We finally made it. The Big East Tournament starts Wednesday, and the Georgetown Hoyas unfortunately find themselves in the 8/9 game once again. Then again, the postseason represents a clean slate and perhaps the chance to do something special.
The Hoyas will begin the uphill battle at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, when they face off with the all too familiar St. John’s Red Storm. Both times have had a tough go at it in Big East play, but neither is ready to roll over and die just yet.
Injury Report
Both teams enter the game at less than 100%. Georgetown has been without their two leading scorers in Mac McClung and Omer Yurtseven for most of the second half of conference play. That figures to be the case again Wednesday, as it seems unlikely that either McClung or Yurtseven will be a go. That being said, Yurtseven may be the more likely of the two to suit up, and his return could be the difference maker the Hoyas need.
For the Johnnies, both Mustapha Heron and Josh Roberts are out for the rest of the year. Heron was the Red Storm’s second leading scorer before getting injured back in February. However, in Heron’s absence St. John’s has seen the emergence of a young core led by freshman guard Julian Champagnie.
Season Series
St. John’s is the only team Georgetown has beaten twice this season. The Hoyas first routed the Johnnies at home on Jan. 8 and then completed the season sweep with a 17-point comeback in the Garden on Feb. 2. While the Hoyas had the upper hand in the regular season, history indicates that a third win over the Red Storm will not come easy.
St. John’s has eliminated Georgetown from the Big East Tournament twice in the past three seasons, most recently in Ewing’s first year as head coach. In 2018, the Hoyas swept the regular season serieds but failed to take care of business on Wednesday night of the Big East Tournament. Let’s hope history doesn’t repeat itself.
Recent Results
After starting Big East play 3-12, things seem to have clicked for St. John’s over the past week and a half. Over that stretch, the Johnnies have won two of their final three games including a 20-point win over Creighton and another marquee victory over Marquette.
The Hoyas enter the tournament heading the opposite direction after losing six straight games to close the season. That is not to say there hasn’t been reason for optimism. In their last outing, Georgetown hung with a ranked Villanova team, only losing in the final minute thanks to some questionable officiating. Moral victories don’t mean anything in the postseason, however, as the Hoyas need a win to keep their season alive.
Key Match-ups
St. John’s recent success has largely been thanks to the play of Julian Champagnie. Over the Johnnies’ last three games, Champagnie has averaged 19 points per game while shooting over 50% from the field. Who Ewing chooses to guard the versatile Champagnie is anyone’s guess. Jagan Mosely usually draws the opponent’s best player, and thus will likely be preoccupied with LJ Figueroa, the Johnnies’ leading scorer at 14.3 points per game. Ewing may put Jamorko Pickett on Champagnie in hopes of using Pickett’s length to disrupt Champagnie’s offensive game.
Speaking of Pickett, the junior swingman is coming off perhaps his best game as a Hoya. Georgetown fans would certainly like to see Pickett continue to play aggressively as well as stay hot from three, moving forward. The outcome of Wednesday’s game may well be determined by which player has a bigger impact on the game, Pickett or Champagnie.
One area where Georgetown may have an edge over St. John’s is in the frontcourt. With Roberts out, the Red Storm’s tallest rotation player measures just 6’7”. Omer Yurtseven played a big role in the Hoyas’ comeback win in February, including the go-ahead bucket in the final seconds. While Yurtseven may not be on the floor on Wednesday, Georgetown still has Qudus Wahab and Timothy Ighoefe to turn to. Wahab has hit a little bit of a wall of late, but facing a smaller Johnnies team may be just what the doctor ordered. The only question will be if Wahab and Ighoefe can guard their smaller, quicker opponents and avoid getting into foul trouble.
Any discussion of the Georgetown Hoyas at this point in the season has to come back to Jagan Mosely. As a senior, Mosely has yet to pick up a win in the Big East Tournament and will certainly leave it all on the line as he looks to correct that against the Johnnies on Wednesday night.
Jacob’s Prediction (20-11 on the year): Georgetown 78, St. John’s 72
For the love of everything that is good in the world, can we please beat St. John’s? I can’t fathom sending off Jagan Mosely on a seven game losing streak but that is certainly a real possibility. However, I’m still willing to bet that Georgetown wins this game. For one, Georgetown has largely been dominated on the glass over the course of the losing streak. I think that changes on Wednesday against a smaller St. John’s team. Additionally, Pickett’s strong play of late has me intrigued. If he can keep it rolling, the Hoyas will live to fight another day.
Will’s Prediction (21-10 on the year): Georgetown 74, St. John’s 73
I’m really banking on a Mac McClung return to the Garden. If Mac can return fully healthy and ready to play, I fully expect him to ball out there as he always seems to do.
While it’s no question St. John’s looks more disciplined now than they did earlier in the season when the Hoyas played them, I expect this Georgetown team to counter that. One way? They can continue to use their length, which will be an advantage St. John’s simply cannot counter. I hope to see another six block game from Qudus again (if Omer is indeed out again).
