A hard-fought Big East battle devolved into controversy for the Georgetown Hoyas head coach Ed Cooley, whose frustration after a narrow 77-80 loss to the Xavier Musketeers manifested in an act that has overshadowed the game itself.

Right after the final buzzer, Cooley was caught live on tape throwing a water bottle toward a fan in the stands. The incident has drawn widespread criticism and revived memories of a previous confrontation he had with a fan 10 months earlier, and, coincidentally, after a game against the Musketeers.

What are the key moments and recap of the Hoyas vs Xavier game?

While the Hoyas dominated most of their Big East home opener, they lost control in the final minutes. The defeat dropped them to 8-4 overall and 1-1 in conference play, while the Musketeers improved to 9-4 with a split in their first two Big East games.

“As disappointing as this is, you can’t let today beat us tomorrow,” Cooley said after the game. “Xavier came in, outrebounded us out and executed when it counted, and that’s why they won. We did a poor job.”

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The Hoyas played the game with pace and purpose, moving the ball well and attacking the paint to build momentum early. Malik Mack and Julius Halaifonua anchored an offense that briefly pushed their lead to double digits before nearly squaring off at 40-35 at halftime. At that point, they appeared well in control of the game, dictating tempo, forcing the Musketeers into difficult looks.

Even ESPN predicted the game in the Hoyas’ favor, at 77.7%.

But when it came to the second half, the Hoyas’ ball movement slowed down, and the opposition began to settle in, closing the gap with back-to-back baskets and stronger play on the glass. The final 20 minutes became a tug‑of‑war.

The Hoyas repeatedly answered the Musketeers’ runs but could never fully shake them. In fact, their physicality began to wear on the Cooley’s team on the boards, and each missed free‑throw opportunity loomed larger as the margin tightened.

To give you an overview, the Hoyas were at the charity stripe 43 times but made only 25 baskets. With just over nine minutes left, the Musketeers surged ahead, flipping the momentum.

Tre Carroll led the charge, scoring 22 points on 9 of 15 shooting, while Roddie Anderson III and Malik Messina-Moore each added 14.

Filip Borovicanin’s 13 rebounds gave them extra possessions and helped swing the game.

Rebounding became a decisive factor, as Xavier out-rebounded the Hoyas (45-36), creating additional scoring opportunities. And as the buzzer went off, signaling the completion of the game, that’s when it all unfolded… the incident that has fans booing Cooley all over social media.

What incident sparked controversy and how was Ed Cooley involved?

With the Musketeers clinging to a one-point lead in the closing moments, the game ventured into a parade of fouls, substitutions, and missed chances. With 10 seconds left and the Hoyas trailing 78-77, KJ Lewis was whistled for a foul, sending guard Anderson to the free-throw line.

Anderson calmly knocked down both shots, stretching the Musketeers’ lead to three and forcing an opposition timeout as the crowd grew restless.

What followed only added to the frustration. With five seconds remaining, the Hoyas’ Jeremiah Williams went to the line after a foul on Borovicanin, but missed both free throws, a costly swing in a game already slipping away. They still had chances, but time was working against them…

Even with 3 seconds left on the clock, the Hoyas got another look as Seal Diouf got two free shots, but he missed both of them!

Then came the final possession. With two seconds left, Mack attempted a highly contested buzzer-beater three from the corner in hopes of tying the game, but it didn’t fall. Tre Carroll secured the defensive rebound, and the buzzer sounded, sealing the Musketeers’ narrow three-point win.

Watching the missed shot, coach Cooley lost his cool and threw a water bottle towards the seats, which reportedly hit an eight-year-old kid sitting on his mother’s lap.

 Why Ed Cooley’s actions are being called ‘disgusting behavior’

The criticism surrounding Ed Cooley intensified not just because his team lost, but because of his actions. As Mack’s potential game-tying three rimmed out at the buzzer, cameras caught the coach forcefully hurling a water bottle into the stands in frustration.

That moment quickly became the focal point online. Fans pointed to the visual, a veteran reacting angrily in a public setting, as crossing a line. Social media users labeled the act “disgusting,” arguing that regardless of emotion or circumstance, a leader is expected to present themselves maturely at all times.

What amplified the backlash was the context…

Many referenced a previous incident from February, when Cooley was seen approaching the stands with his arms outstretched during a heated exchange with fans. While some defended that moment as a coach standing up for his players, critics now see a pattern during losses.

Cooley began his postgame press conference by first apologizing to the family.

“I have to apologize to the Nyahkoon family… definitely out of character for me to be so frustrated, but really that’s not called for, and I’ll call them and make amends for that,” Cooley said. “Just totally, totally out of character in frustration. So I apologize to the fans, I apologize to our players, the university. Totally, totally out of character for me to be that way.”

What comes next: potential NCAA or conference review?

At the moment, neither the Big East Conference nor the NCAA has publicly announced any formal disciplinary action against Ed Cooley, but it is unlikely to be the end of the story.

In other NCAA sports, coaches have been suspended for “aggressive behavior and profanity-laced language” during competition, with formal sanctions applied by sport committees; for example, Kevin O’Sullivan, a baseball coach, was suspended for three games by the NCAA DI Baseball Committee after a heated tirade at a regional event, underscoring how seriously committees sometimes view conduct issues.

The NCAA’s own rulebooks define misconduct broadly as actions that “discredit intercollegiate athletics” and place responsibility on head coaches to control themselves and their teams, and conferences can impose additional penalties beyond NCAA action.

A report by Rob Reinhart is circulating online that the family of the child struck by the bottle on Saturday is preparing to file a lawsuit against both Cooley and Georgetown University. They allege that the boy suffered a serious concussion and was rushed to the emergency room in critical condition.

A GoFundMe may be set up to help cover surgery and recovery costs. Neither Georgetown nor official medical sources have confirmed these claims.

Historically, NCAA investigations into misconduct have varied depending on the sport, the level of misconduct, and whether injuries or legal issues are involved. While there is no strict universal penalty for coach-fan altercations, conferences can review game footage, gather statements from officials and staff, and enforce discipline ranging from letters of reprimand to suspensions if they find policy violations.

Given how rare it is for a coach to be involved in a fan-related altercation of this nature, public scrutiny might persist even after a formal review concludes.