It’s a new season for Georgetown. New faces. New assistant coaches.
With so much new in town, you wouldn’t think the old was possible but that’s what fans saw in the 99-89 overtime Georgetown win.
Brandon Murray could’ve iced the game in regulation with the Hoyas up three but he missed both free throws.
Inexplicably Georgetown decided not to foul and Coppin State made a three-pointer after the Hoyas failed to secure a rebound after the first missed three.
The new backcourt of transfers resembled the backcourts of turnovers past. Murray and Primo Spears combined for nine turnovers albeit they were much better in the second half.
The offense was stagnant throughout, in part, because who ever had the ball in their hands thought the objective was the dribble the air out of it. When they weren’t doing that, it was a dangerous game of who can take the worst contested jump shot.
Defensively the Hoyas weren’t much better. There was a new style. A new look under “defensive coordinator”, Kevin Nickelberry.
To his credit, he wants to dial up the pressure full and three-quarters court. The problem isn’t at the top. It’s at the bottom. Both Qudus Wahab and Akok Akok looked late in ball side rotations leading to good looks inside.
When Coppin State head coach, Juan Dixon, adjusted and set a high screen, the corners (especially opposite corner) were wide open. The Hoyas literally played a game of corner-threes-chicken.
With that said, Spears became the best player on the floor late in the second half and in overtime. He wouldn’t allow the streak to get to 22 games.
A win is a win. As strange as it sounds, it felt like a the tired “must win” mantra but it was.
A “must win” in the first game of year six.
