Annual late January Hoya Flop

[SirSaxa]

DFW and others can probably give us stats on this. And if someone else has a thread about it, I apologize in advance for clutter - -but I wasn't going to go through pages of past posts to see if this is a duplicate.

But, the HOYAS have a long standing tradition of sucking big time in the last week of Janury. I think even in 1984 we sucked in January's last week. The BC game fit right into that pattern. THe good news is that it only lasts that one week, and when February arrives, we come out flying once again.

Maybe someone knows that pattern and can post about it.

As for a team with three freshmen starting, and another with significant minutes off the bench, and only one senior -- and a non-starter at that, it is not surprising that we would look bad from time to time. And BC is a very good and well-coached team. THeya aren't undefeated this late in the season by accident.

Our Hoyas are going to bounce back. And this is the time they need fan support, when things are looking a little down. LET'S GO HOYAS!!!

[kchoya]

www.hoyasaxa.com/sports/archives/archive0104.htm#21

The Hoyas have a tough task at Miami, and probably some history against them, if you follow the peculiar curse of the last Saturday in January.

Dating back to 1985, the Hoyas have lost 11 of 19 games played on the last Saturday in January, and seven of the last eight. The weekend is replete with weird finishes over the years. Some of the more notable losses include:

* 1/26/85: St. John's ends Georgetown's 29 game win streak and knocks GU from the #1 ranking, 66-65.
* 1/28/87: Providence's 82-79 win at Capital Centre that weekend is the only home loss of the entire season.
* 1/28/89: The Hoyas are denied the #1 ranking in a 82-80 last-second loss to LSU at the Louisiana Superdome.
* 1/27/90: Syracuse picks up its first ever win at Capital Centre, 95-76. The margin is stunning given that the previous 11 games in the series were decided by an average margin of only four points.
* 1/27/96: Allen Iverson scores a career high 39 points, but the Hoyas miss 13 of 16 threes and lose at St. John's, 83-72.
* 1/25/97: Georgetown suffers only its second home loss to Pittsburgh in 15 years, 89-71.
* 1/30/99: In a bizarre finish, the Hoyas give up consecutive three pointers in the final 2.6 seconds of overtime and lose to Villanova, 93-90.
* 1/27/01: After Notre Dame All-American Troy Murphy fouls out with 5:03 to play, the Irish go on a 21-2 run and defeat the Hoyas 78-71.
* 1/25/03: Down by four at #2 Pittsburgh with 22 seconds left, Georgetown ties the score. But with 0.4 seconds remaining, a foul called on Georgetown's Drew Hall gave Pitt's Julius Page the winning free throw, 65-64.


Translation for lichoya: ;D

[Healy]

Big difference from prior years - we were not expected to win this game this year.
I do not consider this loss a "flop."

Losing to Seton Hall Wednesday, at home, on TV -- that would be a flop. I do not think it will happen. I expect a strong performance.

Go Hoyas!

[ahoya3]

I am not surprised at all by the ugly first half against BC. I have been waiting for a "crash" for a couple games now. Young players get dead legs this time of year: Green et Wallace have played a lot of minutes. No game is a gimme this time of year with a young team with little depth.

[SaxaCD]

That loss vs. St. Johns was one of the worst first halves of basketball I saw in my 4 years at GU, but the second half blitz was awesome, and by game's end, everybody in the building knew GU was going to take the top ranking back from the Johnnies the next time they met at MSG.

[Coast2CoastHoya]

That Nova game was the second worse thing about my freshman year. It still sends shivers down my spine.

[SirSaxa]

Healy said:

Big difference from prior years - we were not expected to win this game this year.
I do not consider this loss a "flop."

4 points in the first 15 minutes of the game?
12 points in the first half?

OK... we won't use "flop".
Would you care to suggest a term that more accurately characterizes that performance?

[Big Dog]

Why is this a curse? I bet we could pick lots of weekends in lots of months during which the Hoyas have played like crap for at least a decade. Because we've been bad for a decade.

11 out of 18 or 19 or whatever is a "curse"? Please.