Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas’ stay in Indianapolis for the NCAA Tournament is already over. The 12th-seeded Hoyas were trounced by fifth-seeded Colorado 96-73.
McKinley Wright IV a Colorado-record for the NCAA Tournament with 13 assists. He added 12 points. Meanwhile, Jabari Walker, the son of former NBA player Samaki Walker, made five three pointers to lead the Buffaloes with 24 points. Sophomore center Qudus Wahab led the Hoyas with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
Game lost at three-point line
The difference in the game was at the three-point line. Colorado made 16 treys, 11 in the first half. Georgetown was unable to counter, making just one in the first half, although they finished 8-of-24 for the game.
The Buffaloes did a great job being in great defensive position on the perimeter to keep Georgetown from getting clean looks from three. Colorado’s defense gave Georgetown the inside at times, but nothing around the perimeter.
Meanwhile, the Buffaloes were able to use Georgetown’s size inside against them, particularly with Wahab. By extending the Hoyas defense, Colorado found open threes with Wahab being slow to get out to contest. Walker was a perfect 5-of-5 from three.
At halftime, Colorado had a 33-3 advantage from three.
Ball movement
Spacing and open threes also allowed Colorado to have great ball movement. The Buffaloes had 27 assists on 34 made field goals. It was a long day for Ewing and the Hoyas’ defense, as Colorado led by as many as 32. Georgetown was limited to 12 assists, a byproduct of how stifling the Buffaloes defense was.
What’s next?
Colorado moves on to the Round of 32. Meanwhile, Georgetown’s season ends after an improbable run as the No. 8 seed to win the Big East Tournament for the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The 23-point loss to Colorado was the Hoyas’ biggest of the season.
Still, Georgetown appears headed in the right direction. Their late run in the Big East created building blocks for head coach Patrick Ewing. With the ninth-ranked recruiting class in the nation, re-enforcement is headed to Georgetown for next season.
