LINKS: Georgetown-Maryland Series Reportedly Pushed a Year

Hoyas have only Notre Dame, Syracuse, and WVU scheduled

Fans of the Georgetown Hoyas keep waiting for any news—roster, schedule or otherwise. Things certainly take time, but the Hoya faithful needs a little something to keep them going. When Eamonn Brennan asked “Should Georgetown fans be worried?” the answer is usually a resounding “Yes, we’re always worried,” but with the transfer portal closed, it feels like time may be dwindling for any more good news out of the Thompson Center this spring. As far as we know, the Hoyas have some pretty big gaps in the lineup and their calendar. We’ve frequently seen how a short bench and haphazard scheduling plays out.

News of the expected Maryland series being delayed due to alleged scheduling difficulties conjures quotes of past issues where a certain head coach likely felt like his team was just not ready for the challenge. It might actually be scheduling issues causing the delay with Kevin Willard & Co.—fans would welcome any scheduling announcements beyond Notre Dame, Syracuse, and West Virginia that might demonstrate the insurmountable calendar woes—but forgive this humble lunch blog contributor for being a bit skeptical.

Ed Cooley proudly promised to John Fanta and the Field of 68 team, at the Final Four, that the Georgetown-Maryland matchup was on track for this season. This leaves fans to surmise that something changed since early April. The biggest change happens to be a roster swap that features only two on-court players from the 2023-24 squad sticking around. While there is plenty of talent coming in with four transfers and four freshman, there are still questions with depth, e.g., in the frontcourt.

Prayers that a center would be signing soon were prevalent. Maybe it still happens.

Or maybe we just can’t have nice things. Hoyas fans probably need to relax on the rumor front for a bit. If there was a center transfer who was planning to imminently commit, fans speculating on Twitter, Discord, or other message boards is just not helping right now. Sure, a recently hired assistant coach denied his move to the Hilltop before pulling the trigger, but that seems like the exception. If the staff is approaching the line for tampering, we don’t need to alert NIL bidders, the rivals, or the PC trolls. If the Hoyas are going to add a few more pieces, we need to … let them cook (did I use that right?).

So, the Maryland reports feel like a disappointing indication of Cooley’s expectations for Georgetown. Even if Maryland postponed the deal because Willard believes Georgetown to be a potential NET-killer, it’s still a concern that Cooley might not think this squad will be ranked as a Quad 2 matchup.

With Creighton leaving the Battle 4 Atlantis to join the Las Vegas NIL event, there was a glimmer of hope that Georgetown could take that spot when the organizers were “recruit[ing] a replacement Big East team for that event.” That spot has reportedly gone to Providence. Shame.

So it looks like no good news here for Hoyas fans. Maybe next week the staff still adds some depth or Georgetown gets into a Feast Week MTE and boosts our spirits. In a world where Doug Gottlieb can become a head coach of a Division I program overnight, we all can hope, I guess.

Here are the links:

NIL-driven Las Vegas college basketball event with millions paid to schools nearly finalized; Creighton now in | CBS Sports

Alabama, Creighton, Houston, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, San Diego State and Texas A&M have all committed to play in the event, sources said. Creighton was the final school to join; it formally committed on Friday, sources told CBS Sports. The Bluejays have signed a three-year commitment with the event. Creighton was previously scheduled to play in a loaded 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis field. One source told CBS Sports that Creighton pursued the opportunity after the initial publishing of this story on May 7, when one spot remained unclaimed. As a result, the Bluejays will have to pay a buyout to leave the Battle 4 Atlantis MTE.

Battle 4 Atlantis organizers are now attempting to recruit a replacement Big East team for that event, another source said. A power-conference team getting plucked from one of the most prestigious college basketball MTEs speaks to power and appeal of the Players Era Festival. Creighton leaving the Bahamas-based tournament sent shock waves across college hoops as word spread Saturday, according to sources.

Should Georgetown fans be worried? | Eamonn Brennan

Yes, sure, Georgetown wanted more than that, and with the Hoyas’ facilities and resources, Cooley could be expected to build on his mostly solid Providence output, to excel proportionally to the ostensible relative size of the programs.

But, primarily, consistency and stability is what he would offer. It was the reason to prefer him to Rick Pitino, a bonafide legend and meteoric personality who might retire in the next few years, and who was openly interested in the position before being rebuffed and taking the job at St. John’s two days earlier. Cooley, in theory, could be your coach for the next decade-plus, and could be reasonably expected, with minimal drama, to make the tournament every year.

He would, first of all, make Georgetown decent again.

