Georgetown Makes Late Bubble Run

Georgetown has missed every opportunity in February to claim a spot on the NCAA Tournament bubble after falling apart in January. Naturally, after all hope had apparently been lost, they pull out a big road upset over Villanova.

Georgetown turned the ball over 25 times. They shot 17 fewer free throws than Villanova and were outrebounded. Yet the Hoyas came away with the win.

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Villanova barely escaped DePaul earlier in the week. The Wildcats continued their poor play on Saturday and it cost them. While Villanova generated plenty of turnovers, their defense kept breaking down inside. They allowed a Georgetown team to penetrate and score all too often. On the flip side, Villanova just did not shoot well. What kept them in the game offensively was that their guards drew plenty of fouls and scored 20 of their 54 points from the charity stripe.

Georgetown has suffered most of their losses because of their inability to get inside, forcing them to pass the ball along the perimeter and throw up too many three-point shots. Villanova continually brought pressure that may have forced a slew of turnovers, but all too often opened up lanes for Georgetown to pass to the open man inside or simply drive to the basket.

For Villanova, this loss was painful mainly for the Big East Tournament. The top four teams get a double bye. The Wildcats fall to 11-5 in the conference and stay in fifth place. They need either Marquette or Pitt to lose two of their final three while winning their remaining two games.

Georgetown can at least argue that they are near the bubble. They played a great non-con and notched big wins. They still need to win their remaining games and win at least two games in the Big East Tournament. A finish like that might actually give them a chance to make the NCAA Tournament.