Double the Jubilation

Hibbert's Inside Play Leads Hoyas Back to Round of 16

Georgetown Coach John Thompson III, right, gets a hug from his father, former Hoyas coach John Thompson Jr., after the Hoyas stormed into the round of 16. (By John Mcdonnell -- The Washington Post)

DAYTON, Ohio, March 19 -- The celebration on the court was rather subdued, considering what the Georgetown men's basketball team just accomplished with its 70-52 victory over second-seeded Ohio State on Sunday afternoon. Fifth-year senior Darrel Owens stood at center court inside the University of Dayton Arena and raised his index finger high in the air as the Hoyas fans -- who were significantly outnumbered by their Buckeyes counterparts in the crowd -- screamed and danced.

The seventh-seeded Hoyas topped the Big Ten champions and earned a spot in the NCAA tournament's round of 16 for the first time since 2001 and for the 10th time overall. It is a remarkable place to be for a program that just two years ago was sitting at home, not invited to the postseason following a 13-15 season.

John Thompson III wouldn't step back and give a larger assessment of what the Hoyas have achieved in just his second season as head coach, not wanting to offer anything that resembled closure in a season that is still very much alive. The Hoyas (23-9) will meet third-seeded Florida in a Minneapolis Region semifinal on Friday.

"Today was our day," senior guard Ashanti Cook said. "We believe that we can do this, that we can win the national championship. That's just the way we're playing, playing with a sense of urgency and with confidence -- a lot more confidence. You can notice it in everybody's play."

It was most noticeable in the play of 7-foot-2 sophomore Roy Hibbert, who dominated the game and won the battle with Ohio State senior Terence Dials, the Big Ten player of the year. Hibbert had 20 points (on 7-of-13 shooting) and 14 rebounds, and also blocked three shots in just 30 minutes. It was his best performance of the season, if only because it came on the biggest stage.

But the reason why the Hoyas won so comfortably was because they got so many contributions from other players in addition to Hibbert. Cook had 17 points and five assists, Owens had 14 points, and together they made 4 of 8 three-point attempts, which helped balance out Georgetown's inside strength. Sophomore forward Jeff Green scored 19 points and had eight rebounds and six assists, often setting up his teammates for easy backdoor lay-ups.

No other Hoya scored, but sophomore Jonathan Wallace had five assists, and freshman Jessie Sapp again provided a spark off the bench with his hustle, chasing down rebounds and loose balls. As a team, Georgetown outrebounded Ohio State by a 37-24 margin.

"It was very appropriate that it was on this stage. It was indicative of how our team played all year," Thompson said. "For us to win, everyone has to help, from me on down. Our guys did their part . . . We've got a group of guys that want to keep playing, and they did all the little effort things tonight that make you win."

That started with Hibbert, who made a point of being extra aggressive. He had a huge height advantage over Ohio State's starting frontcourt of Dials (6-9) and Matt Sylvester (6-7), and he took advantage. He scored nine of Georgetown's first 18 points, and midway through the first half, he took the ball at the free throw line and went right at Dials, spinning off him before laying it in the basket. At that point, the Hoyas led, 18-10.

"We knew coming in that it was going to be a physical game because of the two big guys, Roy and Dials," Owens said. "It was just a matter of who was going to dominate the game, and Roy showed that he was going to dominate from the start.

"I'm proud of my big guy. I always tell Roy, don't get hit first. You hit first. It seems like a lot of times he waits to get physical to see what the other guy is going to do. Today he initiated the contact."

The Hoyas led, 38-25, at halftime, and their advantage never slipped below six points in the second half. Georgetown had an answer for everything the Buckeyes did.

When Dials (19 points) converted a three-point play to bring Ohio State to within 54-48 with 5 minutes 11 seconds left to play, Hibbert scored on a put-back (one of his five offensive rebounds). Two minutes later, Cook threaded a bounce pass to a cutting Green, who scored the lay-up and was fouled. He made the free throw and the Hoyas were up, 59-48.

Georgetown tried to run the final seconds off the clock, but the shot clock was slightly ahead of the game clock. With 6.2 seconds remaining, Green nonchalantly shot a three-pointer from the left side to avoid a shot clock violation. Naturally, it went in.

"I looked over at Coach and he just smiled and gave me a thumbs-up," Green said. "It was one of those days."

And when it was over, Thompson III pumped his fist in the direction of the Georgetown fans, and then walked over to press row, where he was greeted by his father, Hall of Fame Coach John Thompson Jr. Father hugged son, and the fans chanted, "Let's keep dancing!"

That, naturally, is what the Hoyas want to do. But they also deserve a moment to reflect on what they have already done.

"It's something I've always wanted to do as a Hoya -- to get a win that really, truly meant something," Owens said. "To go to the Sweet 16 -- I've been walking into the gym the last four years, looking at that Sweet 16 banner, always wondering what it'd feel like to get there.

"For that split second, when I put my hand up in the air, I knew."