The Hoyas Blue and Gray send the Marquette Golden Eagles soaring away in "One Game At Time" win 69-60

Senior Hoya Chris Wright's 20 points helped lead his team to victory

Yes, it was like "Fireworks," Hoyanation and friends!  

HOYAS WERE LIKE "FIREWORKS"

Katy Perry

Hoyas win hoyas win hoyas win hoyas win hoyas win hoyas win (In my Rich Chvotkin voice), lol.  First off, on my way to the Verizon Center I rode the yelllow line (Huntington) from Alexandria.  As I sat down, I looked over to my left and saw a couple sitting and wearing Marquette gear.  I didn't know at first, and I was like man, why did I set myself up like this, lol.  I look back to my normal gameface with my earphones in my ear, and the guy said, "are you going to the Georgetown game?"  I started to say, naw, I'm just out here walking around wearing Hoya gear for the heck of it.  

No I didn't, I'm just playing Hoyanation and friends, I didn't even think that at the time.  I said yes it's going to be a great for the simple fact it's the Big East, and he agreed.  Our conversation was very respectful and we talked good about both teams and the coaches.  I really enjoyed the conversation. 


I told them about my blog, but I didn't think they were listening, but they were.  It got quiet and I didn't realize they were looking at my blog from their telephone, and before we got off the train the couple said, "we like your blog, it's awesome."  I was to through, all I could do is say thank you.  I told them I dedicate my blog to my late son Chavis, who died of osteosaracoma (bone cancer) 4 years ago. 


I also told them that the blog is also dedicated to the Georgetown Hoyas and Hoyanation and friends.  I wish I could have taken a picture of this couple.  They were like the perfect couple and wish them nothing but the best.


The Hoyas are on a natural high.  They know what time of the year it is, and they are well informed by Coach Thompson III and staff.  While everyone is talking about the "streak" the Hoyas are thinking "one game at a time."  They have to.  Wouldn't you if you were a coach or player.  Word has it, you can't get caught up in the hype.  Why?  Because it'll through you right off of the of the tracks, and it's still a ways to go.  The Hoyas have to stay focused "ONE GAME AT A TIME" because they are clearly on a mission, and that mission is the in the "Hoya Dream Season."  


Georgetown is playing at a high level.  The Hoyas knew that Marquette knows they are the hottest college basketball team in the country at the present, and they wanted to catch them off guard and sneak a win in.  They didn't!  I could tell I was three rows from up from the Marquette bench.  I could tell by the look on Marquette's Coach Buzz Williams's face he badly wanted and needed this game.


The Marquette Golden Eagles (15-10  6-6) look like the hungrier team early on getting rebounds and playing scrappy basketball, but the Hoyas hung around.  Williams ran the first half like a hockey coach, shuffling multiple players in and out of the game at virtually every break in play.  Rarely was there a moment in which a Marquette player or two or three or four wasn’t sitting by the scorer’s table waiting for the next whistle.  Williams himself was almost like a sixth man, constantly straying so far from the coach’s box during play that Georgetown’s fans jeered him with the chant: “Off the court!”

The Hoyas (20-5  9-4) came a little flat shooting a lot of 3 pointers, but they manage to hang around to keep the score close in the first half.  They had an off night against the tough Marquette man-to-man defense and were only 7-27 from 3 point range.  But the Hoyas made 16 of 18 free throws and held the Golden Eagles to 40 percent from the field.  Chris Wright scored 20 points, Austin Freeman added 17 despite limping badly off the court in the first half.  The Hoyas played very unselfish dishing out 14 assists to the Golden Eagles 5 assists.


He was hurt during a scramble for the ball with 1:31 remaining in the first half and could barely put any weight on his right foot as he limped to the locker room.  Austin managed to come back strong early in the 2nd half taking over the point guard duties and showing great senior leadership.  He is proving and will be the "'Big East Play of the Year!"


With our big man senior Julian "JuJu" Vaughn, in foul trouble, I would like to give Henry "Big Hank" Sims a shout out for his determination and skill in knowing he would have to step his game up in relief for his teammate Julian Vaughn.  He did just that.  Sim played 16 minutes and was 3-4 in field goals ended up with 7 big points with each point scored at a time that was dearly needed.  4 of those points were scored on vicious dunks.

