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| Without 7-footer Bradley Hayes, odds only lengthen for Georgetown | Without 7-footer Bradley Hayes, odds only lengthen for Georgetown |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The road for struggling Georgetown grew steeper last week when it learned that senior center Bradley Hayes would be out indefinitely after requiring surgery on his left hand. The injury, which came Thursday when Hayes collided with a teammate while attempting to block a shot, leaves the Hoyas further shorthanded entering the final weeks of the regular season, with their NCAA tournament hopes more or less resting upon a run in the Big East tournament. | The road for struggling Georgetown grew steeper last week when it learned that senior center Bradley Hayes would be out indefinitely after requiring surgery on his left hand. The injury, which came Thursday when Hayes collided with a teammate while attempting to block a shot, leaves the Hoyas further shorthanded entering the final weeks of the regular season, with their NCAA tournament hopes more or less resting upon a run in the Big East tournament. |
| The 7-foot Hayes had the procedure on his hand Saturday morning and did not travel with his teammates to Providence, where Georgetown (14-12, 7-6 Big East) fell 26 points down to the No. 20 Friars in the first half before a spirited rally came up short in a 75-72 loss . The fifth-place Hoyas next will host well-rested Seton Hall (17-7, 7-5) on Wednesday night, but they will have to do so without their primary interior presence — which may be the norm going forward. | The 7-foot Hayes had the procedure on his hand Saturday morning and did not travel with his teammates to Providence, where Georgetown (14-12, 7-6 Big East) fell 26 points down to the No. 20 Friars in the first half before a spirited rally came up short in a 75-72 loss . The fifth-place Hoyas next will host well-rested Seton Hall (17-7, 7-5) on Wednesday night, but they will have to do so without their primary interior presence — which may be the norm going forward. |
| “I don’t know, to be honest,” Coach John Thompson III said Tuesday afternoon when asked about the outlook for Hayes. “I honestly don’t know the answer. In my head, it’s not like I’m planning, ‘Oh, we’re going to get [Hayes] back.’ We might. We might not. Prepare for the worst.” | “I don’t know, to be honest,” Coach John Thompson III said Tuesday afternoon when asked about the outlook for Hayes. “I honestly don’t know the answer. In my head, it’s not like I’m planning, ‘Oh, we’re going to get [Hayes] back.’ We might. We might not. Prepare for the worst.” |
| [D.C. Sports Bog: Lefty Driesell takes partial blame for Terps’ loss] | [D.C. Sports Bog: Lefty Driesell takes partial blame for Terps’ loss] |
| Hayes is the second Georgetown player with a significant injury this season, following sophomore forward Paul White. White, whose playing time dropped by nearly half (18.4 minutes per game to 9.6) from his freshman year, underwent a season-ending lower-pelvic procedure last month after having started the season sidelined by a hip ailment. | |
| With five regular season games to play, the Hoyas remain in dire need of wins, seeking to avoid playing on the first day of the Big East tournament. The top six regular season finishers in the conference earn byes into the tournament quarterfinals; any other team must win four games in as many days to claim the Big East’s automatic NCAA berth. | |
| Georgetown has not advanced beyond the Big East tournament semifinals since the 2009-10 season. Last year it was eliminated with its third loss of the season to Xavier, edged 65-63 in the semifinals. The year before that, the Hoyas fell in the first round to DePaul, the No. 10 seed in a 10-team conference, 60-56. | Georgetown has not advanced beyond the Big East tournament semifinals since the 2009-10 season. Last year it was eliminated with its third loss of the season to Xavier, edged 65-63 in the semifinals. The year before that, the Hoyas fell in the first round to DePaul, the No. 10 seed in a 10-team conference, 60-56. |
| While the Hoyas are very much on the wrong side of the bubble heading into their matchup with the Pirates, the good news is that they have multiple chances down the stretch to collect quality wins with respect to the NCAA’s Ratings Percentage Index, which the tournament selection committee considers in determining the field of 68. | While the Hoyas are very much on the wrong side of the bubble heading into their matchup with the Pirates, the good news is that they have multiple chances down the stretch to collect quality wins with respect to the NCAA’s Ratings Percentage Index, which the tournament selection committee considers in determining the field of 68. |
