The 2010–11 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University in the 2010–2011 NCAA Division I basketball season. In November, the team played in and won the Charleston Classic tournament. During the February 23 game against the Cincinnati Bearcats, senior Chris Wright injured his hand, and later had surgery that kept him out of the final conference games. Without him, the Hoyas lost in their first game in the 2011 Big East men's basketball tournament. The team ultimately received an at-large invitation as a 6 seed in the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, where they lost in the second round to VCU. They finished the season 21–11, 10–8 in Big East play.
Previous season
In their previous season, the team finished the season 23–11, and 10–8 in Big East play, and advanced to the championship game of the 2010 Big East men's basketball tournament. Sophomore Greg Monroe declined to return, and entered the NBA draft where he was selected by the Detroit Pistons.
Season recap Although star center Greg Monroe had opted to forego his senior year of college and enter the 2010 National Basketball Association draft after the end of the previous season and reserve guard Stephan Stepka had transferred to James Madison, the Hoyas returned the rest of the core and reserve players of their 2009–10 team. Senior Julian Vaughn and sophomore Hollis Thompson at forward and seniors Austin Freeman and Chris Wright and sophomore Jason Clark at guard all returned as starters or major contributors off the bench. Sophomore Vee Sanford also returned as a reserve guard, sophomore Jerrelle Benimon as a reserve forward, and junior Henry Sims as a reserve center. Freshmen joining the Hoyas for the season included guard Markel Starks, who later would emerge as their point guard, forwards Nate Lubick and Aaron Bowen, and center Moses Ayegba. Freshman guard John Caprio also made the team as a walk-on. Ranked No. 20 in the Associated Press Poll to start the season, Georgetown hoped for another successful campaign in 2010–2011, and to return to the NCAA tournament for the fifth time in six seasons. The Hoyas also hoped for a deeper run in the tournament, which they had exited in the first weekend of play in their last two appearances in 2008 and 2010.
Non-conference schedule
Georgetown began the season with six straight wins over unranked opponents. In their season opener, at Old Dominion, they broke the Monarchs′ 23-game home winning streak – the fourth-longest active streak in the United States, dating back to January 2009 – behind 19 points by Chris Wright, 18 by Jason Clark, and 17 by Austin Freeman.espn.com Anonymous, "Georgetown uses late rally to edge Old Dominion," Associated Press, November 13, 2010.espn.com Georgetown vs. Old Dominion – Box Score – November 12, 2010 – ESPN Following a win in their home opener over Tulane in which Freeman scored 23 points, Jason Clark had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Vee Sanford contributed 10 points off the bench,espn.com Anonymous, "Austin Freeman's 23 points help Georgetown hold off Tulane," Associated Press, November 16, 2010.espn.com Tulane vs. Georgetown – Box Score – November 15, 2010 – ESPN the Hoyas traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, to take part in the Charleston Classic as its only ranked team. As NASCAR driver and former Hoya player Brendan Gaughan looked on from the stands, they won the opener against Coastal Carolina, with Clark scoring 22 points, Freeman scoring 20, and Chris Wright getting a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.espn.com Anonymous, "Jason Clark leads 3-point barrage for Georgetown," Associated Press, November 18, 2010.espn.com Coastal Carolina vs. Georgetown – Box Score – November 18, 2010 – ESPN They followed this with a semifinal win over Wofford in which Julian Vaughn had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, Chris Wright had a game-high 18 points, and Austin Freeman scored 14,espn.com Anonymous, "Chris Wright leads Georgetown into final of Charleston Classic," Associated Press, November 19, 2010.espn.com Georgetown vs. Wofford – Box Score – November 19, 2010 – ESPN and a victory in the final game over North Carolina State to win the tournament. In the championship game, the Hoya starters had a balanced attack against the Wolfpack, with Hollis Thompson scoring a game-high 18 points, Wright 17, Freeman 15, and Clark 14.espn.com Anonymous, "Georgetown pulls away from North Carolina State to win Charleston Classic," Associated Press, November 22, 2010.espn.com Georgetown vs. NC State – Box Score – November 21, 2010 – ESPN Ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll, the Hoyas then returned to the Verizon Center, where Freeman tied a school record shared by Mark Tillmon and Darrel Owens by hitting seven three-pointers, going 7-for-9 (77.7%) from three-point range, and scored 32 points in a win over UNC Asheville. Julian Vaughn scored 16 points against the Bulldogs, and Jason Clark had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.espn.com Anonymous, "Austin Freeman 7 for 9 from 3-point range to lead 6–0 Georgetown," Associated Press, November 27, 2010.espn.com UNC Asheville vs. Georgetown – Box Score – November 27, 2010 – ESPN
