Georgetown Preview, 2025-26

Year two under Ed Cooley was significantly better than his first campaign. The Hoyas posted a winning record, improved their kenpom rank by more than 100 places, and bolstered their roster with high-major transfers. The fans, however, seem unconvinced. After an increase in fan attendance to 6,755 per game in Cooley's first year, attendance dropped back down to Ewing-era levels at 5,659 per game. The results may be improved, but it seems the fans need a true contender before they are ready to buy back in on this program. There are some reasons for optimism, but those remain mostly obfuscated behind a program that hasn't earned an at-large NCAA bid since 2015. 

Style of Play

I feel like the best description for Cooley's Flex Offense is scrappy. The design is to play four out around one big man. They slow the pace, looking to finish plays from the arc, off cuts inside, or by getting second chance points. Earlier in his career, the offense keyed off one high-usage lead guard, like Vincent Council or Kris Dunn, but in recent years they've spread that out to multiple creators. While Cooley has had some decent offenses, it's less about efficiency and more about workload that creates their success. In nineteen years, he has never had a top-100 eFG% team according to kenpom. His teams often take bad shots, but because they protect the ball and pound the offensive glass they score enough to stick in the game.

Play Analysis from Hoop-Explorer.com

Defensively, Cooley's players run a tight man-to-man system. They get right up on their mark and challenge every shot. His best defenses feature multiple ballhawks on the wings that can create turnovers and points in transition. When the perimeter breaks down, the goal is to shuttle drivers into their backstop shot-blockers. They are often bend but don't break defenses that don't necessarily excel in any one area but do enough to keep games competitive.

2024-25 Outlook 

While at Providence, the Three Man Weave dubbed the kenpom range from 40-80 to be the "Cooley Zone." Metrically, it's where many bubble to higher NIT seed teams find themselves come Selection Sunday. Cooley's teams end up there because their lack of shooting leads to a tendency to not win by large margins. Cooley is a wizard in close games, however. Since his first NCAA Tournament team at Providence in 2014, Cooley's teams are 78-38 (0.672 WP%) in games decided by 4 points or fewer at the end of regulation. This will be a defense first team, but between Lewis, Mack, and Love, there's enough shot-making to help turn the tide at the end of close games. Expect this team to be right back in the Cooley Zone, and as long as they can keep up their winning ways in close games, they'll be in the mix for a bid come Selection Sunday.

One Man's Opinion

I have Georgetown at 6th in the Big East and think that'll be good enough to at least have them in the bubble conversation come Selection Sunday. This is heavily predicated on the K.J. Lewis breakout, but even beyond him there's high-major experience all over the roster and enough underdog mentality mixed with actual talent to thrive in Cooley's system that aims at competing enough to be in the game in the final 2 minutes while he makes the tweaks to get them over the hump.