Big East Report Team Blog: Georgetown

MR. MONROE LEAVES BUTLER IN THE COLD

2009-12-09T09:28:00.001-05:00

Greg Monroe scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for Georgetown last night in the opening game of the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden as the No. 15 Hoyas Dominate Butler, 72-65, In First Real Test of the Season (Washington Post). Austin Freeman added 18 as John Thompson III's club improves to 7-0 on the season.

Monroe Shined on New York Stage (Washington Times) as an Assertive Monroe Steals the Show (ESPN) giving Hoya fans and coaching staff what they had hoped for this season from the potential star. Both his point and rebound totals last night where career highs for the 6-foot-10 center from New Orleans.

The Georgetown defense was also stout, limiting Butler to 31% shooting in the game and outrebounding the Bulldogs 43-30. Monroe and Julian Vaughn limited Butler star Matt Howard, the 2008-2009 Horizon League player of the year, to just 9 points on 1-9 shooting from the field in 25 minutes before he fouled out.

Butler Squanders Opportunity Against Ranked Opponent (Indianapolis Star) as they were out-toughed by the Hoyas of the Big East. Georgetown led by as many as 17 points in the second half and withstood a late Butler rally by making enough free throws. Twenty Hoya turnovers contributed to the Bulldogs making it just interesting enough at the end.

The Hoyas (7-0) will look to match their best start under coach Thompson III with a victory against No. 17 Washington in the John Wooden Classic this Saturday in Anaheim (CA).

GEORGETOWN DUMPS AMERICAN; BUTLER UP NEXT

2009-12-07T11:16:00.002-05:00

The tasks get tougher this week for Georgetown as the Hoyas tune-up with a 73-46 victory over American on Saturday at the Verizon Center. Henry Sims and Chris Wright led the balanced Hoya attack with 12 points each as six Hoyas scored at least 9 points and 10 players played 10 minutes or more as In Win, Georgetown Preps for Tough Stretch (Washington Times) ahead.

Georgetown takes on Butler Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in the Jimmy V Classic and then travels cross country to take on Washington this Saturday.

GEORGETOWN 5-0, TESTS WAITING AHEAD

2009-12-01T10:15:00.001-05:00

Georgetown imrpoved to 5-0 last night as the Hoyas Get a Balanced Effort (Washington Times) in an 83-62 win over Mount St. Mary's at the Verizon Center. Looking more like a balanced team with the efficient offense clicking, Georgetown had four players in double digits led by sophomore Greg Monroe's 19 points and 11 rebounds. Chris Wright contributed 18 points and while Monroe and Wright Pace the Short-Handed Hoyas (Washington Post) it is the continued contributions of Jason Clark, who scored 12 points and added 5 rebounds and 4 steals, and a big game from Julian Vaughn will hopefully be a sign of things to come. The junior power forward scored 14 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and had 3 assists and 3 blocks in the victory.

The Hoyas have some interesting tests ahead following American this weekend with Butler (12/8) and Washington (12/12) on neutral courts next week.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: GEORGETOWN

2009-04-29T12:12:00.004-04:00

April 29, 2009

Commitment ALERT: Jerrelle Benimon, 6'8 F from Fauquier (MD) High School

Georgetown continues to work at adding depth for their 2009-2010 roster to rebound from the disappointing 2008-2009 season amd improve their college basketball odds of returning to the NCAA Tournament in 2009-2010. The latest addition to the Hoyas is somewhat of a surprise as Georgetown Offers, Jerelle Benimon Accepts (Fauquier.com) and commits to the Hoyas.

Projected 2009-2010 Roster:

Seniors: None
Juniors: Austin Freeman (SG), Chris Wright (PG), Nikita Mescheriakov (F), Julian Vaughn (PF)
Sophomores: Jason Clark (G), Henry Sims (BF/C), Greg Monroe (BF)
Freshman: Hollis Thompson (SF), Vee Sanford (G), Jerrelle Benimon (PF)
Early 2010 Commitments: Markel Starks (PG), Nate Lubick

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

With just a roster of eight players currently slated for 2008-2009, John Thompson III and his staff have been diligently beating the bushes this spring for additions to their roster. On the strength of an excellent senior season, Vee Sanford went from a mid-major priority to a player with high-major interest. Georgetown won out in the battle for his services as the Hoyas gained the commitment this week. JT III followed that commitment up quickly by adding little-known Jerrelle Benimon to the mix as well. With little exposure outside of his immediate area, mostly because the lack participation in the AAU scene, Benimon wasn't recruited by Division I programs until recent months. Georgetown, Old Dominion and Longwood all offered Benimon with Tulsa, Clemson and Mississippi also showing some interest.

Benimon had been coming to the Georgetown campus alot of late to play with the Hoyas in spring pick-up games and felt he could fit in and help in the Big East.

“At first I was kind of nervous, but I know I can handle my own now,” Benimon told Fauquier.com.

Benimon averaged 22 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, three blocks and 1.6 steals per game this past season for coach Wayne Brizzi and the Falcons. He was named Cedar Run District player of the year for the second consecutive season andn was a 4th-team all-Met selection by the Washington Post this past season.

Sanford averaged 22.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.4 assists a game for coach Brandon Salsman this season. The Hoyas' interest in the 6-foot-3 guard began to pick up when Sanford scored 31 points in a District playoff game with Georgetown and other high-major coaches watching. Sanford can score in a variety of ways and will help fill a much-needed void on the Georgetown roster.

Sanford and Benimon join Hollis Thompson as commitments in the class of 2009. Thompson came come across country from De La Salle High School in the Bay Area of California to join the Hoya program last December as he enrolled early. Thompson recently had transferred from Loyola High school in Los Angeles to De La Salle before graduating early to get a head start at his new home with the Hoyas. The 6'6 wing is long and lean at his position and is a player with tremendous upside to grow as he works to put all his natural tools together with a developing skill set.

With the graduation of Jesse Sapp, DaJuan Summers signing with an agent and foregoing his senior season for the professional ranks and Omar Wattad deciding to transfer, the Georgetown roster will be thin and pretty inexperienced once again next season. They did receive good news when Greg Monroe passed up the opportunity of being a near certain lottery pick in the 2009 draft to return for his sophomore season.

Springbook senior forward Jamal Olasewere left quite an impression on observers in leading his team to a state championship by averaging 24.5 points and 14.5 rebounds in the two games on the Comcast Center floor in the Maryland state final four. Coach Thompson was so impressed with the 6-foot-6 forward's efforts against elite 2010 prospect Roscoe Smith that he made it a point to watch more of Olasewere in the finals, showing the Hoyas are interested in the prospect. However, with their decision to offer and accept a commitment from Benimon, it likes like they have moved on from Olasewere.

The Hoyas have also shown spring interest in forwards Latavious Williams, currently attending Life Center Academy (TX), and Roscoe Davis, who is at Laurinnburg (NC) Institute. Williams is a highly touted forward who could try his hand professionally in Europe if he does not achieve a qualifying status for college next year. Davis has been bouncing around of late, but the former DC Assault member is close to members of the Hoyas' staff and if he is qualified for college in the fall, Georgetown could be a possible destination. The Hoyas have also been linked to Florida transfer Allen Chaney who is looking for a new home after playing one year with the Gators.

Skilled power forward Nate Lubick is one of two Georgetown commitment from the class of 2010 as the 6-foot-8 forward from the St. Mark's (MA) School made a verbal pledge to the Hoyas last fall. Playing for his father at St. Mark's and former NBA coach John Carroll with the NE Playaz on the AAU circuit, Lubick has improved rapidly and turned himself into one of the most coveted players in the class of 2010. This past summer he showed the NBE Basketball Report his effecient and versatile offensive game with a strong showing at the Adidas Super 64 in Vegas.

Lubick had made a couple trips to Georgetown already and chose the Hoyas after strongly considering Michigan as well. Virginia and Stanford had also been involved in his recruitment as strong academics played a role in his decision.

Lubick is an athletic player at 6-foot-8 with a quick and accurate shot from the perimeter. His versatility and high basketball IQ will fit in very well with the intricate Georgetown system utilized by John Thompson III.

DC-area guards were flying off the shelves in the class of 2010 as Kendall Marshall has previously committed to North Carolina, Tyler Thornton chose Duke recently and Josh Selby has picked Tennessee. Georgetown Prep point guard Markel Starks joined the fray last fall when the 6'1 guard chooses the Georgetown Hoyas on a campus visit.

It was evident very early last spring in the Boo Williams Review that Starks was headed toward high major status with his tremendous handle and ability to score and distribute from the point guard position for the DC Blue Devils. Playing his high school ball for former Georgetown Hoya guard Dwayne Bryant also made sure he had year-round tutoring of the finer points of the game. As a sophomore, Starks averaged 18 points a game playing for coach Bryant.

We will continue to follow the Hoya recruiting efforts as they try to rebound from their disappointing 2008-2009 campaign by adding talent on the recruiting trail.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: GEORGETOWN

2009-04-21T10:04:00.004-04:00

April 21, 2009

Verbal Commitment ALERT: Vee Sanford, 6'3 G from Lexington (KY) Catholic

Projected 2009-2010 Roster:

Seniors: None
Juniors: Austin Freeman (SG), Chris Wright (PG), Nikita Mescheriakov (F), Julian Vaughn (PF)
Sophomores: Jason Clark (G), Henry Sims (BF/C), Greg Monroe (BF)
Freshman: Hollis Thompson (SF), Vee Sanford (G)
Early 2010 Commitments: Markel Starks (PG), Nate Lubick

The Georgetown roster, thin already, has seen two more players with eligibility leave this spring, but they added their first commitment in the spring signing period earlier this week with the news of Vee Sanford Committing to Georgetown (Louisville Courier-Journal). The Lexington (KY) Catholic guard chose the Hoyas over Baylor, Iowa, Georgia and Charlotte, according to the Courier-Journal.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

With just a roster of eight players currently slated for 2008-2009, John Thompson III and his staff have been diligently beating the bushes this spring for additions to their roster. On the strength of an excellent senior season, Vee Sanford went from a mid-major priority to a player with high-major interest. Georgetown won out in the battle for his services as the Hoyas gained the commitment this week.

Sanford averaged 22.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.4 assists a game for coach Brandon Salsman this season. The Hoyas' interest in the 6-foot-3 guard began to pick up when Sanford scored 31 points in a District playoff game with Georgetown and other high-major coaches watching. Sanford can score in a variety of ways and will help fill a much-needed void on the Georgetown roster.

Sanford joins Hollis Thompson as commitments in the class of 2009. Thompson came come across country from De La Salle High School in the Bay Area of California to join the Hoya program last December as he enrolled early. Thompson recently had transferred from Loyola High school in Los Angeles to De La Salle before graduating early to get a head start at his new home with the Hoyas. The 6'6 wing is long and lean at his position and is a player with tremendous upside to grow as he works to put all his natural tools together with a developing skill set.

With the graduation of Jesse Sapp, DaJuan Summers signing with an agent and foregoing his senior season for the professional ranks and Omar Wattad deciding to transfer, the Georgetown roster will be thin and pretty inexperienced once again next season. They did receive good news when Greg Monroe passed up the opportunity of being a near certain lottery pick in the 2009 draft to return for his sophomore season.

The Hoya recruiting news of the day does not end with Sanford's commitment as word is the Hoyas are Adding a Local Forward (Washington Post) to the 2009 recruiting class with 6-foot-8 Fauquier HS forward Jarelle Benimon is bound for the local Big East program. Benimon was a 4th-team all-Met selection by the Washington Post this past season.

Springbook senior forward Jamal Olasewere left quite an impression on observers in leading his team to a state championship by averaging 24.5 points and 14.5 rebounds in the two games on the Comcast Center floor in the Maryland state final four. Coach Thompson was so impressed with the 6-foot-6 forward's efforts against elite 2010 prospect Roscoe Smith that he made it a point to watch more of Olasewere in the finals, showing the Hoyas are interested in the prospect.

The Hoyas have also shown spring interest in forwards Latavious Williams, currently attending Life Center Academy (TX), and Roscoe Davis, who is at Laurinnburg (NC) Institute. Williams is a highly touted forward who could try his hand professionally in Europe if he does not achieve a qualifying status for college next year. Davis has been bouncing around of late, but the former DC Assault member is close to members of the Hoyas' staff and if he is qualified for college in the fall, Georgetown could be a possible destination. The Hoyas have also been linked to Florida transfer Allen Chaney who is looking for a new home after playing one year with the Gators.

Skilled power forward Nate Lubick is one of two Georgetown commitment from the class of 2010 as the 6-foot-8 forward from the St. Mark's (MA) School made a verbal pledge to the Hoyas last fall. Playing for his father at St. Mark's and former NBA coach John Carroll with the NE Playaz on the AAU circuit, Lubick has improved rapidly and turned himself into one of the most coveted players in the class of 2010. This past summer he showed the NBE Basketball Report his effecient and versatile offensive game with a strong showing at the Adidas Super 64 in Vegas.

Lubick had made a couple trips to Georgetown already and chose the Hoyas after strongly considering Michigan as well. Virginia and Stanford had also been involved in his recruitment as strong academics played a role in his decision.

Lubick is an athletic player at 6-foot-8 with a quick and accurate shot from the perimeter. His versatility and high basketball IQ will fit in very well with the intricate Georgetown system utilized by John Thompson III.

DC-area guards were flying off the shelves in the class of 2010 as Kendall Marshall has previously committed to North Carolina, Tyler Thornton chose Duke recently and Josh Selby has picked Tennessee. Georgetown Prep point guard Markel Starks joined the fray last fall when the 6'1 guard chooses the Georgetown Hoyas on a campus visit.

It was evident very early last spring in the Boo Williams Review that Starks was headed toward high major status with his tremendous handle and ability to score and distribute from the point guard position for the DC Blue Devils. Playing his high school ball for former Georgetown Hoya guard Dwayne Bryant also made sure he had year-round tutoring of the finer points of the game. As a sophomore, Starks averaged 18 points a game playing for coach Bryant.

We will continue to follow the Hoya recruiting efforts as they try to rebound from their disappointing 2008-2009 campaign by adding talent on the recruiting trail.

MONROE TO RETURN, TRANSFERS CONTINUE AT GEORGETOWN

2009-04-17T11:00:00.002-04:00

April 17, 2009

Georgetown had already lost one to the NBA when junior DaJuan Summers declared and did not even look back for a second by announcing he will be hiring an agent right off the bat. The Hoyas also saw sophomore G/F Omar Wattad decide to transfer and had been waiting on highly touted freshman Greg Monroe's decision to enter the draft or return for his sophomore season.

Despite being projected as a top 10, or maybe even a top 5 pick, John Thompson III got very good news this week as Monroe Will Be Back (Washington Post) next season to continue his development under JT III.

Wattad joins a list of Vernon Macklin, Jeremiah Rivers, Octavius Spann, Marc Egerson and Josh Thornton as players who were recruited to Georgetown by JT III and transferred out of the program the last few years.

Also, a potential incoming transfer has surfaced, Allan Chaney, a frosh from Florida, indicated that he would consider PC, URI and Georgetown, among other schools, for a new home after one season with the Gators.

WITH HOYA SEASON OVER, JTIII HITS RECRUITING TRAIL

2009-03-18T14:28:00.001-04:00

March 18, 2009

As reported yesterday by Ron Bailey for the NBE Basketball Report in his Maryland State Final Four Player Notes Springbook senior forward Jamal Olasewere left quite an impression on observers in leading his team to a state championship by averaging 24.5 points and 14.5 rebounds in the two games on the Comcast Center floor. One very interested onbserver was Georgetown head coach John Thompson III who returned for the finals to get a second look at the 6-foot-5+, 200-lb Olasewere. According to the Recruiting Insider at the Washington Post, Olasewere Will Visit Georgetown either later this week or early next week.

Long Island, Fairleigh Dickson and Hartford, among others have shown recent interest and Ron Bailey noted in yesterday's article that Mount St. Mary’s and Quinnipiac have offered previously.

Another under the radar player has the Hoyas very much in the mix and that is Lexington (KY) Catholic senior Vee Sanford. The 6-foot-3 guard averages 22.3 points a game and has visited Bradley and soon will visit Georgetown. According to the Louisville Courier-Journal article, Sanford is expecting John Thompson III and South Florida head coach Stan Heath at practice this week to see him in action. It will not be the first trip for JTIII to see Sanford practice.

GEORGETOWN LOOKS TO START MIRACLE BET RUN

2009-03-10T10:35:00.001-04:00

March 10, 2009

For the second time in a week, Georgetown and St. John's meet at Madison Square Garden. The Hoyas will hope for a different result this time around after dropping a 59-56 overtime decision to the Redstorm after letting a double-difit second-half lead slip away. The game was a microgosm of the Hoya season that has gone so wrong the last two months.

St. John's is back in the Big East Tournament on their home floor at Madison Square Garden, although they will be in the road uniforms as the 13th-seed taking on No. 12 Georgetown.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on the game:

Norm Roberts, St. John's Back to Make Big East Tournament (NY Daily News)
St. John's Faces Georgetown in Big East Tournament (Newsday.com)
A Staggering Season (Washington Times)
Hoyas Hope for Big East Miracle (Washington Post)

In their loss a week ago to the Redstorm, Georgetown was outrebounded 54-31. It has been the theme all season as the Hoyas have been pummelled in the paint by Big East counterparts. What has made this so shocking was how the Big East season started, with Georgetown going into Connecticut and waxing the Huskies, 74-63. They played with passion, intensity and out-rebounded UConn solidly. After an offensive clinic in a win over Syracuse, the Hoyas were a top 10 team and nobody could foresee what was next...

Georgetown limps into the Big East Tournament after losing 10 of their last 14 games and seeing their 2009 NCAA Tournament hopes resort to Georgetown pulling off an improbably run of five wins in five nights against some of the toughest competition in America.

In their last 14 games, only one of the 10 losses came against teams in the top four of the Big East (Louisville) as they did not play either Pitt or UConn in that span. One of their wins was at Villanova, but they followed that win with a loss to St. John's. That is the Hoya season in the Big East.

St. John's will certainly enter the game this afternoon with some confidence, although they are still being shown little love by the oddsmakers who have listed the Hoyas as a solid 5 1/2-point favorite according to the early college basketball odds this morning.

In the win over GU on March 3rd, Paris Horne and Ron Thomas each had 16 points. The SJU defense kept the Hoyas in check all game, which is a common theme. Georgetown has not scored more than 58 points in a game in their last four outings.

