Forget the NCAA Tournament bubble. Forget the Big East Tournament. Forget Saturday’s visit to face nationally-ranked Marquette. All that matters for Georgetown right now is getting it done on Wednesday when the Hoyas travel to Chicago to face the DePaul Blue Demons for a rematch of last week’s meeting.
That being said, one would be remiss to ignore the glaring implications that tonight’s game will have on Georgetown’s postseason prospects. With Xavier losing to Butler on Tuesday night, the Hoyas now sit in solo possession of third place in the Big East. A win against DePaul would solidify this position and eliminate the possibility of Ewing and Co. having to play on Wednesday night of the Big East Tournament. Besides giving the Hoyas a much better shot at making a run in the tournament, avoiding the first round of the BET would be a major step for a program that has finished in the bottom four of the conference four of the last five seasons. Furthermore, as one might expect, a victory over the bottom-dwelling Blue Demons is imperative to maintain any hope of an at-large bid to the Big Dance.
In the teams’ first matchup of the year, Georgetown utilized an efficient offensive attack (shooting 49% from the floor and only committing 11 turnovers) in route to an 82-73 victory at Capital One Arena. While the Hoyas were able to handle the Blue Demons the first time around, Ewing’s team will need to do a much better containing DePaul defensively, especially when it comes to slowing down Max Strus and Paul Reed, if they are to get a road win.
Strus, a prolific scorer, proved a problematic matchup for the Georgetown guards, notching 25 points on just 15 shot attempts last week. To make matters worse, Strus is brimming with confidence, as he is coming off his best performance of the year, a 43-point barrage, in an upset victory over St. John’s. To prevent this type of scoring outburst, Jagan Mosely will need to turn in a defensive performance like the spectacular effort he put forth against Myles Powell on Saturday. Jamarko Pickett was also notably absent from last week’s game, and given his return, Pickett’s defensive presence off the bench should provide some respite for Mosely.
As for Paul Reed, the 6’9” forward presents a challenge for Ewing’s team on two-fronts. In the teams’ February 27th meeting, Reed showed off his ability to slash opposing defenses and do damage on the glass, posting a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
In the clip above, Reed uses the dribble to get by Kaleb Johnson and convert a nifty finish at the rim. Josh LeBlanc will be largely responsible for keeping Reed away from the rim and has all the tools to do so. Still, LeBlanc must be sure to stay out of foul trouble and on the floor, especially given the likely absence of defensive-stalwart Kaleb Johnson off the bench, who entered the concussion protocol in the team’s win over Seton Hall.
On the offensive side of the ball, Georgetown should have no problem scoring on a Blue Demons defense that is ranked second to last in the Big East in terms of points allowed per game. To get easy buckets, the Hoyas should look to turn defense into offense by getting out in transition off DePaul turnovers, something they did to great success in the first meeting. In the half-court, look for the Georgetown backcourt to force feed Jessie Govan in the post, who is coming off a resilient effort against Seton Hall, where he bounced back from a rough first half and ended up scoring all of Georgetown’s 11 points in the second overtime. Govan also has a slight size advantage on the inside against DePaul’s Femi Olujobi, which he fully took advantage of while scoring 26 points against the Blue Demons last week.
In order to stretch this winning streak to three games, which would be the team’s longest in Big East play on the season, Georgetown will need to be sharp on both ends of the floor. With senior leader Kaleb Johnson likely out for the game, Jessie Govan will need to shoulder much of the load and keep the Hoyas locked in, especially if they should find themselves behind early. While this season has surely had a steep learning curve, I believe the Hoyas are prepared to play their best basketball in March. Georgetown is a more talented basketball team than DePaul, and if Ewing and Co. can avoid mental mistakes and defensive lapses, that should become clear on Wednesday night.
Prediction: Georgetown 74, DePaul 69
