Despite eking out a victory against Mount St. Mary’s Wednesday night, the outing was certainly not how Georgetown envisioned starting their season. At noon on Saturday, the Hoyas will have the opportunity to iron out Wednesday’s mistakes while hosting the Central Arkansas Bears.
Central Arkansas has already played two games this year; a 105-61 loss to a ranked Baylor team and a 20-point victory over Division III Hendrix College. These two games were against two polar opposite teams, and as such it is difficult to draw many conclusions from this small sample size alone. However, the Bears do return a number of players from last year’s that 14-win campaign, offering some insight on their strengths and weaknesses as a team.
The first thing that jumps off the page for UCA is the size of their starting lineup. Four of the Bears’ five starters measure in at 6’6” or taller, with junior center Hayden Koval leading the way at 7 feet. Koval makes full use of his height, averaging 2.7 blocks per game over the course of his career.
Central Arkansas center Hayden Koval shows off his shot blocking ability in a game from his freshman year.
Though Koval matches Georgetown center Omer Yurtseven in terms of height, Yurtseven still has over 40 pounds on Koval, and thus will need to use his strength to his advantage. It will be interesting to see if Yurtseven can follow up Wednesday’s double-double with another good performance on Saturday.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Bears are led by BYU transfer Rylan Bergersen. The 6’6” wing tallied 17 points and added six rebounds against Baylor. It will be interesting to see whether how Coach Ewing chooses to match up with Bergensen and the rest of Central Arkansas’ height. The projected return of Josh LeBlanc from a one-game suspension would likely help on the defensive side of the ball. However, should LeBlanc be out again (which is not improbable given Ewing’s non committal responses regarding Josh’s availability), Ewing may choose to start the taller Galen Alexander in place of Jagan Mosely, who got the start on Wednesday.
One of the few bright spots for Georgetown against Mount St. Mary’s was the success of their press defense, which facilitated the second half comeback. Saturday’s game will likely present another opportunity for the Hoyas to roll out the full-court press, as the Bears have shown turnover-prone tendencies. Last year, Central Arkansas ranked 302nd in the NCAA in total turnovers, averaging over 14 per game. Junior guard Deandre Jones was a big part of the problem with 3.1 turnovers per game last season and four against Baylor this year. He will need to take better care of the ball if Central Arkansas is to hang with Georgetown.
Another weakness the Hoyas should be able to take advantage of is the Bears’ struggles guarding the three-point line. Last year, Central Arkansas ranked 273rd in the country in three-pointers allowed, as their opponents shot 34.7% from deep. They showed little improvement in the team’s opener, allowing Baylor to knock down 18 three pointers.
UCA’s struggles guarding the three-point line were on full display against Baylor
In Georgetown’s opener against Mount St. Mary’s, the Hoyas were an impressive seven for 11 from three-point range in the second half. Georgetown’s guards, especially sophomores Mac McClung and James Akinjo, should exploit the potential lack of coverage and rain down a similar performance from deep.
A point of concern for Ewing and staff is the Hoyas’ bench, who underperformed in Wednesday’s game, shooting just three for 18 from the field. With the first-game jitters out of the way, it would be nice to see Georgetown’s reserves make more of an impact on Saturday. Ewing will likely give freshmen Myron Gardner and Qudus Wahab a chance to show what they can do, especially if the Hoyas get out to a big lead.
Putting together a full forty minutes against Central Arkansas would go a long way in erasing the memories of Wednesday’s shaky start. However, another close game against a mid-major opponent might give cause for concern with several marquee matchups looming in the near future.
Despite the Bears’ size at the wing positions, the Hoyas are surely the more talented team. Central Arkansas has only one win over a power five school in program history, which came against Cal last season. Expect Ewing to try to speed up the game, potentially using a press defense to cause turnovers and get some easy baskets in transition. Playing with maximum intensity from the opening tip will be a focus for Georgetown, so don’t be surprised if the Hoyas jump out to an early lead. I’m sure Hoya fans would be grateful if they could avoid another stressful game that comes down to the final minutes.
Jacob’s Prediction (1-0 on the year): Georgetown 95, Central Arkansas 65
Will’s Prediction (1-0 on the year): Georgetown 82, Central Arkansas 61