With a traditional Big East rivalry and the 'home' team making their tourney experience, this game should have a little extra life to it. The Georgetown offensive struggles will make this one to watch as it is hard to see them putting much distance between themselves and the Redstorm, especially the way SJU will rebound and play with some life, something we are not sure Georgetown has much of left.

The talent on Georgetown should be enough to pull the game out, but it is likely to be a close game, again.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 63
St. John's 59

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: DEPAUL @ GEORGETOWN

2009-03-07T08:44:00.000-05:00

March 7, 2009

Georgetown will look to avoid being the ‘one’, the ‘only one’ this time. Three years ago, in the last regular season game of the year, Georgetown lost at South Florida and the Bulls avoided a Big East o-fer with the win.

This year, on the season finale, DePaul, who is 0-17, will make their last play of the season for a conference win and it will come at Georgetown.

The Hoyas have been one of the biggest disappointments, especially since they knocked off UConn to open conference play and climbed into the top 10 of the national rankings. It has been a steep free fall since they were 3-2 in the Big East and coming off an impressive win over Syracuse. The Hoyas are now 6-11 in the Big East and likely headed to an 11th place finish in the conference.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on the game:

What Happens to College Coaches Who Can’t Win a Conference Game (Daily Herald)
Sapp Departs as Georgetown’s Heart & Soul (Washington Times)
Wainwright Under Fire, But DePaul AD Preaches Patience (Southtown Star)

Georgetown will look to avoid the season’s biggest embarrassment and keep DePaul winless in the Big East. The Hoyas certainly have the talent to do so, even with Austin Freeman banged up.

Chris Wright should find the match-up with the DePaul backcourt to his liking and Greg Monroe and DaJuan Summers should dominate the Blue Demons frontcourt.

DePaul has been getting a big scoring lift from Will Walker and Dar Tucker continues to put up big offensive numbers, but Walker’s surge seems to have come at the expense of any interior production, an area that if lacking makes wins in the Big East hard to come by, especially on the road.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 73
DePaul 55

HOYAS WATCH LEAD, NCAA DREAMS EVAPORATE IN LOSS

2009-03-04T15:20:00.000-05:00

March 4, 2009

Even with their win over Villanova last weekend, an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament was a severe longshot for Georgetown. The Hoyas still might have had a chance with factors such as the #1 rated schedule in the country, road wins against UConn and 'Nova and a little momentum with expected wins over St. John's and DePaul heading into the 2009 Big East Tournament where anything could happen if the Hoyas picked off another win or two, which wouldn't have been that unheard of.

Instead, In the End, Hoyas Just Fade Away (Washington Post), blowing a 15-point second half lead as St. John's Rallies, Forces OT and Tops Georgetown (Newsday), 59-56, in front of nearly 10,000 fans at Madison Square Garden.

The Hoyas led 45-30 with 10:42 left in regulation before the Storm embarked on their comeback. Georgetown looked like they were going to run over SJU, racing away from a two-point lead at the half, 31-29, with an early run as the Redstorm seemed like they could not get out of their own way. The 21-6 run was completed with a pair of Rob Thomas free throws with 2.3 seconds left to force overtime.

The St. John's Comeback Stuns Georgetown (SNY.tv) and a Justin Burrell dunk with 10 seconds remianing in OT provided the final score as a DaJuan Summers desperation three-pointer was off the mark.

The Hoyas played without starting small forward Austin Freeman who suffered a hip-pointer in practice Monday. However, the major problem again was toughness as St. John's dominated Georgetown on the class, outrebounding the Hoyas 46-25.

Greg Monroe had a agme-high 18 for Georgetown. It was the Hoyas' 10th loss in their last 13 games and is likely to send the Hoyas, who were once ranked in the top 10 in the country, onto the NIT.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: GEORGETWON @ ST. JOHN'S

2009-03-03T11:57:00.004-05:00

March 3, 3009

It really is pretty far-fetched, but following a 56-54 road win at Villanova on Saturday, the Georgetown Hoyas Hold Out Hope (Washington Times) that their postseason chances have been resurrected.

With tonight's game against St. John's, on the road, and their regular season finale at home on Saturday against DePaul, they have a chance to pull out two more wins as they head for the 2009 Big East Tournament which begins in just one week.

At 6-10 in the conference, Georgetown has plenty of work and it might take a minir miracle of a run in the conference tournament for them to get any NCAA Tournament consideration.

The early college basketball odds list the Hoyas as a 6 1/2-point favorite to get the 7th conference win tonight when they meet the Redstorm. SJU is 5-11 in Big East play and also must travel to South Bend to meet Notre Dame before competing in the conference tournament.

There is no doubt the Hoyas have the more talented team. Players like Chris Wright, Austin Freeman and Greg Monroe were McDonald's All-Americans and DaJuan Summers has been on the NBA Draft watchlists since his strong play in the Hoyas' run to the Final Four as a freshman. NYC native Jesse Sapp, the lone scholarship senior on the Hoyas, will be returning home and determined to put a frustrating season behind him to get a win in front of many friends and family.

St. Johns' season was a disaster waiting to happen from the get-go as they lost Anthony Mason, Jr. for the season by just their third game. An extended absence because of injury to Malik Boothe did not help as conference play heated up and now back-up big man Ayodele Coker has been suspended for the rest of the season because of academics.

We keep waiting for the Hoyas to develop some sort of momentume, while it is looking like it may be too little, too late, they should head back to NYC in a week with a three-game win streak. Just like the NY Lottery commercials...'Hey, you never know..."

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 67
St. John's 58

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: GEORGETOWN @ VILLANOVA

2009-02-27T23:15:00.001-05:00

February 28, 2009

An old school Big East battle is rekindled at the Wachovia Center at high noon on Saturday as the Villanova Wildcats will host the Georgetown Hoyas. This game was expected to carry much more meaning in the Big East standings, but the struggles of the Hoyas have left them down and out of the Big East race.

Villanova is still in the mix for a top-four seed for the 2009 Big East Tournament as they enter Saturday’s contest 11-4 and with a 23-5 overall mark. The Wildcats have been one of the hottest teams in the nation, winning nine of their last 10 games. They will look to keep the pressure on UConn, Louisville, Pitt and Marquette by claiming an early afternoon win on Saturday.

Georgetown, on the other hand, has been mired in a head-scratching slump, losing nine of their last 11, with wins coming against South Florida and Rutgers. Last weekend’s Saturday/Monday dual losses at home to Marquette and Louisville have dropped the Hoyas to 5-10 in the Big East and 14-12 overall, not very impressive for a team that boasts former McDonald’s All-American recruits such as Greg Monroe, Chris Wright and Austin Freeman in their starting line-up along with DaJuan Summers, who was also a very highly regarded recruit when he signed with the Hoyas.

Georgetown certainly has high-end talent, the problem has been that that talent sees a significant drop-off in level and experience following the starting five. As the losses began to mount, the team’s confidence and chemistry seemed to erode rapidly. Guards Wright and Jesse Sapp had a much-publicized halftime confrontation in a loss to Duke and Sapp has also been benched for his attitude toward the coaching staff in another game.

Georgetown showed some signs of snapping out of the funk, nearly stealing a win at Syracuse and then blowing out USF, but last weekend’s pair of losses seemed to take the final wind out of their sails.

Villanova had a classic letdown performance on Wednesday as the DePaul game followed their frantic win over Syracuse in the Dome last weekend, a game where SU missed four game-tying attempts in the last seconds and the Wildcats escaped with a win over a big rival.

The Wildcats will need a better performance on Saturday to beat Georgetown. Look for Jay Wright’s crew to extend defensive pressure and force Chris Wright to make proper decisions in pushing the ball or pulling it back out to run the Hoya offense. This defensive philosophy will also make it difficult for Georgetown to go inside to freshman Greg Monroe, an under-used weapon in their arsenal. Coach John Thompson III acknowledged the Hoyas problems this week during the Big East coaches conference call with their decision-making within their intricate offensive system.

“We always have given guys a lot of freedom to play,” JTIII told reporters. “You have to make the right decisions, you have to share the ball.”

It has been a long season for Georgetown since the calendar has flipped from 2008 to 2009. Playing a hot Villanova team on the road is unlikely to make things any better after the crushing defeats of last weekend. This could be a very tough game for the Hoyas to big themselves back up for.

NBE Blogger Preview:

Villanova 78
Georgetown 66

Georgetown Could Learn from Nova (Washington Times)

GEORGETOWN'S FALL CONTINUES IN BIG EAST

2009-02-24T12:42:00.001-05:00

February 24, 2009

There was a lot riding on last night' 'Big Monday' showdown in the Nation's Capital between Georgetown and Louisville. With the Cards able to but away the Georgetown in a 76-58 decision, Louisville Carves Out It's Slice of the Big East Lead (Kentucky.com) and Yet Another Home Loss for the Hoyas (Washington Times) could spell doom for their NCAA Tournament chances.

In front of 12, 653 fans in the Verizon Center, Louisville hands the Hoyas their ninth loss in 11 games as the Cards Get in the Zone and Stifles Georgetown (Louisville Courier-Journal). The win had to be a small amount of revenge for UL as the Hoyas can't Play Spoiler this Time (Louisville Courier-Journal) in the Cards quest for the Big East regular season title. Last season, Georgetown upended Louisville 55-52 in the regular season finale to take the regular season title from the Cards, a game tap Rick Pitino did not show his team until Sunday night, reminding them how they felt losing that game to the Hoyas.

The motivation worked as Louisville came out strong out of the gates as Georgetown looked anything but a team with their season on the line. The Hoyas were flat and Louisville connected on their first nine field goal attempts to build an early 26-13 lead and go into halftime leading 41-31, only after a 7-0 run by the Hoyas in the last three-minutes of the half showed the first signs of life of any opposition to a Louisville win.

After a Jesse Sapp basket cut the lead to 41-33 early in the second half, Georgetown never really threatened any more as the Cards were able to hold them at an arm's length or more through the rest of the game.

Junior Earl Clark had 22 points and 8 rebounds in the win while senior Terrence Williams, as usual, did a little bit of everything as he scored 10 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and doled out 7 assists.

It is the 2009 Big East Tournament that is looking like Georgetown's last gasp hope at a NCAA Tournament bid, maybe even an NIT bid, which poses the question, What Happened to the Hoyas (Washington Post) this season?

Inexperience and a lack of depth was expected to cause some issues over the course of an 18-game Big East schedule, but their lack of progress as a team has been quite stunning. Confidence and chemistry issues seem to be at the forefront, but a listless early game effort is unexplainable as the Hoyas Can't Match Cardinals (Washington Post) in experience and strength, but the fact they couldn't match their effort early on while playing on their own home floor is something that likely has John Thompson III very concerned.

Chris Wright had a team-high 12 points and he put forth an admirable effort. The once efficient Hoya attack registered just seven team assists in the game last night and turned the ball over 15 times and shot just 39% from the field. JT III has been going deeper and deeper on his bench to find some combination that will work, but it continues to be to no avail.

After a game at Villanova on Saturday, Georgetown finishes up the regular season next week at St. John's before coming home meet DePaul.

GEORGETOWN LOOKS TO SALVAGE LOST BIG EAST SEASON

2009-02-23T12:18:00.000-05:00

February 23, 2009

Big Monday is upon us once again and a match-up that looked like a big one a couple months ago now becomes possibly a last stand for one participant in the regular season for the NCAA Tournament chances of the Georgetown Hoyas. After starting the season with much-hype and expectations, which hit a crescendo after a conference-opening upset of UConn, Georgetown staggers into tonight's game with a 5-9 Big East mark. Georgetown has lost eight of their last 10 games, only beating lowly Rutgers and South Florida along the way.

Louisville is very much in the Big East title chase, just a half-game behind conference leader Connecticut, tied with Marquette and Pittsburgh. At 12-2 in the Big Eat and 21-5 overall, the Cards have their eyes on a high seed in the Big Dance and another win on the road will help that case.

Here are a few pregame stories and previews:

Cards in Third Long Weekend (Courier-Journal)
Hoyas Miss Finishing Touch (Washington Times)
With Little Time, Hoyas are Facing a Long Climb (Washington Post)

We keep waiting for Georgetown to snap out of their funk and play to their potential for a full game. They came close to knocking off Syracuse in the Dome recently let a chance for a quality win over Marquette slip away this past weekend. The Marquette-Louisville two-game swing, both at home, was a chance for the Hoyas to put themselves back on track, now they must have tonight's game for even a mathematical chance at reaching .500 in the Big East season.

The season has been a frustrating one and signs of frustrations boiling over have been seen as reports of a halftime confrontation between starting guards Jesse Sapp and Chris Wright during the loss to Duke had surfaced. Sapp, the lone scholarship senior on the roster, has seen his minutes dwindle more and more since that time, leaving the Hoyas nearly void of any upper-class leadership. Junior DaJuan Summers is their leading scorer, but has battled an injured ankle and inconsistency.

Wright, a sophomore, is in his first full season as the starting point guard after following in the shoes of Jonathan Wallace, who started four-straight years under John Thompson III. Wright is still learning the intricacies of leading an offense as complex as the one used by Georgetown and the continuity of the attack has not been the same. With a team very short on depth and experience, they have been hit hard by the depth of the Big East.

Louisville has been pretty much playing to their season expectation. While guard play is still a bit too inconsistent, their bread is buttered by senior Terrence Williams and junior Earl Clark. With freshman center Samardo Samuels, the Cards boast a nearly NBA-ready frontcourt in the college game. Williams was in a little of an offensive slump recently, mostly attributed to a sore elbow, but he has been 'on' the last two games, highlighted by his 20-point, 8-rebound, 5-assist and 3-steal performance Saturday in a 72-63 win at Cincinnati.

Louisvlle will look to press throughout the game against a Hoya team very limited in ball-handling options and look to test the decision making and feel of the offense of Chris Wright. Of course, being able to set up the press is dependent on scoring, so the UL guards will need to show the ability to convert buckets to get the press started.

Louisville is the deeper team and that depth should help Louisville, a 1 1/2-point favorite, press the Hoyas into another loss.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Louisville 69
Georgetown 62

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: MARQUETTE @ GEORGETOWN

2009-02-21T09:46:00.000-05:00

February 21, 2009

Chances are running out for Georgetown to make their case for a NCAA Tournament bid, but a win on Saturday against visiting Marquette could re-ignite their confidence and propel them into March. We could know the fate of the Hoyas rather quickly, seeing that they also host Louisville on Monday. Winning one might keep hope alive (road game with Villanova follows), winning both gets them to 7-8 in the Big East with St. John’s and DePaul to close the regular season after ‘Nova. Losing both…well, it has been quite a fall from grace since they opened conference play with a win over Connecticut and a spot in the top 10.

Marquette is fighting for the conference title and rebounded from their first two conference losses by beating St. John’s and Seton Hall at home. Those wins were crucial as MU has a five-game closing stretch that has long been considered to be brutal. Beginning with the road game with Georgetown on Saturday, the Golden Eagles host UConn, travel to Louisville and Pitt, before finishing up hosting Syracuse, all in 14 days. Welcome to the REAL Big East coach Buzz Williams.

“I think every game has critical impact on postseason, on your seed, on all those things, good and bad,” Williams told reporters this week. “I think if you don’t take care of your business today, none of that matters.”

There is a lot of business to take care of. Both teams are fighting for important positioning in the conference and national scene.

Earlier this season, Marquette outscored Georgetown 94-82 in Milwaukee to earn their eighth conference win of the season. The Marquette streak hit nine before they were sidetracked by South Florida in the biggest surprise of the Big East season to date. They followed that mis-step with a loss at Villanova. Now, after taking care of business at home, MU hits the road again.

Georgetown has lost seven of their last nine, but their last two games do offer some hope that things might be getting a little better. Even though they lost last Saturday at Syracuse, they but quite a scare into the nearly 32,000 fans in the Dome as they rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit in the final eight minutes of regulation to force overtime after having a chance to win it in regulation. They also looked like the efficient Hoyas we have become used to by dismantling South Florida on the road, 65-40, this week.

Hopefully they have overcome some of the internal issues that had Georgetown struggling earlier this season and their individual talent starts playing more as a complete team. They will certainly be tested with the guard trio of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews. I am not sure the Hoyas will have an answer for McNeal, but I think Georgetown will also pose a difficult match-up for Marquette with Greg Monroe inside and definitely if they are able to slow the pace of the game, something they could not do on the road.

Expecting this one will be different that the first. Georgetown established the fact they could score against Marquette in the earlier meeting. Showing more basketball savvy and controlling the pace will key the Hoyas getting a big win on Saturday.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 67
Marquette 63

Trial By Fire (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Sapp Swap Has Hoyas Thinking Tournament (Washington Times)

GEORGETOWN LOOKS FOR WIN IN SOUTH FLORIDA

2009-02-18T10:25:00.001-05:00

February 18, 2009

The Georgetown slide continues as the Hoyas lost for the seventh time in eight games when they fell in overtime to Syracuse in the Dome last Saturday afternoon. While it looked like another lifeless performance as they trailed by 16 points with around 8 minutes left in the game, the Hoyas showed some life with a frantic rally that actually had a chance to win the game at the buzzer.

At 4-8 in the Big East and 13-10 overall, Georgetown can not afford any more slip ups along the way and with Marquette, Louisville and Villanova right in front of them on the schedule, this is a must-win game.

The Bulls have little to play for with a 3-9 conference record and an 8-16 overall mark. The Bulls could be motivated to win a fourth Big East game, which will be a new season best in their short Big East history. Earlier this month, they upset Marquette, 57-56, in the Sun Dome and will try and do the same to Georgetown tonight.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on tonight's match-up from the internet:

Hoyas seed Need to 'Relax and Play' (Washington Post)
Preview: USF vs. Georgetown (St. Petersburg Times)
Few Positives for Hoyas (Washington Times)

With the touhest strength of schedule rating in the nation and wins against UConn and Memphis on their resume, Georgetown remains very much in the mix for the NCAA Tournament despite their current location of 12th in the Big East standings. There is no denying the individual talent of Chris Wright, Greg Monroe, Austin Freeman, DaJuan Summers, etc on the Hoyas' roster, but their depth, size and inexperience has made things very tough in the deep, physical and mature Big East. Inconsistency was expected, but the highs have not come as often as the lows in conference play and some internal dysfunction which has spilled over at times has made this a trying season for the Hoyas.

