Georgetown University Men’s Basketball will visit the West Coast for the first time in eight years, and square off against defending Pacific-10 Conference champion Washington in the 16^th Annual John Wooden Classic on December 12 at Honda Center, starting at 11 a.m. It will be the Hoyas first visit to the west coast since Dec. 29, 2001, when the club fell to UCLA, 98-91. 

The first-ever meeting between Georgetown and Washington’s men’s basketball programs, the game will also mark the Hoyas first appearance in the Wooden Classic. Under the direction of Head Coach John Thompson III, last year the Hoyas advanced to the postseason for the fifth-straight season, beat two teams that advanced to the Final Four and two teams that reached the Sweet 16 while playing a schedule that ranked among the toughest in the country. 

Georgetown returns three starters from last year’s team, led by junior guards Austin Freeman and Chris Wright, as well as 2008-09 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, center Greg Monroe.  The appearance in the Wooden Classic will also be a homecoming for Georgetown freshman forward Hollis Thompson, who prepped at De La Salle (Concord, CA).

This will be Washington’s second appearance in the Wooden Classic. In 2005, the Huskies defeated New Mexico 81-71 behind a solid 22-point effort by Jamaal Williams against his former team. All-America Brandon Roy added 18 points for Coach Lorenzo Romar’s team  that eventually advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. Last season, Washington won its first-ever Pac-10 title and the first league title of any sort since 1953 and fell just two points shy of its third Sweet 16 appearance in six seasons. The Huskies finished last season with a 26-9 overall record and a 14-4 mark in taking the Pac-10 title. 

The team returns three starters this season, including senior forward Quincy Pondexter – who earned his first international experience last summer as a member of the USA squad that earned a bronze medal at the World University Games. Romar also welcomes the return of one of the nation’s best backcourts, led by sophomore Isaiah Thomas – last year’s leading scorer. 

The Georgetown University vs. University of Washington game is the second announced match-up of the one-day doubleheader, joining UCLA vs. Mississippi State which was announced on June 11, 2009.