Your Georgetown Hoyas jump three spots on the KenPom rankings to a season-high 61! I assume we’re all feeling great, right? RIGHT??
Once again there are no moral victories. But despite two disappointing losses this past week, the Hoyas continue to surpass expectations. That isn’t just worth some good feelings. It does mean something in the end…but only if they put some wins together. In their toughest two-game stretch so far, the Hoyas were soundly handled by a UConn team that was fresh off a bad loss and focused all of their powers on a young Hoya squad. While it was disappointing that the team couldn’t land a more competitive result in front of the biggest crowd to watch a game in years, extra credit should be awarded for effort. Georgetown then came up short on the road against St. John’s after again putting the screws to an opponent in the first half only to see them roar back in the second.
These games were a bit of a Rorschach test – you’ll see what you want to see, and while we all saw different things, they are all correct.
I saw a young team trying to learn how to win on the biggest stage with a tiny margin for error. This team is still playing well above my expectations. For those who are really frustrated by a three-game losing streak, I get it. But on the other hand, I really don’t get it. This team is absolutely moving in the right direction and is ahead of schedule. They also have an elite unit (defense), which is truly remarkable, given how bad they’ve been over the past few years. Wins will come because this is a good basketball team, albeit flawed. Enjoy the ride, not only the results.
Let’s dive in.
Malik Mack – C+
UConn: 9pts, 3-12 25% FG, 1-5 20% 3PT, 5 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 3 TOV, 37 MIN
St. John’s: 13pts, 5-17 29% FG, 1-5 20% 3PT, 2-3, 4 REB, 6 AST, 2 STL, 5 TO, 37 MIN
Malik has been asked to do a lot this year, and the ask has only gotten larger without Jayden. He is expected to run the offense, serve as the primary ball-handler, and be a scorer, all while being an excellent perimeter defender. So far, I think he’s been fantastic, but I think the ask caught up to him this week against two of the bigger and more athletic teams in the conference. His scoring took a hit as he just struggled to get to his spots around the basket and in the mid-range against the size of UConn and St. John’s. He also struggled from three despite hitting a couple of big shots, including a late one against St. John’s that…
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