With a record of 6–0, Georgetown next faced its first ranked opponent of the season, unbeaten No. 9 Missouri, in a game at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The Hoyas started strong, hitting seven of their first eight shots to take a 14–9 lead with 16:24 left in the first half. They then went on a 14–4 run to pull out to a 23–13 lead with 11:33 left in the half, and followed with a 9–0 run to stretch their lead to 35–17 with 8:53 left. Missouri followed with an 8–2 run of its own, but at the end of it Georgetown still led 38–25, having shot 15-for-19 (79.0%) from the field. At the half, Georgetown had shot 20-for-28 (71.4%) from the field and still led 54–47, but the Tigers were in the midst of a comeback that continued into the second half and, with 8:25 to left to play in regulation, took their first lead of the game, 77–75, on a three-pointer by junior guard Marcus Denmon. Vee Sanford responded with a three-pointer of his own that put the Hoyas back in front, 78–77, with 7:49 left. Sophomore point guard Michael Dixon scored on a layup to take the lead back for Missouri, and the Tigers moved out to an 85–80 advantage with 4:21 to play. After a Georgetown timeout, Austin Freeman scored five consecutive points on a free throw and two layups to tie the game at 85–85 with 3:35 to go. The teams continued to trade baskets until Dixon sank two free throws with 26 seconds left to give Missouri a 93–89 lead. After Chris Wright also sank two free throws to close to 93–91, Dixon hit the first of two free throws to give Missouri a 94–91 lead with 14.1 seconds remaining in regulation, but missed the second, and Wright responded with a three-pointer with one second left that tied the game at 94–94 and forced overtime. In overtime, the score stood at 98–98 when Georgetown went on a 9–2 run thanks to Jason Clark – who until then had gone 1-for-6 from beyond the three-point line – hitting three straight three-pointers, giving the Hoyas a 107–100 lead with 1:22 remaining, and Georgetown hung on to secure a 111–102 upset overtime win and a 7–0 start for the second consecutive season. Austin Freeman scored 31 points, his second straight game with more than 30 points, while Jason Clark had 26, Chris Wright had a double-double with 21 points and 10 assists, and Henry Sims came off the bench to score 10 points. The Hoyas shot 18-for-18 from the free throw line and hit 15 three-pointers, and their 111 points were the most Missouri had allowed since a 111–56 defeat at the hands of Kansas State on January 3, 1998.espn.com Anonymous, "Georgetown tops Missouri in battle of ranked teams," Associated Press, December 1, 2010.espn.com Georgetown vs. Missouri – Box Score – November 30, 2010 – ESPNespn.com Georgetown vs. Missouri – Play-by-Play – November 30, 2010 – ESPN
The Hoyas returned to the Verizon Center for a win over Utah State in which Chris Wright finished with a game-high 21 points and four steals, and Georgetown improved to 8–0 for the second straight season.espn.com Anonymous, "Georgetown defense does trick vs. Utah State as long-range shooting sputters," Associated Press, December 4, 2010.espn.com Utah States vs. Georgetown – Box Score – December 4, 2010 – ESPN By the time they visited Temple five days later, the Hoyas had risen to No. 9 in the AP Poll, but behind a 30-point performance by junior guard Ramone Moore Temple upset Georgetown to give Owls head coach Fran Dunphy his 400th career victory and end the Hoyas′ winning streak despite 15 points by Jason Clark, 14 each by Austin Freeman and Julian Vaughn, and 10 by Chris Wright.Anonymous, "Ramone Moore scores 30 to lead Temple past No. 10 Georgetown," Associated Press, December 10, 2010.espn.com Temple vs. Georgetown – Box Score – December 9, 2010 – ESPN Back at the Verizon Center, Georgetown had two easy wins, defeating first Appalachian State and then Loyola of Maryland. Jason Clark finished with 15 points and Austin Freeman with 14 against Appalachian States, while Nate Lubick and Hollis Thompson each scored 11 points and Chris Wright had 12 assists in the game. As two Georgetown students wearing biblical clothing and long false beards held up a "Free Moses" sign, freshman center Moses Ayegba – ruled ineligible for Georgetown's first nine games because he had received an airline ticket to the United States from his native Nigeria from a non-family member – made his collegiate debut in the Appalachian State game, scoring two points. Against Loyola six days later, Austin Freeman and Hollis Thompson each scored 14 points, Henry Sims contributed 12, and Chris Wright added 11.Anonymous, "Georgetown follows first loss with rout of overmatched Appalachian State," Associated Press, December 12, 2010.espn.com Appalachian State vs. Georgetown – Box Score – December 12, 2010 – ESPNAnonymous, "Georgetown shakes off exam-week concerns, trounces Loyola of Maryland," Associated Press, December 18, 2010.espn.com Loyola (MD) vs. Georgetown – Box Score – December 18, 2010 – ESPN
Falling to No. 15 in the AP Poll by the time of the Loyola game, Georgetown rose again to No. 10 by the time it rounded out its non-conference schedule with a visit to No. 16 Memphis, its second ranked opponent of the season. From the field, the Hoyas shot 52 percent in the first half, 63 percent in the second half, and 57 percent for the game, committing only six turnovers, and emerged as the second-best shooting team in the United States in field goal percentage for the season at 52.5 percent. Georgetown held an early lead, but the game remained close, and Memphis took the lead at 15–14 with 13:30 remaining in the first half. The Tigers extended this to their largest lead of the game, 22–18, with 10:00 until halftime, but the Hoyas regained the advantage at 24–22 with 8:41 to play in the half and never trailed again. Leading 40–36 at halftime, the Hoyas pulled away in the second half, leading 76–59 with 3:37 left in the game and winning 89–69. Austin Freeman led the team with a game-high 24 points, while Chris Wright added 19 and Julian Vaughn had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.Anonymous, "No. 9 Georgetown pulls away in second half to win at No. 17 Memphis," Associated Press, December 24, 2010.espn.com Georgetown vs. Memphis – Box Score – December 23, 2010 – ESPNespn.com Georgetown vs. Memphis – Play-by-Play – December 23, 2010 – ESPN
Conference schedule