There is still time to turn it around and it could begin tonight in South Florida. With some momentum of their comeback, even though it was a loss, against SU fresh in their minds, maybe just getting a win is a key step forward. Back-to-back home games on the short Saturday-Monday turnaround against Marquette and Louisville await the Hoyas, so getting some confidence with a win could put the the Hoyas in position to make one last run at the NCAA Tournament.

The Bulls are led by sophomore Dominique Jones and senior Jesus Verdejo. However, lack of depth upfront and overall Big East-level talent is still making life tough on the Bulls in this conference. The upset over Marquette was a great lift to their spirits, but the truth remains, USF is just 1-9 in the Big East against teams not-named DePaul. Maybe it is progress to know there is at least one team clearly below you (Rutgers might be as well), but the gap between the bottom of the conference and the rest of theleague remains a wide one.

Georgetown is a 6 1/2-point favorite on the road. While they are certainly the better team based on individual talent, the question is can co-exist together and accept roles that allow the team to become better. Tonight might be a case of taking out some frustrations, but in the games ahead, they have opportunity, but must come together much better.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 68
South Florida 58

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: HOYAS LOOK TO SNAP OUT OF FUNK, BEAT RIVAL ORANGE

2009-02-14T09:07:00.000-05:00

February 14, 2009

The Rivalry Week theme promoted by ESPN continues on Saturday with a high noon showdown in the Carrier Dome between longtime Big East rivals Syracuse and Georgetown. With both teams in a downward spiral through the Big East standings in the last month, this is a very important game for both teams hoping to keep their place at the table for the NCAA Tournament next month.

This is the second meeting of the year between the Orange and Hoyas. The first one, exactly one month ago today, was won by Georgetown, 88-74, at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. However, that was the last high-point of the season for John Thompson III’s club as they have lost six of seven since.

Heading into the game on January 14, Syracuse was 4-0 in the Big East and 16-1 overall. The Hoyas jumped all over SU and got out to a big lead and the Orange never challenged on that night. The Orange followed up that loss with a resounding win over Notre Dame back home, but they are currently in a tailspin, not helped by injuries, that has seen them lost five of their last six game.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on today’s game:

Hoyas Keep Confidence (Washington Times)
Two Teams Have Come Back to Earth (Post-Standard)
Orange Scouting Report: Syracuse vs. Georgetown (Post-Standard)
History With Hoyas Filled With Drama (Post-Standard)

Following their win over SU last month, the Georgetown season quickly, and surprisingly, unraveled, beginning in their very next game, a loss at Duke. At halftime of that game, reportedly, senior guard Jesse Sapp and his backcourt mate, sophomore point guard Chris Wright, got into a heated altercation. Sapp, who has been in a near season-long shooting slump, has seen increased pine time since the incident, but this could be an area of team chemistry pulling the Hoyas apart from within.

Syracuse is a banged up team. They lost Antonio Jardine prior to the season and then Mookie Jones went down for the year with a hip injury last month. Now, Arinze Onuaku is playing on virtually one leg and Andy Rautins has been beat up, again causing Jonny Flynn to be an iron man on the floor. Syracuse is also looking pretty ragged in terms of teamwork, but playing in the Dome usually gives them an extra shot of confidence and energy, something they will need today from the large crowd.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Syracuse 71
Georgetown 63

LACK OF LEADERSHIP UNRAVELS HOYAS

2009-02-11T13:44:00.000-05:00

February 11, 2009

While the Irish slide has shocked many, Georgetown is another team falling apart, but they have seemed to fall apart from within as 'dysfunctional' could be a term used in describing the Hoyas in the last month.

The young team has not seen it's veterans pick up the leadership duties and Finding a Leading Reason (Washington Times) for their slide seems to be pointed in direction of senior Jesse Sapp and junior DaJuan Summers.

The season began to unravel in the second half of their loss to Duke as the Hoyas collapsed emotionally. Summers missed crucial free throws and Sapp was on the bench following a halftime spat with sophomore point guard Chris Wright. In a loss to Seton Hall the following weekend, Sapp and Summers launched consecutive late game three's seemingly defying the instructions of John Thompson III to pound the ball inside to freshman Greg Monroe.

Sapp sat the entire second half of their latest loss, an OT decision at home to Cincinnati because of what Thompson dubbed a "coach's decision" after the senior guard apparently lost his cool concerning Thompson's wholesale, disciplinary first-half substitutions.

Bottom line...leadership and experience mean so much. Look at the top of the conference with Connecticut having senior guards AJ Price and Craig Austrie along with Jeff Adrien and juniors Jerome Dyson, Hasheem Thabeet and Stanley Robinson, Pittsburgh is led by Levance Fields, Sam Young and Tyrell Biggs, all seniors in the starting line-up, Marquette has the trio of senior gaurds in Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews and Louisville has Terrence Williams, Andre McGee, Earl Clark, Jerry Smith and Edgar Sosa as upperclassmen to lead. Georgetown seems to be missing that important trait and the impact is pretty staggering.

GEORGETOWN CONTINUES TO SLIDE IN COLLEGE HOOPS

2009-02-07T23:39:00.000-05:00

February 7, 2009

The way Georgetown started off conference play, with a win at UConn, nobody foreshadowed the fall that has occurred the past few weeks. Saturday might have been rock bottom as Cincinnati finished off a sweep with a 64-62 overtime win at Georgetown.

The Ice Cold Hoyas Continue to Skip (Washington Post), now losing six of their last seven and find themselves at 4-7 in the Big East.

UC Beats Georgetown in OT (Cincinnati Enquirer), despite not making a field goal in the extra session. The Bearcats scored all five of their OT points from the line. Georgetown missed all eight of thier field goal attempts in OT, including Austin Freeman's attempted three-pointer to win at the buzzer.

Deonta Vaughn had 16 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists to lead UC while Mike Williams, Larry Davis and Yancy Gates each scored 11. Cincinnati is 6-5 in the Big East and have won six of their last eight games.

The offensive woes continued for the Hoyas, who shot 41% from the field and their five starters were a combined 11-36 from the field. Freshman Greg Monroe had 13 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals to lead Georgetown.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: CINCINNATI @ GEORGETOWN

2009-02-07T07:24:00.000-05:00

February 7, 2009

Georgetown finally tasted victory again on Tuesday night with a 57-47 home victory over Rutgers. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Hoyas who saw their record plummet to 3-6 in the Big East before picking up the much-needed win.

One of those five losses came on the road at the hands of Cincinnati, 65-57, just 10 days ago. Now, the Hoyas will look to even things up by beating the Bearcats at the Verizon Center. UC is coming off an impressive 93-83 win over Notre Dame on Wednesday night, evening their Big East record at 5-5, one game better than the Hoyas.

Here are some pregame stories and previews found on the internet:

Back on Track: Georgetown’s Sapp Eager to Lead (Washington Post)

In their earlier meeting, Cincinnati got a game-high 20 points from junior Deonta Vaughn, out-rebounded the Hoyas 36-31 and held them to 40% shooting in a 65-57 victory. Georgetown’s leading scorer DaJuan Summers played just 13 minutes in the game and did not return to the floor after spraining an ankle late in the 1st half with the Hoyas leading. He is healthy now and scored 22 points in their game at Marquette just a few days later.

Georgetown’s biggest problems, aside from the loss to Marquette, have been on the offensive side of the ball in their recent slump. They have scored 60 or less four times in the last six games and in their three consecutive losses to WVU, Seton Hall and Cincy, they were a dismal 10 of 55 from three-point range. The UC and SHU were close games and they shot themselves out of it from beyond the arc, going 8-39 in the two losses.

Losing their point guard and leading scorer from last year’s team has stripped much of the consistency of the Hoya offense. John Thompson III runs an intricate system based on the Princeton offense and this year’s team has had trouble finding the efficient harmony that the offense promotes against Big East competition. They also miss last year’s size and toughness that Roy Hibbert, Patrick Ewing Jr and Vernon Macklin could provide as they are routinely out-rebounded and out-toughed in the paint.

Cincinnati is a pretty sizeable challenge with a frontline of Mike Williams (6’7, 235), Yancy Gates (6’9, 255), Steven Toyloy (6’8, 255) and Anthony McClain (6’11, 245) rotating up front. Vaughn provides much of the scoring, and is coming off a season-high 34-point performance in the win over Notre Dame. The offense goes through Vaughn, who doubles as the team’s point guard, and he will be the area of concentration for the Hoya defense.

This is unlikely to be a very pretty game. Both teams need the win for their NCAA Tournament hopes and expect the defensive effort and intensity to pick up considerably down the stretch in conference action. If Georgetown can find anyone to knock down some shots, and they have players like Jesse Sapp, Summers, Chris Wright and Austin Freeman who are capable of doing so, they should be able to win this game.

Cincinnati will defend and hit the boards, which will give them a chance to win, but in the end, look for the home team to escape with a win, keeping their season alive.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 67
Cincinnati 60

HOYAS SNAP LOSING STREAK AT RUTGERS' EXPENSE

2009-02-04T13:57:00.002-05:00

February 4, 2009

The Georgetown/Rutgers games was definitely not a pretty one. However, the result was one that the Hoyas needed desperately as Georgetown Puts an End to Five-Game Skid (Washington Times) with a 57-47 victory over the Scarlet Knights in the Verizon Center on Tuesday night.

While their offense is still in need of some work, the Hoyas' defense did the job as Rutgers is Held to a Season-low 47 points in Loss (Star-Ledger) to Georgetown.

Senior guard Jesse Sapp showed signs of snapping out of his extended shooting slump, scoring a team-high 11 points on four of five shooting from the field and hitting both of his three-pointers. Greg Monroe added 10 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists as the Hoyas move to 4-6 in the Big East.

Rutgers seemed more intent on imitating Plaxico Burress and wounding themselves as Miscues Lead Georgetown Over the Knights (Asbury Park Press) as RU turns the ball over 21 times against the Hoyas.

Mike Rosario scored a game-high 20 points for RU, who trailed at one point, 49-29, before chipping away at the final margin of defeat.

Georgetown will host Cincinnati on Saturday as the two meet for the second time in 10 days with the Hoyas looking to revenge an earlier loss.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: RUTGERS @ GEORGETOWN

2009-02-03T09:01:00.004-05:00

February 3, 2009

It is now or never got John Thompson III and his Georgetown Hoyas. If they can not snap out of their funk tonight in the Verizon Center when they host Rutgers, it might never happen this year.

Georgetown has lost five games in a row and now sit at 3-6 in the Big East at the halfway mark of conference play. They return home after an 0-3 road swing that included losses at Seton Hall, Cincinnati and Marquette.

Rutgers snapped their own nine-game losing streak with a 75-56 drubbing of DePaul at the RAC this weekend. It was the first conference win for the Knights who are 1-8 in conference play.

Here are some pre-game stories and previews from around the internet this morning:

At Big East Midpoint, Hoyas Face Steep Climb (Washington Post)
Knights Draw Sliding Hoyas (Asbury Park Press)

Georgetown did get injured DaJuan Summers back for their game against Marquette over the weekend. The Hoyas' leading scorer had missed the entire second half with an injured ankle the previous game, a loss to Cincinnati, and was listed as doubtful for the game with the Golden Eagles. Summers helped the struggling Hoya offense with a team-high 22 points and Chris Wright added his best performance in a while with 19 points and 8 assists.

However, on a day they got some offense (was averaging just 58 points in their previous three losses), Georgetown could not stop Marquette from scoring in the 94-82 loss. The game was tied at 42 at halftime, but the quickness of Marquette was too much for Georgetown as they committed 27 fouls and were outscored 30-8 from the foul line. So, despite shooting 56% from the field and hitting 10 of 20 from three-point range, it was another loss for the Hoyas.

Rutgers won the Big East Super(bad) Bowl on the eve of the Big Game by keeping DePaul (0-9) winless in the conference. Led by Mike Rosario and Jaron Griffin's season-high 16 points a piece, RU cemented the place of the Blue Demons in the conference basement.

Georgetown is listed as a 16 1/2-point favorite in the latest NCAA basketball betting odds. The line seems to be dead-on, but could be skewed with the early season effeciency numbers of the Hoyas which have not been the same of late.

Rutgers seems dysfunctional at times on the floor with poor decisions and gameplanning, but they do seem to play hard and they can utilize some size that might give the Hoyas some trouble at times. Georgetown definitely has more talent, especially in the starting line-up, but their lack of depth and inside muscle could keep Rutgers hanging around, at least a little bit.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 76
Rutgers 63

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: GEORGETOWN @ MARQUETTE

2009-01-31T09:22:00.001-05:00

January 31, 2009

Georgetown will limp into the Bradley Center on Saturday afternoon for a meeting with Marquette. The Hoyas have lost four in a row overall and have fallen to 3-5 in the Big East. Their latest setback was a 65-57 loss at Cincinnati on Wednesday night in a game where their leading scorer DaJuan Summers suffered an injured ankle in the first half and did not return.

Marquette, led by senior guards Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews, are 7-0 and tied with Louisville for the conference lead. The ‘three amigos’ get adequate support scoring and rebounding from junior forward Lazar Hayward and in their last game, a 71-64 victory at Marquette, they were the only four players to score for the Golden Eagles.

Here are some pregame stories and previews:

Sharper Shot Helping McNeal Slice Through Defenses (Journal Sentinel)
Marquette Faces Off Against Georgetown (Cracked Sidewalks)
Georgetown Needs to Answer the Bell (Washington Times)

The Hoyas wrap up a stretch of three consecutive road games and things do not look to be getting any easier. After losing to Seton Hall and Cincinnati on the road, they now must face undefeated, in Big East play, Marquette and possibly without leading scorer DaJuan Summers.

“We’re struggling right now,” Hoya coach John Thompson III told the media during this week’s Big East coach’s conference call. “And our backs are against the wall. We just have to figure out how to claw our way out of the situation that we’re in.”

That might be easier said than done today. Marquette looks to be a team that can apply defensive pressure with aggressive backcourt play, something Georgetown has not been able to handle this season. Neither team is very deep nor are they extremely productive inside, so the Hoyas are not able to take advantage of Marquette’s weaknesses.

Georgetown will likely play a lot of zone defense and force the Golden Eagles to score on the perimeter. In the halfcourt game, that could pose some problems, however, look for the Marquette defense to force the tempo in their favor and create their scoring opportunities.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Marquette 70
Georgetown 62

HOYAS SLIDE DEEPENDS, SUMMERS HURT IN LOSS TO UC

2009-01-29T11:03:00.000-05:00

January 29, 2009

As Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin said after the game, "Sometimes when it rains, it pours." Georgetown and coach John Thompson III can certainly identify with that statement. Last night, the Hoyas Add an Injury to their Latest Insult (Washington Times), a 65-57 loss at Cincinnati.

The Bearcats Prove They Belong (Cincinnati Enquirer), evening their conference record at 4-4, by finishing the game on an 11-2 run over the final 4:38 for the comeback victory.

Junior Deonta Vaughn scored 20 points with Mike Williams adding 12 and Dion Dixon 10 to lead UC in the win.

Late in the first half, DaJuan Summers, the Hoyas' leading scorer, went down with a sprained ankle. Summers would not return and the thin and inexperienced Hoya line-up was stretched even more. With Jesse Sapp's shooting woes continuing (0-3 from the field), Georgetown had little answers offensively when they needed them and lost for the fourth straight game and are now 3-5 in the Big East.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: HOYAS LOOK TO END SLIDE IN CINCY

2009-01-28T11:47:00.000-05:00

January 28, 2009

The slumping Georgetown Hoyas look to rebound from a very difficult week when they travel to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats in a Big East conference match-up. The Hoyas dropped two games last week, at home to WVU, 75-58, and on the road to Seton Hall, 65-60, who had been winless in the conference prior to that game.

The Bearcats have won three of four, but Rutgers, St. John’s and DePaul are not Georgetown, even a slumping Georgetown team. The lone loss in that span was on the road to Providence.

Here are some pregame stories and previews found on the internet this morning:

Its Been Quite Cold Outside for Slumping Georgetown (Washington Post)
Bearcats Tough Road Begins (Cincinnati Enquirer)
Skid Puts Hoyas in Some Jeopardy (Washington Times)

There are some concerning signs with the Georgetown team of late. Their struggling offense is getting much of the attention, and rightfully so. Senior Jesse Sapp is mired in a horrendous shooting slump and against a weak interior team like SHU, the Hoyas launch 22 three’s while Greg Monroe only manages seven field goal attempts. Their offense, which is dependent on fluidity and efficiency has not been finding the shots that put the Hoyas in position to succeed. Their inexperience is showing through and was exploited last week in two losses.

Cincinnati is another team still trying to find themselves. Deonta Vaughn is a known commodity and former McDonald’s All-American Mike Williams is finding his footing in the Big East and becoming a consistent offensive force and the secondary scoring option greatly helps the chances of winning for the Bearcats.

The Hoyas are a 5 ½-point favorite and definitely have more talent in their starting five, but UC is bringing along a few players that give them some depth and they have the size needed to battle in the Big East. Freshman Yancy Gates, JUCO transfer Stephen Toyloy and sophomore Anthony McClain join Williams in a frontcourt that could give the Hoyas some trouble. With Austin Freeman and Sapp struggling offensively for Georgetown, the Bearcats need to bring their defense, if they do, watch out for the Georgetown slide to continue.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Cincinnati 64
Georgetown 61

PUNCHLESS HOYAS KNOCKED OUT BY SHU

2009-01-26T09:44:00.001-05:00

January 26, 2009

Even with Jeremy Hazell shooting 5-21 and 0-10 from three-point range. In fact, Seton Hall shoots 0-13 as a team from three, Mike Davis fouls out in two minutes of game action and combines with fellow big men John Garcia and Brandon Walters to commit 13 fouls in 37 minutes. The Hoyas also out-rebounded SHU 40-30, yet…Seton Hall is able to stun Georgetown, 65-60, in Big East action on Sunday afternoon at the Prudential Center. So, on the day that the Pirate community honored their 1989 national championship runner-up squad, there proved to be Still Some Magic Left as SHU Beats No. 12 (Star-Ledger).

Hazell did connect on 13 of 17 from the foul line and the Big East’s second leading scorer finished with 23 points as the usually defense-deficient Pirates stifle the Hoya offense, limiting them to 32.7% (17-52) from the field and 3-22 from the three-point arc as it appeared there was a Jersey Barrier (Washington Post) on the basket.

