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Georgetown’s non-conference schedule is terrible

Georgetown Introduce Patrick Ewing

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 05: Georgetown president John J. DeGioia (L) and Athletic Director Lee Reed introduce Athletics Director NBA Hall of Famer and former Georgetown Hoyas player Patrick Ewing as the Georgetown Hoyas’ new head basketball coach at John Thompson Jr. Athletic Center on April 5, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

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In his first season as the head coach of the Georgetown Hoyas, Patrick Ewing has managed to cobble together an atrocious non-conference schedule.

Just look at this mess:

Sun. 11/12: Jacksonville
Wed. 11/15: Mount St. Mary’s
Sat. 11/18: Maryland-Eastern Shore
Sat. 11/25: at Richmond
Tues. 11/18: Maine
Sun. 12/3: Coppin State
Fri. 12/7: Howard
Sat. 12/9: North Carolina A&T
Sat. 12/16: Syracuse
Wed. 12/20: North Texas State
Sat. 12/23: Alabama A&M

Can it be anymore obvious what Georgetown is trying to do here?

They have a young team that wasn’t very good last season with a coach working in the college ranks for the first time this year. Play as poor of a schedule as possible, win a few games at the start of the year, build some confidence and try not to get embarrassed during Big East play.

Because that’s more or less what the Hoyas are aiming for here.

There is no way that schedule is going to be enough to get Georgetown into the NCAA tournament. Even if they win every game, you’re probably not looking at a single NCAA tournament team. Syracuse lost six of their top seven scorer and could finish as a bottom four team in the ACC. Richmond is, what, a top six team in the Atlantic 10?

They’re not even going to play mid-major teams to worry about. Mount St. Mary’s lost five players to transfer from last year’s tournament team. UMES went 14-20 last year. Jacksonville went 5-9 in their league. Howard went 10-24. Coppin State went 8-24 last season. Maine went 7-23. N.C. A&T went 3-27. Alabama A&M went 2-29. I don’t know what North Texas State is other than the fact that it’s not North Texas or Texas State, meaning it’s not a Division I program.

Do you really expect that will be enough to entice the selection committee to pick you?:

Or that it will prepare a team to make the kind of run through Big East play that will be necessary to earn a bid? (Hint: The answer to both those questions is no.)

And all of this comes after the Hoyas pulled out of the PK80 Invitational, Phil Knight’s tournament out in Oregon over Thanksgiving, and after Ewing essentially ended any talk of the Maryland-Georgetown rivalry becoming a thing.

What is there to be excited for if you are a Hoya fan?

I understand the notion of having to build up to something.

I do.

But the Hoyas already have enough issues drawing people to the Verizon Center for games. I know. I lived in D.C. for 10 years. The Verizon Center can feel empty when there are 13,000 Georgetown fans there.

It may take six games to get 13,000 fans to walk into that arena for a Georgetown game this season.

That’s what happens when you don’t play anyone. It’s what happens when, as a coach, you essentially punt on your season before it begins.