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Georgetown has eyes on the big prize

Mar 21, 2008 - 11:16 AM No. 15 UMBC (24-8) at No. 2 Georgetown (27-5) 2:55 pm EDT

RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) - Having re-established itself as a national power, Georgetown is poised to take the next step.

The Hoyas open play in the NCAA Tournament on Friday, taking on Maryland-Baltimore County in a Midwest Regional first-round game.

Although the schools are close geographically, the programs are miles apart. Georgetown (27-5) is enjoying a rebirth of its glory days, earning a second seed for the second consecutive year.

In 2005-06, the Hoyas advanced to the "Sweet 16" before losing to national champion Florida, and last season they reached the Final Four, falling to Ohio State.

The program's revival has come under the direction of John Thompson III, whose father John Thompson brought the school to prominence in the early 1980s.

Georgetown is led by 7-2 center Roy Hibbert, who averaged a team-leading 13.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. He's one of the big reasons the team allows an average of just 57.3 points to opponent.

There also is plenty of firepower in the backcourt. Jonathan Wallace, Jessie Sapp and freshman Austin Freeman all average near 10 points per game.

The Hoyas hit 17 3-pointers in a Big East tournament win over Villanova on March 13, with Wallace and Sapp combining for 11.

The 15th-seeded Retrievers (24-8) will need guards Ray Barbosa and Brian Hodges to light it up from 3-point range, but with just one starter taller than 6-5, they will be physically overmatched by the Hoyas.