Busting Brackets
Fansided

Villanova vs. Georgetown: 5 biggest storylines for first 2020-21 matchup

By Benjamin Zacher

Feb 26, 2020; Villanova, Pennsylvania, USA; Villanova Wildcats forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (24) is defended by St. John's Red Storm forward Marcellus Earlington (10) during the first half at Finneran Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 26, 2020; Villanova, Pennsylvania, USA; Villanova Wildcats forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (24) is defended by St. John's Red Storm forward Marcellus Earlington (10) during the first half at Finneran Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
Georgetown Hoyas Patrick Ewing Qudus Wahab Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Georgetown Hoyas Patrick Ewing Qudus Wahab Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Optimism among Hoyas fans has subsided significantly in the past 12 months – but Ewing and company have the opportunity to revive them

I wrote about Georgetown’s in-season and offseason woes in an article a few months back, and by this point, they are considerably well-known, so I will not labor on them for too long – but in case you needed a reminder, here you go.

From the 2018-19 roster, James Akinjo, Mac McClung, and Josh LeBlanc – the second, third, and fourth leading scorers, all returned for the 2019-20 season.  Additionally, Omer Yurtseven transferred from NC State and was projected to contribute key minutes and scoring for the Hoyas.

Fast forward to September 2020.  Akinjo and LeBlanc transferred out in December, McClung entered the NBA Draft, opted out, then transferred to Texas Tech, and Yurtseven entered the NBA Draft.  Additionally – but not connected to Georgetown’s roster woes – Patrick Ewing publicly disclosed that he had tested positive for COVID-19 in May, and John Thompson passed away in August.

That is a lot for any basketball program to go through, but especially one as storied and high-profile as Georgetown.  Subsequently, support for Ewing and the Hoyas have wavered from the initial optimism at the beginning of the 2019-20 season – and not much has been expected from them for this year.

That has put Ewing in a tough spot, understandably.  The Hoyas struggled to maintain national relevance in John Thompson III’s final seasons, and much has been expected of the Georgetown legend.  Despite last season’s struggles, Ewing did pick up a few marquee victories to help his cause, including over Creighton, Butler, and Syracuse.

Ewing and the Hoyas have yet to snag any of those types of victories yet this season.  They came close against West Virginia in the Big East/Big 12 Battle, and did pick off a UMBC team expected to be a contender for an America East title – but their loss to a Navy team that had been blown out by 30 to Maryland was less than ideal.

This is an extremely important opportunity for Georgetown – and Ewing, in particular – to assert themselves as a team that can still be taken legitimately.  Likewise, with Villanova, Creighton, and Xavier all on top of the Big East, this could be a chance for the Hoyas to cement themselves as a dark horse.