After being roughed up by WVU on their home floor on Thursday, once again, the Failure to Follow Plan (Washington Times) costs the Hoyas dearly as they fell to 3-4 in Big East play.

Besides Hazell's 23 points, Robert Mitchell added an effecient 20 points and 7 rebounds for the Pirates. Freshman Greg Monroe was the lone bright spot for the Hoyas, scoring 17 points, but he only attempted 7 shots (making 6 from the field. Outside of Monroe, the rest of the Hoyas were a combined 11-45 from the field...oh my.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: HOYAS LOOK TO REBOUNDS AT SHU

2009-01-25T10:21:00.000-05:00

January 25, 2009

At 2 PM in Newark (NJ), two Big East teams will tangle and both are looking to gain some footing in the conference. Seton Hall will host Georgetown and the Pirates look to avoid their 7th straight conference loss to start Big East play. On the other-hand, the Hoyas look to keep their head above water and avoid falling below .500 in Big East play.

After Pulling Off UConn Upset, Hoyas Fading Quickly (FoxSports.com)
’Blip’ Exposes Hoyas Lack of Leadership. Experience (Washington Times)

We have seen a pattern with Georgetown. Hit the boards hard and play physical defense with an athletic line-up, you will have success against them. Add in depth, and you could rough them up, even on their home court. See examples of Pittsburgh, West Virginia.

Luckily for the Hoyas, none of that is the strength of the thin and defense-challenged Seton Hall Pirates. The Pirates will score, but even with their lack of depth, they look to play fast-paced and frantic from tip to horn.

When an opposing team re-focuses and gets away from the pick-up game style to play some defense and set-up a halfcourt game, they get just about what they want. Look for Georgetown to do that often against SHU today. They Hoyas are 8 ½-point road favorites.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 78
Seton Hall 68

HOYAS ROUGHED UP AT HOME, AGAIN

2009-01-23T09:49:00.002-05:00

January 23, 2009

West Virginia is not going to go quietly from the Big East picture.

Georgetown found that out loud and clear last night on their home floor.

In a game that looked eerily similar to their early home loss to Pitt, Georgetown was out-toughed and out-hustled all night long as their usually efficient offense struggled agains an athleic and physical defense.

Da'Sean Butler poured in a game-high 27 points as WVU Knocks Off the Hoyas, 75-58 (Times West Virginian) in front of 12,875 fans and a national TV audience watching on ESPN.

The final rebounding margin showed a 39-31 edge for the undersized Mountaineers, but the dominance on the boards certainly seemed to be much more one-sided. After a slow start, trailing 9-2 early as they began the game 1-9 from the field, it was all WVU from that point on as Frustration, Errant Shots Doom Hoyas (Washington Times) against intense effort from Bob Huggins' squad.

With the Hoyas still hanging around and observers waiting for a Georgetown run to make things interesting, an Alex Ruoff Dunk Keys Mountaineer Upset (Daily Mail) run to close the game. With 5:32 left, Ruoff drove the lane as the Hoya defense parted like the Red Sea and he flushed home a one-hand jam that started a game-ending 17-7 run for the Mountaineers.

WVU, which also got 13 points from Darryl Bryant and 10 each from Ruoff and Wellington Smith, moved to 3-2 in the Big East. WVU next hosts rival Pittsburgh on Sunday.

The Hoyas, Humbled at Home (Washington Post), for the second time already in conference play, fell to 3-3 in league action.

Chris Wright led G'town with 13 points, but the sophomore point guard did not register an assist in his 31 minutes on the floor.

Notes:

-Georgetown turned the ball over 19 times, shot 39% and registered just 8 team assists, a stark contrast to the previous team quarterbacked by Jonathan Wallace

-Hoyas got 10 points from their bench, but they also committed 9 turnovers, 5 by Jason Clark

-Georgetown now hits the road for three games in seven days, beginning with Georgetown on Sunday, followed by Cincinnati on Wednesday and concluding with Marquette on Saturday the 31st.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: WEST VIRGINIA @ GEORGETOWN

2009-01-22T13:41:00.000-05:00

January 22, 2009

A key Big East match-up takes place tonight in the Nation’s capital when West Virginia travels to take on the Georgetown Hoyas. Game time is 7 PM at the Verizon center.

The Mountaineers evened their conference mark at 2-2 with a 62-59 win over South Florida in Morgantown last Saturday. WVU has an overall record of 13-4 and tonight begins a run of nine games with seven against ranked conference opponents in what could define their season.

Georgetown is 3-2 in the Big East and 12-4 overall on the season. All four losses have come against ranked foes (Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Duke), but the Hoyas have also shown the ability to beat ranked teams with a win at Connecticut as well as a home victory over Syracuse and a non-league win over Memphis.

Here are some pregame stories and previews found on the internet today:

Huggins, Thompson cut from Same Cloth (Times West Virginian)
Monroe a Big Plus for Georgetown (Washington Times)
Backcourt Depth Helps Keep Hoyas Afloat (Washington Post)
No Looking Ahead for WVU (Charleston Gazette)
Tall Task Awaits Mountaineers (Register Herald)
WVU’s Flowers Beginning to Bloom (Daily Mail)
Hoya Freshman Making Big Mark in the Middle (Charleston Gazette)
Georgetown Looms Again for WVU’s Butler (Daily Mail)

West Virginia has struggled scoring point of late, averaging just 56.7 points in their last three Big East contests, losing two. There will be a lot of pressure on Da’Sean Butler and Alex Ruoff to finding scoring opportunities and be efficient with those opportunities against a stingy Hoya attack. Neither Butler nor Ruoff have a favorable match-up to indicate they will be able to exploit Georgetown for points.

The Hoyas got a big bench boost from Jason Clark and others recently, which was an area of much concern as Big East play began. Just keeping their starting five, which is among the best on the conference, fresh will go a long way in helping the Hoyas improve.

That starting five of Georgetown is full of all-league potential, but they are still working their way into the roles of the Princeton-style attack. While they definitely have more potential to run than the previous editions, their youthful decision-making can sometimes lead to inconsistency.

West Virginia will defend and hit the boards, albeit with an undersized group, which is needed on the road. However, their offensive struggles are something that they will really have a tough time overcoming against a Georgetown team that will force the opponent to be very efficient. With oddsmakers listing the Hoyas as 5 ½-point favoroites, it seems that early success of WVU is still having some believe they might be a little better than they really are.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 68
West Virginia 61

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SYRACUSE @ GEORGETOWN

2009-01-14T10:43:00.002-05:00

January 14, 2009

A classic rivalry in the Big East is renewed tonight at the Verizon Center for a national audience as Syracuse puts their top-ten ranking on the line against rival Georgetown.

Syracuse is 4-0 in Big East play and 16-1 on the season. Their lone loss came at the hands of Cleveland State when Cedric Jackson banked in a 60-footer at the buzzer to break a tie score.

Georgetown is 2-2 in Big East play, 11-3 overall, and are trying to find their footing in the Big East. The Hoyas finally got some bench support in their win over Providence this weekend, something they will need dearly to be consistent in the Big East.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on tonight's game from the web this morning:

Hoyas Seek a Solution for Syracuse (Washington Times)
Kris Joseph Does Not Expect a Hoya Welcome Mat (Syracuse Post-Standard)
Orange Ready to crank it Up (Post-Standard
Cold Shooting Hoyas Prepare for Red Hot Orange (Washington Post)
Scouting Report: SU vs. Georgetown (Post-Standard)
Syracuse Players Aware of History in Nation’s Capitol (Post-Standard)

The talent on these two teams, at least in their starting line-ups, are pretty evenly matched. Syracuse has some more experience and strength, while Georgetown has some more potential and athleticism. Syracuse has a bench that has been more productive, and having Eric Devendorf available to come off their bench is a big boost for the Orange and is nothing the Hoyas can counter with.

The Hoyas return just three players (Austin Freeman, Jesse Sapp and DaJuan Summers) who saw significant time in the Big East regular season last year. New starting point guard Chris Wright missed most of the season with a foot injury and Greg Monroe, a freshman, round out the starting line-up for John Thompson III. The Hoyas are definitely top-loaded in talent and their group has as much potential as any starting line-up in the conference. However, growing pains have been evident as the Princeton-style offense is definitely not flowing as naturally as it has in the past in Big East play.

Georgetown flashed their high potential in their conference-opening win at UConn, but were quickly dragged back to earth with a thud when Pittsburgh smacked them around on this very floor.

Syracuse has some size and strength that is similar to Pitt with Arinze Onuaku and Paul Harris in their line-up. Jonny Flynn is the engine of the Orange attack and Andy Rautins adds the missing perimeter ingredient that they did not have last year. The progression of Rick Jackson has also made the backline of the SU zone much more formidable and allows a bigger line-up to be on the court for most of the game. When SU struggled at USF in the second half, it was largely due to the absence of Paul Harris, forcing Rauitins or Eric Devendorf to have to play on the backline of the zone, which USF exploited on the boards or attacking the baseline offensively.

This game also represents a pretty big step-up in Big East competition for the Orange. While Georgetown has survived a schedule of at UConn, vs Pitt, at Notre Dame and vs PC (12-4 in conference play), SU has mowed down Seton Hall, USF, DePaul and Rutgers (combined 1-14 in league play).

While this SU team definitely looks like a group that will make some noise in March and remain amongst the top of the Big East, it will be interesting to see how ready they are for this game. The college basketball betting odds show Georgetown as a 6 1/2-point favorite, which seems high, they should be able to hold on for a win in this one as it might take SU a little while to find their footing in this type of Big East match-up.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 67
Syracuse 63

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: PROVIDENCE @ GEORGETOWN

2009-01-10T10:04:00.001-05:00

January 10, 2009

Georgetown returns home on Saturday afternoon as they welcome the Providence Friars to the Verizon Center for a 1 PM tip-off. The Friars have started out of the Big East gate very strong at 3-0, highlighted by their win at Cincinnati this week. The schedule gets tougher today in DC, but overall, PC has a ‘favorable’ conference schedule to make things interesting.

The Hoyas look to get back on track after consecutive losses to Pittsburgh and at Notre Dame. Georgetown made everyone take notice when they opened Big East play with a win at Connecticut, but that memory has quickly faded after consecutive losses pushing them to 1-2 in the unforgiving conference.

Here are some pregame stories and previews from the internet this morning:

Capsule Summary: PC at Georgetown (Providence Journal)
Sharaud Curry Has Been a Big Contributor in Big East for PC (Providence Journal)

The Friars have been adjusting to the new three-point distance and used a 12-24 shooting effort from the arc against the Bearcats for an important road win. The Friars have established themselves as the clear sleeper from the bottom half of the conference that will be in contention to steal an NCAA bid with a strong showing this winter and a favorable schedule.

The Friars are also a veteran-heavy club under new coach Keno Davis. Seniors Weyinmi Efejuku, Jeff Xavier, Geoff McDermott, Randall Hanke and Jonathan Kale team with redshirt junior Sharaud Curry to form a very good nucleus.

Georgetown is not deep nor experienced and that has shown in losses to Pitt and Notre Dame in their last two games. The decision making from the lead guard position and the attention to detail in their defense and on the boards have been lacking, which is typical for a young team. The lack of depth, especially in the frontcourt, has greatly hampered the Hoyas as well.

There is talent at Georgetown, high-end talent, with Chris Wright, DaJuan Summers, Austin Freeman, Jesse Sapp and super Frosh Greg Monroe. The public really believes in that talent as the latest college basketball odds have the Hoyas as 11 ½ point favorites, which seems a bit high against a confident and experienced PC club.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 69
Providence 61

GEORGETOWN LOOKS TO STOP SLIDE

2009-01-07T23:53:00.001-05:00

January 8, 2009

By Zach Smart

John Thompson III addressed the problem with the confidence and calm demeanor that typifies the mild-mannered Georgetown coach.

“We haven’t been the best rebounding team in the world,” said Thompson III.

“That will change.”

JTIII then did a 180, turning around and locating point guard Chris Wright.

“Right?” He asked, eliciting pours of laughter from the jam-packed press room.

For the Hoyas, however, JTIII’s words have yet to prove prophetic.

After passing an early litmus test by rolling past a lackadaisical UConn team at Hartford right before New Year’s, the Hoyas were embarrassed by Pittsburgh.

That 16-point loss saw them get outhustled, significantly, and out-rebounded to the tune of a 48-23 Pittsburgh bulge.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Simply put, the Hoyas had no answer for super sophomore DeJuan Blair, who pulled down a whopping 17 boards to supplement his team-high 20 points. The titanic 6-foot-7 homegrown product helped Pittsburgh roll to a convincing 70-54 win at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.

The Panthers, which have molded their own version of earth, wind and fire in Blair, Sam Young and veteran New York point guard Levance Fields, have since received an upgrade to the crazy confines of the top.

Since North Carolina was defeated by Boston College, Pittsburgh is the no.1-ranked team in America.

While the problem with the new area code Panthers was their ability to pound the glass relentlessly, the most recent loss at Notre Dame exposed Georgetown on the perimeter and in the post with the tantalizing tandem of Kyle McLarney and Luke Harangody.

McLarney scorched the nets with five threes, one that he launched from the parking lot, and Harangody patrolled the paint with a season-high 31 points and 11 boards.

If Thompson third can hope for anything, it’s for the Hoyas to halt this two-game losing skid.

The opportunity is right there in front of them Saturday, as a Providence team on the heels of a four-game winning streak.

While the Hoyas contained Hasheem Thabeet, keeping the 7-foot-3 blocksmith at bay all game, they got roasted by DeJuan Blair.

So, how will they fare against boardsmith Geoff McDermott, he off the Ron Artest, football-basketball mentality and penchant for crashing the boards at will?

On the surface, the 6-foot-6 McDermott should be a stroll in the park after having to deal with the modern-day Beast of the Big East in Blair.

While McDermott is averaging 8.4 boards per, teammate Randall Hanke can be had (to paraphrase Ronde Barber).

Hanke, a spindly 6-foot-11 senior center, is averaging 4.8 bounds but snared just one during the Friars’ recent 87-79 topping of Cincinatti. The Bearcats have their own Mr. Soft in 7-foot, 245-pound sophomore Anthony McClain (2.8 RPG). Hanke has show some flashes of game. He played as if someone finally sparked a fire under his behind against St. John’s scoring 17 points in 18 minutes. Hanke scored during crucial transitions that game, help capitalize runs and played hungrier than a junk yard dog. He actually looked like he wanted the rock that game.

-All of a sudden, Providence is one of the four unbeatens in the Big East. This is actually quite meaningless since they’ve only played three games and are yet to taste the prime meat of their Big East slate. Georgetown will be a huge barometer game for the Friars, who have been fiending an NCAA tournament berth for the past three years. After starting off slow with an upset loss to Northeastern in the home opener, Providence looks to be back in the conversation this year.

-How nuts is the Big East this year? Check it out: Georgetown beat previously no.2-ranked UConn but lost to Notre Dame who lost to St. John’s who got cooked by Providence. Does that make the Friars a sleeper team, or does it essentially indicate what a topsy-turvy conference the Big East is?

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: GEORGETOWN @ NOTRE DAME

2009-01-05T14:29:00.001-05:00

January 5, 2009

Notre Dame puts their 43-game hom ewin streak on the line tonight when they welcome in the Georgetown Hoyas to the Joyce Athletic Center for a key Big East early season showdown. Both teams are looking for a little pick-me-up following disappointing weekend efforts and avoid a two-game conference losing streak.

Here are the pre-game stories and previews found on the internet for tonight's game:

Pressure Building for Irish (Journal Gazette)
Irish Hope to Rebound Against Hoyas South Bend Tribune)
After a Tough Loss, Hoyas Must Regroup Quickly (Washington Post)
Hoyas, Irish Both Trying to Rebound (Washington Examiner)
Hoyas Look to Rebound (Washington Times)
Notre Dame Needs Kyle McAlarney to Regain his Shot (Chicago Tribune)
Failure to Rebound Causes Irish Loss (Journal Gazette)
Splinters, But Little Else coming off Hoyas Bench (Free Lance-Star)

The pressure to win your home games int he Big East is tremendous. That pressure will be doubled tonight for Notre Dame as the Irish look to extend their school-record 43-game home winning streak and avoid losing back-to-back games after a surprising defeat to St. John's at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

The area of concern for the Irish are defense and rebounding. Notre Dame seems to be trying to push the tempo in games to a free-flowing affair. Even in their win at Depaul to open conference play, the Blue Demons were scoring at will with Dar Tucker and Mac Koshwal, who literally are the only two consistent scoring threats the Blue Demons place on the floor. Tonight, their defense will be tested by a Hoya club that usually has up to five excellent scoring threats on the floor at a time!

Georgetown will look to rebound after they were bullied on their home court by Pittsburgh, 70-54 on Saturday. Pitt beat Georgetown on the glass mercifully, actually grabbing more of their own missed shots (20) than the Hoyas could (16) as they outrebounded Georgetown 48-23, wow!

Just five days after being the toast of the conference with their impressive road win over Connecticut to start Big East play, every perceived short-coming og the Hoyas was exposed by Pitt, from their lack of depth, phsyical size in the paint and overall inexperience.

The challenge John Thompson III will issue to his club is to be tougher. That is probably a challenge more easily to be answered by a team that can play defense and be effecient offensively like the Hoyas.

As for Notre Dame, the pressure is mounting and the loss to the Redstorm, along with the defensive questions make this a tough match-up. The Hoyas will look to slow the game down, neither team has a lot of depth, so the edge to the better defensive team looks to be apparent. Luke Harangody is likely to have a big game inside, but the Hoyas will work to close down opportunities for the other Irish players, especially Kyle McAlarney.

The latest college basketball odds have ND as a slight 2 1/2 point favorite. Could this be the night the home win streak is put to rest?

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 71
Notre Dame 66

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: PITTSBURGH @ GEORGETOWN

2009-01-03T06:53:00.003-05:00

January 3, 2009

The marquee Big East game of the day gets off to an early start as Pittsburgh travels to meet Georgetown for a noon tip-off. Pittsburgh is the lone undefeated Big East team left and the third-ranked Panthers will be putting that mark on the line against the 8th-rated Hoyas on Saturday.

