Hard luck Hoyas

Georgetown loses at GLOBL JAM, but defense may be a good sign for the upcoming season. Plus: Oregon adds frontcourt depth, Bryce James on his Arizona expectations, Mark Pope advocates for 40-game regular season and could bombshells be coming for college basketball gambling charges?

Author

Tristan Freeman
August 15, 2025

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Good morning! What if the college hoops season started in September? Too much of a good thing?

Let’s get to that and the rest of Thursday’s news.

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1. Georgetown loses thriller at GLOBL JAM

After a 35-point win over Japan in Wednesday’s GLOBL JAM opener, Georgetown/Team USA had a drastic jump in opponent quality on Thursday. But it also made for a better game.

With two key players out (Langston Love and KJ Lewis), Georgetown had trouble scoring and lost 65-62 to Team Canada. Malik Mack led the way with 14 points and 11 assists, but shot 5-of-21 from the field. DaShawn Harris-Smith had 11 points and eight rebounds. Those two were the Hoyas’ best options all game.

It’s a not a bad result, though. Canada has several current/recent D-I starters, including Florida transfer Xaivian Lee, Alabama junior guard Aden Holloway, and Vasean Allette, a former starter at TCU who is now at Texas-San Antonio.

Georgetown’s short-handed roster has shown so far that it can defend, and there’s some real potential both on the perimeter and on the wings, as UConn transfer forward Isaiah Abraham has been an impactful contributor. 

However, one glaring concern has been the play at the five-spot. Sophomore big man Julius Halaifonua and USC transfer Vincent Iwuchukwu combined to produce just 11 points on 2-of-13 shooting. Even more concerning was just two rebounds in 31 combined minutes. Replacing Thomas Sorber, last year’s starting center, was always going to be a challenge, but in these two games, the production from these two has been underwhelming.

Allette was Canada’s star with a near triple-double (7-10-8), including a late basket to keep them ahead with 13 seconds to go. Lee finished with 11 points and seven assists, showing that he can play next to another playmaking guard. Holloway came off the bench to finish with eight points and four assists in 22 minutes.

Georgetown next faces first-place Brazil today. It needs a win and a big Canada loss to Japan to make it to Sunday’s gold medal game.

2. College hoops gambling charges are looming

The past year has included various reports of college basketball programs being investigated for gambling-related issues. The most notable development was the suspension of several New Orleans players last season.

It may get more serious, real soon.

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