DENVER — Here’s what you need to know about the No. 12-seed Georgetown Hoyas before they line up and throw down with the No. 5 CU Buffs on Saturday in the NCAA Tournament.

“You’ll watch ‘em in the layup lines and say, ‘Holy (expletive). How’d they lose 12 games?'”

That’s a Big East coach on the phone with me Monday, and another chimed in as well. They chimed in to provide the scoop and the scout on Georgetown’s bizarre season, a winding season that saw coach Patrick Ewing jump from the hot seat to a trendy upset pick in the East Region.

“They’ve got some dudes now,” another Big East coach said.

The NCAA Tournament is the best kind of fun, from Sister Jean’s scarves to TJ Sorrentine connecting from the parking lot. Who couldn’t love Tark’s towel at McNichols Sports Arena, or Jimmer Fredette at Pepsi Center? Only a hoops scrooge would frown at Melo’s magnetic smile at Syracuse.

But I’ll tell you what’s better than playing an NCAA Tournament game, and that’s playing two.

This Buffs appearance doesn’t need any cute storylines to caffeinate the 10:15 a.m. matinee at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

This Buffs appearance needs a Buffs win. CU’s never earned a seed this high, not since the NCAA began seeding the whole bracket in 1979. They’ve never had a team this complete, an opportunity this golden, to advance in the modern Big Dance. Sure, it’s fun to think about Tad Boyle (Kansas, ’85) vs. Patrick Ewing (Georgetown, ’85) playing a game of HORSE.

“We both came out of high school the same year, 1981,” Boyle said with a smirk. “He was a little bit better player than I was. Had a little bit better career.”

But fun sidebars are not the objective here. The objective here is CU’s third tournament win in the past 58 years. Chauncey Billups’ Buffs beat Bob Knight’s Hoosiers in 1997, Boyle’s Buffs beat UNLV in 2012. That’s it. That’s the list. That’s why it’s time for McKinley Wright IV, D’Shawn Schwartz and their buds to seize their big chance. And we’re here to help with a firsthand scouting report from behind enemy lines.

Start here: Georgetown’s 13-12, 7-9 in the Big East, and still playing because it won four games in four days in the Big East Tournament. If you believe in teams of destiny, the Hoyas are a solid choice: A few months after the great John Thompson passed away, his Hoyas draw a beat-up Villanova squad and mentally drained Creighton squad at Madison Square Garden?

Come on. That’s team-of-destiny stuff.

“They’ve got a little mojo going on right now. You can’t put a price on that,” one Big East coach said. “They believe in themselves, and I don’t know if they did before. Watch their bench. Their bench wasn’t fired up (before). They’re starting to think they can do something.”

Georgetown’s playing a quicker pace than the Georgetown teams you remember, and it’s been a while since Georgetown had a team worth remembering. They play-inside out on offense and don’t foul much on defense. “No depth,” one Big East coach said, and the Buffs go deeper.

“They’re not great defensively, but their length and athleticism can bother you,” the coach said. “If you go to the rim you better be really smart and patient. They’re long. That length can bother guys if you’re not used to seeing it.”

OK, now on to some of the main personnel.

PG Dante Harris (6-foot-0, 170 pounds): “Dante Harris is a stud, or (he) will be. Not all the way there yet, but he’s going to be freaking good,” one Big East coach said.

SG Jahvon Blair (6-4, 190): “They’re bringing Blair off the bench, but I consider him a starter,” another coach said. “Good player. He can really score the ball. You have to guard him.”

F Jamorko Pickett (6-7, 206): “Should be an NBA guy, but he’s never taken that next step. The potential is there. He’s played very well as of late. Just a really difficult matchup. He can play the wing, play the 4, long, athletic. He has NBA potential. He really does.”

F Chudier Bile (6-7, 195, a Denver South grad): “Hot or cold. Played great vs. Creighton (19 points in the Big East championship game).”

C Qudus Wahab (6-11, 237): “Wahab could be the best big in the country a year from now. Knows who he is. Buries you deep, good on pick-and-roll dives. Goes over that left shoulder with tremendous touch. He’s a load.”

Said another coach: “Just a massive human being.”

Solid info. One question: With all that goodness, why, at one point, was Georgetown only 3-8?

“COVID,” a Big East coach said.

The Hoyas are 10-4 since a three-week hiatus reset and redirected their season in January.

“They’re playing with confidence. They’re making shots,” one coach said.

And here I was, taking the Buffs by a half-dozen points or so. Not so fast, say the Big East guys. 

“Does Colorado hate that matchup?” another coach said. “They should hate that matchup.”

Welcome back to the Dance, Buffs. Now go win.