Bracketology 2020: Duke, Texas Tech and Utah State among biggest losers
Georgetown (15-14, 5-11 Big East)
When the Hoyas went to Hinkle Fieldhouse back on February 15 and beat Butler, it looked like Patrick Ewing had done the unthinkable and guided Georgetown through their midseason issues. But everything has broken the wrong way for them since that time, with a four-game skid following them into March.
After losses to Providence and DePaul last week, Georgetown fell out of many brackets around the country. They had a prime opportunity to climb back into the field, though, with games against Marquette and Xaiver on the docket last week. The first of those two games came against the Eagles on the road, and the Hoyas fell totally flat in the game. On Sunday, the Musketeers outlasted Georgetown in DC to solidify their own tournament aspirations.
Perhaps one of the biggest issues facing Georgetown now is that their overall record is treading dangerously close to the .500 line. They are just one win above that mark and there are really no easy games available in the Big East. But perhaps even more crucially, the two losses that UNC Greensboro suffered this week has dropped the Spartans out of the NET top 75. This means that the Hoyas’ loss to UNCG back in November now counts as a Quadrant 3 game.
Just as crucially, the metrics have begun to turn on the Hoyas. Georgetown has slipped outside the Top 50 in the advanced analytics systems across the board, meaning that there is nothing substantial lifting up a resume that is looking less attractive by the day.
Next week provides a major last chance for the Hoyas, though, as they face a pair of ranked teams in Creighton and Villanova. If they can steal wins in those games, the Hoyas will be right back in the conversation for a spot among the field of 68. But there is little evidence to support that Georgetown is playing at the requisite level to pull off those upsets. That means Patrick Ewing will likely be looking forward to a return trip to Madison Square Garden as Georgetown is on a trajectory for the NIT.
Next. Bracketology Winners. dark
Teams are running out of road to keep making mistakes. Any further slip-ups over the next two weeks will prove disastrous for at least a few teams’ NCAA Tournament hopes–and you can bet that we here at Bracketology Losers will be documenting the misery every step of the way.