#4 Wildcats / #11 Georgetown Hoyas - A Detailed Summary of Recent Games in the Rivalry

To the Wildcat faithful-

We all know, of course, about 1985, the mirabile annu (Latin, "year of miracles") for Villanova against Georgetown.  But there have been many other more recent, great games between Villanova and Georgetown, schools separated by just 139 miles on I-476 and I-95 - an easy under-three-hour trip, without traffic, most of it highway...  and unfortunately, Villanova has lost the last five of them... the last Villanova victory is at the bottom of this post...

If you'd like to see a concise history of the entire rivalry, with a focus on the classic 1985 national championship in Lexington, Kentucky, I'd like to recommend my previous post - #4 Wildcats Host #11 Georgetown Hoyas on Sunday - A Concise Rivalry History...

Going in reverse chronological order:

January 17, 2010 - Wachovia Center - #4 Villanova 82, #11 Georgetown 77

My full story on the game can be found here...

February 28, 2009 - Wachovia Center - Georgetown 56, #10 Villanova 54

In the teams' sole meeting last season - here is my full story - "Georgetown Preserves Flickering NCAA Hopes with 56-54 upset of #10 Villanova @ the Wachovia Center"...

Georgetown overcame 23 turnovers to do so, stunning the large crowd at the Wachovia Center.  It was Georgetown's fifth straight win over Villanova.

As it turned out, the Hoyas' upset did not slip them into the field of 65, as they finished the regular season in 12th place and a 7-11 record in conference play.  They were eliminated in the first round of the Big East tournament, in which they probably needed to (at minimum) reach the championship round, in order to have any hope for an at-large bid.  Their high RPI had kept them on the bubble, but after an early loss in New York, they went to the NIT and fell in the first round to Baylor, by two points.

March 13, 2008 - Madison Square Garden - Big East tournament quarterfinal - #9 Georgetown 82, Villanova 63

The top-seeded Hoyas turned away Villanova's bid for an upset in New York.  Jessie Sapp led Georgetown with 23 points, and the team tied a Big East tournament record for triples in one contest with 17, and Jonathan Wallace added 20 points.  The Wildcats fell to 0-5 against Georgetown in the Big East tournament.  Scottie Reynolds led Villanova with 13 points, while Dante Cunningham, Antonio Pena, and Dwayne Anderson each had a dozen.  

February 11, 2008 - Verizon Center - #8 Georgetown 55, Villanova 53

The Wildcats lost at the MCI/Verizon Center for the first time ever - given that they had opened the building, as Georgetown's first opponent, with a victory, back in December 1997.  It was the first time they had lost to the Hoyas on the road since January 1997, when Georgetown was still playing home games in the Capital Centre/US Air Arena, in distant Landover, Maryland.

It was high drama, as Wallace was fouled by Villanova's Corey Stokes with one-tenth of one second to play and the score tied at 55.  Villanova had been holding for the final shot, but Reynolds turned over the ball in traffic, and in the ensuing commotion, Wallace got to the ball and was fouled by Stokes, 70 feet from the Villanova basket..  Wallace hit both free throws to give Georgetown the victory.

Reynolds scored 24 points, and it was also noteworthy that Corey Fisher went 1-16 from the floor.

March 8, 2007 -  Madison Square Garden - Big East tournament quarterfinal - #9 Georgetown 62, Villanova 57

My full story -

#9 Villanova Falls to Top-Seeded Georgetown in Big East Tournament Quarterfinal Round, 62-57; Valiant Comeback After Hoyas Built 26-2, 35-10 Leads

In one of the most bizarre games in the series history, ninth-ranked (and top-seeded) Georgetown led by scores of 14-0 and 26-2 to start the contest - yet ultimately won only by only five points.  The Wildcats had a furious charge, to trail by just five with 27.9 seconds remaining, but could draw no closer.  For the Hoyas, Roy Hibbert (14 points), Jeff Green (12 points, nine rebounds), DaJuan Summers and Wallace (10 points, four rebounds each) powered the victory.

For the Wildcats, Curtis Sumpter (18 points, six rebounds), Reynolds and Reggie Redding (11 points each), and Will Sheridan (10 points, nine rebound), provided the rally. 

February 17, 2007 - Wachovia Center - #14 Georgetown 58, Villanova 55

My full story:

#14 Hoyas Rally, Scoring Final 7 Pts Of Game To Top Villanova at Wachovia Center, 58-55

This was the beginning of Georgetown's current five-game winning streak over Villanova.  In a game where Hibbert was on the bench much of the time in foul trouble, the Wildcats failed to hold a 55-51 lead down the stretch, permitting the Hoyas to score the final seven points of the contest and foil an upset bid, 58-55.

The big star for Georgetown was Green, who ended up with 19 points and a career-high eight blocks. Sapp had 16 points, including a desperation heave at the buzzer of the first half that went in.  Reynolds had 18 points for Villanova, while Sumpter added 15.

The Hoyas' victory meant a season split of the series, with the increasingly rare phenomenon of two regular-season meetings...

January 8, 2007 - Verizon Center - Villanova 56, Georgetown 52

My full story-

Villanova Garners Ugly Win @ Georgetown, 56-52 - Remains Unbeaten (6-0!) @ Verizon Center!

It was yet another victory for Villanova there - and it remains Villanova's most recent victory over the Hoyas.
Reynolds had 16 points, and Shane Clark 14 points, to lead Villanova.  For Georgetown, Hibbert struggled, scoring only two points and not attempting a field goal.  Summers led the Hoyas with 14 points.

February 19, 2006 - The Pavilion - Villanova 75, Georgetown 65

Making only their second-ever (and most recent) appearance in Villanova's on-campus venue, the Hoyas fell to a superior Wildcats squad.

Another chapter written Sunday...

Go Wildcats!

E-mail: villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com