Green steps up
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – With big man Roy Hibbert on the bench, Jeff Green knew he had to step up.
Turns out he might have taken one step too many as he lifted the Georgetown Hoyas into a regional final for the first time in 11 years.
Green squeezed between two defenders, spun and banked in a short, off-balance shot with 2.5 seconds to play to lead Georgetown to a 66-65 victory over Vanderbilt in the East Regional semifinals Friday night.
Replays seemed to suggest Green traveled by picking up and switching his pivot foot. None of the three officials saw it that way.
“No,” Green said when asked about a possible traveling violation. “There were a lot of guys in there. I probably got pushed. They didn’t call it. The play was good, and that’s all I can say.”
Vanderbilt forward Ross Neltner wasn’t complaining about the lack of a call, and he was double-teaming Green with Shan Foster on the play.
“I didn’t really see anything,” Neltner said. “We’ll watch the tape, but it’s inconsequential at this point.”
The reality is second-seeded Georgetown (29-6) is headed to the East Regional final for a matchup against top-seeded North Carolina.
The Hoyas accomplished it with 7-foot-2 center Hibbert on the bench after fouling out with 3:58 to play.
The sixth-seeded Commodores took a 65-64 lead with 17.9 seconds left when Dan Cage hit two free throws after being fouled collecting the rebound of Patrick Ewing Jr.’s missed jumper.
After a timeout, Jessie Sapp gave it to Green at the foul line extended and let the 6-9 forward go to work.
Green started to make a move, fumbled the ball. He recovered, made a turnaround move and banked home the short jumper with two Vandy players trying to stop him. Replays seemed to indicate he might have walked by switching his pivot foot.
“Well the play was to try to look for the backdoor,” said Green, who finished with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting. “Then after that, just try to get something toward the basket. When I went into my move, I kind of fumbled it a little, hurried up, tried to find it, pick it up. Just tried to get it up off the glass and it went in.
“That was a good play, a fumble play, a bumble play I had to make,” Green said. “I got lucky, and it went in.”
Coach Kevin Stallings of Vanderbilt (22-12) refused to ruin Green’s big moment.
“I’m certainly not going to take away from the dignity of this game,” Stallings said. “I haven’t seen the replay. Don’t care to. He made a great shot.”
Hibbert had 12 points and 10 rebounds – most in the second half – to help Georgetown rally from an eight-point halftime deficit.