Hoyas Hold Off Late 'Nova Rally + Player Grades

Austin Freeman led the Hoyas to an 66-69 upset of 'Nova at Wells Fargo Center. Freeman scored 10 of Georgetown's final 12 points and finished with 30 for the game. Fisher and Wayns led 'Nova with 15 points each. Corey Stokes finished with 10 points, but suffered a toe injury in the first half.

Losers of two straight, are the Wildcats of Villanova in trouble? Here's what the experts are saying:

Jay Wright:

• "I thought in the last five or six minutes, we started making extra passes, driving the ball. We looked good, but it was too late. I think we'll get it right.
• "We've fallen into some bad habits. In this league, one game like that and you're going to pay for it. I don't think it was this one; I think it was the Syracuse game that cost us."
• "We give our guys freedom. When guys are feeling it, we let them go. One of the drawbacks is that they continue to make bad decisions. Even if they're making shots, you've got to pull them back. I don't think we've done a good-enough job of that."
• "Everybody on the team is a year older. They're not fighting [the learning process]. They listen. They'll do it. That's why I'm confident this team is going to get better."
• "I think we're ahead of pace compared to last year's team, even though that team might have had a better record at this point. We're closer to being the Villanova basketball team we want to be, but we're definitely not there yet."
• "We've talked about [getting loose balls]. Each year the team is different and I don't know if this team has that personality yet," Wright said. "We've got to get it . . . and that's one of the areas."

Bob Ford, Inquirer Sports Columnist: "[This team has a month to get where] it is supposed to be, a dangerous opponent in both the Big East and NCAA For that to happen, Corey Stokes has to regain his shooting touch, Antonio Pena has to continue an impressive progression in the frontcourt, center Mouphtaou Yarou has to demand more minutes with his defense At the top of the list, however, is finding the every-night tenacity that has made some of the previous teams special. Villanova had that as it trapped Georgetown during the frantic final three minutes on Saturday. Now, the Wildcats just have to work on the first 37."

Joe Juliano, Inquirer Sports Writer: "The Wildcats shot 50 percent a week ago in their 83-72 road win over the then-No.3 Orange. But if you throw that game out of their last five and count Saturday's, the Cats are hitting less than 38 percent of their shots and 25.8 percent from three-point range.

Box Score

• Free Throws: Nova got to the line more (24 vs. 17 FTA) but hit far fewer (71% vs. 88%). Had 'Nova matched G-Town's accuracy and missed 4 fewer from the line, they would have won this game.
• FGA: Nova had more attempts (54 vs. 46), but G-Town did a much better job finding good shots and making them, hitting 52% from the field vs. 41% for 'Nova.
• Boards: Georgetown outplayed 'Nova here, 28 vs. 20
• Balance: 'Nova did the better job here, with 4 in double figures. However, as in the Connecticut game, 'Nova fell victim to a dominating guard in Freeman
• Assist to Turnover: Georgetown had the edge here, 1.46:1 vs. 1.33:1

So what did you think of 'Nova's effort? It's time to grade the team and the players.

[poll id="98"]

[poll id="99"]

[poll id="100"]