Hoya junior Henry "Big Hank" Sim in dunking mode 2/13/11

Hoya Henry battling for ball against Marquette's Crowder 2/13/11

Freshman Nate Lubick in two handed monsta dunk mode 2/13/11

Senior Hoya Julian "JuJu" Vaughn making his move in the paint against Marquette defender 2/13/11

Julian Vaughn goes up for two in traffic 2/13/11

Hoya junior Jason "Smoov" Clark looking to make his move against Golden Eagle defender 2/13/11

Hoya Jason Clark going up for two 2/13/11

Jason Clark on the defense 2/13/11

WINNER

Justin Timberlake, T.I. and Jamie Foxx

WE ARE GEORGETOWN!

CLAP IT UP HOYANATION!

Glidehoyas

Marquette looking to catch the red hot Hoyas off guard and "sneak" in a big win

VS.

Glide

It must be something in the air now.  I get on the bus at 6:00 am in the morning with my Mitchell & Ness Georgetown jacket, and the bus driver's eyes light up and he says, "Georgetown" and a smile lights up on my face and as I walk nearer to the back of the bus one guy nods his head and other folks are smiling like I've never seen them do that early in the morning.  Twice when I got off of work walking towards the metro this guy excitingly says, "Georgetown."   I smile and say, "Georgetown" back to him, then I said we're gonna beat Syracuse tonight.  The Hoyas did!  They beat the Syracuse Orangemen 64-56 on road in front of 30,000 fans.  This was Georgetown's Coach John Thompson, III's first time winning in the Syracuse Dome since he became the Hoyas' coach.  “That’s one of the most talked-about moments in this conference. This is my seventh year in the Big East and this is my first win up here,” Thompson said.  “I’ve been thinking the last couple of years, some kind of way the man upstairs is going to say, ‘OK, you closed down Manley, but they’re your ancestors.  No one in your lineage is going to win at the new place.’  Me and the man upstairs, I’m glad he lifted whatever he sprinkled over the top of us.”


The Hoyas (19-5  8-4) have been taking their games one a time and not letting the hype throw them off track.  I think Georgetown is aware of the fact that the Marquette Golden Eagles (15-9  6-5) are desperate for a road win and looking to "sneak" in a big win in the nation's capital.  The Hoyas have won 7 straight conference games and are playing with "sense of urgency."  Their team play has been outstanding especially from their senior leaders Austin Freeman, Chris Wright, Julian Vaughn.  The underclassmen have been playing well also with Jason Clark leading the pack and sophomore Hollis Thompson putting in work off of the bench.  The Hoyas have smoothly moved into 3rd place in the Big East and are looking to take each step necessary to move to number two, then to the number one spot one game at a time.


Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles haven't really been playing bad basketball.  They are almost in the middle of the conference standings, so that should tell you something.  The can beat you if you're not on your game. The Hoyas last played Marquette in a Big East Tournmnament seminfinal game crushing the Golden Eagles 80-57 to advance to the championship game of the BET. 


Marquette has played pretty good basketball when they come to the Verizon Center, Washington, DC.  Their last win which was on the road against the Hoyas in D.C. was on February 21, 2009.  The Golden Eagles won 78-72.  The Eagles have been losing close games in the singles digits this season.  Coach Buzz Williams has his teams well prepared, and no matter how far they're down Coach Buzz will fire his team up to make a comeback before end of the game.  This is one of the reason they have lost some games in single digits.  The are looking for a "sleeping giant", to sneak a win in, so I hope and pray that sleeping giant is not my Hoyas.  The Golden Eagles snuck in a squeaker win on the road against USF 59-58.  And it did so with defense, a part of its game that was absent until those final minutes.

Normally, when I'm watching Marquette play, and if they are losing at the end of games, Coach Buzz still has his team playing hard for their next  game, so, I think Marquette will try to come out strong defensively against the Hoyas.  Because the Big East conference is a rocky road to ride on, and as long as my Hoyas stay focused, poised, tough and play with a sense or urgency they will be fine.

PICK EM UP HOYAS!

WE ARE GEORGETOWN!

Glidehoyas

Hoyas keep the faith and overcome adversity in a rivalry classic win 64-56 in front of the 30,000 Syracuse fans

ANIMATED HOYA!

LOL!

