It might be hard to believe, but we are heading into year four of Ed Cooley at Georgetown. This may be his most talented roster yet, but if it doesn’t work out, what’s next?
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Georgetown basketball.
When Ed Cooley took the open Georgetown basketball job, there was instant optimism. And after an 18-win season in year two, that optimism started to really sink in. But after going 16-18 last year, Hoyas fans might be growing a little bit impatient. After all, Cooley was winning 20+ games with Providence almost yearly, so shouldn’t they be on that same track? Well, the good news is that this season could wind up being his best in D.C.
First, a look at the returning talent. Caleb Williams and Kayvaun Mulready give the Hoyas a steady duo of guys who know what Georgetown has done in the past and want to accomplish in the future. There are a few other guys further down the bench who also returned, but Williams and Mulready are expected to have big impacts this year. Williams even showed some star potential last season, with 23 points in a game against Miami (Fla) and 11 in a win over Villanova in the Big East Tournament.
But this Georgetown team will be in the hands of the incoming talent. And that literally will come down to guards Jaland Lowe, Vyctorius Miller, and Elmarko Jackson, who all come from Power 5 programs. Lowe (Kentucky), Miller (Oklahoma State), and Jackson (Kansas) have seen it all and now move on to the Big East to try and bring this Hoyas unit together. However, they’ll have to step up for the puzzle to work. They’ve each had some down years, or at the very least, haven’t reached their full potential in their previous homes. Moving into Georgetown could be more of the same, or it could be a chance for them to break out onto the scene.
And then there are the incoming big men in NJ Benson (DePaul) and Chol Machot (Charleston), who should continue to make this Georgetown basketball program a tough one – literally. The Hoyas have long been known as a gritty team that likes to bully its opponents. Will we see that out of this team? Cooley definitely put them together to play that role, but only if he coaches them up and they click. It has the makings of a team that could be a top-five squad in the Big East, or a massive flop.
Head coach: Ed Cooley (21st season overall, 4th at Georgetown)
2025-26 record: 16-18 (6-14)
2025-26 postseason finish: No tournament
Notable departures:
- Malik Mack (13.6 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 4.1 APG)
- KJ Lewis (14.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 2.1 SPG)
- Vincent Iwuchukwu (11.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 0.5 APG, 54.9 FG%)
- Julius Halaifonua (9.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.3 APG, 60.8 FG%)
- Jeremiah Williams (5.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 2.9 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Maryland (Nov. 7)
- at Clemson (Nov. 13)
- vs. Texas (Nov. 26) – San Diego, CA
- vs. Saint Mary’s OR UCLA (Nov. 27) – San Diego, CA
- vs. North Carolina (Dec. 12)
Projected Rotation
PG: Jaland Lowe (6-1, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 8.0 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 2.4 APG, 35.8 FG%, 9 GP (Kentucky)
SG: Vyctorius Miller (6-5, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 10.8 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.1 SPG, 37.5 3P% (Oklahoma State)
SF: Caleb Williams (6-7, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 8.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.5 APG, 37.7 3P%
PF: NJ Benson (6-8, Gr.-Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 11.7 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, 63.6 FG% (DePaul)
C: Chol Machot (7-0, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 8.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.2 APG, 2.5 BPG, 59.2 FG% (Charleston)
6: Elmarko Jackson (6-3, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 4.8 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.4 APG, 38.1 FG%, 37.2 3P% (Kansas)
7: Kayvaun Mulready (6-4, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 5.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.1 APG, 1.0 SPG
8: Josiah Parker (6-7, So.)
2025-26 stats: 9.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.2 APG, 50.8 FG% (FAU)
9: Seal Diouf (6-8, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 0.6 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.0 APG, 12 GP
10: Justin Caldwell (6-9, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 178 ranked recruit
11: AJ Oliver (6-0, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 155 ranked recruit
12: Pedro Pastre (6-5, Fr.)
International recruit from Brazil
13: Gabriel Landeira (6-6, So.)
Did not play last season for Hoyas
Georgetown Basketball team MVP: Caleb Williams
In this case, an MVP may not mean a leading scorer, rebounder, or the most assists on the team. Instead, Williams has committed to wearing a Georgetown jersey instead of transferring, grew from his freshman to his sophomore season, and is a clear-cut starter and what it means to be a Georgetown player.
Williams really does have a smooth game, but he also has a Georgetown game. Can I really explain that? You just have to know Big East basketball, really. But even though he’s a shooter, he’s a Georgetown type of shooter. He’s a scrappy, yet smooth player, and that only seems to work at Georgetown. Does it mean Williams is single-handedly bringing the Hoyas back? Absolutely not. But this is the type of player Hoyas fans love to have, and he’ll surely have a major impact on their team this year.
Georgetown Basketball make-or-break player: Jaland Lowe
Could it really be anyone else? While there isn’t an outstanding pass-first point guard on this team, Lowe will assume the role more than likely. At Kentucky, he was awful – no other way to put it. Less than 36% from the floor, 20.8% from three, and only playing in nine games because of a shoulder injury.
Obviously, playing through that was clearly to blame, because as a sophomore at Pitt, Lowe was a rising star – 16.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 5.5 APG, and 1.8 SPG. He’s never been the most efficient player and shot well below 40% that year too, but at least he affected the game in a positive way overall, and in more than one way. Georgetown needs Pittsburgh Jaland Lowe to be effective and there’s no way around it.
Stat to know: 2 wins in March Madness
Maybe I’m looking into this too much, but for how many Power 5 players Ed Cooley brought in, he must not have been concerned with winning talent. Last year, Elmarko Jackson and Kansas won a game over Cal Baptist. In 2024, Kansas beat Samford in the round of 64 too. Both games were close, and that’s the only March Madness winning experience on this Georgetown team.
For me, this matters because the team features some high-end talent – guys from UK, KU, etc. However, they haven’t had positive experiences in March Madness, which makes it tough for me to believe that will magically change at Georgetown of all places. I could be wrong, but even if this team wins 20+ games and gets a bid, that might come back to bite them.
Georgetown Basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 10th in the Big East
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament first round exit / College Basketball Crown appearance