COACH: John Thompson III, Seven years at Georgetown, five years in NCAA tournament.
HOW THEY GOT IN: At-large bid.
GO-TO GUYS: With point guard Chris Wright out with a broken hand and even though he's been cleared for the NCAA Tournament, a greater load has fallen falls on the other two veteran guards who have come up so big for the Hoyas all season. All-Big East selection Austin Freeman is the team's top scorer, and deadly from anywhere when he gets hot. Jason Clark can both hit threes and get to the basket, and Hollis Thompson is a forward equally adept at shooting from the perimeter.
X FACTOR: Georgetown has yet to win since Wright suffered a broken hand against Cincinnati in late February, and has lost four in a row entering the NCAA Tournament. The official stance is that Wright has been cleared to practice and should be ready to play the opening weekend, but if he can't go, Austin Freeman and Jason Clark will need more help from the rest of their teammates than they have been getting over the past couple of weeks.
STRENGTHS: If Wright is able to play, the Hoyas have one of the best backcourt trios in the country. Even if he doesn't, Freeman's versatility makes him difficult for opponents to defend, and Clark's quickness poses a challenge on both ends of the court. Georgetown had the best shooting percentage in the Big East during the season, as this veteran-led crew has the patience to work the ball around for a good shot. It plays very good defense and shoots better than 73% from the free throw line as a team.
WEAKNESSES: The recipe for beating Georgetown, particularly without Wright, is to be physical with Freeman and Wright, make them work on both ends of the court, and concentrate on stopping Julian Vaughn on the inside. That's been effective at tiring out the team's top three-point threats and limiting the touches in the paint. Georgetown has to get better production from its frontcourt, or more consistency from Markel Starks and Vee Sanford in their increased time in the backcourt.
