By Rand Paul
Obama acts as though we no longer have a Constitution
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Otto Porter knew from a season's worth of experience that Florida Gulf Coast would make stopping him a priority. But this time, in the bright spotlight of the NCAA tournament, Porter wasn't able to overcome that increased pressure.
The Hoyas seem to be in a better situation than a year ago. Friday they'll open the NCAA tournament at Wells Fargo Center as a No. 2 seed against No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast with memories of last year's upset fresh in their minds.
Before his Georgetown Hoyas left for their trip to China in the summer of 2011, coach John Thompson III began to see what he had in Otto Porter Jr.
Markel Starks had 14 points and D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera added 13 off the bench, including a tiebreaking 3-pointer that sparked a game-turning run for the top-seeded Hoyas (25-5).
John Thompson Jr. coached Georgetown to a regular-season title in 1979-80, Year 1 of the Big East, and his son took the Hoyas to the final regular-season title before the conference undergoes massive changes, emphatically ending the rivalry against Syracuse with a 61-39 win Saturday.
Otto Porter Jr.'s layup with 9.5 seconds remaining in the second overtime gave No. 7 Georgetown a 79-78 victory over Connecticut on Wednesday night, the Hoyas' 10th straight win and first-ever at Gampel Pavilion.
Porter scored 16 points while playing in foul trouble and Starks hit the biggest shots down the stretch, rallying the Hoyas to their seventh straight win on Friday night, 62-55 over Cincinnati.
Georgetown has played in its fair share of uncomfortably close games during the first eight contests of the season. While the optimist might suggest this kind of trial by fire will prepare the Hoyas for the rigors of the Big East campaign, the pessimist has an eye on another issue.
Two days after its season opener was wiped away because of condensation that couldn't be, Georgetown took the floor Sunday at the much drier Verizon Center for take two of Game 1.
"I definitely will," he said. "Just to come in even more prepared. We'll definitely be back next year."
Otto Porter Jr. faces decision, Georgetown faces reflection after early NCAA exit →
"I know he didn't have his best night today, but that has nothing to do with the reason that we lost," guard D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera said. "Everybody had their moments where they weren't playing their part."
Florida Gulf Coast contains Georgetown star Otto Porter Jr. →
