Pundits indulged in a chorus of criticism of Georgetown's nonconference schedule. Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report called the schedule "terrible," observing that "constructing a strong nonconference schedule for college basketball is an art form, and Georgetown is No. 1 on the list of teams that miserably failed that art class this year" and that "this might be the worst nonconference schedule in major-conference history;" Miller offered the possibility that the Hoyas "could be headed for an interesting dichotomy: Georgetown going 11-0 in nonconference play before going 0-18 in the Big East." Other basketball media members called the schedule "embarrassing,"Hladik, Matt, "Georgetown Basketball’s Non-Conference Schedule Is Ridiculously Weak," thespuncom, September 12, 2017, 5:39 p.m. Retrieved July 27, 2018 "pathetic,"Cavallaro, Brad, "Georgetown Basketball: Weak schedule hurts the Hoyas," bustingbrackets.com, December 28, 2017. Retrieved July 28, 2018. "ridiculously weak," "atrocious,"Dauster, Rob, "Georgetown’s non-conference schedule is terrible," nbcsports.com, September 12, 2017, 1:50 PM EDT, Retrieved July 28, 2018 "among the worst non-conference schedule I have ever seen," "perhaps the worst non-con[ference] schedule ever," and "the worst non-conference basketball schedule ever." Critics also noted that even if the Hoyas had an unexpectedly strong showing in Big East play, the non-conference schedule's weakness would work against Georgetown when the selection committee for the 2018 NCAA Tournament made its picks the following March, virtually precluding Georgetown's consideration for the NCAA Tournament and even for the 2018 National Invitation Tournament. Ewing made no apologies for how he scheduled the team, dismissing concerns about the non-conference schedule by saying, "It's all a work in progress. To me everything is a work in progress to get ready for the Big East. The Big East is where everything starts for me. The Big East is a make or break for us...My guys are coming off two poor years, and it is my job to mend their egos and to get them to believe in themselves again. The Big East is what it's all about. Get our guys believing in themselves and get ready for the Big East competition."Anonymous, "Revisiting Georgetown's 2017-2018 Non-Conference Schedule," 247sports.com, March 8, 2018, 3:43 PM. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
