Georgetown Hoyas Win over UCLA Bruins Caps Legendary Two-Day High

With Patrick Ewing looking on from courtside, the Georgetown Hoyas upset the No. 11 ranked and much hyped UCLA Bruins 78-70 in the Legends Classic at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The win caps a two-day high for Hoyas fans.  Ewing, already in the Basketball Hall of Fame, was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday.

“I felt like I came into college a boy and left a man,” said Ewing at the induction ceremony.  “Coach (John) Thompson and all the people at Georgetown did an outstanding job of helping me, not only as a basketball player but also as a human being.”

Proudly wearing a Hoyas cap, Ewing smiled as he watched sophomore forward Otto Porter school UCLA’s flashy freshmen.  Porter, back after suffering a mild concussion in the Hoyas home opener, had 18 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, five blocks and three steals.

Pre-game attention centered on the debut of UCLA’s Shabazz Muhammad, whose ineligibility  issues turned him into a preseason campus celebrity as fans wore “Free Shabazz” T-shirts.

Aware of the buzz about Muhammad, Hoyas Coach John Thompson III decided to give props to Porter.

“Otto’s first full game and look at the stat sheet. That was a full game,” Thompson said. “Then there was a lot of other stuff he did that doesn’t show up on this piece of paper. It was good to have him back out there.”

It was a stellar night for the Hoyas, who came into this season unranked and unheralded, picked to finish fifth in the Big East Conference.

Now the Hoyas, 3-0, take on the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers in the title game.  An upset over the Hoosiers would take the Hoyas from under the radar and put them back in the spotlight, a place the players of Georgetown’s legendary past use to own.

Merlisa blogs about Georgetown and Big East basketball.  Follow her on Twitter: @merlisa