A Mixed Bag: Thoughts on the Hoyas After Nailbiter OT Win Against Coppin State

A win's a win, but there were some concerning signs that emerged in the Hoyas' season-opening overtime win against Coppin State. How easily can these kinks be ironed out, and how fast?

No matter how you feel about this year’s Georgetown basketball team, you came away feeling pretty good about your opinion after last night’s way-too-close-for-comfort 99-89 overtime win over the Coppin State Eagles, a game in which the Hoyas were favored by 18 points coming in.

For the program loyalists, they can point to, well, winning this game. A win’s a win, and for a team with 9 new faces (three of which were missing on Tuesday night), growing pains are to be expected.

That the team separated itself in overtime, outscoring the Eagles 16-6 in the extra period, can also be taken as a positive too.

And there were strong performances too, highlighted by newcomers Primo Spears (22 second half points; 28 overall) and Akok Akok (18 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks).

For those unhappy with the program and still clamoring for change, boy, this game will only give them more ammo.

You could start with the fact that it took overtime to beat a team that is currently ranked #317 in KenPom. You could also point to the fact that Georgetown’s porous three-point defense looks like it is back for another year under Patrick Ewing. Or you could complain about Ewing’s insistence on pressing Coppin State despite the team struggling to successfully execute a fullcourt press at any point on Tuesday night.

Both sides of the fanbase (and let’s be honest, there are sides…this fanbase is divided between those who want Ewing gone, and those who believe he deserves to stick around) can feel validated about their feelings after Tuesday’s season opener. There were some positives to take from the game, along with quite a few negatives. Let’s discuss some of what we saw on Tuesday.

The Three-Point Defense Continues to Be Non-Existent

Did…did Georgetown work at all on improving their three-point defense this offseason? Because the early returns were, well, disastrous.

Coppin State was 343rd in the country last season in three-point percentage, at 29.7%. On Monday night, against Charlotte, they shot 3-of-22 (13.6%) from beyond the arc.

Tuesday night was a much different story against Georgetown. The Eagles attempted 38 (!) three’s against Georgetown, hitting 13 of them, for a clip of 34.2%.

And of course, it was a three-pointer that sent the game to overtime for Coppin State, after they collected a rebound off of— you guessed it!— a missed three-pointer.

It is hard to comprehend how the three-point defense can still be so bad with a brand new coaching staff around Patrick Ewing. Regardless, it is alarming, and it must be fixed, or else this team is doomed.

Primo Spears emerges in second half

It was an inauspicious start for Primo Spears in his Georgetown debut, going 1-of-7 from the field in the first half with three turnovers. Luckily for the Hoyas though, Spears woke up in a big way in the second half, scoring 22 points of his 28 total points in the second half and carrying the team late, scoring 12 straight points from regulation into overtime to will his team to victory.

The offense did stagnate at times with the ball in Spears’ hands, especially in the first half, but Spears seemed to shake off his rust in the second half. Offensively, his ability to operate in the pick-and-roll and snake through the lane was deadly for the Hoyas, and led to open shots for him and his teammates. He also stepped up defensively late when his team needed him, stealing the ball with 2:43 left in overtime and getting the and-1 layup to go to put his team up 91-85.

Many expected Brandon Murray (18 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists) to be the closer for this team, and while he still may be, it was Spears that put the team on his back in the season opener, in what was a very impressive debut for the Duquesne transfer.

Reliance on the fullcourt press a very curious move

Patrick Ewing has shown a willingness to go to a fullcourt press throughout his time as head coach, and started out the game against Coppin State with a fullcourt press right away.

It was only one game, but the results of the fullcourt press that was put on by Georgetown on Tuesday night were awful, leading to a plethora of open three’s for Coppin State off of unsettled situations that saw Georgetown defenders scrambling like chickens with their heads cut off on multiple defensive possessions.

Despite the poor results, Ewing kept on going back to the press. For a team like Georgetown that had the clear talent advantage over a team like Coppin State, you would think you could settle into a halfcourt defense and play your opponent straight up. For whatever reason, that was not the case against Coppin State.

Perhaps Ewing was just getting game reps for his team and treating this as an evaluation in an early-season game. If that was the case, his team failed its test.

Welcome to Akok Akok’s block party

Akok Akok backed up the hype he has received this summer in his Georgetown debut, notching his first career double-double with a stat line of 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks.

Even with Qudus Wahab back in the lineup for Georgetown, Akok was easily the best defender out there for Georgetown. His bounce is impressive, and his ridiculous wingspan makes him a threat at the rim for opponents to fear when thinking about putting up a shot.