CLASSIC HOYAS

NAS, KANYE WEST, RAKIM, KRS ONE

This game was a rivalry and a "Classic."   I was at work, the clock was winding down, and it was almost time for me to get off.  I was getting hype.  As I was walking to metro a guy passed by me saying, "Georgetown", and I threw my fist and loudly said, "yesssss Georgetown, Let's Goooooo!   I knew it happen, I knew my Hoyas would win, but I knew it would be a bumpy ride.  I buckled up my seatbelt because I knew it would be a bumpy ride, and it was.  The mighty Hoyas (19-5 8-4) showed their poise, and faith through the storm and made it through as they have done for most of this season.  This was definitely a big game for the Hoyas and especially for Coach John Thompson III.  He had never won at Syracuse in his tenure as coach of the mighty Hoyas until tonight.  


Coach Thompson III, he has something to talk about with his dad, who became persona non grata around here when his Hoyas upset Syracuse 52-50 in the last game at old Manley Field House on Feb. 12, 1980. It snapped the Orange's 57-game winning streak in the intimidating building, and the elder Thompson boldly declared in his postgame press conference: "Manley Field House is officially closed."

Those words created one of college basketball's most heated rivalries and they still ring in his son's ears.

"That's one of the most talked-about moments in this conference.  This is my seventh year in the Big East and this is my first win up here," Thompson said.  "I've been thinking the last couple of years, some kind of way the man upstairs is going to say, 'OK, you closed down Manley, but they're your ancestors.  No one in your lineage is going to win at the new place.'  Me and the man upstairs, I'm glad he lifted whatever he sprinkled over the top of us."

Austin Freeman had 14 points to lead four Georgetown players in double figures.  The key to the Hoyas’ winning streak has been the perimeter play of Freeman, Chris Wright, Jason Clark and Thompson. Jason had a tough outing tonight, but knew how to have faith and overcome adversity and come out on top in the end.  Clark had (12 pts. 3 rbds, 5 asts. 1 stl).   Entering the game, they had combined for 149 3-pointers and were shooting 40.3 percent from beyond the arc.  Julian Vaughn (12 pts. 8 rbs.) had a stellar performance playing smart and tough. Julian showed great poise and senior leadership.  Chris Wright (6 pts., 9 asts.) also showed great poised and leadership at the point guard position.  The Hoyas had a total of 20 assists, Syracuse only 12 assists.  The Hoyas outrebound the Orangemen 28-21.  This shows that the Hoyas play great team ball and shared the love.


I have to give my man freshman Markel Starks a shout out for coming off of the bench and playing well and giving our senior point guard Chris Wright some rest.  Markel was 2-2 in field goals and 1-1 on a three pointer.  The three pointer added some flavor to the Hoyas mix in the first half.   Starks is indeed  a great freshman Hoya and understands his role on this team.  This was truly a big win for the Hoyas, but they know tomorrow will be a new day and time to refocus on Sunday's game with Marquette here in the D.C.  Well, Hoyanation and friends, I hope you enjoyed that classic, so the "Show Must Go On!"  WE ARE GEORGETOWN!

SHOW GOES ON HOYAS!

LUPE FIASCO

Glidehoyas

Georgetown glides to Syracuse looking to extend to a 7 game winning streak

GLIDE

PLEASURE

VS.



I guess this is one Big East game everyone has been waiting for so far this season.  The Georgetown vs. Syracuse game that is.  I do remember all three of last season's game with the Orange.  I do know one thing, it's a classic, but it seems in this league we always have classic game's against different teams, Villanova, St. John's and of course Syracuse to be exact.  I still think Syracuse is our biggest rivalry by a good margin.  It's been like this for years and it only gets better each season when both the Hoyas and Orangemen meet.

The #11 Hoyas (18-5  7-4) and the #12 Orangemen (20-4  7-4) have the same Big East record.  With both teams having met three times in 2010, they will meet again a year later on Wednesday night.  Syracuse won the first two battles at home and away.  The first meeting was at the Dome in Syracuse, New York.  With Georgetown up 14-0 in the first three minutes the Orangemen rallied to take the lead before the break, and started the second half with an 18-8 surge to take command.
"We recovered from the worst start I can remember," Boeheim said.  "Our defense picked up and our offense got going.  To go into halftime ahead was really unbelievable.  To dominate a top-10 team after giving them 14 points is quite an effort.  That's as good as we can play.  Everybody was looking for each other."