Here are some of the game stories and previews found on the web this morning:

Monroe Making it Look Easy (Wash. Times)
Early Big East Edge at Stake (Washington Times)
Whole at the Center (Washington Post)
Jury (well, Me) Still Out on Pitt (FoxSports.com)
The Court Gets Heats when Pitt Plays Rival Georgetown (Post-Gazette)
Pitt’s Young Hopes to Finally Win at ‘Home’ (Tribune-Review)

Pittsburgh will be playing their third consecutive road game on Saturday, following wins at Florida State (56-48) and at Rutgers (78-72), which opened Big East play for the Panthers.

The win over the Scarlet Knights was a true team effort as Pitt got a career high from Brad Wanamaker (15 points) as the Panther bench picked up the slack with DeJuan Blair having an off game. Blair averages 13.7 points a game and 12.1 rebounds, even after the game with Rutgers in which he played just 8 minutes.

Seniors Sam Young and Levance Fields have been through the Big East battles over the years and were key performers in Pitt’s Big East Tournament championship run last season that included a win over Georgetown in the finals. Young had 18 in the win over RU and leads the Panthers in scoring at near 20 a game in his senior season. Fields is still rounding into top shape following a foot injury that kept him out of the entire preseason. He is also on the verge of a personal milestone, entering the game with 996 career points.

The Hoyas are in the midst of a brutal stretch of games that began with Monday’s impressive defeat of Connecticut in Hartford. The Hoyas led from start to finish with freshman Greg Monroe completely neutralizing 7’3 Hasheem Thabeet.

After their game with Pittsburgh, Georgetown will meet Notre Dame on Monday night, completing a run of three top-10 match-ups in a week’s time.

In the win over UConn, DaJuan Summers had a team-high 18 points and Monroe and Chris Wright each added an efficient 16 a piece. The Hoyas have lost just once this season, on a neutral floor against Tennessee and have some revenge on their mind for the two losses they suffered to Pitt last year, including the Big East finale.

It is a heavyweight match-up to kickstart your Saturday of hoops with two teams certain to be in your March Madness betting pools. The Hoyas are a 3 1/2-point favorite in this contest.

Prediction:

Georgetown 68
Pittsburgh 65

BELLY OF THE BE-AST: MEET MR. MONROE

2008-12-30T00:33:00.002-05:00

by Ray Mernagh

Georgetown served notice tonight that they fully intend to make a run at a third straight Big East regular season championship by straight dominating Connecticut on the road. The Hoyas won by eleven points, but were up 17 on the disinterested Huskies with a little over four minutes left after DaJuan Summers caught a Chris Wright miss at apex-level and punished the rim with a put-back-banger. If anyone was expecting a UConn run, Summers' dunk ended the anticipation. The second Summers concluded the dunk with a groan/scream, this game was over. John Thompson III has four really good players in his starting lineup -- Summers, Austin Freeman, Chris Wright and Jessie Sapp -- that are all capable of winning games for the Hoyas this season.

The big question is whether the Hoyas can develop a bench capable of contributing more than six points in spot minutes? Julian Vaughn, Jason Clark and Omar Wattad are the only bench guys in the rotation right now and it's imperative they find a role that lets them play in a comfort zone whenever called upon. Vaughn and Clark show some signs, while Wattad is a steadying influence on the floor. Reason number one the bench needs to mature is obvious -- the Hoyas will get into foul trouble and need extended, productive minutes off the pine in Big East play. The second reason the Hoyas will need a bench is because their fifth starter is Greg Monroe, and Greg Monroe folks, is a special player.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

The kind of player that can help the college basketball odds of a team with four really good players, plus a bench, go a long way in March. Monroe has a plethora of skills for a 6'10 big man, and all of them were on display in this match-up against the Big East's most intimidating defender, UConn's 7'3 Hasheem Thabeet. Allow me to provide some examples.

18:08 mark in the first half: Monroe catches a pass at the top of the key, starts to take Thabeet off the dribble when he notices Jerome Dyson coming to help off Austin Freeman. Freeman back-doors Dyson and Monroe hits him -- after one dribble -- with a pass over the top for a layup. That kind of recognition/decision-making done so quickly, is extremely rare for a big.

17:10 mark: Monroe catches at the elbow and his man crowds him. With his back to the basket Monroe stays calm, reverse pivots, takes a dribble and sees Freeman back-cutting his man again. Monroe hits him with a gorgeous left-handed bounce pass on the baseline that Freeman finishes on the other side of the rim. Again, recognition and decision making, but add to it the passing ability. Monroe made a pass that you either know how to execute or you don't. It's not something you really learn. In basketball, you're either a good passer or your not. Monroe is a very good, bordering on great, passing big man.

16:35 mark: Monroe tries to front Thabeet and Thabeet seals him and receives the lob over the top. Almost any big man, especially a young one, would instinctively foul Thabeet. Monroe doesn't and Thabeet misses the dunk. Monroe than runs the floor and makes a difficult catch, on an ill-advised pass ahead, with his right hand. He comes down, gathers himself and turns to dribble the ball out away from two defenders instead of charging, taking a bad shot, or getting stripped. On his second dribble he spots Summers spotting up at the arc and hits him for an in-rhythm three-pointer. Monroe's athletic ability shines through on this play as he runs, catches, stops, dribbles and facilitates in a matter of two or three seconds.

16:05 mark -- Very next possession: Monroe hedges out on the ball handler, gets away with a bump, the bump takes Monroe seemingly out of the play as he back away from AJ Price as Price heads towards the basket with his dribble intact. But Monroe sees Price's dribble is out away from his body and snatches the ball away from him from behind, just picks the kid clean at half-court. Pretty good for a 6'11 kid right (yeah, he's grown an inch since I started the column). He then out-runs Price to the other basket -- while dribbling -- and finishes despite the embarrassed guard grabbing him before he goes up for the bucket. Just to show he's human Monroe misses the free throw.

15:20 mark: Monroe gets the ball at the arc and faces up. He jab steps and then thinks about letting the three go but decides against it and does a dribble hand off to Summers while kind of screening his man. Summers hits the three.

14:45 mark: Monroe gets the ball in the same spot, faces up, and when Thabeet doesn't close out with any kind of initiative, drops a three-pointer right in his face.

I gave you six examples of why Greg Monroe is a special player. There were eight or nine but I got tired of rewinding the tape and I'm on a deadline. He did step in front of Thabeet twice to intercept post entries, and he also hit another three at the start of the second half. JTIII substituted him in on offense for most of the second half as he had some fouls and the kid never missed a beat, just always stayed in the flow.

He's special I tell you.

Now if they can just do something about that bench...

Pre-Game Hype, High Expectations For Husky-Hoya Big East Opener

2008-12-29T15:13:00.001-05:00

By Zach Smart

It’s been quite the wait, but the pulsating, gut-wrenching Big East action is finally here. Easily one of the biggest matchups of the season kicks off today, with No. 2 UConn hosting Georgetown at the XL Center in Hartford.

The highly-anticipated matchup between fabulous freshman Greg Monroe and UConn center Hasheem Thabeet, a 7-foot-3 behemoth and blocksmith, is likely to live up to its billing. But with the resurgence of once-exiled guard Jerome Dyson (who’s emerged into UConn’s go-to-guy and the key cog in the Huskies’ go-go, souped up offense), along with the play of Georgetown’s DuJuan Summers (14.3 ppg) and Chris Wright (13.2 ppg), the game is about as predictable as a Mike Tyson interview.

Anything can happen. It should be wild, down-to-the-wire basketball in its purist, most appreciable form that features the crowd as the sixth man and an X-factor that beat writers scribble in their notepads about all game.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Hype surrounding the eyeball-to-eyeball battle between the two super-sized bigs has been hanging around Hartford all afternoon. The matchup brings some added juice and is one of many of the intriguing subplots for tonight as two teams with strong NCAA basketball odds to go deep in March Madness collide.

Thabeet, who was extremely raw and a work-in-progress his freshman year, has developed a toughness and unfaltering confidence that hasn’t relented since last year. The NBA prospect is beginning to flower, albeit UConn ate up the cupcakes of their nonconference slate in shark-size bites prior to the barometer game at Gonzaga.

Thabeet called out Notre Dame forward/center Luke Harangody for his lack of toughness during an interview with ESPN.com and was charged with a technical foul for taunting during the Huskies’ victory over Gonzaga. Trying to shoot over his towering head and longer than the nile river arms, you’re likely to get stuffed like a thanksgiving turkey.
With Monroe, however, Thabeet has apparently met his match.

Monroe registered his imprint immediately. Heading into the contest, the 6-foot-11 Monroe was averaging 12.5 points, 5.6 boards, and 2.1 blocks while staking his claim as a premier freshman in the Big East (see Samuels, Samuerdo or Theodore, Jordan or whoever else my lackadaisical self is missing for more details on that).

The aforementioned Wright, who’s blossomed into an area code shooter this year, has held his own. He has a great supplement in local product Austin Freeman (Bowie, Md.). Jessie Sapp, a Harlem native with plenty of big-game experience, provides augmented back court vigor.

The UConn guards have been just as tough, with A.J. Price netting the big three and finishing with 24 points and 10 dimes against Gonzaga. Kemba Walker has become a presence in the running game and passing lanes, while Craig Austrie has been rock-solid.
Remember, Austrie ran the show when professionals Marcus Williams, Hilton Armstrong, Josh Boone and Rudy Gay were all in uniform. He’s got that type of experience and has showed resolve and resilience throughout his career. Calhoun, a longtime Boston Red Sawx fan, refers to Austrie as the Huskies’ version of closer Jonathon Papelbon.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: GEORGETOWN @ CONNECTICUT

2008-12-29T09:26:00.002-05:00

December 29, 2008

The Big East regular season gets an early start this year, before the New Year, and begins with a bang with Georgetown visiting the XL Center in Hartford to battle Connecticut in a match-up of conference goliaths.

college basketball odds currently list Connecticut as 6 and a half point favorites in tonight's game.

Here are some of the pre-game stories and previews found on the internet this morning:

No. 12 Georgetown @ No. 2 UConn (Hartford Courant)
Big Challenge at the Start (Washington Times)
Huskies Host Hoyas to Start Big East Play (Norwich Bulletin)
Ready for Bog East Play (Courant)?
UConn Men's Gameday (Connecticut Post)
Ho-Hum, Here Come the Hoyas (New Haven Register)
Huskies Happy to Have Walker Back in the Mix (Norwich Bulletin)
They're Back in the High Life Again (TheDay.com)
Hoyas Set for a Big Challenge (Washington Post)

With Big East play getting underway, UConn Huskies Basketball Tickets are in demand and nothing is better than a match-up between the defending Big East regular season champion Georgetown Hoyas and the pre-season Big East favorite for this season Connecticut.

Connecticut comes into the contest undefeated with an 11-0 record. Non-conference victory highlights included wins over Miami and Wisconsin as the Huskies captured the Paradise Jam in November and a thrilling OT win over Gonzaga just nin days ago in Seattle.

Jerome Dyson leads the team in scoring with an average of 15.5 points a game, but the player separating UConn from others is 7-foot-3 center Hasheem Thabeet who averages 14.8 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.7 blocks a game, teamming with Jeff Adrien (14.5 points, 9.5 rebounds) to form a menacing frontline.

AJ Price has been a little bit slow coming back from off-season ACL surgery (10 PPG, 37% shooting from the floor), but he showed he was still a clutch performer with 24 points and 10 assists in the win over the Zags, which included a game-tying three-pointer in the final moments of regulation.

The new-look Georgetown Hoyas made it through their pre-conference slate with a 9-1 record, highlighted by a 75-48 win over Maryland in the Old Spice Classic consolation and an overtime win over Memphis. Their lone blemish was a semifinal loss to Tennessee in the Old Spice Classic in Florida back in November.

Gone from the Hoyas back-to-back regular season championship clubs are Roy Hibbert, Jonathan Wallace, Pat Ewing Jr, Vernon Macklin and Jeremiah Rivers. The Hoyas only return four players with real Big East experience (and that includes Chris Wright who was limited as a frosh due to a broken foot), so this is a new experience for many on their roster.

Junior DaJuan Summers leads the balances Hoya attack with 14 points a game which sophomores Austin Freeman (13.7) and Wright (13.2) and highly touted freshman Greg Monroe (12.4) also average double figures in scoring. Monroe also leads the club in rebounding at 5.6/game.

The Hoyas will have five players on the floor that can handle the ball and pass away from the basket, hoping to draw Jeff Adrien and Hasheem Thabeet away from the basket and make them defend in space. That is an interesting match-up to watch and if they are successful it will cause some problems for UConn. However, if Thabeet is able to play a one-man zone inside, he could erase virtually all of the Hoyas game in the paint by himself.

UConn has the edge in depth and size and the new-look Hoyas will be put to the test from start to finish tonight. The opening of Big East play will bring some added pressures to the Huskies with a big target on their back as the conference favorite, but they will have too much firepower up and down the line-up and when teams need to go to tthe bench tonight, they have a decided edge and should come out with a win.

Georgetown tickets are always in demand, no matter where they are playing and tonight's game is no exception when the Hoyas and Huskies lock horns in what promises to be a highly watched event by college basketball fans around the league and nationally.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Connecticut 71
Georgetown 63

GEORGETOWN SIGNING REVIEW

2008-12-12T12:17:00.003-05:00

November 20, 2008

In college football, there is always a good amount of drama on the first day of the signing period with announcements of commitments and some high-profile flip flops of commitments. In college basketball, the early period signing period is usually void of such drama.

Do not tell that to Georgetown head coach John Thompson III as the Hoyas were the victim of such drama in this year's early signing period.

As expected, long-time verbal Hollis Thompson honored his verbal commitment and signed with the Hoyas.

However, verbal commitment DaShonte Riley pulled a fast one and opted not to sign with the Hoyas and to look elsewhere. The decision seemed to come out of the blue and now Riley, a 6-foot-10 center, will be signing with another progeam yet to be determined come April.

The de-commitment leaves the Hoyas with three open scholarships as we head to the spring period. Ironically, Georgetown has already received two commitments from the class of 2010 with Nate Lubick and Markel Starks, but they definitely have a lot f of work for the 2009 class left, which is odd for a team at the forefront of March Madness betting in recent seasons.

BIG EAST TOP TWO-GUARDS 2008-2009: 8) JESSE SAPP

2008-11-11T16:10:00.003-05:00

November 11, 2008

When it comes to players in the Big East that are overlooked, Jesse Sapp should be at the top of the list of those under-appreciated for the contributions they make to a winning team. Sapp is a 6-foot-3 senior guard out of New York City that has scored some points, grabbed some rebounds, dished some assists and has played defense when needed over the last few years for John Thompson III's back-to-back Big East regular season champs.

Last season saw Sapp improve dramtically with his long range shooting (62-151) as he connected on 41% from beyond the arc. In addition to the nearly 10 points a game Sapp added to the Hoya attack, he also averaged 4 rebounds and just over three assists, similar to his sophomore numbers.

Sapp is also known for his toughness and his experience and confidence that comes with that NYC swagger will be relied on heavily by the new-look Hoyas. With Chris Wright at point guard and Austin Freeman on the wing, Sapp might find a really good comfort level with the style of play the Hoyas might be moving slowing towards.

Expect a very good senior season for Sapp. The NCAA Basketball Odds for the Hoyas might be down slightly this season with all the new faces, but a veteran presence like Sapp should be a tremendous asset and keep the Hoyas in the NCAA mix.

BIG EAST TOP POINT GUARDS 2008-2009: 9) CHRIS WRIGHT

2008-11-05T15:49:00.003-05:00

November 5, 2008

The toughest point guard position to evaluate and project is that of the Georgetown Hoyas. With the intricate, Princeton-style offense that John Thompson III employs with Georgetown takes much of the playmaking onus off of his point guard and puts it in the hands of the system, meaning every player is expected to create offense by movement and passing.

Over the last four seasons, Jonathan Wallace has fit perfectly within that offense as the lead guard, but Wallace has graduated and sophomore Chris Wright will take the reigns of the ship. As far as potential, Wright is a player that could grade out significantly higher after this season, there is just too much of an unknown with him heading into this year.

Wright missed nearly all of the Big East schedule last season with a foot injury. He returned in time for the postseason and JT III threw him into the fire in the Big East and NCAA Tournaments, showing how highly regarded the staff values his potential. Wright plays basketball at a different tempo than his predecessor and seeing how effective he is in the halfcourt sets that the Georgetown system promotes will be the key to his development this season. Wright definitely preferred a structured system as he originally committed to Herb Sendek at NC State before re-opening his recruitment and casting his lot with the Hoyas.

Chris Wright has the tools and potential to be much higher on this list, however, after missing much of last season, he is essentially a freshman this year and that inexperience might be some tough college basketball odds to overcome. The adjustment for the team, staff and Wright will be a bit of a learning curve, but in time, look for Wright to be MUCH higher on this list in the future as he gets his feet under him.

2008-2009 BIG EAST PREVIEW: 8) GEORGETOWN

2008-10-17T15:41:00.004-04:00

It is transition time for coach John Thompson III and the Georgetown Hoyas, but do not feel to sorry for the Hoyas, this is not a rebuilding time, but clearly a time to re-load. After back-to-back regular season Big East championships, the Hoyas say good-bye to approximately 52% of their scoring and rebounding from a year ago and are forced to replace their starting point guard and leading scorer. Always tough tasks in the Big East, and this year will be no exception with the multitude of returning stars in the conference.

The Hoya frontcourt was decimated by personnel losses this offseason of graduation and transfer, but another fine recruiting effort by Thompson and his staff will have the Hoyas not conceding anything in their quest for another Big East championship and trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Comings:

John Thompson III has certainly made quick work of putting the Hoyas back into consideration for the top players available on the recruiting trail, not only locally in the very fertile DMC (DC/Maryland/Virginia) corridor, but nationally as well. This year’s recruiting coup is Greg Monroe, a McDonalds All-American from Harvey (LA). The staff did not have to go too far to bring in the other two freshmen newcomers as center Henry Sims comes to Georgetown from Baltimore and Jason Clark, a guard, is added from Arlington (VA).

The fourth new face for the Hoyas is forward Julian Vaughn. Georgetown recruited the Vienna (VA) product out of high school in the class of 2007, but he left the area and joined the program at Florida State. After one season down South, Vaughn decided he needed to be closer to home for personal reasons, and with the blessing of the FSU program, Vaughn received a hardship waiver from the NCAA and will be available this season for the Hoyas.

