VALENTINE MASSACRE: Sorber Injured, Georgetown Crushed by Butler, 97-86

Georgetown’s defense crumbles after Thomas Sorber’s exit

Your Georgetown Hoyas suffered a painful 97-86 defeat at the hands of the Butler Bulldogs on Saturday, February 15th, in a game that saw their defense exposed and a key player sidelined with an injury. The loss drops Georgetown to 15-10 overall and 6-8 in BIG EAST play. There’s no sugar coating the lousy Valentine’s gift—the possibility of Sorber missing late-season games due to injury and the resulting 97-point shell shock given by 8th-place Butler certainly gives many Hoyas fans concern when looking at the rest of this season and beyond.

The first half saw Butler take a commanding lead, going into the break with a 46-35 advantage. Butler shot an impressive 52% from the field and 47% from three-point range in the first half.

The decisive blow came with 5:39 remaining in the first half when Thomas Sorber suffered a leg/foot injury and had to be helped to the locker room. Although he was later seen standing on the sideline cheering on his teammates, he did not return to the game.

Georgetown was only down 6 at that point (33-27), but Butler pulled away with an 11-3 run.

Butler shot even better in the second half, making 67% of their field goals and 40% from beyond the arc.

The Hoyas struggled to contain Butler’s offense, particularly Pierre Brooks II, who led all scorers with 30 points.

In the second half, Georgetown attempted to mount a comeback, but Butler’s hot shooting continued. The Hoyas attempted 38 three pointers and made 9 of them (23.7%). Georgetown (18-44) had 23 more FG attempts than Butler (14-21) in the second half but was not able to capitalize.

Even if they had shot the ball better, Georgetown’s defense struggled mightily, allowing Butler to shoot 57.7% from the field and 45% from three-point range overall (9-20).

The Hoyas also found themselves in foul trouble, leading to increased playing time for walk-on players Austin Montgomery and Michael Van Raaphorst.

Micah Peavy led Georgetown with 21 points (8-19 FG, 1-5 3PT), while Malik Mack contributed 18 (6-17 FG, 4-11 3PT). Jordan Burks added 11 points off the bench, while Jayden Epps scored 15. Caleb Williams was 0-4, shooting only threes. Drew Fielder was 2-7 from the field (1-4 3PT).

Brooks’ 30 points led a balanced attack for Butler, with Finley Bizjack scoring 15 and Landon Moore adding 13.

The Hoyas won the battle in the paint, scoring 44 points compared to Butler’s 38. The Hoyas also capitalized on the Bulldog’s turnovers, scoring 19 points off 14 turnovers compared to Butler’s 10 points off of GU’s 7 turnovers. But it was futile.

The Hoyas’ defensive struggles were a major factor in the loss, as they were unable to contain Butler’s hot shooting. The injury to Thomas Sorber further compounded Georgetown’s problems, leaving a void in the frontcourt. While Jayden Epps was able to play, the team could not overcome the loss of Sorber. The available minutes for Montgomery and Van Raaphorst highlight the team’s lack of depth and foul issues.

With six games remaining, Georgetown faces an uphill battle to reach a .500 winning percentage. The severity of Sorber’s injury remains unclear, but his continued absence would be a catastrophic setback for the Hoyas. The team will need to address its defensive deficiencies and find ways to generate offense without Sorber in the lineup.

Injuries have played a big part of these season, but the lack of depth is an even bigger issue. If the defensive burden is placed on only one or two players, perhaps a defensive identity is a bit of a mirage. The complete dismantling by Butler is a troubling revelation and shows a scary possibility of a Sorber-less team this year or in the near future.

The Hoyas’ next game is Wednesday at 7PM, hosting Providence, and the team will need to regroup quickly to salvage their chance at getting to 10 wins.