Hoyas stifle Pirates; Cap One Arena stifles fun

Georgetown beat Seton Hall on Saturday 60-46 in a grinder of a game in which both teams shot below 40% from the field and 25% or worse from 3. This game was tough to watch for long stretches, but the Hoyas tenacity on defense eventually broke Seton Hall halfway through the 2nd half, turning a close game into a comfortable win (and cover!).

Micah Peavy was excellent on defense and attacked the rim regularly. Thomas Sorber had a solid if not spectacular game, and the rest of the team did just enough on offense and more than enough on defense to pull Georgetown to 6-7 in league play. While Seton Hall is both not very good and going through a rough stretch in this part of the season, 46 points is their lowest output all year and the Hoyas deserve a lot of credit for disrupting their offense into multiple turnovers and shot clock violations while slowly cracking the game open. With 5:22 to go in the game, the Pirates were down just 48-45, only to be outscored 12-1 the rest of the way.

Georgetown's offense is bleak and needs to figure out how to get easy baskets in the half court. Jayden Epps remains limited, and it is very clear he is not up to game speed quite yet. The Hoyas were able to survive missing Epps against the worst opponent in the Big East, but he will be necessary against the top of the conference at the end of the season and into the Big East Tournament, so here's hoping he can find that extra pace and quickness that defined his sophomore campaign.

But let's shift gears a little here, shall we?

While the Hoyas on court product is middle of the pack and trending upward, the same cannot be said about the Hoyas gameday experience at Capital One. The 104 WhatsApp thread is a broken record on this beat, but the home game experience for a Georgetown program that aspires to be a top program is simply unacceptable.

Let's dive in...

Announced attendance for the game was 9,261. Capital One Arena has a 20,356 capacity so, overall this was actually a very solid but not overwhelming crowd. As usual, the vast majority of tickets were sold in the lower bowl, with a half full 200-level and an empty 400 level. Unless 9000 of those tickets were sold at the door minutes before the game (which, dear reader, we highly doubt), the arena was massively understaffed for this event. There were two (2) concession stands open. There were zero (0) beer stands open. There were zero (0) popcorn stands open. There were two (2) roaming beer guys. That is it.

We do not believe that the primary purpose of going to a basketball game is eating and drinking. The primary purpose is watching basketball, and the experience Capital One Arena brought on Saturday was okay in that regard. The pink graphics package to match the Hoyas breast cancer awareness-themed uniforms and giving us in-game replays on contentious calls was a welcome change from years past.

We do, however, believe that there are two kinds of people that are going to a college basketball game at noon on a Saturday. One is a human adult who may want to eat or drink something during the 2ish hours of a college basketball game. The second is a human child who absolutely will want to eat and drink many things during the 2ish hours of a college basketball game. There are also plenty of instances where the attendance of the first group is dependent on being able to satisfy the desires of the second. How many dads have dragged their kid to a sporting event with the promise of ice cream, only to have both Rita's in the arena closed? Ask Miller Lite Mike about how that one turns out.

By combining a no bags policy (which makes it impossible to bring in a snack or a drink) with an apparent no concessions policy, Georgetown and Capital One Arena have conspired against basically anyone who would want to come to a 2ish hours long college basketball game.

Additionally, during sporting events, people often want to buy a shirt or a hat or some other form of souvenir indicating their preference for the home team. Arenas usually have areas designated to purchase said souvenirs. A team shop, if you will. Georgetown has not been given such a courtesy in the arena they have played home games in since 1997. Instead, Georgetown is given temporary space akin to a concert that has one night in DC, selling t-shirts and hats on temporary tables. This squeezes the main concourse and creates a hectic, rushed atmosphere that must, must, must suppress sales, especially to anyone with, again, children. Why has Georgetown not carved out a permanent team shop in Capital One Arena worthy of its Jordan Brand status sometime in the last twenty-eight years of playing there? It gives the impression of a rinky-dink outfit, not a program that believes it is worthy of being in the conversation as one of the best programs in the country.

We believe noted Georgetown alumnus Ted Leonsis who owns the building in which is alma mater plays and the Georgetown athletic department and Coach Cooley need to decide what kind of experience is worthy of the kind of program Georgetown Men's Basketball is and wishes to become. Right now, it looks like a fly-by-night operation, skating by on nostalgia for its glory days and unwilling to invest in a modern gameday experience. We believe that is unworthy of the aspirations Georgetown Men's Basketball should have and unworthy of Georgetown University.