Georgetown is returning to the NCAA tournament after an unlikely 73-48 victory over Creighton to win the Big East championship at Madison Square Garden.
This will be the March Madness’ first appearance in Georgetown since 2015 and the first time coach Patrick Ewing has been returning to the tournament since the 1985 Final Four, where he played as a pivot for Hoyas.
Georgetown completely dominated Creighton from start to finish on Saturday, in what was a dominant performance. Hoyas led by up to 31 at one point and even ran a 46-8 race.
Striker Chudier Bile scored 19 points and eight rebounds in the win, while Jahvon Blair scored 18 points and scored four of Georgetown’s ten three points. Freshman Dante Harris was voted best player of the tournament with 10 points, eight scholarships and five assists in victory.
Creighton just couldn’t buy a basket, however. His top scorer was junior Marcus Zegarowski with 17 points and the next top scorer was senior Alex O’Connell with 11 points in the 3 out of 12 shots. The Bluejays hit 28.8% of the field, while the Hoyas hit 46.6%. Georgetown also surpassed Creighton by 49 to 33.
Ewing became the first person in history to win the Big East Championship as a player and coach on Saturday and added to his already long list of achievements while at Madison Square Garden.
The 11 times All-Star is a legend of the Knicks and enjoyed 15 years of applause while under the bright lights of New York City. Despite an interview earlier in the week in which Ewing made it clear that he was upset about having to show identification at his former stronghold, Saturday was a major milestone for 1985’s No. 1 pick.
Ewing joined Hoyas in 2017 and has never coached a game in the NCAA tournament, but he will finally have his chance after his team’s unlikely post-season race. Ungraded Georgetown (12-12) took down Marquette, No. 16 Villanova and Seton Hall before facing No. 17 Creighton.
The Hoyas will have nothing to fear on Sunday’s selection with the Big East championship under their belt. All that lies ahead for them is Big Dance.