UCLA, Indiana and the NCAA basketball fan bases living in the past

3. Georgetown basketball fans still live for the days of Patrick Ewing’s playing career.

You’ll notice a bit of a trend here as the Big East has placed three teams on this list. While UConn dominated the 2000s Georgetown was the conference’s dominant team in the 1980s.

Former head coach John Thompson built a powerhouse thanks to excellent recruiting skills. Headlined by Ewing, a dominant center, the Hoyas made the national championship game three times in a four-year span, capturing the title in 1984.

The end of the Ewing era brought an end to the national championship contention for Georgetown, which still maintained a regular presence in the NCAA Tournament. Landing players like Allen Iverson and Alonzo Mourning certainly helped, but the program’s decline continued in the 2000s.

Thompson’s son, John Thompson III, made one Final Four in 2007 but had trouble getting the program to the same heights as his father. The Hoyas dismissed Thompson III after the 2017 season, turning the reins of the program over to Ewing.

Georgetown fans still largely remember Ewing’s success as a player and expect it will translate to his time as a head coach. That won’t happen overnight and the Hoyas’ fan base needs to demonstrate more patience.