Searching for their first road win of conference play, Georgetown instead looked like the same team that had gotten blown out by Providence and Seton Hall. A slow start and troubles scoring the basketball once again plagued the Hoyas in a 66-57 loss to the Xavier Musketeers.
Coming off a three-game losing streak, Coach Travis Steele mixed things up for the Musketeers, giving freshman forward Zach Freemantle his first career start. This larger line-up had the Hoyas out of sorts, especially on the offensive end, as Georgetown scored just five points in the first 10 minutes of gameplay. This allowed Xavier to open up an early 19-5 lead, which they quickly extended to 18 points with seven minutes to play before halftime.
The Musketeers’ size also allowed them to dominate inside in the first half, with Xavier outscoring Georgetown 20-6 in the paint before the break. Additionally, Georgetown’s Omer Yurtseven was held scoreless in the first half. He finished the game with a season-low six points, marking just the second time this season Yurtseven has failed to score double-digits.
With Mac McClung, who led all scorers with 19 points, and Jahvon Blair keeping the team afloat, the Hoyas staged a run to pull within single digits. However, Xavier extended their lead back to 12 heading into halftime thanks to a three-pointer from KyKy Tandy. This would be a recurring theme in the second half.
While Xavier shot an unimpressive 32% from three-point range, it was certainly an improvement on how they’ve shot the ball to this point in conference play. Tandy played a big role in this, making four of eight three-point attempts en route to a career-high 18 points. Naji Marshall added three three-pointers of his own while matching Tandy’s scoring output.
Xavier was able to keep Georgetown at arms reach for the entire second half, with the Hoyas never cutting the lead to less than seven points. While the Musketeers’ three-point shooting certainly played a role in this, the deciding factor was their ability to generate second chance points. On the night, Xavier hauled in 16 offensive rebounds, none more crucial than one by Tyrique Jones to all but seal the win with Xavier up 8 and 1:13 to play. In total, Xavier outrebounded Georgetown by a 48-38 margin. This is the second consecutive game in which the Hoyas have lost the rebounding battle, not great for a team that dominated the glass for much of the non-conference schedule.
Another area of concern was the fact that the Hoyas were seemingly out-coached. Steele and his team came into the game with a plan to slow down the game and make it a physical battle. And it worked. All night, it seemed as though the Hoyas were playing into Xavier’s preferred style rather than dictating the pace of the game.
Amidst all the negative, one positive to take from the loss was the play of Qudus Wahab. Wahab posted nine points on four of five shooting, while also hauling in eight rebounds. With Yurtseven in foul trouble and struggling to make an impact on the game, it was a welcome sight to see Wahab step up in his stead. Hoya fans have been clamoring for it for quite some time, but I’m finally convinced that it’s time for Qudus to get more minutes.
Additionally, despite things not going their way, Georgetown did not roll over. The Hoyas played hard in the final minutes, even staging a near comeback that I certainly did not see coming. This team has a lot of faults, but they are not lacking in heart.
Regardless, a loss is a loss, and with it Georgetown drops to 2-5 in Big East play. It certainly looks as though the wheels are starting to come off, and the road will not get any easier moving forward. With the Hoyas struggling to keep their head above water, any remaining NCAA Tournament aspirations seem like a pipe dream.
