The Hoyas are looking to bounce back tonight against the Loyola Marymount Lions after a double-digit loss to Northwestern on Tuesday. They will be playing their first game away from Capital One Arena as they travel to Montego Bay, Jamaica as a part of the Jersey Mikes Jamaica Classic.
Loyola Marymount is an experienced team. All of their top minute-getters through their first four games of the season are upperclassmen. According to Kenpom, they rank in the top 40 in the nation in experience. We saw Georgetown let a less talented, but more experienced team hang around for far too long in their opener against Coppin State, so don’t be surprised if this is the case once again against a fairly talented LMU team.
The Lions are led by leading scorers Cam Shelton and Keli Lauapepe, both of whom are seniors putting up 17 and 14.3 points per game, respectively. Justin Ahrens, a fifth-year transfer from Ohio State, hasn’t been as impactful for LMU as one might expect, partially due to inefficient shooting, but he’s played an impactful role for very good Ohio State teams in the past, so the Hoyas should look to minimize his effect on both sides of the ball.
LMU also shoots 43.6% of their shots from three, which could be bad news for a Hoyas squad that has proven themselves to be poor at defending the perimeter. Conversely, the Lions have not defended the three well themselves, so Georgetown may be able to exploit this with the outside shooting of Murray, Spears, Heath, Mozone and Akok.
As for Georgetown, Jay Heath played 30 minutes and made a two-way impact in his first game against Northwestern, and should continue to acclimate himself and allow the Hoyas more depth and lineup flexibility. This is still an incredibly new team with a fresh set of pieces consisting mostly of transfers, so getting the team to gel could take some time. Ewing also noted after the Northwestern loss that Murray lacked effort at certain points during that contest, so having him locked in and scoring from the get-go will be crucial.
We knew that our first game against a power conference opponent would tell us a lot more about this team, and it certainly did. Despite some initial excitement, this team could be primed for another disappointing season. The Hoyas, per usual, do not have a strong non-conference schedule, and in order to build an even mediocre resume, they will need to take care of business against a presumed bottom-tier WCC team in LMU.
Predictions:
Jack
77-75 Hoyas
I don’t think it will be pretty, but I believe, or at least hope, that the Hoyas will be able to squeak out the W with superior talent in Jay Heath’s second game back. Don’t be surprised if this LMU team hangs around, however, and as we know, anything can happen down the stretch in the second half.
Best Bet: Over 151
Armen (2-1, Bets 1-2)
72-61 Hoyas
As the executive editor of this blog, nothing makes me more mad than giving John a platform to spew his nonsense over the interwebs. He, and his takes on Georgetown Basketball, sucks. Just in spite of him, I will be fading his bets from here on out. Loyola Marymount is not necessarily good at anything. They’re going to take a million threes, but as long as Ewing gave his team the kick in the ass they deserved after last game, the three point defense should improve with the overall effort level. This game shouldn’t be close, but this is the Hoyas after all. For my sake, please win.
Best Bet: Georgetown -2.5
John (3-0, Bets 2-1)
79-77 Hoyas
I hate to be that guy, but I hit the nail on the head with my Northwestern prediction. And frankly, nothing I saw on Tuesday night leads me to the conclusion that the Hoyas come away with a win tonight. Loyola isn’t nearly as big as Georgetown is, but let’s be honest, who is? I’m gonna play the wildcard and say Ewing squeaks out a win in paradise, but it’ll be ugly.
Best Bet: Loyola Marymount +2.5
Brendan (2-1, Bets 1-2)
Brendan is in a state of disarray after realizing the state of his beloved basketball program. He is taking today to find himself and will not be giving a prediction.
Best Bet: Jesus