Equally as encouraging was how his outside shot looked. Akok finished 2-for-4 from three-point range and looked comfortable pulling the trigger from deep.

According to Bart Torvik, Akok was the best player by a mile for Georgetown, finishing with a Net BPM (Box Plus/Minus) of +11.4. The next closest player was Primo Spears, at +0.7.

Backcourt depth quickly exposed

As expected, Jay Heath did not suit up because his waiver to play this season has still not been approved by the NCAA. With Dante Harris also out, that left Georgetown with a backcourt depth chart of Primo Spears, Brandon Murray, Denver Anglin, and Jordan Riley.

Without Heath, and with Anglin and Riley only playing four minutes each, Georgetown’s lack of offensive creators outside of Spears and Murray was glaring.

While Bryson Mozone played well in his first game as a Hoya, he can’t initiate his own offense at the 3. This led to Spears and Murray doing a lot of over-dribbling for this team, trying to get by their man to collapse the defense and get the ball moving along the perimeter. This led to the offense stagnating far too often against Coppin State.

With Mozone looking more comfortable sitting on the wing and spacing the floor, the need for a third creator on the floor to help Spears and Murray was glaring on Tuesday night.

Unfortunately, Patrick Ewing doesn’t seem to trust Anglin or Riley yet to go out there and be the third guard on the floor to help the offense.

Bristol Jr. struggles as the sixth man

Wayne Bristol Jr., who is somewhat of a guard/wing combo, was the sixth man off the bench on Tuesday, and struggled mightily, taking only three shots in 29 minutes, and finishing with a team-worst plus/minus of -4.

Bristol Jr. was the first man off the bench for Georgetown, coming on for Qudus Wahab when he picked up an early second foul. He didn’t look comfortable in his Georgetown debut, scoring only 4 points and looking like a non-factor on both sides of the ball.

If Bristol Jr. is going to be gun-shy and not offer much on the defensive end either, Ewing will need to consider giving some of Bristol’s minutes to Anglin and Riley.

Riley, in particular, had a very strong cameo in overtime when he came on after Bristol Jr. fouled out. Riley was a +8 in just four minutes played, and his energy on the defensive end in particular looked to be contagious for his teammates.

Foul trouble limits Wahab’s impact

It was a quiet (re-)debut for Qudus Wahab as a Hoya, playing only 14 minutes and fouling out with 3:53 remaining. In the minutes he did play, though, he had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The fouls he committed on Tuesday were of the sloppy sort, and will need to be cleaned up if this team is going to rely on him like they are planning to. With Ryan Mutombo only playing 1 minute and 40 seconds on Tuesday, and Brad Ezewiro missing the opener because of wisdom teeth removal, the depth behind Wahab at center is not great. Luckily, with Akok being able to play the 4 or the 5, that may not matter too much.

Offensive execution sorely lacking

The Hoyas showed flashes late that indicate this offense can be much better than it was for most of the game against Coppin State, but the majority of what fans saw on offense on Tuesday night was a complete mess.

Georgetown’s offense, much like last year, consisted of a lot of ball-watching, players dribbling the air out of the ball, and the offense stalling out after one set or action being run. It’s hard to identify any particular scheme that the team is running out there. There was far too much hero ball being played, and too many possessions involved only one or two passes before a shot was put up.

With Murray and Spears— and eventually— Jay Heath, the potential is there for this offense to be really good, especially if Wahab can stay out of foul trouble and learn to pass out of double teams, and if Akok can play as well as he did on offense throughout the season. But man, that was a discouraging showing for a majority of Tuesday’s game, before Primo Spears willed them to a win.

Uneven debut for Brandon Murray

The topline numbers looked pretty good for Brandon Murray in his Georgetown debut, finishing with 18 points (7-21 FG), 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals, and 4 turnovers. However, Murray’s trademark efficiency that he was known for as a freshman at LSU was nonexistent.

Murray had a team-worst true shooting percentage of 38%, and had the second-lowest offensive rating (91.0) on the team. According to Bart Torvik, Murray was 2-of-6 on attempts at the rim, 2-of-10 (!) on midrange attempts, and 4-of-16 on two-point field goal attempts. To compound his poor shooting night, Murray was also 1-of-6 from the free throw line, including missing two free throws at the end of regulation that would have put the game away for Georgetown.

Murray is going to get all the opportunity in the world to showcase his game on this team, but it felt like he was forcing it against Coppin State. On the bright side, while the shooting numbers were discouraging, his playmaking was a positive for Georgetown, with his eight assists leading the team, along with his 31% assist rate. The talent is obvious with Murray, but there is room for improvement after game one, which is OK.