40 Years of DCs "Cold War"

jessej

All-Conference
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GIVING DAY 2023

From Georgetown's Booster Site - also mentions GMU-Georgetown
Another Reason/Need for the DMV Invitational
GMU - GWU - GT - Maryland - Howard - American - UMBC - Va - VaTech - Richmond
on some type of rotating schedule


40 Years Of DC's "Cold War"​

6/9/21
gwu_400.jpg

"A total of 6,800 feet separate the borders of Georgetown University and George Washington University, but it may as well be a thousand miles."

That's a quote from the Georgetown Basketball History Project in 2018 on the state of relations between these two local universities, which have not met on the hard court in 40 years. Academically and athletically, it's as if the two schools barely acknowledge one another.

Athletically, GW sponsors every sport Georgetown does except football, field hockey, men's lacrosse, and women's golf. Matchups between the Colonials and Hoyas are common in sports such as baseball and tennis, but men's basketball remains at a visible impasse: the most recent meeting between the schools was 1,495 games ago.

In the 93rd game of the series, Georgetown defeated George Washington, 61-48, on December 16, 1981, before 8,695 at Capital Centre during Patrick Ewing's freshman season. The series was not renewed in 1982-83 and neither school has proffered the cause for the decision. In 2006, the GW Hatchet newspaper stated that "GW's athletic staff, which formulates the schedule, decided to end the series for unknown reasons."

When Ewing held his introductory press conference as head coach on April 6, 2017, the second question he faced was from the late Mark Plotkin, asking Ewing if he would support a proposed "Ward Two Classic" between the schools.

"That is something I'm not at liberty to discuss right now," Ewing said. "That's something that Lee {Reed] and I would sit down and discuss when the time is appropriate", and it's the last time Georgetown has publicly discussed it.

There are many suspects in these battles (old feuds, scheduling disputes, gate revenues, the demise of the BB&T Classic, etc.) but no single culprit; regardless, in the last 10 seasons Georgetown has scheduled a grand total of three home games with Howard, two with American, one with Maryland, and none with George Washington. (This doesn't even begin to explain why Georgetown and George Mason do not play. The Hoyas played at GMU in December 1985, and the Patriots never returned a game since.)

While Georgetown will be filling out its 2021-22 home schedule this summer with the likes of Radford and Maryland-Eastern Shore amidst empty seats at Capital One Arena, these nearest of neighbors continue to ignore each other.
 

Pablo

Hall of Famer

"Which brings me to the men’s basketball programs of Georgetown University and George Washington University. Georgetown was the national champion way back in 1984, and, in the immortal words of the late Marion Barry, they have never 'gotten over it.'"

"Feinstein has written about Georgetown arrogance and elitism for years. He told me that 'Georgetown doesn’t think they have anything to gain.'”
 

Five Two

All-American
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Feinstein is correct, Georgetown doesnt have anything to gain by playing GW or us. And for the most part, outside of a few years, neither of us (Mason and GW), have given Georgetown any reason to play us. This really isn't all that complicated, IMO.
Now, if you want to discuss Maryland-Georgetown, thats an entirely different discussion.
 

Pablo

Hall of Famer
Feinstein is correct, Georgetown doesnt have anything to gain by playing GW or us. And for the most part, outside of a few years, neither of us (Mason and GW), have given Georgetown any reason to play us. This really isn't all that complicated, IMO.
Now, if you want to discuss Maryland-Georgetown, thats an entirely different discussion.

Do you think that Villanova has anything to gain by playing the other Philly Big 5 schools?
 

Quentin Daniels

Hall of Famer
Feinstein is correct, Georgetown doesnt have anything to gain by playing GW or us. And for the most part, outside of a few years, neither of us (Mason and GW), have given Georgetown any reason to play us. This really isn't all that complicated, IMO.
Now, if you want to discuss Maryland-Georgetown, thats an entirely different discussion.

I don't like it, but that's probably true. If they win, it's expected. If they lose, which isn't all that unlikely a scenario over time, it's a loss in their backyard that's going to get an extra does of attention and commentary.

And from a revenue standpoint, why would you schedule an away game when you could host one at home and keep the revenue? Unless anyone thinks that either Mason or GW would be willing to always travel.
 

Pablo

Hall of Famer
Georgetown vs.:

GW (record 54-39). First game: 2/27/1907. Last game: 1981-82 season.

UMD (record 29-38). First game: 1907-08 season. Last game: 2016-17 season.

AU (record 46-8). First game: 1938-39 season. Last game: 2019-20 season.

Mason (record 1-0): 1985-86 season.

Howard (record 10-0): First game: 12/6/1999. Last game 12/29/2018.
 
I remember Georgetown offered to play us in 1985 as part of the promotion for the movie "St. Elmo's Fire." There was some sort of dispute over University Mall Theaters not wanting to show it because they showed "Rocky Horror Picture Show" most nights or something...can't remember.

Marsh or Sumser or one of those old dogs would remember.
 

GMU79

All-American
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GIVING DAY 2023
I remember Georgetown offered to play us in 1985 as part of the promotion for the movie "St. Elmo's Fire." There was some sort of dispute over University Mall Theaters not wanting to show it because they showed "Rocky Horror Picture Show" most nights or something...can't remember.

Marsh or Sumser or one of those old dogs would remember.
RHPS, one movie I don't regret missing.
 
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