Goings:

As noted, Georgetown says good-bye to four year starting point guard Jonathan Wallace and leading scorer and all-Big East first-teamer Roy Hibbert. Also graduating was key reserve Patrick Ewing Jr. and guard Tyler Crawford. The losses did not stop there as power forward/center Vernon Macklin decided to leave the program and move on to Florida and Jeremiah Rivers transferred to Indiana. That is five key players from last year’s 8/9 man rotation.

Net Impact:

Anytime you have to break in a new point guard, there will be an adjustment. Wallace was the starting point guard for JT III all four years he has been the head coach of the Hoyas. The chemistry from the bench to the floor was always in tune the last few seasons. Hibbert had progressed by leaps and bounds from his early days to be a force in the Big East. The newcomers are definitely talented and have a very high level of potential, but getting ready to go right from day one in this conference will be difficult. Vaughn has the added help of a season under his belt in the ACC, so look for him to fill a leadership role in their frontcourt.

2008-2009 Backcourt Outlook:

The man in the spotlight for Georgetown this year will be 6-foot-1 sophomore point guard Chris Wright. The Bowie (MD) native had his freshman season sidetracked by a an early season foot injury, but still appeared in 16 games and played key minutes down the stretch in the Big East and NCAA Tournaments. Wright is more of a dynamic offensive player than his predecessor, Jonathan Wallace, and can play at a higher tempo with the ability to create his own offense. The Georgetown system relies on players playing within their roles, but the talent of Wright might have JT III looking to open things up a little more. It will be interesting to see how quickly Wright assimilates himself into the role of manager on the floor within the system.

Productive and consistent Jesse Sapp returns to the backcourt for his senior season. Sapp is a player that could excel offensively with Wright as his running mate in an increased tempo style of play. Sapp was the Hoyas’ top assist man last year averaging three assists and four rebounds with his nearly 10 points a game.

One area of concern with the Hoyas is ball-handling depth. Wright is the only point guard on the roster and Sapp and freshman Jason Clark both might have to assume more of the point guard duties than planned due to the transfer of Rivers. One thing that will help is the system the Hoyas run is called on to create scoring opportunities more than the individual players. Clark, a 6-foot-2 guard with scoring ability, will play a key role as the primary backcourt depth this season.

If your looking for a potential breakout player this season, then Austin Freeman is one to keep your eye on. Freeman is a 6-foot-4, 240 pound wing that has top-notch offensive potential and could really evolve into a go-to scorer for the Hoyas this season. The product of the famed DeMatha program of Hyattsville (MD) felt his way through a freshman season that saw him average 9 points a game. With increased opportunity this year, expect that number to increase significantly as Freeman shot 51% from the floor, 40% from three-point range and 82% from the line in his rookie season. Very efficient numbers.

Omar Wattad might be called on to fill some minutes on the wing. The 6-goot-5 sophomore only saw action in 11 games last season.

2008-2009 Frontcourt Outlook:

Georgetown says good-bye to virtually all of their interior talent from last season with the graduation of Hibbert, Ewing Jr and the transfer of Macklin. One player returning is forward DaJuan Summers. The all-league potential performer seemed to plateau a bit in his sophomore season, averaging 11 points and 5 rebounds, up slightly from an impressive freshman season that saw him star in the Hoya NCAA Tournament win against North Carolina. At 6-foot-8, the Baltimore native has the tools and size to score inside and out in the Big East, as well as rebound and defend with forwards of all shapes and sizes. This could be a season that he grabs control of the team similar to Jeff Green in Summer’s freshman year.

The only other frontcourt player with previous extensive experience at the college level is Julian Vaughn. Listed at 6-foot-9 and 245 pounds, Vaughn has the size to compete in the paint in the Big East. However, Vaughn is also adept at facing up as a skilled four that has range out the three-point land, he might be called on to alter his game and go inside this season for the Hoyas and bang in the Big East, which will be a new function of his game that he hasn’t shown much of previously.

One of the reasons there is some hype surrounding this year’s Hoyas is the addition of Greg Monroe, a multi-skilled, 6-foot-11 forward out of Louisiana. The McDonald’s All-American tantalizes scouts with his ability to handle and pass the ball and run the floor with his long, lean and athletic 6’11 frame. One area where Monroe is going to have to improve upon is his strength and toughness which will be challenged in the Big East. There might be a large load for him to carry in the Hoya frontcourt, how quickly he develops the physical standpoint of his game will determine how quickly he begins to realize his immense potential for the Hoyas.

Henry Sims is a similarly built big man to Monroe, but he does not have the array of perimeter skills that his fellow frosh possesses. Sims, though, is a back-to-the basket offensive threat that will rebound and block shots. The freshman year in a conference like the Big East will be quite an adjustment for any big man, and expect it to be so for Sims. Given time to development, Sims will finish his career as a high-end Big East center. Rounding out the depth of the Georgetown frontcourt is Nikita Mescheriakov, a native of Belarus that did not see any time as a freshman. A definite project, with the Hoyas lack of depth, there might be a time he is called on, but he is at least a year away from being ready to make meaningful contributions in the Big East.

2008-2009 Team Outlook:

There you have the 2008-2009 Georgetown Hoyas. Heading into the season with just 10 scholarship players, depth is a major concern as Wattad and Mescheriakov are not likely to be Big East factors this season. And, of that eight that are, three are freshman and another is a transfer into the program, meaning just four players return with previous experience in John Thompson III’s intricate system, making for some long college basketball odds Of course, one of them is Chris Wright, the heir apparent, and possibly only, point guard who missed more than half of last season due to a foot injury.

I definitely am not discounting the individual talent of the Hoyas roster and realize that, individually, there is the potential for several all-league Big East performers on the squad. But, night in and night out, having just eight real candidates for playing time with six of them having one year or less experience in high major basketball will make this an up and down season for the Hoyas. The talent is there to beat nearly anyone on any given night, but one injury, one off night by a key player or foul trouble will derail the Hoyas and will happen from time to time.

Georgetown is reloading, they are just a little short in stocking up on their ammunition to face the Big East over an 18 game schedule.

2008-2009 Big East Prediction: 10-8

NEWEST HOYA: NATE LUBICK

2008-10-08T15:34:00.002-04:00

October 8, 2008

Georgetown head coach John Thompson III continues to flex his recruiting muscles, this time garnering a verbal commitment from class of 2010 power forward Nate Lubick of St. Mark's School. Earlier today we caught up with St. Mark's head basketball coach David Lubick, who also doubles as Nate's father, to learn more about the Hoyas' latest commitment.

As we have followed the recruitment of Nate Lubick in recent months, it seemed like no matter what schools he would discuss, the conversation always seemed to come back to Georgetown. After another visit to the campus late in the summer, it was just a matter of time.

"Nate had a great feeling after his visit at the end of the summer," coach Dave Lubick said. "(He) really dug in and decided this week."

There is no doubt that Georgetown University has a lot to offer a student-athlete, from the top-of-the-line education, living in the world's most powerful city and playing in a major basketball conference for a highly regarded coach. When Mr. Lubick mentioned some of the factors in Nate's decision, those topics seemed to be very prevalent.

"Biggest factors, along with the comfort he felt with the coaches and the team, were the quality and size of the school, tradition and recent history of success, style of play that favors his versatility, location in that he’ll play near home often and we have close family in DC, and his desire to be in a compelling urban location," his father stated.

A big man that plays inside and out with a great feel for the game can really find a home in the Georgetown offense, see former Big East Player of the Year and recent lottery pick from the 2007 NBA draft Jeff Green. When you hear of the strengths that Nate will bring the Hoyas, images of Green race through your mind.

"Nate can really score around the rim, makes tough layups from all angles and finishes," coach Lubick said of his son's strengths. "But he can really shoot it, too (and) perhaps his biggest asset, though, is the way he sees things developing (and being) able to put teammates in position to score."

In the intricate Georgetown offense, the skills of a forward like Lubick who can handle himself inside and out is a must. Like Green previously, current forward DaJuan Summers, incoming 2008 freshman Greg Monroe and now Nate, in the class of 2010, coach Thompson definitely has defined the typ of forward he is looking for, and that is clear with his plans for Lubick.

"Coach Thompson sees Nate as a tough, skilled, smart player," Mr. Lubick said. He (JT III) really doesn’t define roles too specifically, but if Nate is a face up four man, coach feels that he has an opportunity to contribute sooner than later because he’s a pretty smart basketball player."

A face-up four that can act as a coach on the floor, it looks like the Georgetown train will keep on rolling with the squad continuing to be among the favorites in the NCAA Basketball Odds of competing for titles. Nate Lubick joins exciting point guard Markel Starks as commitments for the Hoyas in the class of 2010 that will look the Hoyas near the top of the Big East.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: GEORGETOWN

2008-10-08T08:45:00.004-04:00

October 8, 2008

Verbal Commitment ALERT: Nate Lubick, 6'8 (PF) of St. Mark's (MA) School

Projected 2009-2010 Roster:

Seniors: Dajuan Summers (F)
Juniors: Austin Freeman (SG), Chris Wright (PG), Omar Wattad (F), Nikita Mescheriakov (F), Julian Vaughn (PF)
Sophomores: Jason Clark (G), Henry Sims (BF/C), Greg Monroe (BF)
Freshman: Hollis Thompson (SF), DaShonte Riley (C)
Early 2010 Commitments: Markel Starks (PG), Nate Lubick

For the second time in about two weeks the Georgetown Hoyas and coach John Thompson III have landed a highly touted commitment from the class of 2010. Following the lead of Georgetown Prep point guard Markel Starks, G'Town Lands Junior Forward (FoxSports.com) Nate Lubick out of St. Mark's School in Southboro (MA).

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Skilled power forward Nate Lubick becomes the latest Georgetown commitment from the class of 2010 as the 6-foot-8 forward from the St. Mark's (MA) School made a verbal pledge to the Hoyas last night. Playing for his father at St. Mark's and former NBA coach John Carroll with the NE Playaz on the AAU circuit, Lubick has improved rapidly and turned himself into one of the most coveted players in the class fo 2010. This past summer he showed the NBE Basketball Report his effecient and versatile offensive game with a strong showing at the Adidas Super 64 in Vegas.

Lubick had made a couple trips to Georgetown already and chose the Hoyas after strongly considering Michigan as well. Virginia and Stanford had also been involved in his recruitment as strong academics played a role in his decision.

Lubick is an athletic player at 6-foot-8 with a quick and accurate shot from the perimeter. His versatility and high basketball IQ will fit in very well with the intricate Georgetown system utilized by John Thompson III.

DC-area guards are flying off the shelves in the class of 2010 as Kendall Marshall has previously committed to North Carolina, Tyler Thornton chose Duke recently and Josh Selby has picked Tennessee. Now, Georgetown Prep point guard Markel Starks becomes the latest as the 6'1 guard chooses the Georgetown Hoyas on a campus visit.

It was evident very early last spring in the Boo Williams Review that Starks was headed toward high major status with his tremendous handle and ability to score and distribute from the point guard position for the DC Blue Devils. Playing his high school ball for former Georgetown Hoya guard Dwayne Bryant also made sure he had year-round tutoring of the finer points of the game. As a sophomore, Starks averaged 18 points a game playing for coach Bryant.

Even though the Hoyas have brought Starks into the fold for 20101, work is left on the trail for the class of 2009. Last spring, long, lean and athletic, 6'11 Dashonte Riley, out of Detroit Country Day, choose Georgetown over Michigan State and Ohio State. Riley had long been considered a heavy Georgetown lean and he pulled the trigger and committed to the Hoyas.

Like most big men, Riley's defense has always been regarded as his strength and greatly ahead of his offense. Playing with a loaded Family AAU program, he still is not called up to score a lot. He averaged less than 10 points this past season and still needs to improve his offensive skill level, but the natural talent is definitely there to develop quickly with the Hoyas.

Riley visited Georgetown back in October for Midnight Madness and again in the spring. It was the later visit that sealed the deal with Riley and his family and they decided to end the process.

Riley joins Hollis Thompson as commitments in the class of 2009. Thompson will come across country from De La Salle High School in the Bay Area of California to join the Hoya program. Thompson recently transferred from Loyola High school in Los Angeles to De La Salle. Like Riley, the 6'6 wing is long and lean at his position and is a player with tremendous upside to grow as he works to put all his natural tools together with a developing skill set.

With the commitments of Thompson and Riley, we currently show the Hoyas having two scholarships available and the player on the minds of most fans is forward Ryan Kelly out of the Raleigh (NC) area. The 6'9 forward recently visited Georgetown and is also heavily pursued by Duke, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Venderbilt and others.

One thing is for certain, John Thompson III definitely turned Georgetown back into a national power, not only on the court, but on the recruiting trail very quickly, increasing their College Basketball Odds of seeing the Hoyas competing for titles year in and year out once again.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: GEORGETOWN

2008-09-25T16:01:00.002-04:00

September 25, 2008

Verbal Commitment ALERT: Markel Starks, 6'1 (PG) of Georgetown Prep

Projected 2009-2010 Roster:

Seniors: Dajuan Summers (F)
Juniors: Austin Freeman (SG), Chris Wright (PG), Omar Wattad (F), Nikita Mescheriakov (F), Julian Vaughn (PF)
Sophomores: Jason Clark (G), Henry Sims (BF/C), Greg Monroe (BF)
Freshman: Hollis Thompson (SF), DaShonte Riley (C)
Early 2010 Commitments: Markel Starks (PG)

The Little Hoya Chooses Big Hoyas (CapitolHoops.com) as Markel Starks verbally commits to the Georgetown Hoyas after making a campus visit earlier today. The Georgetown Prep point gaurd is the first commitment of 2010 for John Thompson III and the Hoyas.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

DC-area guards are flying off the shelves in the class of 2010 as Kendall Marshall has previously committed to North Carolina, Tyler Thornton chose Duke recently and Josh Selby has picked Tennessee. Now, Georgetown Prep point guard Markel Starks becomes the latest as the 6'1 guard chooses the Georgetown Hoyas on a campus visit.

It was evident very early last spring in the Boo Williams Review that Starks was headed toward high major status with his tremendous handle and ability to score and distribute from the point guard position for the DC Blue Devils. Playing his high school ball for former Georgetown Hoya guard Dwayne Bryant also made sure he had year-round tutoring of the finer points of the game. As a sophomore, Starks averaged 18 points a game playing for coach Bryant.

Even though the Hoyas have brough Starks into the fold for 20101, work is left on the trail for the class of 2010. Last spring, long, lean and athletic, 6'11 Dashonte Riley, out of Detroit Country Day, choose Georgetown over Michigan State and Ohio State. Riley had long been considered a heavy Georgetown lean and he pulled the trigger and committed to the Hoyas.

Like most big men, Riley's defense has always been regarded as his strength and greatly ahead of his offense. Playing with a loaded Family AAU program, he still is not called up to score a lot. He averaged less than 10 points this past season and still needs to improve his offensive skill level, but the natural talent is definitely there to develop quickly with the Hoyas.

Riley visited Georgetown back in October for Midnight Madness and again in the spring. It was the later visit that sealed the deal with Riley and his family and they decided to end the process.

Riley joins Hollis Thompson as commitments in the class of 2009. Thompson will come across country from De La Salle High School in the Bay Area of California to join the Hoya program. Thompson recently transferred from Loyola High school in Los Angeles to De La Salle. Like Riley, the 6'6 wing is long and lean at his position and is a player with tremendous upside to grow as he works to put all his natural tools together with a developing skill set.

With the commitments of Thompson and Riley, we currently show the Hoyas having three scholarships available and the player on the minds of most fans is forward Ryan Kelly out of the Raleigh (NC) area. The 6'9 forward recently visited Georgetown and is also heavily pursued by Duke, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Venderbilt and others. Montrose Christian forward Terrell Vinson also has the Hoyas on his short list, along with Villanova and Loyola Marymount. Connecticut big man Jordan Williams is another receiving interest from the Hoya staff.

One thing is for certain, John Thompson III definitely turned Georgetown back into a national power, not only on the court, but on the recruiting trail very quickly, increasing their College Basketball Odds of seeing the Hoyas competing for titles year in and year out once again.

GEORGETOWN RECRUITING UPDATE

2008-09-24T12:37:00.006-04:00

September 24, 2008

Just some random recruiting notes on Georgetown as we inch toward Midnight Madness in October on the road to March Madness Betting for the Big Dance in 2009!

Some school lists from the Hoop Group's Fall Jam Fest:

Donte Thomas ’10, Ballou (DC), Team Assault (MD): Georgetown, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, St. Mary’s, and Maryland
Favorite: Georgia Tech
Dream School: Georgia Tech

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Kyrie Irving ’10, St. Patrick’s (NJ), New Jersey Roadrunners: Kansas, Kansas State, Indiana, Villanova, Syracuse, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Rutgers, Providence, Pitt, Notre Dame, Marquette, Georgetown, UConn, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Memphis, Duke, USC, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Maryland, Wake Forest, Ohio State, Texas A&M, St. Joseph’s, Arizona, and George Washington

Myles Davis ‘11, St. Peter’s Prep (NJ) Playaz (NJ): Kansas, Villanova, Syracuse, Rutgers, Seton Hall and Marist
Favorites: “Kansas [and] Villanova and I’m starting to like Rutgers a lot too.”
Dream School: Georgetown
Note- Davis said the following to explain his transfer from St. Benedict’s (NJ) to St. Peter’s: “I wanted to start over academically, . . . and plus, [with] basketball, . . . I wanted to show everybody I can play.”

Cameron Ayers ‘10, Germantown Academy (PA), Playaz Red (NJ): Georgetown, Michigan, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Richmond, La Salle, St. Joseph’s, and Temple
Favorites: “I like Georgetown [and] Michigan so far. That’s really it.”
Note- Ayers is out of action this weekend because he “had a sports hernia-type injury,” but said that he has been “doing a lot of rehab [and] . . . should be back in two to three weeks.” Ayers added that he will “be ready ready for the [high school] season.”

Nate Lubick ’10, St. Mark’s School (MA), New England Playaz: Georgetown, Michigan, Virginia, Stanford, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, and Georgia Tech
Note- Lubick said that Georgetown, Michigan Virginia, Stanford, and Wake Forest “are just the ones that are really coming on [him] the hardest.”

Nadir Tharpe ’11, Brewster Academy (NH), New England Playaz: Xavier, Georgetown, Providence, Marquette, Boston College, and UMass
Favorites: Xavier, Georgetown, and Providence

For a complete list of recruiting lists from the event, visit HERE!

The NBE Basketball Report recently Catching up with Eric Atkins who lists Georgetown among his favorites. The 2010 recruit has several high-majors very interested in him early.

