1981–82 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Basketball 1981–82 Georgetown Hoyas Georgetown Hoyas logo.svg 120 Big East Conference Big East 7 6 30–7 10–4 John Thompson 10th Bill Stein 10th Norman Washington 2nd Eddie Meyers 1st Eric "Sleepy" Floyd Eric Smith Ed Spriggs Capital Centre Rochester Classic ChampionsNCAA tournament, runner-upBig East tournament champions National Championship Game L Lost 62-63 vs. North Carolina The 1981–82 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University in the 1981–82 NCAA Division I college basketball season. Led by tenth-year head coach John Thompson, it was the first season in which they played their home games at the Capital Centre in suburban Landover, Maryland, except for five games at McDonough Gymnasium on campus in Washington, D.C. They were members of the Big East Conference and finished the season with a record of 30–7 overall, 10–4 in Big East play. They won the Big East tournament championship, and in the 48 team NCAA tournament they advanced to the national championship game, but lost to North Carolina. Season recap This season saw the arrival of freshman Patrick Ewing as Georgetowns center. Rumors arose even before his arrival that he lacked the academic ability to perform at Georgetown and some sportswriters opined that Georgetown was compromising its academic standards in order to recruit a star player like Ewing. John Thompson and other school officials dismissed the rumors and criticism, and Thompson went to great lengths to shield Ewing from the media. Ewing would go on to earn his degree from Georgetown on time in May 1985.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/p_ewing.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 1. Patrick Ewing 2014-01-30 https://web.archive.org/web/20180723064113/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/p_ewing.htm 2018-07-23 dead http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/p_ewing.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Classic Games 2014-01-30 https://web.archive.org/web/20180723064113/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/p_ewing.htm 2018-07-23 dead Georgetowns move from on-campus McDonough Gymnasium to the Capital Centre for its home games had been prompted by a surge in fan interest in the team as its prominence grew, especially after Ewings arrival sparked great excitement; average attendance at Georgetown games was twice that of the previous season. The Hoyas started the season 11–2 against non-conference opponents, with senior guard and team co-captain Eric "Sleepy" Floyd getting off to an uncharacteristically slow start but then returning to his role as the teams leading scorer, with a combined 41 points in games against American and George Washington, 27 against Nevada-Las Vegas, and 14 of Georgetowns 38 points in a pre-shot-clock-era slow-down game against Columbia.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/e_floyd.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 2. Eric Floyd 2014-01-30 2015-02-24 https://web.archive.org/web/20150224190913/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/e_floyd.htm dead Ewing did not start Georgetowns first game of the season, but he did start the second one and every game after that for the rest of his collegiate career. His talent became apparent immediately to observers following the team closely, but the national media knew him only as one of the years promising young centers. His breakout game came on January 6, 1982, when he played in New York City for the first time. Madison Square Garden hosted its first major college basketball doubleheader since the mid-1960s that day, with No. 9 Wichita State facing Iona in the first game followed by No. 13 Georgetown taking on No. 20 St. John's in the Hoyas Big East opener. Many expected St. Johns to win, but Ewing put in a dominating performance and during the first half Georgetown jumped out to a 41–9 lead. The Hoyas led by 24 points at the half and won 72–42, stunning St. John's fans and ending the medias comparisons of Ewing to any other center in the country. Floyd, meanwhile, led the team in scoring, as he would in nine of the first 11 Big East games of the season and in 11 Big East games overall during the year. On February 20, 1982, No. 13 Georgetown hosted No. 4 Missouri, led by center Steve Stipanovich, in a nationally televised game held at McDonough Gymnasium – the last major men's basketball game scheduled there – because of a scheduling conflict at the Capital Centre. The announced crowd of 4,620 was a record for McDonough, and observers believed the crowd actually exceeded 5,000. Floyd scored 16 points and the issue was never really in doubt, with Georgetown upsetting the Tigers 63–51. The enduring image of the game, shown three times to the television audience on instant replay, was a play in which Ewing attempted to take an alley-oop pass in for a dunk; he missed the dunk, but slammed the ball onto the rim so hard that it flew 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 meters) into the air, drawing a huge crowd reaction and prompting television commentators to express admiration for his power and potential. Senior center Ed Spriggs started the first game of the year but did not start again, instead coming off the bench to relieve Ewing, especially during the middle of games when Ewing had to come out of play with foul trouble. Spriggs greatest success came in mid-season with a 14-point, seven-rebound effort against Syracuse.