It is one of the enduring surprises of the 2023-24 season that this did not happen. Georgetown was every bit as bad as they ever were under Ewing last season, so bad that the entire premise of Cooley’s hire should come under at least some amount of scrutiny. After generally rejoicing in his hire, Georgetown fans could be forgiven for wondering: What if this just doesn’t work?

The Deal on Burks | Hoya Nation

Georgetown denizens were pleased yesterday, as news of current Kentucky freshman wing Jordan Burks choosing the Hoyas was disseminated. For a primer on his decision, click here.

But just what kind of player is this guy, a 6’9”, 200 pound plus performer from Decatur, AL? We took a stab at answering that question.

Immediately following are questions posed and segmented responses received from David Sisk, a longtime Rivals.com scribe, one who enjoys a primary beat of Kentucky with CatsIllustrated.com. Few available know as much about these Wildcats, and being a former coach, Sisk sees the game on a deeper level than many of his cohorts.

Conference Realignment: Dissension In ACC Circles | Hoya Saxa

After weeks of reports that Clemson and Florida State are examining ways to extricate themselves from the ACC’s media deal, a third university has stepped into the discussion: North Carolina. WRAL-FM reported Monday that the UNC Board of Trustees will meet in closed session this week to confirm an audit of its athletic department, which announced a $17 million deficit in 2025 on projected revenues of $138 million.

“Carolina’s ability to maintain excellence at a high level is going to require really prudent budgeting and revenue models and potential cost cutting,” said trustee Dave Boliek. “A lot of it is due to the revenue, or lack thereof, of revenue that we’re not receiving from the ACC deal.”

Boliek is openly discussing a new conference opportunity, should it become available.

“I am advocating for that,” he said. “That’s what we need to do. We need to do everything we can to get there, or the alternative is the ACC is going to have to reconstruct itself. I think all options are on the table.”

Meanwhile, its commissioner is the subject of a critical feature in Sports Illustrated titled: “ACC at a Crossroads: Jim Phillips Facing Internal and External Threats to League’s Survival”.

‘That’s who I am’: McClung talks G-League MVP season | Yahoo Sports

“I think it’s very meaningful,” he said on Saturday. “Every year I try to apply more pressure to show that I’m an NBA player. I feel like that was one thing, if I got that, it shows – you can’t really say anything about that.”

“I couldn’t have done that without my teammates and the executives and coaches putting me in the situation to get that,” he continued. “But, I believe that’s who I am and I’m really honored for the award.”

As for what’s next – McClung says his next basketball destination is still up in the air.

“We’ll see,” he said. “My agent has talked to some teams, so we’ll just do what we think is best for the future.”

Fox Sports host Doug Gottlieb hired as Green Bay’s coach, will reportedly still host radio show | Yahoo Sports

“We are thrilled to welcome Doug as the next leader of Phoenix Basketball,” athletic director Josh Moon said, via a statement. “He has been working towards this moment his entire life – coaching is in his blood and he will help us continue to RISE!”

Gottlieb initially interviewed for Green Bay’s opening in 2023, according to reports. Green Bay ultimately hired Sundance Wicks, who left after one season to take the head coaching job at Wyoming. Green Bay saw an improvement of 15 wins from 3-29 to 18-14 in Wicks’ single season as head coach. The Horizon League program is seeking to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2016 and the second time since 1996.

Gottlieb, 48, played college basketball at Notre Dame for a single season and eventually transferred to Oklahoma State for three seasons from 1997-200. He left Notre Dame after his freshman year when he was accused of stealing and using the credit cards of three fellow students. He’s since admitted to doing so in a first-person essay for The Athletic headlined “The mistakes I made, and the price I paid.”

Hoyas Face St. John’s in Final Regular Season Series | GUHoyas

Georgetown (32-18) is coming off a 4-3 victory on Tuesday night over Boston College. The win marked the Hoyas 32nd of the 2024 campaign tying the program record for most wins in a season (32) which was set in 2022. Head Coach Edwin Thompson also earned his 100th career victory on the Hilltop reaching the milestone in only 194 games.

Christian Ficca leads GU at the plate slashing .359/.466/.615 on the season. Ficca leads the team in hits with 70, is second in doubles with 15 and leads the team in RBIs with 62 on the season.

Andrew Williams and Everett Catlett lead GU on the mound as Williams boasts a 4-2 record while Catlett is 6-1 on the season. Williams boasts a 2.75 ERA in 55.2 innings of action, a mark good for second in the conference. Catlett boasts a 3.06 ERA in 67.2 innings on the mound.

GU is currently tied for second in the country in saves with 19 and is second in the conference in ERA (4.75).