The most popular first time in the first round among Yahoo Tourney Pick’Em users was nowhere near rewarding that optimism.
Georgetown’s stagnant offense and inadequate three-point defense made TV viewers take a red pen to their brackets at halftime.
A Georgetown team that scored four wins in four days seven days ago to win the Big East tournament became a mediocre eighth place again a week later. The 12th seeded Hoyas were never in a 96-73 defeat against the fifth seeded Colorado in an NCAA tournament in the first round.
The margin was ten less than eight minutes into the game. It grew to 24 at halftime. By the time Colorado’s star point guard McKinley Wright danced on the baseline after a transition layup less than four minutes into the second half, Georgetown was 57-27 behind.
Georgetown’s biggest problem was the extreme failure to shut down the three-point shooters from Colorado. Each time, Wright would attack the dribble, pull several defenders and kick to an open shot. Each time, the Hoyas left scurrying and were slow to recover.
Colorado scored 11 out of 17 first halves of three points, many of which were barely disputed. First-years Jabari Walker scored a career-high four tries after just 12 minutes and finished with 24 points. Wright took control of the game from the start and finished with 12 points, 13 assists and no turnover.
It would have been difficult for Georgetown to stay within striking distance no matter what, but Colorado’s suffocating defense did not make the Hoyas look easy. There was never a bit of space in the paint for Georgetown. The Hoyas received nothing but disputed shots through a rugged arms.
Nearly 47 percent of Yahoo Tourney Pick’Em contestants made Georgetown progress, making the Hoyas one of several trendy shows that have gone up in flames over the past two days. Winthrop had no battle against Villanova on Friday night, while Colgate failed to take a double-digit lead in the first half against an Arkansas team with excellent talent.
As Colorado faces the fourth-ranked Florida state on Monday, Georgetown returns to questions about the health of its program. The Hoyas were 58-58 under Patrick Ewing in four seasons before hitting four straight wins last weekend.
With the start of Saturday’s game, there was optimism that running was a sign of progress. Now, it’s reasonable to wonder if it was just a four-day mirage.
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