Georgetown’s home loss against Marquette this past Saturday was tough to swallow. Despite keeping it close throughout the game, the Hoyas were unable to capitalize on their home court, while simultaneously allowing Markus Howard to drop 42 points. Georgetown will try to put that one behind them as they travel to Cincinnati to take on the Xavier Musketeers on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
At 1-4 in the Big East, the Musketeers have struggled as of late, especially on their home court. With their sole win coming against St. John’s, the Musketeers are experiencing issues that are all too familiar to Hoya fans. With questions regarding their effort swirling, Musketeer Coach Travis Steele is looking to mix things up. After a week off from a 20-point loss to Marquette, Xavier has had ample time to prepare and regroup. Given the Hoyas tendency to play down to opponents after close losses, the Musketeers are likely hoping to come away with a much-needed win.
Xavier returned four starters from last year, which explains why many had high hopes for them coming into the season. They rely heavily on these four and round out their lineup with transfers and freshman. Leading scorer Naji Marshall comes in averaging 16.5 points per game. At 6’7” and 220 pounds, either Jamorko Pickett or Jagan Mosely will likely be tasked with keeping Marshall under wraps. His versatility makes him a tough assignment on both ends of the floor. As a threat both inside and out, much of Xavier’s offense focuses around Marshall. Accompanying Marshall down low is senior Tyrique Jones, who will likely be matched up with Omer Yurtseven. Jones measures in at 6’9”, thus Yurtseven will yet again have a size advantage inside. Given Xavier’s three-point shooting struggles, they rely heavily on Jones and Marshall to produce much of their scoring. Forcing the Musketeers to knock down shots could be a key to success for the Hoyas.
In the backcourt, Paul Scruggs leads the Musketeers with 14.7 points per game. Though turnover prone, Scruggs hustles hard and is relentless in his attack of the rim. However, some are suspecting a potential shakeup in the Musketeers lineup. Nonetheless, it is hard to imagine that Scruggs won’t be in the starting lineup or make an impact in some way. Jagan Mosely and Terrell Allen will not have as tall a task as they did against Marquette, but Xavier’s backcourt, which also includes senior leader Quentin Goodin, should not be counted out.
As a team, Xavier’s defense has been their Achilles heel, something Georgetown fans can definitely relate to. Their defense has only gotten worse this season, relating to a possible lack of effort and questionable coaching. Additionally, they allow opponents to grab 32% of offensive rebounds. 50-50 balls have also been a struggle for the Musketeers, further relating to this lack of effort and a teamwide identity crisis. A once projected top finisher in the Big East and NCAA tournament team, this is a must-win for the Musketeers as they try to save their season.
On the other hand, this is also a critical game for the Hoyas. Big East wins are hard to come by, and Xavier is perhaps one of the most vulnerable teams in the conference right now. The key to the Hoyas success thus far has been solid performances from both Mac McClung and Omer Yurtseven, with at least one other starter hitting double figures. Scoring at least 80 points while playing solid defense has also been crucial. If the Hoyas out-rebound the Musketeers and take advantage of their weak defense, they should set themselves up for a much needed road win.
Kathryn’s Prediction: Georgetown 81, Xavier 76
Xavier is having a midseason crisis, leaving them incredibly vulnerable. The Hoyas should be able to capitalize on this and come away with a big win. At the same time, every Big East game, especially on the road, is incredibly tough. Maybe Xavier regrouped after this week off and is ready to play like the team everyone thought they would be. But that’s a lot to ask of this Xavier team, and I think the Hoyas will be able to prevail in a tight game. If Mac McClung and Omer Yurtseven continue their solid play while Jagan Mosely continues to run the show, the Hoyas should beat this struggling yet talented Xavier team.
Jacob’s Prediction (14-5 on the year): Georgetown 78, Xavier 75
This game has my brain in a pretzel. For starters, Georgetown is yet to pick up a conference road win to date and Xavier is a veteran heavy team that is desperate to turn their season around. On the other hand, the Musketeers have been downright bad over the past month. Additionally, I’m cautiously optimistic that Xavier presents a favorable matchup for the Hoyas. As Kathryn mentioned above, the Musketeers are one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the nation (Scruggs is the only Xavier starter shooting over 29% from deep on the year). Georgetown had success against St. John’s, another bad three-point shooting team, and this gives me hope the Hoyas will do the same against Xavier. The Musketeers are a gritty team, and road wins never come easy, but it seems as though the Hoyas will at least give themselves a chance to pick up their third conference victory.
Will’s Prediction (13-6 on the year): Georgetown 82, Xavier 79
Optimistic Will is back. For me, it’s a matter of looking at just how bad Xavier has been over this past month. And man, they’ve been bad. Omer Yurtseven seems to have finally found his footing in the Big East, notching a mention on last week’s Big East honor roll. Couple this with the continued solid play of Mac McClung and Jagan Mosely, with positive contributions from Terrell Allen and Jamorko Pickett, and the Hoyas should be able to notch their first conference road win against a Xavier team that’s in the midst of an identity crisis.
