Postgame audio - Coach John Thompson III, Chris Wright & Greg Monroe:
Three hours after Saint Mary's won their first NCAA Tournament game in 59 years, Ohio ended a slightly shorter 45 year drought with a bigger shock on the same floor, stunning three seed Georgetown (23-11) in Providence, 97-83.
The surprise in the final score was equaled by the ease with which the Bobcats were able to score offensively and race by the Hoyas.
Ohio's backcourt tandem of Armon Bassett (32 points on 9-17 shooting) and spindly freshman D.J. Cooper (23 points and eight assists) torched the Hoyas, putting up video game numbers as Ohio shot an uncanny 13-23 from behind the arc for the game.
That's what a 14 seed who started 0-4 in their conference rarely does versus a bigger and stronger Big East foe, but the Bobcats were the clearly the more poised, aggressive and confident team all night - scoring at will as they put up 48 points in the first half, the most allowed by a Georgetown team all season.
Leading 18-17 on a three point shot by Chris Wright, Ohio ran off 13 of the game's next 15 points and made three straight triples to go up double digits.
A Bassett drive completed the first of what would be several Bobcat runs.
"They were spectacular," said Hoya coach John Thompson III of Bassett and Cooper. "They handled everything that we threw at them tonight. We guarded ball screens different ways and no matter how we guarded it they were able to find a way to score."
Ohio led by 12 at the break and Georgetown couldn't significantly dent Ohio's advantage because of Bassett and Cooper.
The Hoyas sliced what grew into a 19 point second half deficit down to seven with just over four minutes left, but Jerelle Benimon missed the front end of a one-and-one at the line and Cooper subsequently launched his fifth trey to take his team back up 10, the assist to Bassett.
"We're at the short end of it tonight, but that is what athletics is all about," Thompson added. "You can sit and talk tactics and strategy and at the end of the day sometimes it just comes down to players making plays. Those two kids, over and over again made plays regardless of how we approached it."
Repeatedly penetrating with dribble drives into the lane that set up easy jumpers and slashing cuts, the Hoyas just could not match the Bobcats score for score or record multiple stops in a row. Georgetown had 1.107 points per possession and got blown out of the Dunkin' Donuts Center due to Ohio (22-14) putting up 1.368 points per possession.
"It was tough to defend because they use millions and millions of ball screens," analyzed Wright, who led the Hoyas with 28 points. "When guards like that, they get a head of steam, it is kind of hard to contain them coming off ball screens. They got to the middle of the paint and made plays."
The Bobcats' offensive numbers come the buzzer were staggering. 32-55 from the field (58.2%), 13-23 from three, 5-7 in the second half and 16-20 at the line. Georgetown came into Thursday with the number 33 defense in the nation, but the flatfooted Hoyas were repeatedly outworked on the glass and outhustled for loose balls.
Ohio's effort was exceptional, their execution equal and for the first time since 1997 Georgetown was heading home after the first round of the NCAAs, the third branch of the Carril coaching tree to snap in Rhode Island in the past 24 hours.
