Can Georgetown make the Final Four?
The end of Georgetown's winning streak was inevitable. They'd won 11-straight Big East games and had gone from 2-3 to the top of the league. Now they're knotted atop the Big East with Louisville and Marquette, with one game to play.
To get the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament all they need to do is beat Syracuse at home this weekend. They hold the tie-breakers over the other two.
But winning the Big East regular season and Tournament titles are just two of the goals for this team. Like any top 10 team they have visions of finishing the season in April in the Georgia Dome. And like any top 10 team they have the stuff to get there - or do they?
If you've watched Georgetown at all this season you know that their offense, at times, is a bit offensive. They're 81st overall nationally, and 7th in conference only games (offensive efficiency). They have improved a bit since the beginning of the season (anyone remember the 37-36 game vs Tennessee?), but have still been held below a point per possession in four of their past seven games.
To find a historical context, I looked at every Final Four team from 2003-2012. Defensively, they are right in the ballpark. They're currently No. 6 nationally, and 55% of Final Four teams have had top 10 defenses.
Offensively, though, they're an outlier. Prior to last season no team with an offense ranked worse than 50th had made the Final Four. Then Louisville broke that barrier with the No. 103 offense. Still, the odds don't look good. Here are the teams from the past decade, with Georgetown mixed in.
The labels are each team's national ranking in offensive efficiency.
@RunTheFloor (2) miss Greg Whittington - they are vulnerable to a team with some big post guys - Nova game showed that
@RunTheFloor FWIW, I think Georgetown can make a deep run - or can lose in 2nd round - it is evident that Hoyas (1)
RT @MattZemek_CFN: RT @RunTheFloor Can Georgetown make the Final Four? http://t.co/5E1AYmYFq6
