Since Patrick Ewing's graduation in May 1985, Georgetown had struggled to find a suitable replacement at center; sophomore Grady Mateen had been ineffective at the position in the 1985–86 season and had transferred to Ohio State after that year, while his successor Ben Gillery, who played in 1986–87 and 1987–88, had lacked offensive skill and seen only limited playing time.

Freshman Alonzo Mourning, viewed nationally as "the next Patrick Ewing,"[3] arrived, and great things were expected of him and, because of him, for Georgetown men's basketball as a whole.

[3] Unheralded sophomore Dikembe Mutombo, a native of Zaire, in contrast, had spent his freshman year playing only intramural basketball in order to settle into life in the United States and focus on his academic studies and English language skills.

[2][4] Mourning and Mutombo were among five future National Basketball Association (NBA) players on the 1988–89 squad.

Although he averaged only 3.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game for the season, these figures belied the scoring and defensive prowess he displayed on the court.

In his third game, playing against Saint Leo, he unofficially had the first triple double in Georgetown history.

With Thompson sitting out the game to protest NCAA Proposition 42 and Georgetown falling 14 points behind in the second half, Smith scored 35 points at Providence to lead the Hoyas to a comeback 80–77 victory, including the winning basket with five seconds left in the game.

[6][7] After a difficult sophomore year in which he had been demoted to the bench, junior guard Dwayne Bryant became a starter again this season.

In their first round game against Ivy League champion Princeton, Smith shot only 2-for-12 from the field and the Hoyas barely escaped an upset.

Princeton employed a 1950s-era offense and scored 14 of their 21 field goals off of layups off back-door screens, and, after Mourning blocked a last-second Princeton shot that some observers believed should have been called a personal foul against him, Georgetown barely eked out a 50–49 victory.

[7] In the second round, Smith scored 34 points to lead Georgetown to a win over Notre Dame, but he twisted his ankle, and the injury made him ineffective in the East Region semifinal against North Carolina State,[5] in which he scored only a single point.

The Blue Devils, led by Danny Ferry and freshman Christian Laettner built an early lead that they never relinquished, and they knocked the Hoyas out of the tournament, bringing Georgetown's season to an end, with the 77–85 loss.

Although it was not apparent at the time, Duke's defeat of Georgetown signaled a change in the balance of power in men's college basketball.