Georgetown vs. (5) Xavier recap: Hoyas upset Xavier in Cincinnati

1) “Treys” Campbell was huge for the Hoyas

See what I did there? Tre Campbell had a career night as he led all scorers with a career-high 21 points, 17 of them coming in the first half, on 7-11 shooting to go along with five made treys from downtown. The Hoyas are starting to play to their potential on the offensive end of the floor and big performances from role players like Campbell only help the cause.

D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera added 20 points on 6-12 shooting from the field and 4-9 from downtown. The Hoyas shot 51 percent from the field and made 10 of their 25 attempts from deep. Georgetown is starting to play like a top team in the conference and that should scare their upcoming opponents.

2) Hoyas finally close out a big game and get revenge too

Georgetown has had notable opportunities to close out games against top-10 opponents this season, but were not able to get the job done. The Hoyas looked like they were going to knock-off then-third ranked Maryland, but the Terrapins won it. Then-fifth ranked Duke had to comeback at Madison Square Garden to beat the Hoyas in the 2K Sports Classic Final and then-#6 Villanova held on in DC to beat Georgetown. All of those games were decided by five points or less.

The Hoyas were able to finally get a victory over a top-5 team. It is Georgetown’s first road win over a top-5 team since Dec. 28, 2011. Coach John Thompson’s group also extracted some revenge after losing to the Musketeers three times last season including a loss in the Big East Tournament Semifinals at MSG. This was a statement win for Georgetown and helps to make up for bad losses that the Hoyas suffered earlier this season.

3) Xavier’s defense was exposed

A key to the victory was Georgetown’s play against Xavier’s 1-3-1 zone defense. The Hoyas made 26 field goals off of their 21 assists and were able to find plenty of open looks despite the zone defense for Xavier. Georgetown also outrebounded the Musketeers 39-35 and were able to score 28 of their points in the paint. The Hoyas were prepared for the zone and made Xavier look lost at times because of how well they ran their offense.

This win means a lot for the Hoyas. They won in one of the toughest environments in the nation against a top-5 team and many of their top players stepped up. The conference continues to remind us that it is wide open. It just goes to show that in the Big East you can run, but you cannot hide.