As Told By A.S.

Author: Andrew Schlegel

It has been a long time since Georgetown was considered a basketball powerhouse. In the 1980s, led by Hall of Fame Coach John Thompson and stars like Patrick Ewing, the Hoyas captured Big East title after Big East title, cutting down the nets six times.

Now it finally seems fair to say that the present-day Hoyas resemble the successful teams of the past. They are coached by Thompson's son, John III, and get a consistent contribution from Patrick Ewing Jr.

They also have the integral interior presence consistent with Georgetown's past. Rather than Ewing, Alonzo Mourning or Dikembe Mutumbo lining up in the post, seven-foot, two-inch, 278 pound big-man Roy Hibbert does it for the Hoyas.

The current team may be younger than most, with only one senior on its roster, but they are still my pick to win this year's NCAA tournament. Most of the young players already have valuable postseason experience, especially after making a Sweet Sixteen run last year, when they gave eventual National Champion Florida its toughest test of the tournament.

Coupled with their maturing talent, the Hoyas are surely a team no one wants to play. First-team All-Big East selection Jeff Green can play almost any position and his quickness makes him a tough match-up for anyone. He has also proven himself capable of taking over the big games as well as making big shots. Don't be fooled by his 14.3 points-per-game scoring average - he put up totals of 30 and 21 in his last two games.

Thompson III, who coached at Princeton before taking on the duty of giving pre-game speeches to the Hoyas, was recently quoted as saying that Green was, "the smartest basketball player he has ever coached." That's really saying something when you consider the types of players both schools recruit.

After winning the Big East Tournament, which had five other teams that later qualified for the NCAA Tournament, the Hoyas are well prepared for the Dance. They did not just win the league championship, they did it with authority, blowing out Pittsburgh by 23 points in the finals.

For the most part, the Hoyas dominated at Madison Square Garden, but when facing a talented Notre Dame team in the semifinals, they proved they can also win the close games. Georgetown had to dig deep to come up with the 84-82 victory over the Fighting Irish for the rights to play Pitt in the finals.

Although they lost to their tough out of conference competition, the Oregon Ducks and the Duke Blue Devils, those games were early in the season and now, the Hoyas are a far different team.

The NCAA tournament begins in earnest on Thursday and the Hoyas will be a team that no one will want to meet. Georgetown will start with Belmont in Winston-Salem, N.C. This should be no contest and over before the first half is over.

By the Final Four, the games will be tougher, but the Hoya stars will carry them to a National Championship for the first time since 1984.