After averaging 20.4 points, 4.5 assist and 3 steals as a freshman while leading Georgetown to the Sweet 16 and earning Big East Rookie of the Year, the question coming into the his sophomore season was, what would Allen Iverson do for an encore? Iverson put an end to the suspense rather quickly. During the 1995 Preseason N.I.T, the 3-0 Hoyas faced 19th ranked Arizona who came in undefeated in their own right at 3-0. The Wildcats jumped all over the favored Hoyas, building a 17 point lead 42-27 late in the first half, thanks in large part to the inside play of Ben Davis and outside shooting from Miles Simon and Joseph Blair. Iverson sensing the game slipping away period let alone the first half went to work. Georgetown's sophomore point guard poured in 18 points and 4 assist before exiting the game right before halftime with a bruised elbow from a hard fall driving to the basket. Yet, Iverson managed to ultimately get the Hoyas back in the game as they trailed 47-41 at the half. Second half saw the quick floor general continue his onslaught despite a sore elbow, scoring 22 points, however Georgetown could not contain the Wildcats as they shot 60 percent from the field in a balanced attack to knock off Georgetown 91-81. Five wildcats scored in double figures with Davis, Simon and Blair all finishing with 17 each. Iverson, who posted a game high 40 points in the loss would go on to be named First Team All American, after averaging 25 points, 4.7 assist, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 steals a game while leading the Hoyas to the Elite 8 of the 96 NCAA Tournament.
Take a look at the offensive onslaught on Arizona by AI below.
