PROVIDENCE — The team that Patrick Ewing led into the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on Tuesday night epitomizes the depth of the Big East.
Ewing’s first Georgetown team entered the night 3-8 in the Big East but is clearly getting better as the season progresses. The Hoyas had a legitimate chance to win three of their last four games but settled for losses.
“Georgetown is a tough out,” said PC coach Ed Cooley. “Patrick is clearly very demanding. If they don’t do things right, he’s all over them. He gets his kids to play.”
After a blowout home loss to No. 1 Villanova, Georgetown outlasted St. John’s in double-overtime, 93-89. The Hoyas were unable to build on that win by losing to DePaul, 74-73, in the final seconds.
A difficult three-game road trip was up next. Georgetown played Creighton tough before losing by eight and then went to No. 6 Xavier and gave up a four-point play in the final minute and lost in overtime, 96-91.
The Hoyas are getting contributions from freshmen Jamorko Pickett and Jahvon Blair, two players who could turn into building blocks.
Georgetown may currently be slotted toward the bottom of the Big East but that tier of teams has a strong brand these days after St. John’s (0-11 in the Big East) upset No. 4 Duke at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
Big East boost
The Big East currently has five teams among the top 27 of the NCAA’s Ratings Percentage Index. Providence is 27th, thanks in large part to what is now rated the 13th-best schedule in the country.
When the NCAA judges teams for the NCAA Tournament in March, it will group wins and losses in so-called Quads. Providence now has a 5-5 record against Quadrant 1 teams. Those include games against top-30 teams at home, top-75 teams on the road and top-50 teams on neutral courts.
PC will play at least four more of those games, facing Villanova and Seton Hall at home and Butler and Xavier on the road. All four of those teams look like certain NCAA tourney teams.
The Friars are enjoying a rare three-game Big East homestand. They’ll host DePaul on Saturday and then play No. 1 Villanova next Wednesday. It is PC’s first three-game home stretch in conference play since 2014.
Targeting wins
Ewing and the Hoyas received plenty of criticism nationally in the first six weeks of the season for loading up on soft opponents. Cooley, however, says he always saw the method of Ewing’s ways.
Georgetown’s nonleague schedule was ranked in the bottom five in the country, and that did help the Hoyas jump out to a 10-1 record. The toughest opponents out of the gate were Richmond (win) and Syracuse (overtime loss at home).
Yet, due to the overall strength of the Big East, the Hoyas’ schedule strength numbers no longer seem so bad. Entering the Providence game, the Hoyas’ nonleague schedule strength remains awful (345) but overall strength is up to 161.
“He’s doing what’s right for his program,” Cooley said. “I remember when we were getting going at Boston College [in the early 2000s] and one year Al Skinner scheduled down, won a few games and we won the Big East the next season. There’s a lot to be said for winning when you’re building a program.”
The Hoyas, who start one senior (Jonathan Mulmore), three juniors and Pickett, remain active on the recruiting trail.