Following an Embarrassing home loss versus Shaka Smart’s Marquette Golden Eagles, Georgetown (6-6, 0-1) will remain at home in a winnable game against Butler (8-6, 1-2). While the Hoyas looked overmatched in their first matchup against quality Big East competition, Butler has had difficulty putting up points this season. This is a prime opportunity for Georgetown to secure an early conference win and boost morale within and around the program.
Game Info
TV Network: FS1
Location: Capital One Arena
Time: 7:00 pm
All-time record vs. Butler: The Hoyas lead the series 10-8, with all but one of those games occurring since the Bulldogs joined the Big East. Georgetown and Butler have split their season series in each of the past five years.
Who we’re playing
Similar to Georgetown, Butler has had a down season thus far, ranking only five spots ahead of the Hoyas in KenPom, with both teams ranked below 120. Butler has been beaten up by superior competition, losing to Purdue, Houston, Michigan State, Xavier, and Seton Hall by 15 points or more. However, the Bulldogs do have an impressive win on the road at Oklahoma and have not dropped any games against mid major competition this season.
Opposing Player to Look Out For
Bryce Golden
Butler is lacking in offensive firepower and the Bulldogs are especially deficient from behind the arc. Butler’s most dynamic player is guard Aaron Thompson, who runs the offense and has averaged 8.1 points, 4.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game this season. However, anyone who has watched the Hoyas has noticed the void in the paint created by Wahab’s departure. Look for Butler to feed leading scorer Bryce Golden early and often, as his crafty post package and strength (245 lbs) should play well against Georgetown’s thin and inexperienced frontcourt.
How Georgetown Matches Up
As stated previously, Butler has trouble putting the ball in the basket. The Bulldogs average 63.4 points per contest, which ranks 341st nationally, and they shoot a middling 32.7% from three, a number that should not be a cause for concern. If anything, Butler’s attack is balanced. Golden leads the team with 10.4 PPG, but the Bulldogs have five players averaging over 8.1 PPG, including guard Chuck Harris, who dropped 26 in the win at Oklahoma. The Bulldogs will likely look to lean on their solid defense (62.6 points allowed per game) and slow down the pace in this matchup. If they’re able to replicate Marquette’s formula and successfully frustrate Mohammed, Georgetown’s offense will be reliant on accuracy from behind the arc.
Additional Notes
Will Georgetown come out with energy and take it to Butler early? After Ewing’s postgame press conference following the blowout loss versus Marquette, during which he claimed that Big John was “rolling around in his grave,” his team’s performance will be a telling barometer of locker room sentiment.
UPDATE: Patrick Ewing will not be coaching on Thursday night “in accordance with DC Department of Health guidelines.” Louis Orr will serve as the Hoyas’ acting head coach.
Predictions
Kole’s Prediction: Georgetown 66, Butler 63
This game will go down to the wire and could go either way. I think Aminu finds his groove down the stretch and scores some clutch points late in the game.
Jacob’s Prediction (8-4 on the season): Butler 69, Georgetown 61
Butler and Georgetown are both destined for the basement of the Big East at season’s end. Thus this will be a telling game to see if the Hoyas can avoid a dreaded 11th place finish. As Kole mentions, Thursday’s matchup will be a clash of two different styles of basketball—the Bulldogs like to slow things down and play solid defense, while the Hoyas prefer a more run-and-gun type of game. I’m worried that Butler’s experience will prove to be a deciding factor in this one. Plus it’s hard to bank on the Hoyas getting a conference win until they show us something against Big East competition.
Will’s Prediction (9-3 on the season): Georgetown 71, Butler 63
Butler stinks. To be fair, Georgetown does too, but Butler’s weaknesses are in all the areas that teams have been able to take advantage of against the Hoyas (such as three-point shooting). The Hoyas will rely heavily on Aminu Mohammed tomorrow night to be able to penetrate the Bulldogs’ defense and get something going offensively, as well as bounce-back games from Kaiden Rice and Don Carey, if he is available.
