WASHINGTON (AP) -If you believe Roy Hibbert, he has no idea where Georgetown is in the national polls. Doesn’t have a clue about Memphis’ ranking, either.
So don’t go looking for any big talk from the 7-foot-2 center before Saturday’s matchup between his No. 5 Hoyas and the No. 2 Tigers.
“We go into every game with blinders on our head, not worrying about rankings or anything like that,” Hibbert said Wednesday. “Memphis is just another team to us.”
The last time Hibbert played in a marquee game, he picked up two quick fouls and wasn’t much of a factor in a loss to Ohio State in last season’s Final Four.
Even if this weekend’s game at Memphis provides a chance to make a better impression, Hibbert is doing his best to downplay that angle.
“I’m just going to go out and play the best I can and make sure the team wins,” Hibbert said. “I’m not looking to do anything out of the ordinary.”
The only thing Hibbert will admit looking forward to is the atmosphere for the game.
“It’s fun,” the preseason All-American said. “Obviously there’s going to be cameras and a lot of people in the stands cheering. I like it when the whole arena’s against us. When our back’s up against the wall, we play our best.”
Like Hibbert, most of the Georgetown players stuck to the usual cliches when asked about playing Memphis: It’s just another game. We don’t think about the rankings. We just need to stick to our game plan.
But even their coach doesn’t believe them.
“They’re human,” John Thompson III said. “They realize there’s a lot of talk, a lot of hype about this game and there probably should be.”
Well, at least one Georgetown player was willing to admit the matchup is bigger than the average game.
Guard Jessie Sapp is enjoying the attention.
“It’s nice,” he said. “We haven’t really had a lot of national attention, as far as our games on TV, but everybody’s been marking this game down on their calendars for a long time. And for this showdown to finally come, it’s exciting. I live for this. I love it.”
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