Georgetown has the ingredients of a championship
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by user Leslie Monteiro
When college basketball fans fill out their brackets every year, they pick the teams based on research and gut feeling. Everyone loves how Ohio State, North Carolina, Florida, Kansas, Texas, and UCLA are playing right now which is why those teams are the people's best choice to win the college basketball pool.
These are good choices, but has anyone notice how Georgetown is playing. They have been very good all season. They have hit their peak at the right time as they have played well in the last few weeks of the season. They made quick work out of their opponents in the Big East Tournament. By gut feeling and by watching them all season, the Big East champions has to be the favorites to win it all.
They have what it takes based on several factors. They got big guys who can score on the paint. The guard play is efficient. They got guys who can defend and wear others down. They are well-coached. Most importantly, these guys have the experience to get it done. They learned a lot from an exciting run last year in which they landed to the Sweet Sixteen. They lost to the Florida Gators, who went on to win the national championship, 57-53 last year in the Minneapolis Regional Semifinal.
Georgetown has three big men for opponents to deal with in Roy Hibbert. Patrick Ewing, and Jeff Green. It is no day in the beach for the teams that have to defend the three of them. They can not double team any of the big men because one of the three will be wide open. Those three are too strong for others to defend. They can score at sheer will easily with their height and size. If a basketball team can get the big men, odds are they will have success. This is one example of why Georgetown should be considered as a contender for the national championship.
Georgetown's guard play is productive. They do a good job of feeding the ball to the big men. They can also score when they have to. Jessie Sapp showed that yesterday in the first day of the tournament. He scored career-high 20 points in Georgetown's 80-55 rout over Belmont. Jonathan Wallace is another player that is a lethal shooter when he is at the arc or in the three-point line. It is hard for any team to sleep on their guards.
The team's strength is their defense. They can defend as well as anyone. They got couple of shot blockers in Hibbert and Green. They are very good in getting defensive rebounds. They do a good job of fighting for the ball as they seem to do getting getting the rebounds or getting the loose ball. They are physical as they do a good job of banging their counterparts around to the point that they wear the other team out late in the game. This style has been a staple for them during their glory years under John Thompson II. It is no surprise that the current coach emphasizes defense as an important principle for success from his successful father.
Everyone knew Georgetown would be back to national prominence when Thompson was hired in 2004. He replaced Craig Esherick, who was inept and overmatched as the head coach of a big-time program. He comes from a very good coaching background. He learned from the best from his father, who knew a thing about winning big games in college basketball. He was very successful when he was coaching the Princeton Tigers from 2000 to 2004. He got them three Ivy League championships and two playoff appearances.
He has it in him to be a very good coach. He is very passionate about his job. He is a good teacher. He can get the most out of his guys. He is a very good recruiter. He has done a good job in incorporating the Princeton offense along with a good defensive system. The best part about him is that he wins the big games when it counts. He has put himself in the list with guys like Jim Boeheim, Rick Pitino, Tom Izzo, Jay Wright, Ben Howland, Lorenzo Romar, Billy Donovan, and Roy Williams as great basketball coaches.
The Hoyas put on a clinic against the Belmont Bruins yesterday. Everyone produced for Thompson's team. Sure Belmont made it close for awhile and they even started the game with an 11-4 lead, but everyone knew that the other team would not be denied. The Hoyas really was just toying around in the beginning. Once they smell blood, they put Belmont in their misery by taking advantage of Belmont's mistakes.
This is a team that is hungry. They have been there and done that. They tasted success last year. Now, it's championship or bust to these guys. From watching them play, they seemed determined to get the job done. This is a team who felt that they should have been in the Final Four last year.
What is there not to like about the Hoyas chances of winning a championship?
