Hoyas Making a Run at the Big East Title?

By Contributing Fanspeak writer Geoff Nelowet

A year ago the Georgetown Hoyas fell to a disappointing 16-15 on the season and a birth in the NIT. That 2008-09 team was built around a freshman center, and they were lead by a freshman point guard. In other words, last year’s squad was deplorably inconsistent. This year’s team loses two starters in F DaJuan Summers and G Jessie Sapp, but expect a huge turnaround this year from a more seasoned core of players.

Fortunately for Georgetown, that freshman center – Greg Monroe – is a definite all-American candidate, and he will likely be in the NBA this time next year. Monroe averaged nearly 13 points and 7 boards as freshman a year ago. He may be the most dominant big man in the Big East this season, and he is now surrounded by a solid collection of talented and experienced players. Guards Chris Wright, Austin Freeman, and Jason Clark are all a year older, and they will be key contributors averaging double figures this season.

The biggest obstacle for the Hoyas this season will be the difficulty of the Big East Schedule. Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia, Cincinnati and Connecticut are all ranked in the top-20 nationally, and Georgetown sits behind all but Cincinnati. Let us not forget the wealth of talented unranked teams in the Big East as well such as Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Louisville. Rankings, of course, mean nothing, but the Big East is ostensibly one of the deepest, most talent-rich conferences this year, and any Big East win will be a major accomplishment. Georgetown will be facing an uphill battle all season.

Georgetown is going to make major strides this season, and they have the talent and experience to make a run in both the Big East and NCAA tournaments. Winning the Big East, though, will be a daunting task, and it is in all likelihood not within this team’s grasp. The Hoyas should expect to win 20 games this year, and they should aim to finish in the top 5-6 in the conference. There are simply too many powers this year for Georgetown to dominate the conference, as they may be one of 8-9 Big East teams in the NCAA tournament.