Bishop Maginn junior (class of 2010) guard Taran Buie is in high demand and a parade of college coaches have been making the trek to the Albany (NY) school to show how interested they are in Taran’s services for their school. It’s All About the Appearances acording to the Albany Times-Union this past weekend as Jim Boeheim of Syracuse, Gary Williams of Maryland, Paul Hewitt of Georgia Tech, Fred Hill of Rutgers and others donated their time to speak at a coaches clinic at the school this past weekend. Big East schools Notre Dame and Georgetown also came by to watch workouts last week.

While there have been Plenty of Big Gets for ACC Teams, on the recruiting trail, According to the Fayetteville Observer, Notre Dame and Georgetown hope that Ravenscroft power forward Ryan Kelly is not one of them.

Kelly visited the Notre Dame campus last weekend for an official visit and will visit Georgetown this weekend (9/20). Both schools have also trekked down to Raleigh (NC) to meet face to face with Kelly as well during this recruiting period. Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, North Carolina and Duke are also battling for Kelly’s services.

INTRODUCING RODERICK ODUM JR.

2008-09-08T12:31:00.002-04:00

Georgetown staff travelling to New England to see 2010 prospect

September 8, 2008

Coming from the rigorous academic setting of the Middlesex (MA) School and the under the radar AAU program of the Expressions Elite, Roderick Odom Jr. is not a name that many fans are aware of from the class of 2010. However, after a stock-boosting summer, the 6-foot-8 guard/forward is a name that college coaches are becoming more and more familiar with, and in turn, basketball fans will be hearing much more of in the near future.

It does not take long to realize that the Middlesex School is not your normal home to high-major basketball talent. With the demanding course work and Saturday class schedule, it can be difficult for a player to find the exposure needed by playing in events in the off-season or to make college trips. However, a very big July on the AAU circuit has college coaches coming to Odum to see more.

"Because of the nature of the prep school he goes to, rigorous academics and Saturday classes, Rod will not take as many visits as he would like," Roderick Odum Sr. told the NBE Basketball Report. "Instead his coach has set up workout dates for coaches to attend."

At this point, it looks like Middlesex head coach Jamie Gallagher has set up four days in September when college coaches are on the road visiting prospects to come by Middlesex.

"So far Louisville, West Virgina, Davidson, Bucknell, Harvard, Stanford, Georgetown, Princeton, Yale, Xavier, GW, Umass, Boston College and Rutgers are just a few of the coaches that have committed to see the workouts this month," Mr Odum said.

At 6-foot-8 with perimter skills, expect it also to be just the beginning of what we hear from Roderick Odum Jr. Remeber the name as a player with that mix of size, potential and acadmic prowess is guaranteed to help any school's College Basketball Odds whether advancing deep into the NCAA Tournament and at the same time strengthening the programs APR.

BRANDON TRICHE LOOKS CLOSELY AT HOYAS

2008-08-20T16:38:00.001-04:00

August 20, 2008

Upstate New York is not an area that is generally considered a hotbed of high-major Division 1 basketball talent, certainly not when compared with the more urban and metropolitan areas further south. That’s not to say that great players can’t exist up north, and judging by the final four schools that comprise Brandon Triche’s list, he certainly qualifies as one the top overall players in the Empire State’s 2009 class. The Dewitt, NY native said that he hopes to decide on one of those four schools by the November signing period.

“It’s alright," Brandon Triche said when asked about the recruiting process. “There’s a little bit of pressure in trying to pick a school."

The four schools that appear to have made the cut and form the list from which the eventual winner for his services will come from are Syracuse, Georgetown, Connecticut, and Georgia Tech.

As for his feelings about Georgetown, he said that “it’s a school that allows me to play the point and off the ball. Everybody on the court for them can pass and dribble. And they’re on top of the Big East every year."

HOYA TARGET TRISTAN SPURLOCK PICKS VIRGINIA

2008-08-13T23:28:00.003-04:00

August 13, 2008

A few weeks ago, the NBE Basketball Report spent some time Catching Up With Tristan Spurlock as he prepared to close out the July evaluation period. Spurlock told us he would visit Georgetown on August 6th and in-state Virginia was also a leader for his services.

A source close to the situation has informed us that it will be Virginia for Spurlock as he joins his Boo Williams AAU teammate, Jontel Evans, as a verbal commitment to Dave Leito's program.

The 6-foot-8, 218 pound forward will bring a versatile game to the Cavaliers. Spurlock, a native of Woodbridge (VA), takes pride in his work on the defensive end of the court and can score inside and out. He is an excellent addition for the ACC school.

Be sure to check out the latest Odds to Win the 2009 NCAA Championship and see how your favorite team stacks up.

GEORGETOWN TARGETS AT AGENT ZERO

2008-07-17T10:34:00.004-04:00

July 17, 2008

Ron Bailey spent some time at the Agent Zero to Hero AAU event last weekend at the wonderful Hoop Magic Academy in Chantilly (VA). Here are Ron's reports on some of the younger prospects that the Hoyas have shown early interest in, according to the story at the NBE Basketball Report. For a full rundown on the top teams and performers from the event, you can visit i95ballerz.com or see the Agent Zero to Hero Recaps, Part I or Part II at the NBE Basketball Report.

Mike Gbinije (pictured above) – A 6’6”, 180 pound rising sophomore, Gbinije may be a ‘golden child’ in that he can do it all, including shoot, defend, drive, and pass. Even more impressive is he does all of this in a team setting.

Not surprisingly, the heavies are starting to contact, with Georgetown and Pittsburgh (who has offered) hot in pursuit from a Big East bent, while Texas, North Carolina and Virginia Tech (another offerer) have joined the parade. Recently, Florida may have also offered.

John Manning (pictured above) – Backing up the youngster parade is Manning, who at 6’10” and 200 pounds has turned heads in the Washington, DC area. Georgetown has shown interest, as have Virginia, Virginia Tech, and George Mason. It’s no wonder they have, given Manning’s good shooting touch, mobility, and penchant for mixing it up. He’s definitely one to follow.

Marquel Starks – Georgetown has been on this rising junior for awhile, with good measure given Starks’ blend of speed and skill in a 6’2”, 175 pound frame. ACC and CAA schools are also showing Starks, a point guard, recruiting love.

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Georgetown is listed at 16:1 Odds to Win the 2009 NCAA Championship. Check out all the college basketball odds.
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GEORGETOWN A FAVORITE OF 2010 KENNEDY

2008-06-29T22:39:00.002-04:00

Markus Kennedy, 6-foot-8 power forward from class of 2010 was one of the best players at the recent Hoop Group High School Showcase.

According to Jeff Borzello of the NBE Basketball Report, Kennedy did not demonstrate his dominance during the entire tournament, but when St. Pat’s needed him to takeover, he gladly obliged.

First of all, according to a source with knowledge of the situation, he is supposed to be 7-foot-2 when he finishes growing. If that ends up being true, look out. Offensively, Kennedy is an outstanding force inside. He can finish around the rim, and is a ferocious dunker with both hands. He moves without the ball extremely well, constantly making himself available. He gets great position inside, enabling him to get easy baskets once he gets the ball. Kennedy also has decent hands. If he does not have a shot, he looks to pass the ball and does not force shots. He had a tendency to miss a few open lay-ups at times down low, but also showed the ability to finish with contact. While he does run the floor fairly well, he will need to play in more of a half-court setting in college.

“[My strengths are] as a rebounder, passer and screener. I need to work on my conditioning, though. I’m just running miles per day to try and get more stamina.”

Defensively, he is a very shot-blocker who also changes shots without even touching them. However, he did fall victim to pump-fakes a couple of times when going for a block. He also needs to lose weight and get in better shape.

Schools alread in hot pursuit include Louisville, Xavier, Penn State, Rutgers, Rider and Ohio State. Kennedy lists his favorites as Ohio State and Georgetown. The Hoyas have shown interest, but haven’t offered yet.

GEORGETOWN 2008-2009 SNAPSHOT

2008-06-09T15:13:00.004-04:00

June 9, 2008

Head Coach: John Thompson III
2006-2007 Record: 28-6 (15-3 in Big East), Big East Regular Season Champions, NCAA Tournament 2nd Round

Returning Players:
Jesse Sapp, Senior (Guard)
DaJuan Summers, Junior (Forward)
Austin Freeman, Sophomore (Guard)
Chris Wright, Sophomore (Point Guard)
Omar Wattad, Sophomore (Forward)
Nikita Mesheriakou, Sophomore (Forward)

Incoming Players:
Greg Monroe, Power Forward
Henry Sims, Center
Jason Clark, Shooting Guard

Players Lost Due to Graduation:
Roy Hibbert, Senior (Center)
Jonathan Wallace, Senior (Point Guard)
Tyler Crawford, Senior (Guard)
Patrick Ewing Jr, Senior (Forward)

Players Lost Due to Transfer:
Vernon Macklin, Sophomore (Forward/Center)
Jeremiah Rivers, Sophomore (Point Guard)

Open Issues:
As we move closer to the summer, it looks more and more like Georgetown will only be suiting up nine scholarship players for the 2008-2009 season. Jeremiah Rivers and Vernon Macklin have decided to transfer out of the program, decimating their returning experience off the bench, and recruit Chris Braswell will be spending more time at prep school before coming into the program. The Hoyas did add incoming transfer Julian Vaughn from Florida State, but he will have to sit out the 2008-2009 season per NCAA transfer rules. The Hoyas have been involved in the past with Augustus Gilchrist, but it is unclear if they will be in the mix as he looks to transfer out of Maryland.

Summary:
Georgetown is losing more than 50% of their scoring and rebounding from the previous season due to graduation and personnel losses via transfers. However, the Hoyas return a very solid nucleus in Chris Wright, Jesse Sapp, Austin Freeman and DaJuan Summers. Supper recruit Greg Monroe brings a skillful mix of talent to play inside and out in a 6'10 frame and will likely step into the starting line-up from day one.

While the starting five definitely is a formibadle group, no other experience of consequence returns for the Hoyas. They will have a roster with just one senior (Sapp) and one junior (Summers), so the experience factor will be very limited.

Depth is also a major concern, with two returning bench players, Omar Wattad and Nikita Mesheriakou seeing very little action in 2007-2008 and probably not being counted on for much more, except out of necessity, in 2008-2009. The other two current bench players are talented freshman, Henry Sims and Jason Clark, but they will be thrown into the fire very early. Sims and Monroe are their only true low-block players and DaJuan Summers will be asked to carry a much larger burden defensively and on the boards next season. We are waiting for Summers to break out and become one of the league's top players, this year he should have every opportunity to be able to show the talent he has flashed in the last two seasons in a more consistent manner.

While front court depth is a legitimate concern, the options at point guard behind Chris Wright might be more of a concern. Wright's development was hampered last season with a broken foot, but he was too good of a player to redshirt and he showed the potential after his mid-season return that made him an elite recruit. He is much flashier than his predecessor, Jonathan Wallace, but in John Thompson III's Princeton-style offense, that might not always be the most effective. The personnel and their strengths could call for a little more of a wide open look with Wright breaking down defenses off the dribble and taking advantage of the versatile offense games of Austin Freeman and Summers. Jesse Sapp is very good in transition and Monroe is also very effective running the floor and scoring outside of a structured system.

This is going to be a very different type of Georgetown team. John Thompson III will be challenged to play to the strengths of his players, but a short rotation and thin roster will also benefit from the Princeton-style attack that has been so effective in the Big East the last two seasons. The Hoyas definitely have talent, but the inexperience and lack of depth will make things difficult night in and night out in the Big East in 2008-2009. The College Basketball Odds of winning on the road with this type of roster is going to be a long for the Hoyas and will likely have them as one of the most talented middle of the pack conference teams in America next year.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: GEORGETOWN

2008-05-18T00:22:00.003-04:00

May 17, 2008

Verbal Commitment ALERT: DaShonte Riley, 6'11 (C) of Detroit Country Day

Projected 2008-2009 Roster:

Seniors: Jesse Sapp (G)
Juniors: Dajuan Summers (F)
Sophomores: Austin Freeman (SG), Chris Wright (PG), Omar Wattad (F), Nikita Mescheriakov (F), Julian Vaughn (PF)
Freshmen: Jason Clark (G), Henry Sims (BF/C), Greg Monroe (BF)
2009 Commitments: Hollis Thompson (SF), DaShonte Riley (C), Chris Braswell (PF)

After losing quality reserves in Vernon Macklin and Jeremiah Rivers, Georgetown fans really could have used some good news. So, when word spread that the Hoyas Nab Eliete Junior (FoxSports.com) Dashonte Riley, the good vibes returned around John Thompson III's program.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Long, lean and athletic, 6'11 Dashonte Riley has all the tools that schools are looking for in a big-time potential prospect. Riley, out of Detroit Country Day, choose Georgetown over Michigan State and Ohio State. Riley had long been considered a heavy Georgetown lean and he pulled the trigger and committed to the Hoyas.

Like most big men, Riley's defense has always been regarded as his strength and greatly ahead of his offense. Playing with a loaded Family AAU program, he still is not called up to score a lot. He averaged less than 10 points this past season and still needs to improve his offensive skill level, but the natural talent is definitely there to develop quickly with the Hoyas.

Riley visited Georgetown back in October for Midnight Madness and again recently. It was the recent visit that sealed the deal with Riley and his family and they decided to end the process.

Riley joins Hollis Thompson as commitments in the class of 2009. Thompson will come across country from Loyola High School in Los Angeles (CA) to join the Hoya program. Like Riley, the 6'6 wing is long and lean at his position and is a player with tremendous upside to grow as he works to put all his natural tools togetherwith a developing skill set.

The class of 2009 for Georgetown actually could be at three as Chris Braswell, a 2008 commitment, is likely to spend more tme at Hargrave Prep Academy before enrolling in Georgetown. Despite not yet signing a letter of intent, despite an early commitment, Braswell still insists he is 100% committed to Georgetown and once the academics are in order he will be a Hoya.

With the commitments of Thompson and Riley and Braswell still in the picture, the scholarship situation is pretty tight at Georgetown for the class of 2009. John Thompson III has been very involved with the Montrose Christian trio of Isaiah Armwood, Terrell Vinson and Tristan Spurlock, although, based on the makeup of their potential roster, perimeter help could be more of a priority than the forward position.

One thing is for certain, John Thompson III is definitely turning Georgetown back into a national power, not only on the court, but on the recruiting trail very quickly.

TOP BIG EAST SCHOOLS AFTER ISAIAH ARMWOOD

2008-05-14T12:46:00.002-04:00

One of the best prospects in the class of 2009 is Montrose Christian's 6'8 small forward Isaiah Armwood. The smooth wing turned in a strong performance playing for the WPC Elite at the recent DC Assault AAU Tournament 'Take Your Best Shot' in Virginia.

Saturday at the DC Assault AAU Tournament (NBE Basketball Report), Armwood scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a win over Potomac Pride. Armwood mentions Big East schools such as Georgetown, Louisville, Syracuse and Villanova in the recruiting process as schools of interest. He also is looking at Maryland, North Carolina and Texas at this stage of the process.

GEORGETOWN ASSISTANT A CANDIDATE AT MEMPHIS

2008-05-12T16:27:00.002-04:00

CBS Sportsline's Gary Parrish is reporting that Memphis head coach John Calipari is Looking at Big East Assistants Orlando Antigua of Pitt and David Cox of Georgetown to complete his coaching staff that saw Derek Kellogg (new head coach at UMass) and Chuck Martin (new head coach at Marist) leaving for head coaching positions. Bit the Pitt and Georgetown staffs have had a lot of turnover the last couple seasons with former assistants moving on for head coaching positions themselves.

MORE CHANGES AT GEORGETOWN

2008-05-12T08:18:00.002-04:00

May 12, 2009

While John Thompson III may be Calmly Weathering the Losses (Washington Times) on the court that ended the Hoya season and off the court that have surprised many since their season ended, the Hoyas will have much less depth and a new look in the brutal Big East.

Since we last updated the Hoya roster, sophomore guard Jeremiah Rivers has transferred out of the program and incoming recruit Chris Braswell looks to be headed for another year of prep school.

Seniors: Jesse Sapp (G)
Juniors: Dajuan Summers (F)
Sophomores: Austin Freeman (SG), Chris Wright (PG), Omar Wattad (F), Nikita Mescheriakov (F), Julian Vaughn (PF)
Freshmen: Jason Clark (G), Henry Sims (BF/C), Greg Monroe (BF)
2009 Commitment: Hollis Thompson

Georgetown is currently down to nine scholarship players on the roster for next season and seven of them will be freshmen and sophomores. Making the roster even thinner is the probability that Omar Wattad and Nikita Mescheriakov are most likely another seasons or so away from contributing significantly at the Big East level.

The Hoyas still have some serious talent. However, in a conference with serious talent all over, the lack of depth and experience will but this Hoya team to the test night in and night out in 2008-2009.

BIG EAST ROSTER UPDATE: GEORGETOWN

2008-05-06T15:33:00.003-04:00

INCOMING TRANSFER ALERT: Julian Vaughn, 6'9 BF from Florida State

Projected 2008-2009 Roster:

Seniors: Jesse Sapp (G)
Juniors: Jeremiah Rivers (PG), Dajuan Summers (F)
Sophomores: Austin Freeman (SG), Chris Wright (PG), Omar Wattad (F), Nikita Mescheriakov (F), Julian Vaughn (PF)
Freshmen: Chris Braswell (PF), Jason Clark (G), Henry Sims (BF/C), Greg Monroe (BF)

Georgetown is Picking Up a Big Transfer (Washington Post) as Juliuan Vaughn will move from Florida State back home and play for the Hoyas to close out his college career.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Growing up playing for DC Assault, Julian Vaughn formed a relationship with one of the program's coaches, David Cox. Now, after one season in Tallahassee playing for Florida State, Vaughn and Cox will be reunited as Vaughn has left FSU and will transfer into Georgetown.

As a freshman, Vaughn averaged 3 ppg and 2.3 rebounds while playing in 31 games. Vaughn averaged 13 minutes a game and missed some time around the holidays as he underwent a battery of medical tests, but no official word on his health was ever released. After missing two games and two weeks of practices, Vaughn returned to the team.

The Reston (VA) native played at three different high schools in the DC/VA area, including a season at powerful Oak Hill Academy. Vaughn will have three years of eligibility left after sitting out the 2008-2009 season.

