Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

UConn Squeaks Past Georgetown 66-62

NEW YORK – It was closer than anyone expected, but Georgetown fell just short of an upset that would have jolted the college basketball world and may just have vaulted the Hoyas to an NCAA tournament bid.

With Georgetown trailing by two and the clock running down, a long off-balance jumper from just inside the three-point arc by junior guard Ashanti Cook clanked off the rim and Connecticut junior forward Denham Brown pulled down one of his five rebounds with 1.5 seconds to go. He hit two free throws on the opposite end to seal a 66-62 victory at Madison Square Garden Thursday night. Connecticut (22-6, 14-3) won its 10th straight game against conference opponents and advanced to its 10th Big East Tournament semifinal in the last 12 years. Georgetown (17-12, 9-9) goes home short of the semifinals for the fifth straight year and now must wait until Sunday to find out its postseason destination.

“It’s disappointing, because we were right there,” Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson III said. “We had a few unlucky bounces, but to their [the Huskies] credit, good teams make you have bad luck, and they are a very good team.”

Coming into the game, Georgetown had not beaten UConn in more than eight years. The Huskies, ranked No. 12 in the season’s final AP poll, pasted the Hoyas 83-64 in Storrs, Conn. just a week ago. In addition, Connecticut has thrived in the Big East Tournament in the last decade, winning five times in that span. The fact that the Hoyas, losers of six of their last seven, nearly pulled off a double-digit second-half comeback and had a chance to win the game on their final possession is all the more impressive.

A lackadaisical effort by the Huskies played a large role in the Hoyas’ staying in the game for 40 minutes. UConn seemed to be on cruise control as it maintained a lead that ranged between six and 12 points for most of the second half.

“It’s the first time we’ve played so loose, collectively, defensively and offensively, in about a month, and that’s not the kind of game I want to take into the Big East Tournament,” Connecticut Head Coach Jim Calhoun said.

In the final minutes, Georgetown began its run. Leading 64-59 with a minute to go, Connecticut sophomore forward Charlie Villanueva threw the ball out of bounds. The Hoyas took advantage as senior swingman Darrel Owens drilled a three to make the score 64-62 with 40 seconds remaining. On the ensuing UConn possession, sophomore guard Ray Reed was whistled for a foul when he attempted a steal on UConn freshman forward Rudy Gay, but Gay missed the front end of the one-and-one and Georgetown got one more chance. But Cook’s jumper did not go.

As a heavy underdog, the conventional wisdom would be for the Hoyas to try a three on their last possession and thus win the game without overtime. But Thompson said they were just looking for any good shot, regardless of whether it was a two or a three.

“It wasn’t necessarily ‘Go for the win’ or ‘Go for the tie,'” he said. “We knew the play we wanted to run. It ended up being wide open for a guy that played pretty well for us. It just didn’t go in.”

With an RPI in the 90s, an NCAA Tournament bid is a long shot for the Hoyas, but that did not stop Calhoun from doing some lobbying on their behalf after the game.

“I look throughout the country, and people are always looking for tough teams to play as you try to make your matchups in the NCAA field,” he said. “I would hope the committee looks at them very carefully. I think they’re really an NCAA tournament team.”

The Hoyas can only hope the committee was listening to the future hall-of-fame coach.

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