Ahead of Saturday morning's (10:15 MST) showdown between No. 5-seeded Colorado and No. 12 seed Georgetown in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, we benefitted from an inside look into the Hoyas locker room in terms of personnel, strategy and strengths and weaknesses, courtesy of Ron Bailey at HoyaReport.com.
HoyaReport.com is the Rivals affiliate providing comprehensive daily coverage of Georgetown athletics and recruiting. Follow publisher Ron Bailey on Twitter @HoyaNation.
Question: After routing Creighton to capture a Big East title, it certainly seems like Georgetown is one of the hottest teams entering the NCAA Tournament. How has this team been playing of late and are the Hoyas entering Saturday's game having recently strung together their best basketball of the season?
Ron Bailey: The Hoyas CERTAINLY are playing their best ball now, particularly defensively. This first occurred after their Covid pause, and continued into the Big East season's close and tournament. I asked (head coach Patrick) Ewing about losing momentum with a week off and he agreed it's a point of interest.
Q: How would you describe Patrick Ewing's coaching philosophy from an offensive and defensive perspective? What kind of things do the Hoyas do offensively and on defense, will Colorado be seeing man coverage, zone or a combination?
RB: He holds guys accountable, yet provides offensive freedom. As Senior forward Jamorko Pickett said, it's similar to a pro approach.
In terms of scoring they run pick and roll a lot. Add four in/one out, iso posts, open side postseason, along with floppy, pistol, horns, 1-4 and more. The Hoyas are defaulted inside out, and Ewing stressed moving the ball to the open man.
Expect defensively at least 90% man, if not totally. Zone is a change of pace not used much. Pick and roll coverages range from show/recover, icing and dropping the big man.
When they go small with Pickett as center, Georgetown can switch 1-5. They may press, which is 1-2-2 or 2-2-1.
Q: I'm curious how you'd evaluate the trajectory of Patrick Ewing as head coach of his alma mater. How much does Georgetown simply making the Dance for the first time in six years put him in better graces with the AD and fan base? Overall, how has Ewing's tenure as head coach been looked at by his superiors and the Hoyas faithful?
RB: Making the Big Dance for the 1st time since 2015 has silenced fan rumblings. In terms of the administration, Georgetown is a different place so he was good until at least next year. Also losing so many players last year gave him a buffer with administration.
Q: Georgetown has a significant amount of its offensive and defensive production coming from veterans. How have grad transfers bolstered this team's abilities and can you break down what makes Jahvon Blair so dangerous?
RB: There are two grad transfers: Chudier Bile (via Northwestern State) and Don Carey (via Siena College). Bile for my money could be the post-Covid-pause MVP. Ewing has rightly lauded his athleticism and aggression. Carey has been a solid, heady player who stretches the floor.
Blair (is) a lefty shooter who worked on his handle outside last summer while being in a de facto isolation, as the Canadian couldn't go home and the campus was pretty much closed.
He's not an above the rim guy, but does finish via floater and guile Defensively he's not a sieve but will not be confused as a defensive stopper. Blair has worked hard and it shows.
Q: How do you think Georgetown matches up with Colorado from an offensive and defensive standpoint? Any glaring mismatches or advantages the Hoyas may have that you detect?
RB: I need to study Colorado more but inside the Hoyas could feast. Sophomore center Qudus Wahab could really perform if the guards feed him and he posts in the lane.
They just started their prep in Indianapolis, but the name M. Wright is being stressed now. Ewing saw parallels between Creighton and Buffs, citing four out schemes and a guard who makes it happen at high level.
Q: How's this one shaking down Saturday? Can Georgetown pull off the upset or do you see the Buffaloes as being a bit much for the Hoyas to handle?
RB: Hard question for me at this point. But if the Hoyas defend, including shrinking the floor, communicating and staying in front of guys and getting out on shooters, they have a really good chance of winning.
