A Sad Site: Hoyas Ousted in Carolina

Patrick Ewing Jr. sits motionless in the locker room following Georgetown's loss to 10th-seeded Davidson. (John Mcdonnell - The Washington Post)

Within a minute, Curry jacked up one more 25-footer as Jeremiah Rivers ran at him. Swish, fouled-in-the-act, four-point play -- and a crowd, long asleep, suddenly awakened. Davidson: enrollment 1700. Wildcats "fans" at RBC Center: Almost 10 times that number. Somebody ask the NCAA committee if the Big East regular season champion deserves that.

After that, Georgetown lost some poise while Curry discovered not only his no-conscience shooter's touch but added two ludicrous scoop-in-traffic acrobatic layups. Even when he scored 40 points to upset Gonzaga on Friday, he didn't show those moves.

Hibbert, who is smart but gets excited, said he needed to play smarter on Sunday, just as he said after ticky-tack foul trouble against Ohio State in the Final Four last year. Not all of Hibbert's problems were of his making. His fourth foul, committed a few yards in front of me, was incidental contact, if that. Thompson, hands in pockets to prevent a technical, was furious.

"I'm not going to comment on the officiating," Thompson said. "I was upset with more than one of them."

With Hibbert forced back to the bench, Georgetown's lead shriveled from 11 points to four and "Sweet Caroline" roared on all cylinders. In the same stands where famous fathers such as Patrick Ewing, Sr., and Doc Rivers sat, one famous Washington area name was cheering for Davidson. Who? Why, the coach who put Davidson on the map in the 1960s, then built the Maryland teams that rivaled the elder John Thompson's for national prominence. Oh, Lefty Driesell was here and loving it all.

"I hope that people don't judge this group [of seniors] based on this loss," Thompson said. "Look at all they have accomplished in their four years here. I've never been around a collective group that totally understands the sacrifices that are necessary for the success of the group."

To end their season, everything had to come together exactly wrong. Davidson needed an accidental home court. Hibbert had to dribble straight into three defenders in the lane to pick up his third foul early in the second half. When he returned, an official had to see a bump few others saw.

The most important ingredient, however, was the final one. Curry, with Richards riding shotgun, had to see the door of opportunity open just a crack. Riding the kind of upset wave that makes March unique, he raised his game.

When the second half starts, "the red flag goes up for Curry. He scored 30 in the second half two days ago," said Thompson. "For the most part, we had guys all over him. And the ball [kept] going in."

It's an image Davidson will always remember. And Georgetown wishes it could forget.