Dec. 21, 2011
Clashing Styles; Or, Conventional Wisdom and Its Discontents
One team: Athletic. Fast-paced. Explosive. Runs up and down the court.
The other: Methodical. Poised. Controls the tempo.
We as Georgetown fans have been treated to some great matchups against the Memphis Tigers in the past five years, but if there's one thing above all else you can expect, it's the "conventional wisdom" like the above. Seemingly anywhere you look to compare the two teams, you're left with the impression that the Tigers are running a track meet while the Hoyas play chess. This is not a new phenomenon; just ask 2008 Steve Lappas!
It would make sense, though, wouldn't it? The Hoyas will meet Memphis for the fifth time in five years on Thursday, this game a rematch of last month's 91-88 overtime victory in the Maui Invitational. Despite the recent frequent matchups, Georgetown and Memphis share neither a common profile, significant history, geography, nor conference.*Fans of both schools do, however, point to their late-December matchups as final tune-ups before conference play gets underway and critical barometers of the season to date. In the absence of anything to unite the schools, we intuitively view the game instead by what separate us, a gap between "us" and "them" and all the differences between our teams. Were I a sportswriter or broadcaster, the go-to narrative here is simple: Two teams known for distinct styles of play - the Princeton offense under JTIII and the dribble-drive offense under Coaches Calipari and Pastner - try to force the other out of their comfort zone, each team playing to its strengths and seeking to take control of the game.
* I reserve the right to retroactively edit this statement in all future compendia of the Hoya Hoop Club blog
Unfortunately for this narrative, it's not true, and the 2011-2012 Hoyas have shown they can pick up wins however fast or slow they come. Ten games in, the Hoyas are 9-1 with two marquee wins in their Maui classic and on the road against Alabama. The Hoyas escaped Tuscaloosa on the back of Hollis Thompson's last-second three-pointer, capping a slowed-down, tough-fought game. Given Alabama's late comeback, the Hoyas found themselves lucky that there were just enough possessions to stanch the bleeding and turn the Tide. Against the Tigers in Maui, however, the Hoyas found themselves in a 80-possession overtime game (68 in regulation) that was closer to the "Memphis style" than the Georgetown stereotype.
Maui 2011 was not an aberration, either. If Georgetown-Memphis is a contest of which team is at home playing their preferred style, the Hoyas have proven themselves quite rude guests, barging into the Tigers' house and making off with the valuables. December 2008, like Maui 2011, saw the Hoyas knock off the Tigers in an up-tempo OT contest. The December 2010 Hoyas-Tigers game was the Hoyas' third-fastest game of the season (behind only Loyola (MD) and DePaul) and Georgetown came away 17-point winners in Memphis. In fact, the Tigers' lone win in the recent series, in 2007, came in the slowest-paced game played yet, an 85-71 win driven chiefly by Memphis' ability to extend possessions by grabbing offensive rebounds.
Four years ago to the day, I watched that game, from a friend's house in the outskirts of Chehalis, Washington (speaking of slow tempos…) The Hoyas, coming off a Final Four appearance the year before, dropped their first game of the 2007-2008 season to a Memphis team that would go on to pull the impressive feat of playing in the National Title game despite an 0-38 record (consult your nearby NCAA record book). Since that time we've learned to anticipate Memphis as a challenging opponent that offers the Hoyas a final test before the real work of Big East play. Hopefully we've also learned to anticipate the conventional wisdom and disregard it.
(16) Georgetown (9-1) vs. Memphis (6-4)
Thursday, December 22, 2011, 7 P.M.
Verizon Center
TV: ESPN2
Radio: Sports Talk AM 570
Paul Campbell (MSB '09)
Proud Member of Generation Roy
