As a casual Georgetown Hoyas fan myself, I find the Casual Hoya blog to be on the of the best places on the internet. It’s a great community that doesn’t take themselves too seriously. That’s why I was so excited to talk to Mr.CasualHoya himself (his name on the site) to find out about Georgetown ahead of Saturday!
1. The Hoyas just ran through MSG for a shot at the NCAA Tournament. Where does this run come from and will that momentum continue?
Yes! Yes we did! It was an unbelievable run to glory for this Big East Tournament Champion Georgetown Hoyas team, and the fanbase is still buzzing about that memorable week in Madison Square Garden by a team predicted to finish dead last in the Big East (and yes, DePaul is still in the Big East). As far as where the run came from, the Hoyas have been much improved after they had their COVID pause, winning 10 of their last 14 games. That doesn’t explain winning 4 straight in NYC, but you could see signs that this team was coming together over the last month and generally being more competitive in games that even resulted in losses. Will the momentum continue? That really depends on whether your Buffaloes are willing to help contribute to the cause.
2. Dante Harris has turned it on out of nowhere to be the leading guard you needed him to be. What’s his greatest strength and how do you shut him down?
Dante was an unheralded recruit coming out of high school and was set to play sparing minutes this season behind Jalen Harris, a transfer from Alabama. Jalen Harris left the program a few games in, so it’s been a bit of a baptism by fire for Dante. There were some growing pains for The Inferno and still will be, but no one could have predicted The Evolution of Dante Harris would be so fast and frankly, so effective. Expectations have gone for him from being a serviceable point guard to our very own Designated Hero. He’s fast on both ends of the court, gets to his spots, and his offensive game seems to be developing every time he steps on the floor. I worry about foul trouble against your second coming of Chauncey Billups perhaps slowing him down, but he has done a great job avoiding that thus far.
3. Georgetown shoots the 3 often and well. How should CU prevent the Hoyas from filling it up beyond the arc?
You can probably start by guarding the damn three-point line! But aside from that obvious answer, these Hoyas are indeed a versatile group that are effective inside and outside. If the Buffs decide to double Qudus Wahab down low, he’ll find whoever is open outside for a three. If the Buffs decide to lock down the perimeter, we’ll feed Qudus in the paint. It’s all quite wonderful, really! Until we start missing shots, of course. That’s when the shit might start hitting the fan.
4. On offense, Georgetown has a bit of a turnover issue. Is this a product of the attacking defenses of the Big East or is this a Georgetown problem?
I think Georgetown’s turnover issue is a product of our trying to push the pace which can result in a lot of one on one drives to the hoop and the ever-so-predictable dribbling the ball off of one’s knee out of bounds, trying force things inside sometimes, and also the fact that other than Dante Harris we don’t really have anyone that I would trust with the ball in his hands against a press. If that is a Big East problem, not sure, and again we are the Big East Champions after winning the Big East Tournament in a storybook run as the 8 seed.
5. Patrick Ewing and Tad Boyle both played at high-major programs in the early 80s. If Tad is the PG and Ewing is the center, what’s the rest of the starting 5 of the all-coach team this year?
Ooh, nothing I love more than questions that actually require some thought while I have three screaming kids that are hungry and want to annoy me for the rest of my days. Off the top of my head, along with Ewing at center and Boyle at PG, let’s fill out the rest of the frontcourt with Michigan’s Juwan Howard and Mizzou’s Cuonzo Martin, with Grand Canyon’s Bryce Drew in there as well. That shot Drew hit to win that game for Valpo at the buzzer was an all-time Tournament moment.
6. Are the Hoyas winning on Saturday?
This seems like a trick question so I will go with YES. Did I get it right?
7. What’s the worst part of Syracuse?
The problem with this question is that it assumes that there is a non-worst part of Syracuse. Since it is my firm belief that all parts and things in and of Syracuse are equally horrible and therefore all the worst, it is impossible for me to answer this question. Having said that, the answer is and always will be Jim Boeheim.