Georgetown’s season has been a roller coaster ride, to say the least.
At the start of Big East play, I was ready to crown the Hoyas the best team in the Big East. A month ago, after the Hoyas had lost four of their first five Big East games, I was ready to write them off.
Since that ugly, 72-57 loss to Pitt at the Verizon Center, the Hoyas have reeled off seven straight wins. Impressive wins, at that. Four of them came on the road. Two of those roads wins came at Villanova and at Syracuse. Georgetown also knocked off Louisville during that stretch.
Its an impressive turn around, to say the least.
After Wednesday night’s 64-56 win over Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, you’ll see plenty of words written about the Hoyas. Some will be about how Austin Freeman, Chris Wright, and Jason Clark have gotten back on track. Others will be about how Hollis Thompson’s change in roles from starter to hired gun off the bench has helped the Hoyas.
Me?
I want to talk about Georgetown’s big man.
Coming into the season, Julian Vaughn was the x-factor for this team. Its no secret that the Hoyas were lacking their typical front court star. There is no Jeff Green on this team. There’s no Roy Hibbert or Greg Monroe. There isn’t that versatile big man with a deft passing touch for Georgetown to run their offense through.
And while Vaughn will never be confused with any of those talents, he has become something of a pressure release for the Georgetown back court. Vaughn has always been a capable shot blocker and rebounder and an excellent screener, but during this seven game winning streak, its his low-post game that has stood out.
Vaughn isn’t Jared Sullinger by any stretch of the imagination. But his low post game has developed enough that he is now a fairly reliable scoring option when he gets the ball on the block, especially when he is being defended one-on-one. And when there are shooters like Freeman, Wright, Clark, and Thompson on the floor with him, Vaughn is going to get plenty of one-on-one scoring opportunities.
And that is all the Hoyas need him to be.
Look at tonight as an example. Vaughn scored eight of his 12 points in the first 11 minutes of the second half against Syracuse, keeping the game close as the Orange stretch their defense to counteract the Hoya’s hot first half from three. The 17-5 run to close the game was what made the difference against Syracuse, but without Vaughn’s production inside Georgetown would not have been in position to make that run.
Against Providence, Georgetown needed each one of his 14 points (and 11 rebounds) as they barely hung on against a Providence team that got 43 points from Marshon Brooks. In the win over Louisville, Vaughn scored eight points off of low post touches in the second half.
Georgetown’s back court is terrific, as good as any in the country.
Their play is going to determine how far Georgetown can go this season.
But knowing that they have a double-digit scoring threat on the block makes the Hoya’s offense just that much more versatile and difficult to defend.
Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @ballinisahabit.