"No game is ever won in the first three minutes," Joseph said.  "We knew we had a shot at coming back and winning.  I thought, 'This is crazy, all 3s, all jumpers, nothing inside.  Once the fans started getting into it, it was a lot better."  Syracuse won 73-56.  At the time they were (7-1 BE), a much better team that they are now, but none of that matters because it's will be a new day, and one thing for sure, it's the Big East!

The second meeting of the 2010 season between the two teams was played in D.C.  The Hoyas played much better in the second half of this game only losing by 4.  Syracuse was ranked #5 and Georgetown was ranked at #10.  This time in the first half it was the other way around for the Hoyas.  The Orange led by 11 before the game was 4 minutes old, by 16 late in the first half and 60-37 with 12:37 left.  What happened the rest of the way will forever be part of this rivalry's lore. The result: a stunning comeback that wasn't thwarted until the game's final seconds.

"You knew they were going to come back, and I think the reason they did is we just stopped scoring," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said.  "You can never stop scoring, especially on the road. I thought that was the difference."

First, came a 10-0 run by the Hoyas.  Georgetown closed to 71-70 with 1:10 remaining and had a chance to take the lead, but a shot by Jason Clark bounced off the rim.  Kris Joseph then scored on a drive for the Orange with 8.4 seconds left, and after a free throw by Clark, Rautins sealed the win with two foul shots.  The Orange won 75-71.

"After a loss there is nothing but misery and pain, but I'm proud of how our guys responded," Hoyas coach John Thompson III said.  "In no way does this program, this team, believe in moral victories. But I'm just proud of our guys."  Then, in deference to Syracuse, which completed a regular-season sweep, Thompson added, "That is a very good team that played very well tonight. We dug a hole for ourselves and fought and had a shot to win, but that's the way the ball bounces."

"It's a little rough to take right now because we came all the way back and we came up short," Wright said.

Frustrated by a tight Syracuse zone defense, the Hoyas went 9 of 29 (31 percent) from the field in the first half.  In the two teams final quest that happened to be in the semifinals of the 2010 Big East Tourament the game panned out differently especially in the second-half with the mighty Hoyas figuring out a way penetrate and open the tight Syracuse zone defense.  I watched this game on TV and I saw a totally different game in the second-half from the Hoyas. 

I saw holes in the defense because Syracuse had their hands up, so I knew if the guards kept their dribble nice and low, shift the ball around the perimeter, they could attack the Orangmen's zone from different angles, but the guards would have to have the heart and courage to penetrate the zone defense and have options of shooting mid-rangers, dishing to the big, making layup or kick it out to open man on the perimeter.  They did!   This made all the difference in the world for the Hoyas.  They won their Big East quarterfinal game 91-84 against the Orangemen in payback fashion from the season's two previous losses to advance to the 2010 Big East semifinal game.  "I thought our guys did a pretty good job -- very good job, actually -- of just trying to hunt and peck and make the right decisions against their zone," said Georgetown coach John Thompson III, whose famous father sat a couple of rows behind his former team's bench.By the guards getting inside or getting the ball inside would benefit the Hoyas a great deal as part of the game plan.  Why?  It'll break the zone apart and get the bigs in foul trouble.  If I were a point guard/guard I would attack the big early to get them in early foul trouble and get Cuse in the bonus and take the first half like and the second half as well.  I guess you could say I would do this for any other team.  I think the name of the game is penetrate/attack the bigs and get them in early foul trouble and go from there.  That's my gameplan every game as point guard/guards.

This game will no different from any of the games the two teams have ever played against each other.  This game will definitely be another great Big East classic for the the mighty Hoyas and the Orangemen.  The Hoyas are coming off of a six game winning streak and Syracuse have won their last two games on the road against UConn and South Florida.  Before those two wins, the Orangemen had lost 4 in a row, but bounced back in dramatic fashion and have some confidence and momentum, but I think the Hoyas are ready to "Rock Steady!"  The rivalry continues!

ROCK STEADY HOYAS!

ARETHA FRANKLIN

QUEEN OF SOUL!

WE ARE GEORGETOWN!

#1 BIG EAST

Glidehoyas

Faith In Adversity gets the Hoyas the win at home against the Providence Friars 83-81

83-81 HOYAS WIN, HOYAS WIN, HOYAS WIN!

D.C. IS OUR PLAYGROUND!

