1981 Georgetown Basketball: An Up-And-Down Season
Georgetown basketball had arrived by 1981. A program that was desolate when John Thompson arrived in 1973 had become a consistent NCAA Tournament team and got within a basket of the Final Four in 1980. All that was left was to take the next step. 1981 Georgetown basketball continued the pattern of success, but in the context of these rising standards, their up-and-down season was a bit of a disappointment.
BUILT ON THE PERIMETER
Eric “Sleepy” Floyd, a great outside shooter in an era when college basketball did not yet reward such players with a three-point shot, poured in 19ppg and was All-Big East. Floyd was joined on the perimeter by Eric Smith, a double-digit scorer himself. Fred Brown was a freshman at the point. In this three-guard attack, all three players averaged four assists per game.
Where Georgetown had some issues was down low. Mike Hanock and Ed Spriggs were respectable players, but in an era built on size, the Hoyas clearly needed more help and more punch in the middle of the lineup.
A ROUGH START AGAINST THE BEST
The season opened on Thanksgiving weekend in Alaska, where the Great Alaska Shootout was then one of the sport’s signature early season events. After a perfunctory blowout of Nicholls State, the gap between Georgetown and the nation’s very best teams quickly showed itself. The Hoyas lost to North Carolina and LSU, each of whom made the Final Four in March.
Upon returning to the nation’s capital, Georgetown barely escaped woeful George Washington, 84-82. They went to play Drake, a respectable team, and lost by sixteen points.
Shortly after Christmas, the Hoyas played in a holiday tournament in San Diego and split two games, with the loss coming to top-ranked DePaul. They later dropped a two-point decision to a good Penn squad.
By the time Big East play began, Georgetown was 7-5. From their preseason #16 ranking, they were now out of the polls. And in an era where 48 teams made the NCAA Tournament, there was considerable work ahead to simply make the bracket.
SEARCHING FOR CONSISTENCY
While the Big East officially began a year earlier, 1981 was the first time the league, then eight teams, was able to play a complete home-and-home schedule. The conference opener against St. John’s was in Madison Square Garden and Hoya prospects continued to look bleak, as they left the Big Apple with a 68-60 loss.
Georgetown went to Boston College to take on a contending Eagles squad and got a clutch 57-55 win. Seton Hall, coached by Bill Raftery, wasn’t a particularly strong team, but they were always feisty. The Hoyas escaped New Jersey with a 52-51 nailbiter. Then Georgetown came home and knocked off Syracuse.
With some momentum finally going, the Hoyas stumbled. Against lowly Providence at home no less. Then they went to UConn to face a Big East contender and lost 75-73.
The Hoyas briefly stepped outside the conference, but the games continued to be razor-tight. They edged American, a good 24-win team coached by Gary Williams, 74-72. Then a visit to UNLV resulted in a 69-68 escape.
As the calendar moved to February, Georgetown was 13-8. They had a shot, but they needed to play more consistently—and quickly.
BACK IN THE BIG EAST HUNT
Villanova and St. John’s were both in the midst of what was shaping as a packed conference race and the Hoyas got what they needed—a pair of home wins, 70-54 and 75-68, respectively.
The return trip to Syracuse was next. This was the first time Georgetown would play in the new Carrier Dome, a place that would see more than its share of great games in this rivalry. The 1981 inaugural edition was one of them, but it ended in a 66-64 loss. The Hoyas were able to bounce back at home against Seton Hall with a 58-56 win.
In a year where so many games were close, it’s fitting that no one could get a hold of the conference race. By mid-February, Boston College and St. John’s led the way at 7-3. Georgetown, whatever inconsistencies they had shown, were in hot pursuit, joining UConn with a 5-4 league record. Villanova was 6-5.
THE PUSH FOR AN NCAA BID
Boston College came to D.C. on a Wednesday night. In the kind of hard-fought defensive battle that was not unusual in an era with no shot clock, the Hoyas lost a 53-49 grinder that ended any realistic pursuit of a regular season conference title. But there was still the NCAA Tournament to push for.
They bounced back with a clutch 68-60 win at Villanova. Then they knocked off Providence. In the regular season finale, they nipped UConn 60-58. While Boston College held off the field to win the conference, Georgetown had overcome adversity to finish second and was 19-10.
There was no “Bracketology” in 1981 or any other way to know how the Selection Committee felt about a team, but the Hoyas had to feel good about their position. They strengthened it with a win over Seton Hall in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament, before losing to Syracuse, who was hosting the event.
When Selection Sunday came, the Hoyas heard their name called. As the #7 seed in the East Regional, they had made it with a little room to spare.
AN EARLY EXIT
Georgetown was sent to Providence, where they would face 10-seed James Madison. A win would get them a shot Digger Phelps’ Notre Dame, the 2-seed in the bracket.
But JMU was tough, with 6’7” forward Linton Towns leading the way as a 15ppg scorer. The Hoyas only shot 44 percent from the floor. Floyd played well and scored 22 points. But at 8-for-17 from the floor he wasn’t quite as sharp as normal, and didn’t get much support. Towns’ 19 points came with a little more efficiency. And he had more help from his supporting cast.
The result was Georgetown’s up-and-down season coming to an end with a 61-55 loss.
HELP IS ON THE WAY
1981 wasn’t the breakthrough that Hoya fans were waiting on, but it still kept their impressive string of NCAA Tournament appearances going. And those shortcomings in the middle of the lineup and desire to reach the national stage? Those were about to be solved. A center by the name of Patrick Ewing was coming to D.C. next season. And the greatest era in Georgetown basketball was about to begin.