After a back-and-forth first half inside the Verizon Center this afternoon, the Hoyas took over. They went on a 17-2 run following the break, with senior guard Chris Wright leading the way. Wright was the only player on either side to finish with more than nine points. He scored 21 points, adding four steals and three rebounds.
According to Joseph White of the Associated Press, it was Wright who suggested that the Hoyas keep the pressure on the Aggies down the stretch. Coach John Thompson III listened, and it worked.
“For us to be good, we all have input,” said Thompson, letting the world know that his system isn’t quite as autocratic as perceived from the outside. “It’s not like I’m one of these coaches where I’m going to say, ‘This is what we’re going to do.’ When we come to timeouts … ‘What do you see? What do you think?’ They have an understanding of how we do things. And there’s certain things that they see on the court that you may not see on the sidelines.”
The Hoyas ruled just about every stat category in this game, winning the boards and the paint. They outshot the Aggies 52.3% to 42.6%.
But Chris Wright was the headline today. And according to Casual Hoya, his talent could lead Georgetown to something even greater.
I'm not sure what happened to Wright over the summer - whether it was the departure of Greg Monroe or the Chris Paul camp he attended - but it is impossible to overstate how spectacular and composed Wright has been. He is controlling games on both offense and defense, hitting enormous shots, and providing the right type of fiery leadership that last year's team lacked. It would be silly to say that the Hoyas are more talented without Monroe, who was arguably the best passer in the nation last year. A team never gets better losing a lottery pick. But this team is just different. Part of the reason is because there is one unquestioned leader this year - Chris Wright.