| “We still have opportunities,” Thompson said. “Most of the time, most people who’ve had the year we’ve had, you get to this point, you don’t have opportunities, but we still have opportunities, and we have to capitalize on it.” | “We still have opportunities,” Thompson said. “Most of the time, most people who’ve had the year we’ve had, you get to this point, you don’t have opportunities, but we still have opportunities, and we have to capitalize on it.” |
| Georgetown is rated No. 79 in RPI at the moment, with its one victory over the RPI top 50 coming against No. 7 Xavier, 81-72, on Jan. 19. The Hoyas face the Musketeers again Saturday after their rematch with the Pirates, who are ranked 49th in RPI. Following games against fellow middle-of-the-road sides in Marquette and Butler, Georgetown will play its regular season finale March 5 on the road against Villanova. The Wildcats, No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for the first time in program history, are third in RPI and beat Georgetown, 55-50, in the teams’ meeting at Verizon Center. | Georgetown is rated No. 79 in RPI at the moment, with its one victory over the RPI top 50 coming against No. 7 Xavier, 81-72, on Jan. 19. The Hoyas face the Musketeers again Saturday after their rematch with the Pirates, who are ranked 49th in RPI. Following games against fellow middle-of-the-road sides in Marquette and Butler, Georgetown will play its regular season finale March 5 on the road against Villanova. The Wildcats, No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for the first time in program history, are third in RPI and beat Georgetown, 55-50, in the teams’ meeting at Verizon Center. |
| [The best team in men’s college basketball is nobody] | [The best team in men’s college basketball is nobody] |
| Seton Hall, meanwhile, is coming off an 81-75 home loss to Butler last Wednesday. The Pirates had been on a four-game winning streak, the fourth a 69-61 victory over Georgetown in which the Hoyas committed 15 turnovers, shot under 34 percent from the field and finished 68 percent (17 of 25) from the free throw line. The Hoyas also had two players foul out in that game, including Hayes. | Seton Hall, meanwhile, is coming off an 81-75 home loss to Butler last Wednesday. The Pirates had been on a four-game winning streak, the fourth a 69-61 victory over Georgetown in which the Hoyas committed 15 turnovers, shot under 34 percent from the field and finished 68 percent (17 of 25) from the free throw line. The Hoyas also had two players foul out in that game, including Hayes. |
| Hayes’s absence means freshman Jessie Govan will start at center. At 6 feet 10, Govan does not provide the same type of presence as Hayes, who leads Georgetown in rebounding (6.6) and is fourth in scoring (8.5), but Govan did score 13 in his spot start against Providence and had 17 in a January loss at Creighton. | Hayes’s absence means freshman Jessie Govan will start at center. At 6 feet 10, Govan does not provide the same type of presence as Hayes, who leads Georgetown in rebounding (6.6) and is fourth in scoring (8.5), but Govan did score 13 in his spot start against Providence and had 17 in a January loss at Creighton. |
| Govan will be one of several inexperienced players asked to step up with Hayes out; the depleted front court compelled Thompson, for example, to play seldom-used forward Trey Mourning a career-high 19 minutes in the loss to the Friars. | Govan will be one of several inexperienced players asked to step up with Hayes out; the depleted front court compelled Thompson, for example, to play seldom-used forward Trey Mourning a career-high 19 minutes in the loss to the Friars. |
| “I just had to be ready,” Govan said. “Everybody has to be ready. Everybody has to because Brad was such an important part to this team, so we’ve just got to step it up until he gets back. I’ve been playing a good amount of minutes to where I’m comfortable on the court with these guys. I’m just ready to step in there and make an impact.” | “I just had to be ready,” Govan said. “Everybody has to be ready. Everybody has to because Brad was such an important part to this team, so we’ve just got to step it up until he gets back. I’ve been playing a good amount of minutes to where I’m comfortable on the court with these guys. I’m just ready to step in there and make an impact.” |