After a week full of ups and downs including the commitment from 3-star guard Kobe Clark and the deflating loss to Providence, the worn down Hoyas travel to Chicago to take on the DePaul Blue Demons on Saturday at 9 p.m. With only five games left before the Big East tournament, who knows how much gas Georgetown’s six-rotation players have left. After dragging through the second half against Providence, the Hoyas have had little time to recover. Nonetheless, the Blue Demons are the “easiest” opponent the Hoyas have left to face, as they are in dead last in the Big East with only one victory.
Coming off eight straight losses, the Blue Demons have had a disappointing season. With their sole conference win coming against Butler, one of DePaul’s few bright spots this season has been Paul Reed. A potential lottery pick in the NBA Draft, Reed could easily take advantage of the Hoyas’ bare frontcourt. Averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds per game, Reed had 13 rebounds against the Hoyas earlier this season. Along with Jaylen Butz, the Blue Demons have a solid duo down low that could easily expose Georgetown’s weaknesses, especially without Omer Yurtseven.
In Wednesday’s game, Providence was successful in getting Qudus Wahab into foul trouble, requiring Timothy Ighoefe to play even more minutes. The lack of Yurtseven in the paint really hurt the Hoyas against Providence, and with a player like Reed down low, this could easily happen again on Saturday if Yurtseven remains sidelined. Wahab will have to keep himself out of foul trouble and produce a solid performance, which he is more than capable of doing.
Though Reed is the Blue Demons’ most NBA-ready player, guard Charlie Moore leads the team with 15.8 points per game. Moore has either made or assisted on 43 percent of DePaul’s field goals over the last five games. While Moore is DePaul’s offensive catalyst, he is accompanied by fellow guard Jalen Coleman-Lands, who averages 12.2 points per game. With four of their five starts averaging double-figures, DePaul has threats at every position. Though the Blue Demons are the worst team in the conference, a road victory will not come easy for the Hoyas.
The Hoyas are 0-9 this season when scoring fewer than 71 points. The reliance on seniors Jagan Mosely, Terrell Allen, and Omer Yurtseven has been heavy, with them having combined to score 41 percent of the team’s points this season, including 45 percent of Georgetown’s scoring over the past five games. It is unlikely that Mac McClung will see the floor anytime soon, and questions are still looming regarding Yurtseven’s status. After Wednesday’s loss to Providence, this is a must-win if the Hoyas want to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Georgetown’s extremely short rotation is being tested right now, and the Hoyas will have to fight hard to get this win on the road.
Jacob’s Prediction (18-8 on the year): Georgetown 82, DePaul 76
Everytime I have begun to count Georgetown out this year, they’ve responded and proved me wrong. With Wednesday’s loss to Providence, the Hoyas’ season is on the brink. Georgetown’s injury woes and lack of depth make it near impossible to predict how any given game will play out. That being said, I think there’s some magic left, and the Hoyas aren’t ready to roll over just yet.
Will’s Prediction (16-10 on the year): Georgetown 74, DePaul 68
It looks as if the Hoyas hit a wall against Providence. They were just gassed. If they hit the same wall against DePaul, they might be in trouble. However, the Hoyas are more talented and a better coached team than the Blue Demons, and that counts for a lot. If Yurtseven can come back healthy to give Georgetown much-needed production from the center position, that will go a long way in taking down the Blue Demons. In addition, DePaul’s defense is nothing to write home about, so I don’t expect the Hoyas to go with another 15 minute streak of no made field goals.
