At 6:30 on Saturday evening, the Georgetown Hoyas will tip off against the visiting Seton Hall Pirates on Senior Night in Washington, D.C. To call this a big game would be an understatement. The two teams sit in very similar positions, with both tied for 5th place in the Big East and each battling for position on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Currently, most projections have the Pirates on the fringe of the tournament field and the Hoyas on the outside looking in, but a Georgetown win on Saturday could certainly change the postseason outlook for each.
Perhaps almost as importantly, Georgetown must defend home court in order to avoid a season sweep at the hands of Seton Hall. When the teams first met on February 13th in New Jersey, the Pirates laid down a thorough drubbing of the Hoyas, winning 90-75 in a game that was never particularly close. In that contest, Seton Hall star Myles Powell led four Pirates in double figures with 30 points on the evening.
In the clip above, Powell makes use of two off-ball screens to create separation on the catch and knock down a difficult shot over the late close-out. Additionally, Georgetown’s trio of talented freshmen was almost invisible in the team’s first meeting, combining for just 15 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist, well below their collective season averages. In order to reverse the narrative, Ewing and his team will assuredly need to both contain Powell defensively, and find a way to get Georgetown’s dynamic youngsters involved on offense.
Luckily for the Hoyas, Seton Hall’s play has been inconsistent at best over the last few games, losing two straight to the likes of Xavier and St. John’s. In last Saturday’s match-up with the Johnnies at Madison Square Garden, the Pirates were slow out of the gate, falling into a 25-8 hole that they were unable to claw out of. After the game, Coach Kevin Willard was less than pleased, saying that he may need to shake up the team’s starting lineup before visiting the nation’s capital. One possible target of Willard’s comments is Pirates’ guard Quincy McKnight, who was posted an abysmal 7:10 assist to turnover ratio over the course of the last two losses. Whatever decision is ultimately reached, Seton Hall has had a full week to assess their shortcomings and prepare for the matchup with Georgetown.
Despite coming off a definitive victory over DePaul on Wednesday, there is plenty of uncertainty on the Georgetown side of the ball as well. Against the Blue Demons, Coach Patrick Ewing rolled out his 8th different starting lineup of the season (!), giving junior defensive specialist Jagan Mosely the nod over Jamorko Pickett, who surprisingly did not see the court the entire contest. Even if Pickett is in position to play come Saturday, it is likely that Ewing will stick with the veteran Mosely. Despite Jagan’s limited contributions on the scoresheet, the 6’3” guard is a solid decision maker and matches up very favorably with Myles Powell.
Another area of concern for the Hoyas this season has been consistency from game to game. In Big East play, Georgetown has struggled to string together victories, their only conference win streak being back-to-back victories over St. John’s and Xavier back in January. In order to continue the momentum from Wednesday’s triumph, Georgetown’s aims should be two-fold:
First, on the offensive end, the ball needs to find its way into the hands of Georgetown’s playmakers, primarily Jessie Govan and the two freshman guards. The Hoyas are at their best when good looks at the basketball are created by feeding Govan and the post, and when McClung and Akinjo can drive and dish to the open man. On Wednesday, both were accomplished, with Georgetown’s background feeding Jessie early and often (he had 18 field goal attempts), along with ‘Mackinjo’ attacking the rim to combine for 28 points and 8 assists.
Second, on both sides of the floor, the men in Blue and Gray (or black, white, teal, etc.) need to play with energy and urgency without losing control. It is infuriating when a team with Georgetown’s height and length get dominated on the glass and give up second chance points, something that has happened far too often this season. With Georgetown’s nightly 2 big men lineup, winning the rebound battle needs to be a priority each and every game. In the team’s last two home victories (over DePaul and Villanova), Ewing’s team has come out with the intensity necessary. Against the Blue Demons, the Hoyas were everywhere on defense, forcing 15 turnovers, but also playing smart, only giving the ball away 11 times on offense. This needs to continue if Georgetown is to avenge their loss to Seton Hall and avoid being swept by a Big East opponent for the first time this season.
One trend will have to be broken Saturday night: either the Pirates will snap a 2-game losing streak, or the Hoyas will prove they can string together victories when it matters most. Whichever side the game ends up favoring, expect this to be a close contest until the very end. However, Georgetown’s inconsistencies on defense inspire little confidence that they will be able to contain Myles Powell, giving Seton Hall a slight advantage in a toss-up game like this. As of now, Ewing and Company have provided little convincing evidence that they can grind out wins unless they have their best stuff, which frankly doesn’t happen every game for any team, much less an inexperienced squad like this one. For the sake Hoya fans’ sanity, I hope I’m wrong on this one.
Prediction: Seton Hall 79, Georgetown 77