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/e_spriggs.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 90. Ed Spriggs 2014-02-27 2015-03-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20150329170927/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/e_spriggs.htm dead Sophomore Fred Brown started all 37 games and played point guard all season. He shot 50% from the field, had 131 assists, and set a single-season school record with 80 steals.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/f_brown.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 48. Fred Brown 2014-02-27 2015-09-24 https://web.archive.org/web/20150924031510/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/f_brown.htm dead Senior guard-forward Eric Smith shot 47.9% from the field, averaging 9.5 points per game, and had 75 steals and 116 assists. Early in the year, he scored 17 points against Villanova, and he had 11 points in the Missouri game.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/e_smith.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 37. Eric Smith 2014-02-27 2015-03-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20150329171046/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/e_smith.htm dead Senior forward Mike Hancock started all 37 games. Although overshadowed by Ewing by the end of the season, he shot 47% from the field and had a career-high 20 points, along with seven rebounds, against Boston College.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/m_hancock.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 96. Mike Hancock 2014-02-27 2015-03-31 https://web.archive.org/web/20150331010504/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/m_hancock.htm dead Freshman forward Bill Martin spent most of the season as a reserve behind Hancock, but he did score 21 points early in the season against Saint Leo.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/b_martin.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 19. Bill Martin 2014-02-27 https://web.archive.org/web/20101022131019/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/b_martin.htm 2010-10-22 dead Sophomore guard Gene Smith had proven himself to be a top defensive asset for the Hoyas the previous season, but he was injured during most of this year. He scored a season-high 10 points against Syracuse, but otherwise scored only 19 points in the other 20 games in which he played.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/g_smith.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 68. Gene Smith 2014-02-27 2015-03-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20150329171301/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/g_smith.htm dead Sleepy Floyd scored 29 points – his season high – against Villanova and 20 and 27 points in two games against Syracuse, and the Hoyas finished second in the Big East regular season behind Villanova. During the 1982 Big East men's basketball tournament, Floyd averaged 16.3 points per game, and Georgetown defeated Villanova in the final for the second Big East tournament championship in Georgetown men's basketball history. Eric Smith, who had only four points in the semifinal against St. John's, helped lead Georgetown to victory in the Villanova game with 14 points. The Hoyas received a No. 1 seed and first-round bye in the West Region of the 1982 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, the fourth of 14 consecutive Georgetown NCAA tournament appearances. Against Wyoming in the second round, Eric Smith scored 13 points and held Wyomings Bill Garnett to just five as Georgetown won 51–43. Meeting No. 4 Oregon State in the West Region final, Georgetown shot 29-for-39 (74.4%) from the field – a school record and the third-best ever in an NCAA Tournament game – and Floyd scored 22 points on the way to a 69–45 win that put Georgetown in the Final Four for only the second time in its history and the first time since 1943. In a defensive struggle in the national semifinals against Louisville, Georgetown sophomore guard Fred Brown played one of the best games of his career, Floyd continued his hot scoring, and Eric Smith scored 14 points to give the Hoyas a 50–46 win and their second appearance in the NCAA final and first since 1943. The Hoyas played North Carolina in the final before 61,612 fans, the largest paid basketball crowd in NCAA history. Between the two teams, ten future professionals, among them five future National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Stars, played in a tight game in which neither team ever led by more than six points. Eric Smith scored 14 points and had five assists. Floyd ran his combined point total in the Louisville and North Carolina games to 31, making him the top