Jay Wright shockingly left Villanova after last season, leaving Greg McDermott at Creighton as the longest-tenured head coach in the conference. Thad Motta and Sean Miller return to Butler and Xavier respectively, where both had previous seasons earlier in their careers.
Patrick Ewing needs a lot of help to keep his job after this season. The New York Knick and Georgetown legend has a 68-84 record since 2017, additionally marred by a 26-63 record in conference play. Going 0-19 in the Big East last year barely put him above .500 coming out of the Covid bubble that was the 2020 NCAA Tournament. The Hoyas had a miracle run through the Big East tournament that allowed them to be the automatic qualifier out of the conference, only to be hammered 96-73 in the first round against the Colorado Buffaloes.
The run gave Ewing a contract extension, but their horrific 2021-22 season already has him on the hot seat.
Georgetown upended Coppin State 99-89 in overtime in their season opener back on Wednesday night in Washington, DC. The win saw their 21-game losing streak end in front of 7,125 fans in the Capital One Arena. The Hoyas were a 18.5-point favorite over the Eagles, but only led by as many as six just four minutes into the first half. This would be their largest lead until 2:40 remaining in overtime.
The Eagles’ Mike Hood hit a three-pointer at the end of regulation to send the game to the extra period, giving an appearance the losing streak would continue.
Prior to Wednesday, Georgetown’s last victory was December 15, 2021 against Howard out of the MEAC conference. Their last win over a quality opponent was against Syracuse four nights earlier.
Despite their 6-25 record, the Hoyas had a basketball power index (BPI) of 177, which was aided by a 44 strength of schedule. Georgetown was one of the worst across the board in most team categories for teams that had two conference representatives in March Madness last year. Only Lamar (22) and Delaware State (24) had longer losing streaks to end their seasons in 2021-22. Notice that the Cardinals and Hornets both play in conferences that send just one representative to the tournament each year.
Each of the Hoyas’ next five games are against winnable opponents, which would assuredly build confidence as conference play opens up in mid-December. The Georgetown/Syracuse game somehow found its way to be the national game of the week on ABC on Saturday, December 10. If Jim Boeheim is predicted to retire after this season with the Orange, the matchup in the Carrier Dome might be one of the last times his squad can be showcased with a realistic chance of winning.
Both teams are not good this year, likely heading for early exits in their respective conference tournaments. Even with John Scheyer taking over from Mike Krzyzewski at Duke, the balance of power in the ACC is not going to topple enough to put Syracuse back into the echelon.
Juwan Howard has been a blessing for Michigan, while Anfernee Hardaway just needs one year without an NCAA violation to get Memphis back on track. Hubert Davis got North Carolina to the Final Four in his rookie year last April, taking over for Roy Williams. Former players can get it done at their alma mater, but Ewing is rapidly wearing out his welcome.
He certainly is still a better option than Allen Iverson ever would be, but Alonzo Mourning might want to keep his phone close by.
-JC24