College Basketball: Hoyas Still Hopeful with Chance at .500

With three consecutive wins under their belt, the only thing standing in the way of the Georgetown Hoyas (14-9, 5-6 Big East) and a .500 record is conference rival Providence College.

Georgetown looks to continue its win streak and redeem itself against the Friars at the Verizon Center on Monday. The Hoyas fell to Providence in January when they last met, but this time around a more confident team has emerged. There is a stronger presence than before from senior point guard Markel Starks and sophomore guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera continues to be consistent in points and rebounds. Both are averaging 16.9 points per game. Senior forward Nate Lubick refuses to go unnoticed as well, most recently controlling the boards both on offense and defense.

This, by far, is a much different story than just a month ago when Georgetown head coach John Thompson, III was strongly questioned by the media about whether or not the team stood any chance at an NCAA Tournament berth.

The Hoyas have proven to be a threat when limiting their turnovers, but have also made blowing double-digit leads look easy. Another huge hit they’ve had trouble adjusting to is the loss of junior center Joshua Smith who, as announced Jan. 24, is out for the remainder of the season due to academic issues. Junior guard Jabril Trawick — who missed five games recovering from a broken jaw — has been a steady hand since his return to action over the last two games.

So, is there a light at the end of the tunnel? While there is no way to know yet, it is most certainly attainable.

In the past two games, the Hoyas have turned the ball over the fewest times in conference play, showing they have learned the importance of ball security.

Starks is at the peak of his game, all while playing the majority of these contests without rest. Apparently he realizes that, as a senior, “now or never” has a more literal meaning than ever before. And he is not alone. This veteran Hoya team includes five seniors who would be less than enthused with a season ending at .500. Starks is tied for fifth in the Big East for point-scoring and Smith-Rivera trails right behind him, ranked at seventh.

Georgetown enters this game against Providence with two things in their favor — they’re at home and the Friars have lost three of their last four games. This by no means says that this match will be easy however. If the Hoyas can pull out this win, it will be their first victory against a team with a winning conference record. In other words, the three teams they have beaten in conference — DePaul University, Butler University and St. Johns College are also straddling the fence at less than .500.

There is still a plethora of unknowns for this Georgetown team, but one the thing that cannot be mistaken is the need for urgency right about now… and they look like they are up for the challenge.