A lot of the talk coming into the NCAA Tournament on Thursday was about the seeding of the Big East. Many people felt as though Georgetown had been overseeded as a #4 seed and that a team like Eastern Washington could surprise them. Georgetown proved that not only are they worth of their seed but they are capable of making a deep run.
D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera led Georgetown with 25 points and eight rebounds on Thursday night as the Hoyas beat the Eastern Washington Eagles 84-74. Jabril Trawick, Mikael Hopkins, and Paul White each scored 10 points for Georgetown. The team, as a whole, shot 52.1% from the floor and hit 11 three-pointers on the night.
The game looked as though it may tip in favor of Eastern Washington when Joshua Smith and Mikael Hopkins each got into early foul trouble. John Thompson III reached deep into his bench to bring out 7-foot center Bradley Hayes. Hayes established himself on both ends of the floor using his size to grab offensive rebounds and score on easy put backs. All eight of his points were scored in the first half.
Hayes wasn’t the only gem of the bench for the Hoyas as all five bench players who appeared scored at least eight points. As a group they combined for 45 points on 14-of-22 shooting. They also grabbed a combined 19 rebounds. It was some needed production as the starting frontcourt for Georgetown combined for just four points and three rebounds in 26 combined minutes.
Eastern Washington struggled very much with their shooting converting only 26-of-64 shots including 9-of-28 from beyond the arc. National scoring leader Tyler Harvey finished with 27 points and forward Venky Jois finished with 19 points including two massive put back dunks, one in each half.
The Eagles will likely come back even stronger next season as Tyler Harvey, Venky Jois, Felix Von Hofe, Ognhen Milijkovic, and Bogdan Bliznyuk are all expected to return for the 2015-16 season.
Georgetown will advance to face Utah in the Round of 32 on Saturday.