Riding a two-game losing streak, the Georgetown Hoyas are back in action on Tuesday night against the Coppin State Eagles. The game tips at 7 PM inside the friendly, yet fanless, confines of McDonough Arena.
With a date with #9 Villanova looming on Friday, the Hoyas desperately need a good showing to get back in the win column. Coach Patrick Ewing even spoke to this mentality after the West Virginia loss, saying, “I’m sure we’ll be coming with a sense of urgency to try and get this win going into Big East play.”
Coppin State similarly enters the game sorely in need of a victory after losing their first three games. The Eagles played #10 Duke tight in their season opener, trailing by as few as six points in the second half before ultimately falling 81-71. Since then, Coppin State has turned in two sub-par performances, losing by 16 points and 15 points to George Washington and Drexel, respectively.
The Eagles are still in the process of finding their identity after returning just 41% of their scoring from last season. Coppin State did add senior forward Anthony Tarke, a transfer from UTEP, who has led the team in scoring (18.3 ppg) and rebounding (8.3 rpg).
Senior forward Koby Thomas, the Eagles’ leading scorer from a year ago, is also back, but he has regressed slightly, scoring just 10.7 points per game on 41% shooting so far. Although slowing down Tarke and Thomas should be a priority for the Hoyas, Coppin State does boast a relatively balanced attack which will demand an all-around defensive effort from Georgetown.
In their most recent game against Drexel, Coppin State rolled out an interesting starting line-up which included four forwards measuring in at 6’6” or taller. The Eagles’ only guard to start the game was floor general Dejuan Clayton. One downside of this bigger line-up is a general lack of shooters on the floor. As a team, Coppin State has shot just 25.5% from three-point range despite averaging the 10th most three-point attempts in the nation at 32.7 per game. Defensively, the Hoyas would likely be best served to pack it in and allow the Eagles to continue to chuck up threes at an inefficient rate.
Despite starting four forwards, Coppin State will still be at a disadvantage down low. Outside of 6’10” center Keenan Sarvan, the Eagles’ next tallest player is 6’7”. Against West Virginia, Qudus Wahab and Tim Ighoefe were aggressive in attacking the basket and consequently got the Mountaineers bigs in foul trouble. If they are able to do the same against Coppin State, Georgetown will be primed to dominate the paint.
The Eagles have also struggled to rebound the ball so far this season. They average roughly 33 rebounds per game and give up 48 rebounds per game to their opponents. In Duke’s win over Coppin State, the Blue Devils won the rebounding battle by a resounding 50-30 margin and pulled in 14 offensive boards. Outside of an uncharacteristic performance against Navy, rebounding has largely been a strength of this Georgetown team. The Hoyas will surely be looking to take advantage of the Eagles’ weakness, particularly on the offensive glass.
In addition to winning the battle down low, limiting turnovers will be a key to the game for the Hoyas. Through three contests, Georgetown ranks towards the bottom of the NCAA with an average of 16 turnovers per game. Turnovers were especially problematic in the final 10 minutes of the Hoyas’ loss to West Virginia on Sunday. This could be a problem against Coppin State, as the Eagles have forced an average of 19 turnovers per game so far. Against Duke, Coppin State turned the Blue Devils over 21 times, a key reason the Eagles were able to hang around. To erase any hope of a Coppin State upset, Georgetown should make it a point of emphasis to value each and every possession.
Another issue for the Hoyas this season has been closing teams out in the second half. Against both Navy and West Virginia, Georgetown held second half leads of six points but ended up losing both games. That is a trend that cannot continue if the Hoyas are to have success this season. I’ll be looking for Georgetown to put together a full 40 minutes of consistent basketball against Coppin State.
On paper, Georgetown is the more talented team than Coppin State. If the Hoyas compete at the same level as they did against West Virginia, they should have no problem taking care of business. However, as Coach Ewing put it on Sunday, “It don’t make a difference what conference you’re in, you can beat anybody else.” As fans can attest, the Hoyas have had a tendency to play down to the level of their competition throughout Ewing’s tenure. We’ll see if this year’s team can break that trend on Tuesday night.
Jacob’s Prediction (3-0 on the season): Georgetown 80, Coppin State 69
Honestly, I’m excited for this game. Regardless of the outcome, the Hoyas showed a lot of promise in hanging with West Virginia for 30+ minutes on Sunday. I’m interested to see if they can bring that same level of energy and physicality to Tuesday’s game against a less-talented opponent. Either way, I think the Hoyas match up well with the Eagles. Defensive, the bane of Georgetown’s existence has been the three-point shot. Facing a poor three-point shooting team like Coppin State should alleviate some of these issues. Additionally, assuming he can stay out of foul trouble, I expect Qudus Wahab to continue his stellar play down low. Controlling the glass on both ends of the floor should be the difference in the game.
Will’s Prediction (2-1 on the season): Georgetown 75, Coppin State 64
Finals season means I’m not able to scout too closely. But in short, the Hoyas will win, but they won’t cover.
