Hoyas’ road stays rough

For Georgetown, tonight’s matchup against No.11 Illinois represents both a massive challenge and a major opportunity.

Over the last several seasons, Illinois has entrenched itself as one of the land’s premier programs. The Illini compiled a 37-2 record last season during their march to the NCAA final.

And with All-American point guard Dee Brown (13.9 points, 5.0 assists) and nimble center James Augustine (15.6 points, 8.9 rebounds) back for their senior seasons, Illinois (8-0) is off to an impressive start in its quest to capture a third consecutive Big Ten title. During that run, the Illini have been almost unbeatable at Assembly Hall, compiling a 25-game homecourt win streak that ranks third in the nation behind only those at Washington (29) and Gonzaga (26).

That is the backdrop of dominance against which the hungry Hoyas (3-1) will attempt to author the first signature victory of the John Thompson III era.

“It’s not by accident that we’re going into some pretty hostile environments,” said Thompson, whose Hoyas have ramped up to tonight’s test with road victories over Navy, James Madison and Oregon. “Hopefully, we can get through these experiences and they will prepare us for our league play.”

Gone are the days when Georgetown’s pre-Big East slate featured a parade of ego-boosting, RPI-crippling laughers against Ball Boy State. To the dismay of his legendary father, Thompson the younger put together a meaty nonconference schedule that included six road games and major-conference tips against Vanderbilt, Oregon, Illinois and Duke. That looked like a dubious idea when the Commodores upset the Hoyas 68-61 at MCI Center on Nov.26. But Georgetown’s 71-57 victory at Oregon last week, which snapped the Ducks’ 35-game nonconference winning streak at McArthur Court, suggests that possibly Pops doesn’t know best.

After trailing 12-4 to start that game, Thompson switched to a 3-2 zone, and the Hoyas completely stifled the Ducks thereafter, holding Oregon to 21.4 percent shooting during a 31-11 run spanning intermission. Georgetown led by double-digits throughout the second half, and the margin would have been embarrassing for the home team had the Ducks not drained five of seven 3-pointers in garbage time.

“They hadn’t lost an out-of-conference game at home in 35 or 36 games, so did we expect to go out there and have the margin be as wide as it was? No,” Thompson said. “But I was just proud of how our guys progressed from the game prior to that. We went out there and showed a toughness that is necessary to win on the road. That’s what we’re trying to build and what we’re trying to grow.”

Georgetown will have to take another major step forward to compete with the Illini. But this isn’t the same Illinois juggernaut that dispatched the Hoyas 74-59 last season at MCI Center. The Illini lost three double-digit scorers from that squad when Deron Williams, Roger Powell and Luther Head left for the NBA. And while both Brown and Augustine are proven stars, the supporting cast for coach Bruce Weber is defined by freshmen and question marks.

Expect Georgetown again to employ the zone defense it worked to perfection against Oregon to slow Brown and the quicker Illinois guards. And if Georgetown’s frontcourt combination of surging sophomore center Roy Hibbert (16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds) and versatile power forward Jeff Green (9.8 points, 7.8 rebounds) handles Augustine, the Hoyas should have a legitimate upset shot.

After all, the team’s three most impressive victories under Thompson have all come on the road — last week’s streak snapper at Oregon as well as wins last season at Pittsburgh and at Villanova.

In just his second season at the helm, Thompson already has turned around the Georgetown program by putting a competitive product on the court and flexing his recruiting muscles. The next step in the progression back toward prominence is a marquee victory and a national ranking. A victory tonight would satisfy the former and likely result in the latter.