Why Georgetown will win

Ohio State 7-foot freshman center Greg Oden has finally met his Goliath equal in Georgetown junior center 7-2 Roy Hibbert.

In the past five games, Hibbert has registered double-figure points and rebounds, spanning from the Big East championship victory against Pittsburgh and 7-0 Aaron Gray through Sunday’s East Regional final victory vs. North Carolina and 6-9 Tyler Hansbrough.

If Oden is the prodigy, Hibbert is the self-made big man whom former Georgetown coach John Thompson Jr. used to lovingly call a “big stiff.” When he was young, basketball didn’t come easy. “I started growing real tall at a young age so I tried to use my height. I wasn’t too good at the other stuff. So I tried to be good at what I was – being tall,” Hibbert said.

Now, he’s the Hoyas second-leading scorer (12.7 points a game) and top rebounder (6.9) and shot-blocker (2.5). Last year against the Buckeyes in the second round of the NCAA tournament, Hibbert had 20 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots.

With three juniors in the starting lineup, the Hoyas certainly trump the young Buckeyes with their experience and veteran leadership. Plus, they enter the Final Four searing hot – they have won their last eight games and 19 of the last 20, mostly by holding opponents to less than 60 points.

Though Georgetown’s frontcourt is its strength, during the postseason the Hoyas have shown that any of their starters – plus reserve Patrick Ewing Jr. – can be counted on in clutch situations.

Even the most unheralded guy on the team, former walk-on point guard Jonathan Wallace, the team’s most lethal 3-point shooter, made the critical 3-pointer with 31 seconds left to force overtime in the East Regional final win against North Carolina.

Then there’s junior forward Jeff Green, the Big East player of the year, who does everything, whether scoring the winning basket against Vanderbilt or making his favorite play – the backdoor bounce pass to a teammate.