Georgetown: Early Favorite for Final Four

In tonight's Big East v. SEC showdown, Georgetown beat Alabama and West Virginia (in their first year under new coach Bob Huggins) annihilated Auburn.

The West Virginia v. Auburn game was never in doubt. West Virginia blew the Tigers out from the opening tip off.

Alabama gave Georgetown trouble for most of the game, but couldn't hang at the end.

Why are these games relevant? Two reasons:

1.) - Because three players looked like sure fire NBA prospects.

Georgetown center Roy Hibbert, Alabama power forward Richard Hendrix and West Virginia forward Joe Alexander will all be NBA players.

Roy Hibbert returned to Georgetown after toying with the NBA draft over the summer. He made the right decision by going back to school. Hibbert is a giant: he's 7'2," with a very wide body, despite the fact that he's dropped a significant amount of weight in the last two years. The weight loss has allowed Hibbert to show surprising mobility and agility for a guy who is - even with the weight loss - such a mountain of a man. Despite his mass, Hibbert plays a finesse game: in order to maximize his effectiveness at the next level, he'll need to learn how to better utilize his size (not just his height) to his advantage. Hibbert needs to power up to the rim when he has the ball. He needs to be more aggressive on offense. But he has good hands, and has outstanding basketball instincts.

Roy Hibbert looks like an NBA lottery pick. His game isn't pretty, and he's not exactly a force under the basket. But Roy Hibbert will be a nice center at the next level. And he's only 20 years old. This kid has come a long way in a short time (the massive weight loss, the improved athleticism, the improved court sense, etc.). He's still only starting to scratch the surface of what he can be. While I don't expect him to be a perennial NBA all star, I think he'll be a good NBA center (especially if he goes to a team that has a lot of other pieces). Ultimately, I see him being similar to Brendan Haywood at the next level.

Alabama's Richard Hendrix is a big, strong, athletic power forward with a great feel for the game. He has the build and the skills of the prototypical NBA power forward. He's not a new school Kevin Garnett/Dirk Nowitzki type slashing and perimeter shooting power forward. He's an old school, back to the basket, rebounding tough power forward. And he's for real.

Hendrix's game is very polished. He defends and rebounds well. He uses his body and his athleticism well. And he's got all the requisite offensive skills - he scores in the low post, he has a nice 10-15 foot jump shot, he has a good understanding of the game, he passes well and he makes his free throws. This guy is no project. He should be able to contribute the minute he sets foot on an NBA floor.

Finally, West Virginia's Joe Alexander has, seemingly, come from nowhere to establish himself as one of the best college players in the country -- and as a legitimate NBA prospect. This guy was a tall, skinny, frail forward last year. Bob Huggins has made him gain weight and get tougher. He has.

Alexander is an extremely explosive leaper (on one alley oop dunk, his head was parallel with the rim). He has nice lateral quickness and down court speed. This guy is just an effortless athlete (although he doesn't look like he's really playing hard, he goes past you or jumps over you).

Joe Alexander plays power forward, but he's a totally finesse player. He's no back to the basket guy -- he catches the ball and faces up to the basket. Alexander is most comfortable taking his man off the dribble. He either gets to the rim, or (more often) takes a couple dribbles and stops for a mid range jumper or a turnaround. This guy plays like a smaller, more athletic Dirk Nowitzki (I'm not saying that he's in the same stratosphere as Dirk, but he plays with a similar style). He'll probably never be a true power forward, but he'll - no doubt - get his run at the next level. Expect him to be compared to former NBA great Tom Chambers - athletic, high flying white big guys almost always are (probably because they come along so infrequently).

As for the second reason tonight's games were relevant:

2.) - Georgetown.

After watching Georgetown, I'm convinced that they're good enough to make a return trip to the Final Four. They lost forward Jeff Green to the NBA, but they don't look like they've skipped a beat. Their guards are all solid: they make smart plays, handle pressure defense well, they don't turn the ball over, they have the ability penetrate and get into the lane and they nail their perimeter shots. Georgetown's front line, led by Hibbert, is also top notch.

This team has all the pieces. I still don't think they'll win the national championship, but they have the look of a Final Four team for sure. And yeah, it's early ... but Georgetown looks like they're for real.