Oh, how the feeling of a season can change so quickly. The Hoyas seemingly turned a corner after a convincing 76-67 victory at Providence. This was the first time Georgetown had kept a Big East opponent at arm’s length for the majority of the second half and controlled the pace of play for most of the game. But two uninspiring losses find Patrick Ewing’s squad mired in a late season slump and searching for answers.
Now, Hoya fans can look at this situation in two lights. On a positive note, Georgetown has had a week to diagnose everything that went wrong at Seton Hall (and believe me, it was a lot) and to fix it before playing their next opponent. However, on a more pessimistic note, that next opponent is No. 17 Villanova coming off a tough road loss to St. John’s.
Is it possible that the Hoyas can come out and give the defending champs a fight in front of what figures to be the largest crowd of the season at Capital One Arena? Sure. Is it also possible that Jay Wright lights a fire under his team after blowing a 14-point lead to St. John’s and runs the Hoyas out of the building? Absolutely. Let’s break this down.
There’s no denying that the Hoyas’ previous performance at Seton Hall was disgraceful. The Hoyas lacked the urgency, discipline, and fight to keep up with the Pirates, losing 90-75. The Pirates dominated the Hoyas on the boards in the first half, hauling in 11 offensive rebounds and winning seemingly every loose ball. Not only that, but the Hoyas did a poor job of closing on the perimeter as the Pirates, a poor three-point shooting team, shot 11-25 (44%) from three.
Basically, Georgetown’s defensive effort was humiliating, especially in the pick and roll. In the clip below, James Akinjo gets caught up in a screen by Michael Nzei. Jessie Govan shades to his right to pick up McKnight, but Aknjo, rather than sliding down to cover Nzei, continues to trail McKnight. The result is an easy dish to Nzei for the and-one opportunity. This is a prime example of how the Hoyas need to communicate more effectively on the defensive end, as buckets like this are very avoidable. Villanova will feast on Georgetown’s defense with effort and communication like this.
On a better note, Jessie Govan finally broke out of his offensive slump with 20 points on 8-14 shooting. Govan had struggled since his goose egg at Villanova early in February. If the Hoyas are to stick with the Wildcats the second time around, Govan’s outside shot needs to be falling. Jessie anchors his attack with his ability to stretch out and consistently hit jumpers. It helps keep his defender off balance and allows him to gain better position down low. It is imperative that he gets going quickly.
Georgetown’s freshman guard duo of James Akinjo and Mac McClung looked lost for most of the Seton Hall debacle. ‘Mackinjo’ combined for 9 points on 2-11 (18%) shooting with 6 turnovers. Ever since his 19-point performance at Villanova, James has struggled to find his shooting touch as he is only shooting 2-23 (or 8.7%) from the field.
Yikes.
For the Hoyas to get back on track, James needs to play the role of a facilitator against Villanova. He can do this by pressuring the defense in transition and off high screens in the half court. When Akinjo breaks into the lane, his vision and decision-making his exquisite. Below, James draws Jessie’s defender to step and calmly dishes it to the big man for the easy deuce.
On the other side of the equation, Villanova has dropped two of its last three games. Hoya-destroyer Collin Gillespie has been stuck in a shooting slump. Gillespie, who dropped 30 points on Georgetown in Philadelphia on Super Bowl Sunday, has shot 6.5% from the field (and 15% from three) in his past three games. Gillespie knocked down 6 three-pointers against the Hoyas in their first match-up. Limiting a big performance from him is the first step to keeping the Wildcats in check.
The Hoyas did a great job of frustrating star Phil Booth back in their first meeting. Booth’s first three-point make came with under 8-minutes to play in the second half. Ewing’s game-plan to limit Booth was fantastic, as Akinjo and Mosely crowded him behind the arc throughout the game and forced him to play inside or toss up contested shots. Limiting Booth from downtown is crucial for a team interested in walking away with a win. In Villanova’s two Big East losses to Marquette and St. John’s, Booth went 1-13 from three.
This time around, the Hoyas need to prioritize throwing bodies on Eric Paschall. Paschall is a strong, physical inside-out match-up nightmare. Paschall struggled from three against Georgetown his first go around but dominated inside the paint. Paschall pumped in 16 of his 24 points inside the arc. Josh LeBlanc will have his hands full with Paschall once again.
Overall, it’s hard to trust Georgetown at this point in the season. Villanova is the best coached team in the Big East and, most importantly, they do not beat themselves. They prey on their opposition’s miscues relentlessly. The crowd (assuming the snow doesn’t deter attendance) will be amped up for this match-up and will do their best to spur their team to victory. But for Georgetown to steal this game, it will need a complete game on both ends of the court. Odds are, that isn’t happening.
Prediction: Villanova 85, Georgetown 75
