Win or lose in today’s Big East Championship game against Pitt, regular season conference champion and 9th ranked Georgetown proved that they have all the pieces necessary to be a viable contender for the NCAA title this season in a thrilling 84-82 victory over a very good Notre Dame squad.

The key to the Hoyas’ success is balance and their relentless execution of the “Princeton” offense that John Thompson III installed when he became Georgetown’s head coach in 2004.  The core of the offensive system is constant movement, lots of passes, and a deluge of screens and cuts that lead to many open shots.  Even when taken out of their flow, the skills and teamwork the offense engenders usually allows them to compensate.

“I’ve said all year that we can play any style,” Thompson said after Friday night’s victory.  “I think that we — I think that we have the understanding as well as the personnel so that we can adjust what we’re doing.”

It’s this flexibility that will make the Hoyas incredibly dangerous come tourney time.  Big East Player of the Year Jeff Green can score and pass as well as any forward in the country and Jonathan Wallace is one of the smartest, most underrated guards in the country.

Georgetown hasn’t been in the same sentence with the Ohio State and UCLA’s of the world so far this season but once the NCAA tourney starts Georgetown has the type of team that has a chance to go on a real roll.

Random Georgetown Fact:  Georgetown was all over the viral, user-produced video trend this season and regularly featured student created videos on the jumbotrons during games.  Here’s a great story on it from Georgetown’s student newspaper, the Hoya.