Sunday was fun. There’s little time to savor the victory, however, as Georgetown is back in action on Wednesday as they host the Seton Hall Pirates for an 8:30 p.m. tip-off.
At 8-1 in the Big East, the Pirates have vaulted up the rankings, clocking in at #12 in the latest AP Poll. In addition to giving Georgetown the opportunity to exact some revenge for a road loss to Seton Hall earlier this year, Wednesday’s game represents a chance at a marquee win on the Hoyas’ tournament resume.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle for Georgetown? They are almost guaranteed to be without their leading scorer in Mac McClung, who missed Sunday’s game after sustaining a foot injury in practice the day before. Although Ewing labeled McClung’s status as day-to-day, he did add that, “I don’t think he’ll be playing tomorrow, but hopefully on Saturday.”
In McClung’s absence, the rest of the Georgetown roster will be asked to shoulder an even larger load. In the win over St. John’s, all five Georgetown starters played 35 minutes or more, with both Jahvon Blair and Jagan Mosely seeing a full 40 minutes of action. They’ll likely have to play similar minutes again on Wednesday, potentially making fatigue an issue. Ewing was clear that the staff has taken measures to limit practice times between games in order to keep the team fresh.
The Hoyas are not the only ones with injury concerns. Seton Hall’s Quincy McKnight injured his knee in the Pirates’ loss to Xavier on Saturday. Although the MRI came back clean, McKnight’s status is still very much in limbo.
Though McKnight may not be Seton Hall’s best player (that title is reserved for Myles Powell), he leads the team in assists and steals. If McKnight is not available for Wednesday’s game, it would be a big blow for the Pirates.
Speaking of Powell, the Big East’s second leading scorer at 21.4 points per game is looking to bounce back after being limited to just 9 points against Xavier. In Georgetown and Seton Hall’s first meeting on Jan. 3, the Hoyas were fairly successful in containing Powell, as he shot just six of 17 from the field. It will require a similar defensive effort to keep Powell under wraps once again.
While Powell was quiet in the Pirates’ first win over the Hoyas, it was big man Romaro Gill who had a big night. At 7’2”, Gill is a talented shotblocker and also a capable finisher around the rim. Limiting Gill’s impact on the game will be something Georgetown will need to improve upon this time around. When asked how the Hoyas could prepare for Seton Hall’s size, freshman center Qudus Wahab said, “(We) just gotta play physical, match their intensity, be strong on the glass and we’re gonna be fine.”
In addition to Gill, Seton Hall will have fellow forward Sandro Mamukelashvili, who missed the Jan. 3 game with a wrist injury. In his two games since returning, Mamu has come off the bench and played limited minutes. Still, his role will only increase moving forward as he continues to round into form.
When asked what concerned him about Seton Hall, Ewing responded, “Their whole team concerns me.” While the national media may focus on Powell, those in Big East circles know that the Pirates are one of the most complete squads in not only the conference, but also the nation. Beating such an all-around team will require an all-around effort from Georgetown on Wednesday night.
Jacob’s Prediction (16-6 on the year): Seton Hall 77, Georgetown 70
After Sunday’s win, I want to feel confident about Georgetown’s chances in this one. Without McClung, it’s a lot tougher for me to feel good about the Hoyas’ ability to hang with a deep Seton Hall team. It’s not just Myles Powell that concerns me. As mentioned above, the Pirates have an array of weapons, including Mamukelashvili who has burned Georgetown in the past. If Seton Hall is without Quincy McKnight, I think Georgetown has a better chance to stay competitive, but it likely won’t be enough for the Hoyas to add a marquee win to their resume.
Will’s Prediction (14-8 on the year): Georgetown 77, Seton Hall 74
Go big or go home. The Hoyas have a prime opportunity here to pick up a marquee win against the #12th ranked team in the nation. No Mac? No problem, we have Jahvon “Big East Honor Roll Listee” Blair ready to take over.
In all seriousness, I do believe the Hoyas were still searching for their team identity when they began the Big East gauntlet, and the past two games have given me reason to think the team has gotten it together. The Hoyas need to capitalize when Seton Hall is still discombobulated from a tough loss versus Xavier and we’re still riding the high over our own comeback victory against St. John’s. Look for Yurtseven to build on his strong second half showing against St. John’s; the Hoyas will need him to do so to hold any hope of beating Seton Hall, as his atrocious 3/14 from the field in Newark in January will not help lead the Hoyas to victory.