scorer across both games, while Ewing went 10-for-15 from the field, scored 23 points, had 11 rebounds and three steals, and blocked two shots. With 18 seconds left in the game, North Carolina freshman Michael Jordan scored on an 18-foot (5.5-meter) shot to give the Tar Heels a one-point lead. As Georgetown set its offense for a final shot with seconds left, Brown mistook North Carolina forward James Worthy for Eric Smith and passed the ball to Worthy; as Worthy dribbled down the court, Eric Smith had to foul him to stop the clock with two seconds left. At the free-throw line, Worthy missed the first shot of a one-and-one; Georgetown got the rebound and passed it to Floyd, who made the last shot of his collegiate career, a desperate heave from halfcourt with one second left that fell several feet short. North Carolina took the national championship 63–62, and Georgetowns season ended with cameras capturing John Thompson on the sidelines consoling a devastated Fred Brown with a hug while the Tar Heels celebrated.history.com Mar 29, 1982: Tar Heels win NCAA basketball championship Floyd was among five seniors on the team to graduate in 1982, having been the Hoyas top scorer in all four of his seasons with the team; he remains the top-scoring player in Georgetown history. Drafted in the first round in 1982 by the New Jersey Nets, he had a very successful NBA career, playing for the Nets, Golden State Warriors, and Houston Rockets before retiring in 1995. The 1981–82 Hoyas were ranked No. 6 in the season's final Associated Press Poll and No. 7 in the final Coaches' Poll. Roster Freshman center Patrick Ewing returned to Georgetown as head coach from 2017Wang, Gene, "Georgetown University hires star alumnus Patrick Ewing to replace John Thompson III as men’s basketball coach," washingtonpost.com, April 3, 2017, 7:32 p.m. EDT. to 2023. Sourcehttp://www.hoyabasketball.com/players/roster-80s.htm#1982 The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Rosters 1980-81 to 1989–1990 2013-12-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20150330045658/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/players/roster-80s.htm#1982 2015-03-30 dead The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Player Directory: Jersey Numbers #NameHeightWeight (lbs.)PositionClassHometownPrevious Team(s)10Kurt Kaull6'3"N/AGJr.Wheaton, Illinois, United StatesWheaton Warrenville South HS11Anthony Jones6'6"N/AFFr.Washington, D.C., United StatesDunbar HS12Elvado Smith6'2"N/AGFr.Harwood, Maryland, United StatesSouth River HS20Fred Brown6'5"190GSo.Bronx, New York, United StatesAdlai E. Stevenson HS21Eric "Sleepy" Floyd6'3"170GSr.Gastonia, North Carolina, United StatesHunter Huss HS22Gene Smith6'2"170GSo.Washington, D.C., United StatesMcKinley Technology HS24Bill Martin6'7"215FFr.Washington, D.C., United StatesMcKinley Technology HS30Ron Blaylock6'3"N/AGSr.Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United StatesEast Forsyth HS32Eric Smith6'5"185FSr.Potomac, Maryland, United StatesWinston Churchill HS33Patrick Ewing7'0"240CFr.Cambridge, Massachusetts, United StatesCambridge Rindge and Latin School34Jim Corcoran6'0"N/AGSr.Potomac, Maryland, United StatesGeorgetown Preparatory School40Mike Hancock6'7"180FSr.Washington, D.C., United StatesRoosevelt Senior HS42David Blue6'7"N/AFJr.Frederick, Maryland, United StatesProspect Hall HS50Ed Spriggs6'9"240C/FSr.North Brentwood, Maryland, United StatesNorthwestern HS Team players drafted into the NBA SOURCES http://www.databasebasketball.com/draft/draftyear.htm?lg=N&yr=1982 1982 NBA Draft on Basketballreference.com 2009-04-22 usurped https://web.archive.org/web/20090731110805/http://www.databasebasketball.com/draft/draftyear.htm?yr=1982&lg=N 2009-07-31 Round Pick Player NBA club 1 13 Eric "Sleepy" Floyd New Jersey Nets Rankings 1981–82 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings SOURCES1981-82 Big East Conference Season Summarysports-reference.com 1981-82 Polls + Ranking movementLegend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes. Poll Pre Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Final AP 5 20 20 19 17 17 13 8 13 20 13 12 8 6 Coaches 5 –No Coaches' Poll this week. 17 13 15 9 7 11 20 17 12 11 8 7 Schedule and results yes |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| Exhibition Nov. 18, 1981 yes 5 KK Cibona McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC 78–64 — 2,718 |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| Regular Season Nov. 27, 1981 yes yes 5 Southwestern Louisiana Buckner Fieldhouse Fort Richardson, AK Great Alaska Shootout 61–70 0–1 3,600 Nov. 28, 1981 yes yes 5 Alaska-Anchorage Buckner Fieldhouse Fort Richardson, AK Great Alaska Shootout 77–67 1–1 3,600 Nov. 29, 1981 yes yes 5 Ohio State Buckner Fieldhouse Fort Richardson, AK Great Alaska Shootout 46–47 1–2 1,500 Dec. 2, 1981 yes 20 Morgan State McDonough Gymnasium Washington, D.C. 81–53 2–2 3,802 Dec. 5, 1981 yes 20 San Diego State Capital Centre Landover, Maryland 71–53 3–2 8,503 Dec. 9, 1981 yes 20 Saint Leo McDonough Gymnasium Washington, D.C. 83–37 4–2 N/A Dec. 12, 1981 yes 20 American Capital Centre Landover, Maryland 