As the 2025-26 season approaches, Ed Cooley and Georgetown are dealing with something they haven’t yet faced at the Hilltop: expectations.

Despite the losses of NBA Draft picks Thomas Sorber and Micah Peavy, several national pundits think the Hoyas are set to push for the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Cooley.

The Jon Rothsteins and Terrence Oglesbys of the world point to the step forward the program took last season, as well as the potential wing depth and defense of this group, and expect Georgetown to battle for a tournament berth come March.

The Hoyas certainly took a step forward a season ago. They went from 9-23 in Cooley’s first season to 18-16 (8-12 in the Big East) in 2025. Sorber far exceeded anyone’s expectations as a freshman — dominating on both the offensive and defensive ends from the jump. Meanwhile, Peavy became the Big East’s breakout veteran — the best defensive wing in the league who turned into a lethal scorer after years as a complementary piece at Texas Tech and TCU.

Hoya fans will point to the Sorber injury as one that derailed a push toward March relevance last season, but in reality, their résumé lacked anything resembling a marquee non-conference win, and they began to falter in the weeks leading up to Sorber going down for the year on Feb. 15.

They lost to the only two top-100 teams they faced in the non-conference last season, and eight of their nine non-con victories came over teams ranked #240 or worse on KenPom.

Cooley was smart enough to see his team needed to put some Ws on the board to gain confidence, and scheduled accordingly. The plan certainly looked to work early after the Hoyas started Big East play 3-0, with wins over Creighton, Seton Hall, and Xavier.

Georgetown was 12-2 overall and 3-0 in the Big East on Jan. 3, but went 6-14 the rest of the way, including a 3-6 record in January.

Why are so many so high on Georgetown, especially in light of losing Sorber and Peavy?

Four reasons:

  • They should have good wing depth

  • This has the potential to be a tough defensive group

  • Cooley’s track record of winning with teams that turn games into rock fights

  • Georgetown has a roster littered with highly regarded recruits being elevated into bigger roles

Can Cooley accomplish what he did at Providence and reach the NCAA Tournament in year three?

What does this team look like if all breaks right?

What are their reasons for concern?

Let’s take a look.