41) and Loyola (MD) (94-71)
- VCU suffered a couple of tough, close losses. One to UVA and a home loss to Charleston.
- The Patriots of George Mason has been off since their win over rival, James Madison. They take the court again on Friday, at home, against Navy.
- Like a lot of teams, this time of year, American University has had an extended time away from the floor (exams). The Eagles look to continue their above .500 play against Mount Saint Mary’s and Maryland Eastern Shore.
