Coming off a successful performance at the Empire Classic, the Hoyas hope to continue that momentum as they host the UNC Greensboro Spartans at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
For anyone that follows Georgetown basketball (or college hoops at large for that matter), Saturday’s contest appears to be a potential trap game. Following two high profile matchups against ranked opponents, the Hoyas host a mid-major opponent in UNCG before traveling to play Oklahoma State next Wednesday. The 5-2 Spartans certainly cannot be taken lightly, as they have already proved they have the chops to hang with high-level competition. On Nov. 8, UNCG hung tough against a very talented Kansas team on the road, eventually losing 74-62. Since then, the Spartans have won four of their last five, with the only loss coming by one point to Montana State.
After a 29-7 campaign last season, which left the Spartans as the first team out of the NCAA Tournament’s field of 68, UNCG faced high expectations for the new year. Despite losing their losing scorer from last year’s team, junior guard Isaiah Miller was back to shoulder the load. Through seven games, Miller leads the team with 15.4 points per game, while also contributing 5.4 boards per contest. Still, Miller has struggled with efficiency, turning it over three times per game and shooting just under 17% from three-point range. As a team, UNCG has struggled from beyond the arc, knocking down just 31.6% of their three-point attempts on the year. That will need to change if the Spartans are to beat the Hoyas.
In the frontcourt, UNCG certainly has the height, as they start 6’8” Kyrin Galloway and 6’10” James Dickey. However, both Galloway and Dickey weigh in at just 215 pounds, meaning both will be physically overmatched by the 264-pound Omer Yurtseven. Yurtseven leads the Hoyas in points (16.5 per game) and rebounds (9.8 per game) this season, and thus will be fed the ball early and often. It will take a team effort from UNCG, and likely double teams in the post, to slow down Yurtseven. Assuming he can stay out of foul trouble, which was an issue during the last two games, Yurtseven’s combination of size and finishing ability may well be the difference in the game.
While UNCG may struggle to match up physically with Georgetown’s frontcourt, the Spartans’ guards will look to disrupt the Hoyas’ offense from getting going. Led by Miller’s 1.9 steals per game, UNCG has turned opponents over 131 times so far this season, good for eighth in the NCAA. This could be an issue for the Hoyas offense, as they rank near the bottom of the NCAA with 17 turnovers per game. Four of Georgetown’s five starters average two or more turnovers per game. James Akinjo will need to take charge of the offense and value the basketball if the Hoyas are to win this one comfortably.
One defensive set that UNCG has used to force opponents into turnover situations has been a full-court zone press. However, when they attempted to roll this out against Kansas, the Jayhawks were able to get a number of easy buckets thanks to good ball movement.
Considering that Georgetown runs a zone press themselves, they should have plenty of practice when it comes to breaking the press. This could be one way the Hoyas are able to get some easy buckets against a defense that ranks in the top ten in the NCAA with just 53.7 points allowed per game.
With over a week to prepare and a tough two-game road trip looming, this is a game that Georgetown needs to take care of business in. To do that, the Hoyas will need to come out with the same defensive intensity that they had for much of the Empire Classic. Additionally, look for Ewing to exploit mismatches in the frontcourt to give the Hoyas an edge against the aggressive Spartan defense.
Jacob’s Prediction (6-0 on the year): Georgetown 65, UNCG 56
Coming into the year, I had circled this game as one that I would not be surprised if the Hoyas fell victim to an upset. That being said, the last few games have given me reason to believe in this Georgetown team. Barring foul trouble, there seems to be no way the Spartans can slow down Omer Yurtseven. Coach K and Duke couldn’t; why would a far less talented team be able to? That being said, the difference between a win and a loss in this one has to be Georgetown’s defense. They’ve shown the ability to get stops when it matters most, and I think they do the same to build a lead late in this one.
WIll’s Prediction (5-1 on the year): Georgetown 71, UNCG 64
I’m still a bit skittish that this isn’t going to end up as a trap game, but I think the Hoyas have finally begun to find their stride and aren’t the same team earlier this season that lost to Penn State. I expect it to be a close game and a bit sloppy, but if Mac can continue to dominate weaker opponents on scoring, Omer stays out of foul trouble, and the rest of the team and bench continue to perform well, this is a game the Hoyas will win.
