A few friends and I decided to brave a trip to D.C. today for the Georgetown-St. John's game at MCI Center. I don't know what anyone else saw today, but when I was driving down Constitution Avenue this morning at 11:30, it didn't seem all that different from any other Saturday morning in Washington. Ad this was with what was billed as a huge anti-war protest coming into town.
Sure, I saw a sprinkling of protesters, but there weren't nearly enough to even cause a minor disruption. Bottom line: it was nothing like some of the other massive protests I've seen in my 17 years in Washington -- and that includes Earth Day 1991, a plethora of pro-choice events, or even the Promise Keepers from a couple of years back. For a sampling of the Washington Post coverage of today's actvities, click here.
In any case, it's safe to say that Georgetown-St. John's was college basketball's red-headed step-child in the Washington area today, with most eyes focussed on College Park and the brand new Comcast Arena where defending national champs Maryland were playing Duke. It was the first time the Blue Devils played at Comcast, and the Terps didn't disappoint the sell-out crowd, dropping the number one team in the nation 87-72.
Life was a little more sedate at the MCI Center, for what used to be a marquee Big East matchup. It's easy to forget, but there was a time when the ACC played the Big East in a pre-season challenge tournament, not the Big 10. And Georgetown-St. John's used to be one of the greatest rivalries in the nation -- one that could easily sell out either the Capital Centre or Madison Square Garden back in the days of Pat Ewing, Chris Mullin, John Thompson and Lou Carnesecca.
But that was long ago. The arena was barely half full. Granted, there was some drama. St. John's coach Mike Jarvis spent close to a decade in D.C. as coach of George Washington University, and during that time, Thompson consistenly refused to schedule the potential cross-town rival, even as GWU's program rose in national prominence. Jarvis left GWU a few season ago for St. John's, and it looks like he didn't forget the snub, as he's never lost to Georgetown since.
His streak looked like it might be in jeopardy midway through the second half, as the Red Storm fell behind by 16. No worries, mate. Georgetown was nice enough to treat the visitors to a gracious second half collapse, eventually succumbing 77-72.
POSTSCRIPT: As you might have guessed, college basketball analysis isn't exactly my strong suit. So, for all of your college basketball needs, check out Steve Smith's Condredge's Acolytes, which has switched over to college basketball coverage now that the BCS is over with. And if you like, check out Thomas Inskeep's blog, where you'll find the college basketball mixed in with a healthy helping of the latest on the music scene -- like this entry giving a quick review of the Smithereens's greatest hits album.
And for you fans of Steven Patrick Morrissey:
"Good times for a change, seen the luck I had, can make a good man, turn bad. . ."