ALL OF THE LIGHTS HOYAS

KANYE WEST feat. RIHANNA, KID CUDI

Hey it's the Big East, it's about who's nerves are the calmest.  I think both the Hoyas and Providence nerves were at high levels during the game, and that goes for any games in the #1 conference in the USA!  That's what makes this conference so great, the thrilling and chilling play of the Big East.  People say this and that, but have to remember that conference is at the highest level of chilling thrills as it's ever been. 


Take it from me I know.  No disrespect the Hoyas' of old because I'm definitely one of the the true fans from back then, but I've never, ever seen the Big East like from game to game, and team to team.  Man ole man, it's blazing and on fire.  Shoulda, coulda, woulda, whatever the case may the Hoyas won!   As the Mr. Rich Chovtkin (Voice of the Hoyas) says, "Hoyas win Hoyas win Hoyas win Hoyas win Hoyas win Hoyas win.  The Hoyas dug deep down inside again and pulled this game.  If that's what it takes for the Hoyas to win, so be it because we know what conference we're playing in and on any given night from top to bottom any team can knock you off.


I could tell before the game there was one one player on Providence (14-10  3-8) who really want to beat my Hoyas.  I watched this young man in warm ups from the time I got there and from the time his team went into the locker room before the game started.  I was like man, this kid means business, and he did.  His name is Marshon Brooks and he scored 43 points against my Hoyas (18-5  7-4), yes 43, the fifth highest total ever in a Big East game.  I gotta give that young man some credit he played his bleep off I mean literally.  “He’s a special player who had a special day,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III. “It’s as simple as that. We put a lot of different people on him. He scores in every way possible.”  My Hoyas played as a team and prevailed. 

As the two teams were going toe to toe during the game, the Hoyas were battled tested, but were battle ready.  Although the Hoyas were up by a good margin Providence managed to hang around.  Friars senior Marshon Brooks keep his team in the game making shot after shot in dramatic fashion, but Hoyas always had an answer.  The Hoyas had spread their love around while it was all Providence's Marshon Brooks and Duke Mondy.  The pair accounted for all but 19 of Providence’s points and combined to go 22 of 39 from the field, while the rest of the team was 7 for 32.

Georgetown went 0 for 11 from 3-point range in the second half and also missed seven free throws in the final nine minutes.  Austin Freeman scored 23 points, Jason Clark had 18, Wright added 16 and Julian Vaughn put in 14 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds for the Hoyas.  Julian's monster dunk late in the second half was really crucial!  It was a you'd better watch your head dunk.

Some fans sitting by me during the game kept saying great things about Marshon Brooks and how many points he was scoring and scored, but I kept saying, "one player cannot not be our team."  I guesss I was on the same page as Coach Thompson III, LOL!   More seriously, Thompson said of Brooks: “He’s getting his, now let’s see if we can take everyone else away. If you can take everyone else away when one player’s having a special day, there’s not too many people that can beat you by themselves. He was close.”

Here's some of my cell phone photo's from the Hoyas/Providence game 2/5/11...

Hoyas warming up about an hour before the game 2/5/11

I was like we have to watch this guy right here Providence's #2 Marshon Brooks, lol, and there's Duke Mondy too

I tried to get a good pic of the Voice of the Hoyas (Mr. Rich Chvotkin and son) over at the table before the game 2/5/11

HOYAS warming up!  2/5/11

After the Hoya intro Hoya Unity

GAMETIME TIPOFF!

2/5/11

Let the game begin!

Jumpball!

New Hoya Kicks!  Man ole man!

HOYAS ALL LIT UP 1ST AND 2ND DECK

Senior Austin Freeman throwing it down 2/5/11

Austin Freeman for the 3 ball SWISHHHH

(23 pts.)

Senior Chris "Lumpy" Wright for the 3 ball SWISHHH

2/5/11

Sophomore Jerrelle Benimon out jumping his opponent 2/5/11

Chris Wright shoots and makes the basket with the shot clock ticking down 2/5/11

Glidehoyas in the back cheering the Hoyas onto Vicotory!

Glide clapping it up for Jason Clark on defense

Glide point communicating from the stands, "over there, over there" lol

Glide with encouraging words, "take care of the ball"

Glide standing hoping something good will happen

Timeout with great encouragement of Coach John Thompson III look at the lady to the left, she is one Georgetown's biggest she says, "I love you Hoyas, I love you Hoyas!  wow  

Me, I'm just chilling and clapping during the timeout, lol

I WANT IT ALL HOYAS!

QUEEN