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Last Season: Georgetown was expected to compete for the BIG EAST title, but the losses of Joshua Smith and Greg Whittington were too much to overcome as they struggled to an 18-15 finish (8-10 BIG EAST). The Hoyas were stunned by DePaul in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament before accepting an invitation to the NIT. They lost in the second round to Florida State.
Last Meeting/All-Time Series: Villanova swept both meetings last season with a 65-60 win in Washington D.C. before blowing out the Hoyas 77-59 in Philadelphia. Darrun Hilliard led the way in the second meeting, going off for 19 points, 5 assists and 3 steals. Despite that success, Georgetown still has a commanding lead in the all-time series 42-31.
Head Coach: John Thompson III, like Jay Wright, is one of the top coaches in the league. Running the 'Princeton offense' has been the big media story, but JTIII has consistently recruited well and churned out successful teams since taking the helm in 2004. He's been to one Final 4, won three BIG EAST regular season championships and one BIG EAST Tournament title during his tenure.
Top Returners: In short, JTIII returns a ton. Shooting guard D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera returns to lead the team after averaging 17.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 2.7 apg last season. Joshua Smith is also back from suspension. He averaged 11.5 ppg and 3.4 rpg in just 13 games last season. Jabril Trawick and Mikael Hopkins are better known for their defense, but are key components in the Hoya rotation. Aaron Bowen will add depth and sharpshooter Reggie Cameron is back as well.
Key Losses: It really starts and ends with Markel Starks, a player the Wildcats won't miss. The All-BIG EAST guard went for 20 points each time the two teams met last season and was the heart and soul of the Hoya squad. Leading rebounder Nate Lubick also graduated.
Key Additions: JTIII brought in a monster class which was ranked 11th in the country by 247sports. The crowned jewel is forward Isaac Copeland, rated 5-stars by some services. Paul White, a Top-100 forward will join Copeland and 3-star Trey Mourning (Alonzo Mourning's son) in the frontcourt. The backcourt features Top-100 guard L.J. Peak, a vaunted scoring guard, and point guard Tre Campbell. That's plenty of talent for the Hoyas, but how quickly can they contribute?