75–63 5–2 8,494 Dec. 16, 1981 yes 19 George Washington Capital Centre Landover, Maryland 61–48 6–2 8,695 Dec. 19, 1981 yes 19 Nevada-Las Vegas Capital Centre Landover, Maryland 76–52 7–2 N/A Dec. 22, 1981 yes 17 Western Kentucky Capital Centre Landover, Maryland 64–45 8–2 8,802 Dec. 29, 1981 yes yes 17 Columbia Rochester Community War Memorial Rochester, New York Rochester Classic 38–26 9–2 4,606 Dec. 30, 1981 yes yes 17 Niagara Rochester Community War Memorial Rochester, New York Rochester Classic 77–49 10–2 6,294 Jan. 2, 1982 yes 17 Robert Morris Capital Centre Landover, Maryland 75–58 11–2 7,155 Jan. 6, 1982 yes 13 St. John's 20 Madison Square Garden New York City 72–42 12–2 1–0 19,951 Jan. 10, 1982 13 Boston College Capital Centre Landover, Maryland 67–51 13–2 2–0 9,365 Jan. 13, 1982 yes 8 Seton Hall Walsh Gymnasium South Orange, New Jersey 62–60 14–2 3–0 2,902 Jan. 17, 1982 yes 8 Syracuse Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Rivalry 70–75 14–3 3–1 N/A Jan. 20, 1982 13 Connecticut McDonough Gymnasium Washington, D.C. Rivalry 52–63 14–4 3–2 4,520 Jan. 23, 1982 yes 13 Providence Providence Civic Center Providence, Rhode Island 49–50 14–5 3–3 7,953 Jan 25, 1982 13 Villanova 20 Capital Centre Landover, Maryland 72–56 15–5 4–3 11,553 Jan. 31, 1982 St. John's Capital Centre Landover, Maryland 63–46 16–5 5–3 12,934 Feb. 3, 1982 yes Villanova Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 83–72 17–5 6–3 9,208 Feb. 6, 1982 Seton Hall Capital Centre Landover, Maryland 113–73 18–5 7–3 11,850 Feb. 8, 1982 Syracuse Capital Centre Landover, Maryland Rivalry 96–79 19–5 8–3 N/A Feb. 13, 1982 yes 20 Southern McDonough Gymnasium Washington, D.C. 84–48 20–5 4,513 Feb. 17, 1982 yes 13 Boston College Roberts Center Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 71–80 20–6 8–4 4,400 Feb. 20, 1982 yes 13 Missouri 4 McDonough Gymnasium Washington, D.C. NBC 63–51 21–6 4,620 Feb. 24, 1982 12 Providence Capital Centre Landover, Maryland 60–42 22–6 9–4 12,812 Feb. 27, 1982 yes 12 Connecticut Hartford Civic Center Hartford, Connecticut Rivalry 60–42 23–6 10–4 15,425 |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| Big East tournament Mar. 4, 1982 yes 8 2 Providence 7 Hartford Civic Center Hartford, Connecticut Quarterfinal 62–48 24–6 14,944 Mar. 5, 1982 yes 8 2 St. John's 3 Hartford Civic Center Hartford, Connecticut Semifinal 57–42 25–6 15,136 Mar. 6, 1982 yes 8 2 Villanova 1 Hartford Civic Center Hartford, Connecticut Final 72–54 26–6 14,044 |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| NCAA Tournament Mar. 13, 1982 6:24 pm yes 6 1 W Wyoming 8 W Assembly Center Logan, Utah West Region Second Round 51–43Georgetown, N. Carolina Gain; Hoyas Overcome Foul Trouble https://www.nytimes.com/1982/03/14/sports/georgetown-n-carolina-gain-hoyas-overcome-foul-problems.html The New York Times March 14, 1982 April 9, 2023 27–6 9,546 Mar. 18, 1982 11:40 pm yes 6 1 W Fresno State 11 4 W Marriott Center Provo, Utah West Region Semifinal – Sweet Sixteen CBS 58–40ALA.-BIRMINGHAM OUSTS VIRGINIA; GEORGETOWN GAINS; FRESNO STATE FALLS, 58-40-OREGON STATE ROUTS IDAHO https://www.nytimes.com/1982/03/19/sports/ala-birmingham-ousts-virginia-georgetown-gains-fresno-state-falls-58-40-oregon.html The New York Times March 19, 1982 January 23, 2022 28–6 15,237 Mar. 20, 1982 2:55 pm yes 6 1 W Oregon State 4 2 W Marriott Center Provo, Utah West Region Final – Elite Eight CBS 69–45Georgetown, Louisville In Final Four; Hoyas Better Oregon State by 69-45 https://www.nytimes.com/1982/03/21/sports/georgetown-louisville-in-final-four-hovas-better-oregon-state-by-69-45.html The New York Times March 21, 1982 August 14, 2021 29–6 14,986 Mar. 27, 1982 6:00 pm yes 6 1 W Louisville 20 3 ME Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana National Semifinal CBS 50–46 30–6 61,612 March 29, 1982 8:00 pm yes 6 1 W North Carolina 1 1 E Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana National Final CBS 62–63 30–7 61,612 AP poll Eastern time Source:http://www.hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-1980.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: 1980s Seasons December 7, 2013 February 12, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170212070905/http://hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-1980.htm dead http://www.hoyabasketball.com/opponents.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Records vs. All Opponents 2013-12-07 2013-11-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20131103211101/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/opponents.htm dead sports-reference.com 1981-82 Big East Conference Schedule and Results2012-2013 Georgetown Men's Basketball Media Guide, p. 63.Anonymous, "Sports Briefs," UPI, November 19, 1981 Accessed March 16, 2021Feinstein, John, "Ewing's Start Is Something Big," The Washington Post, November 19, 1981, Page D1 Accessed March 16, 2021 Notes note References Georgetown Hoyas Category:Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball seasons Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons Georgetown Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team