In effect, Vaughn fills the roster spot opened by the transfer of Vernon Macklin, who left Georgetown earlier this spring for the University of Florida. Vaughn will be another 6'10 player in a class that includes Greg Monroe, Henry Sims and Chris Braswell, who will also be sophomores during the 2009-2010 season. Braswell has yet to qualify academically, however, and could end up with another prep season before heading to Georgetown. That situation is not expected to be cleared up for some time yet.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: ST. JOHN'S @ GEORGETOWN

2008-02-27T09:45:00.000-05:00

February 27, 2008

Georgetown looks to continue their quest for a Big East regular season championship and can not afford to slip up with Marquette and Louisville remaining on the schedule after tonight's meeting with St. John's.

For the Redstorm, another disappointing season winds down. After a three game winning streak provided some hope for this year and the future, SJU has lost four straight, scoring just 51 points a game and losing by an average margin of 18.5 PPG.

Here are the local media pregame stories and previews on the game:

Redstorm Can't Match Hoyas' Rise
Too Soon For St. John's to Quit on Norm Roberts (Staten Island Advance)
A Young Hoya Drives With a Steady Hand (Washington Post)
Georgetown is Next on Storm's Horizon (NY Post)

Goergetown and St. John's, longtime rivals and original cornerstone members of the Big East conference, met earlier this season in Madison Square Garden and the opposite directions both programs have moved in has never been so obvious. Georgetown, on the home floor of the Redstorm, handed SJU their worst Big East loss ever in a 74-42 defeat. The score was 41-14 at the half!

John Thompson III and Norm Roberts were hired to restore their programs' good names. Georgetown was in the Final Four last season, St. John's looks like their will miss the Big East Tournament for the third time in the last four seasons. Not the direction the SJU fans were hoping for.

Georgetown is a 17-pt favorite tonight, and again, I see St. John's struggling to score points against the Hoyas. Georgetown's defense stifled the Redstorm in the earlier meeting, holding them to 10 field goals in the entire game.

Offensively, Georgetown can come at you in many directions, Jesse Sapp is strong in the open floor, Jonathan Wallace can spot up and hit the three-pointer, DaJuan Summers is bursting with potential as an inside/out offensive threat and Big East Preseason Player of the Year Roy Hibbert mans the middle. Freshman Austin Freeman provides another new element to the mix as a scorer and off the bench comes Patrick Ewing Jr and Vernon Macklin, along with Jeremiah Rivers. The options to put the ball in the basket are endless.

For St. John's, they are not so lucky. Their offense basically starts and stops with Anthiny Mason Jr. Although, when Mason was injured, the 'Storm reeled off three straight wins, two with him unavailable and the first one with him limited because of injury. In his place, sophomore Larry Wright looked to regain some of the form that had people excited about him as a freshman and other players became more involved. However, they are in another swwon with a four-game losing streak and hardly competitive for LONG stretches in each game.

Again, Georgetown will score snough and St. John's will not. The Hoyas could very well be looking ahead to their tough close to the Big East schedule, but on their home floor, they should have an easy time with the Redstorm.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 74 St. John's 55

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: VILLANOVA @ GEORGETOWN

2008-02-11T09:05:00.000-05:00

February 11, 2008

Not much time for Georgetown or Villanova to think about their games from Saturday as they are both back in action tonight as Big Monday on ESPN tips off at 7 PM at the Verizon Center.

Here are some of the local media stories on tonight's game:

Wallace Aims to Regain Touch (Washington Post)
Hoyas Troubles are all in Back (Washington Times)
Hibbert Savors His Final Georgetown Games (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Thompson III Has Flourished (Inquirer)

Georgetown got stuck in 'White-Out' conditions in Freedom Hall in the 2nd half of their game against Saturday night and they looked like a car wreck in the process, getting outscored 36-20 after intermission in their 59-51 loss to the Cards. The loss dropped the Hoyas' lead in the Big East standings to a mere 1/2 game over Notre Dame with Connecticut and Louisville closing fast.

Villanova stopped the bleeding from a 5-game losing streak, four of which were Big East games, and got a late three-pointer from Dwayne Anderson to edge Seton Hall 72-70. Villanova was coming off a low-point in their season, a 77-55 loss to city rival St. Joe's in the Palestra. That loss snapped their Big 5 win streak and put their season in serious jeopardy of going straight down the tubes.

The Wildcats responded with a needed victory and Anderson's shot, at least termporarily, saves their season. Now, they hit the road to face Georgetown to try and build on Saturday's win.

It is a tough task for the Wildcats. Georgetown brings a lot of size and experience, two traits that Villanova lacks completely. Villanova will try to counter with pressure and force the Hoyas to rely on three-point shooting. On the road, Georgetown has been susceptible to pressure and poor shooting nights against good teams, but at home, the Hoyas have yet to show that as a weakness.

Villanova will extend pressure and trap the Hoyas before falling back into a halfcourt zone defense. Last season when they needed a win early in conference play, the Wildcats completely stifled Georgetown in the Verizon Center with this gameplan. It was effective in tacking Roy Hibbert out of the game and the pressure really had Georgetown's guards struggling.

Georgetown is a 13-point favorite and that definitely seems like a very high number. Georgetown will want to slow the game, get into their offense and pound the ball inside to Hibbert and work outside from there. Villanova will try to force the tempo, but the Wildcats are not a great shooting team from the perimeter. Scottie Reynolds is struggling with his shot and his shot selection seems to be an area he struggles more with. I do not see a true point guard, although Corey Fisher is a big time talent, he and Reynolds are more offensively minded. Inside, Villanove will have a tough time scoring around the basket against Hibbert, Pat Ewing and Vernon Macklin.

Georgetown should win this game, win it comfortably, but the posted spread could be tough to cover.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 71 Villanova 60

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: GEORGETOWN @ LOUISVILLE

2008-02-08T16:07:00.000-05:00

February 9, 2008

ESPN Primetime, live from Freedom Hall! It is going to be a full day of excitement and events for the Louisville fans as they prepare to welcome Georgetown Saturday night. This is the match-up of the Big East co-favorites from the preseason. Georgetown has lived up to their advanced billing, while Louisville has been a little slower in hitting their stride, but they have certainly showed signs of putting things together from time to time.

Georgetown has only lost one game in the Big East, at Pittsburgh, and sit at 9-1 with a six-game win streak. They have not always been impressive, but while every other team has been up and down and not immune to be blown out, the Hoyas remain in every game and doing enough to win them.

Georgetown is a team that shares the ball and runs effecient offensive sets. Roy Hibbert is their leader in the middle at 7'2. He might not look fancy on offense and often looks awkward, but he has learned to use every inch of his 7'2 frame to his advantage on both ends of the floor and is comfortable passing the ball on the perimeter to cutters. DaJuan Summers is still the player I am waiting on to take a giant leap forward in becoming one of the league's best, but the Georgetown system seems to allow everyone a fair share in the spoils.

This game features two excellent and deep frontcourts. Hibbert and Summers with Patrick Ewing Jr and Vernon Macklin off the bench face off against David Padgett and Earl Clark with Juan Palacious and Derrick Caracter off the bench for Louisville. If either unit can get an edge, it could tilt the game in favor of their team. With Padgett back in the line-up, Louisville is much more consistent and their offense flows better. They just need to stay away from falling in love with the perimeter shot.

Running the show for Louisville is Edgar Sosa. He needs to make sure the Cards get the ball inside, take his offense when it comes and manage the game. He is still learning the position of point guard for Rick Pitino and the learning curve has continued, but he is coming off his best performance of the season as the point guard in the win at Marquette. Jerry Smith is his backcourt mate and is one of the league's best three-point shooters. If Sosa concentrates on getting his teammates involved offensively in position to score, they will be tough to beat.

The Georgetown backcourt of Jesse Sapp and Jonathan Wallace is definitely under-appreciated by the masses, but they have both hit many BIG shots in BIG situations. They may not be the flashiest or the most exciting, but they are very effective. They understand where the Georgetown team excels and take their opportunities as they come to them.

At the wing, Louisville's best all-around player, Terrence Williams is matched up with promising Georgetown freshman Austin Freeman. Both players have good size and play an all-around game, but if Williams is hitting his shots, Louisville is VERY tough to beat. Freeman seems very close to completely busting out, he and Summers are a pair that could take Georgetown to another level down the stretch if they become more assertive.

Georgetown is definitely the most effective team in the Big East this season. Louisville is the team we are waiting to bust out. They have showed signs with big wins over Marquette and blowing out Rutgers like no other. However, they have had their shares of lapses too. Whenever your ready to jump on the Louisville to the Final Four bandwagon, they blow a tire. However, if Edgar Sosa relishes the role of playmaker, they could get this wagon moving quickly.

With a national audience and a jazzed Freedom Hall crowd, we look forward to seeing Louisville at their best and getting an impressive win over Georgetown.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Louisville 74 Georgetown 66

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SOUTH FLORIDA @ GEORGETOWN

2008-02-05T09:25:00.001-05:00

February 5, 2008

One end of the conference meets the other tonight in the nation;s capitol as Georgetown, 8-1 in the Big East, hosts 1-8 South Florida.

Hoyas, Hibbert to Stay Focused on Lowly Bulls (Washington Times)
Hoyas Fans Have an Interest Rooting (Washington Post)

The Bulls have lost eight games in a row after opening conference play with a 23-point win over Rutgers. The Bulls looked to be improved as they had a few solid wins in the out of conference portion of their schedule, but they have been struggling in the Big East and have hit rock-bottom following their 72-58 home loss to St. John's on Saturday night.

Kentrell Gransberry and Dominique Jones have been the lone bright spots for the Bulls, but each have found life in the Big East to be tough. It does not get much easier when the opponent gameplans to stop you as the rest of the team continues to fail in stepping forward.

The Bulls have never won a conference road game in the Big East and beating the best team in the conference is a tall order for the 20-pt underdogs.

Georgetown is coming off a win over Seton Hall and will have to keep up their focus for the Bulls. The Hoyas are deeper, more experienced and better in every facet, but we have seen if you do not bring forth the effort night in and night out, you can be surprised in the Big East.

However, a surprise is something unexpected tonight. I think the Bulls will show some life, but the Hoyas are just too good for this to be any more competitive than seeing if Georgetown wins by 20 or more.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 78 South Florida 59

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SETON HALL @ GEORGETOWN

2008-02-01T14:25:00.001-05:00

February 2, 2008

After losing their first three conference games, Seton Hall has ran off five straight wins and the snowball that Bobby Gonzalez is building is gaining in size and it begins to roll downhill.

Georgetown is also on a roll, winning their last four games, some in dramatic fashion, others, like Wednesday night's destruction of St. John's, with ease. The Hoyas have been the favorite in the conference from the beginning and take everyone's best shot. Only Pittsburgh was able to connect their shot and take down the Hoyas. Now, Seton Hall takes aim and will bring the effort as well.

The Pirates do have a quick backcourt that will look to pressure the Hoyas early and often. With Paul Gause back in the line-up, the Pirates can unleash Bobby Gonzalez's preferred style of attack with full court pressure from end to end. With Chris Wright out with a foot injury, the Georgetown backcourt is a little short on depth and this sort of game, if SHU can control the tempo, does not favor the Hoyas.

However, gaining control of that tempo is not easily down. The Hoyas are a model of offensive effeciency with Roy Hubbert in the paint and four other players on the floor capable of scoring in a variety of ways. Georgetown has an injury concern of their own as sophomore DaJuan Summers missed the game with St. John's with a foot injury. Against the Redstorm it did not matter and with Austin Freeman and Patrick Ewing available to step-up, the Hoyas should be ok if Summers is going to miss additional time. It is a blow, but Georgetown has an impressive stable of players.

Seton Hall will have to create offense off of their defense. They will need to score themselves and stop Georgetown to get into their tempo. That has been the difficult thing to do for Georgetown opponents. SHU is undersized with Brian Laing playing the position of power forward at 6'5 and in extreme mesaures, like OT agianst Rutgers, he finds himself as the tallest Pirate on the court on occassions. Freshman Jeremy Hazell has become the long-distance mad bomber and if he starts lighting it up, the Pirates feed off that energy.

Although I see leaps and bounds of improvement from the Pirates, this might be too tall of an order on the road at this stage. At the very least, this will be a tremendous learning opportunity and if the Pirates go in with that goal, they could steal a win, but more importantly, take a valuable experience into future games down the road.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 75 Seton Hall 66

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: GEORGETOWN @ ST. JOHN'S

2008-01-30T11:25:00.001-05:00

January 30, 2008

Georgetown looks to strenghten their hold of the Big East conference lead in the standings in the next few games as they face St. John's, Seton Hall and South Florida. Tonight at St. John's is the lone road game of the next three.

On the other hand the young St. John's squad is struggling under Norm Roberts. The Redstorm have lost 11 of their last 14, including last week's home disaster to Pittsburgh. In his fourth year at the helm for SJU, the lack of progress the Redstorm have made as a program under Roberts is starting to get noticed by more and more. Sure, there is eight freshman on the roster...but, by year four, the foundation should have been laid.

Weaker Foes Lie Ahead for Georgetown (Washington Times)
Down on the Farm and Up in Washington, Hoyas' Wallace Excels (NY Times)
Ewing Has Big Hand in Hoyas Success (Washington Post)

The Hoyas may be 6-1 in the Big East, but they have not exactly been cruising to victory night in and night out. The narrowly escaped with a home win over Georgetown on a last second 3-pter by Roy Hibbert, survived in OT against Syracuse as the Orange missed potential game-winners at the end of regulation and OT and on Saturday they survived Morgantown on a late three by Jesse Sapp and a last second, game-saving block by Patrick Ewing Jr. The Hoyas have been taking the opponents best shots, and although it has not always been pretty, the 6-1 record sure looks nice in this crazy conference.

Not much has been positive for St. John's, although the individual play of Anthony Mason Jr has been impressive. In losses to Pittsburgh and Louisville last week, the Redstorm managed a meager 114 points combined in the two defeats, Mason Jr scored 58 of those points. Can anyone else on this team score? Not really. St. John's strengths are in their raw athletic ability and toughness, although for a group of freshman, that is not a lot to hold their hat on in the toughest and most physical conference in the country.

In the end, this is the case of too much talent and too much experience on hand for Georgetown, who are 10-pt road favorites. The Hoyas may not look to run up and down and score a lot of points and the Redstorm will gladly play at that pace, but the Hoyas are MUCH more effecient offensively and will pull away for victory.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 74 St. John's 58

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: GEORGETOWN @ WEST VIRGINIA

2008-01-25T15:16:00.000-05:00

January 26, 2008

Here is a great match-up between Georgetown and West Virginia in Morgantown slated for Saturday night. The West Virginia faithful will be ready to roll as the Hoyas come to town.

West Virginia is coming off a shaky 66-64 win over in-state rival Marshall in Charleston Wednesday. Bob Huggins has been publicly issuing challenges to his team to be tougher and better going forward and is not satisfied with their progress thus far in the season. With his calling into question the mental toughness of his squad, look for a sprited effort backed by a rabid fan base from the Mountaineers.

Georgetown has seen it all before. The Hoyas are a team with four returning starters from their Final Four squad of a year ago. With two seniors and a junior among that group, do not expect Georgetown to be rattled by the atmosphere. The Hoyas will go and run their system to generate offense and use their mental toughness on the defensive side of the court. With 7'2 Roy Hibbert inside, he could be a major factor for the Mountaineers who like to go to the basket.

One thing Georgetown must be careful is settling for 3-pt baskets without getting the ball inside. In a similar atmoshpere that is expected Saturday night, the Hoyas got away from getting the ball in to Hibbert against Pittsburgh. Hibbert is an excellent passer and when he gets a touch, defenses have to react. It is true that Pitt did a good job in denyinh him the ball, but he could have worked harder. WVU does not have much of a post presence to combat Hibbert. From there, DaJuan Summers can post and cut to the basket and shooters like Jonathan Wallace, Austin Freeman and Jesse Sapp can find their range. If they settle for the 3-pt shots against the WVU defenses, they could find themselves in trouble again.

This season, nobody seems intimidated by anyone on their home floor. The Mountaineers have an experienced group lead by the steady senior, Darris Nichols, and juniors Joe Alexander and Alex Ruoff. This is a group that loves playing in the Coliseum on their campus and their home offensive stats support that feeling. Although the style used most by John Beilein is not one that Bob Huggins has used previously, the former Cincinnati coach has put the 3-pt shot and zone defense into his gameplan. Huggins is not afraid to try out of the box ideas, like using 6'2 Joey Mazzulla to guard 6'8 Kentrell Gransberry last week, defensively to slow an opponent. It will be very interesting to see what the Mountaineers use against Georgetown.

I still think Georgetown is, by s slight margin, better than the rest of the pack in the Big East. The Mountaineers are one of those teams inching their way to the top of the pack trailing the Hoyas. If they want to reach that next level, they have to win this kind of game on their home floor. I think Bob Huggins pulls the right card from his sleeve to keep WVU ahead by just enough at the final horn.

NBE Blogger Prediction: West Virginia 68 Georgetown 66

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SYRACUSE @ GEORGETOWN

2008-01-21T09:30:00.000-05:00

January 21, 2008

One of the Big East's best rivalries is renewed tonight when Syracuse meets Georgetown at the Verizon Center for ESPN's Big Monday. The Hoyas sit atop the Big East standings with a 4-1 record after Saturday's 84-65 victory over Notre Dame. The Orange are 3-3, but in desperate need of a big win.

Here are the game previews from the local media:

Jardine Contributes to Orange (Utica Observer-Dispatch)
Orange Goes Against Rugged Georgetown (Rochester D&C)
On Offense and Defense, Hibbert Sets the Tone (Syracuse Post-Standard)
Orange are Quite Green (Washington Times)
One the Road to Syracuse, Hoyas Have No Time to Rest (Washington Post)

Syracuse is coming of a disappointing home loss to Villanova, 81-71, where foul trouble plagued the Orange. With an injury-depleted roster, SU has little room for error with six of their eight active scholarship players new to Division 1-A basketball. The two 'veterans' are sophomores Paul Harris and Arinze Onuaku, who missed all of last season with a knee injury.

So far Syracuse has won three conference games, all at home, against the three teams that are looking as though they have distanced themselves from the pack as ones NOT going to Madison Square Garden for the Big East Tournament: St. John's, South Florida and Rutgers. Their lone two road games in the conference have resulted in losses at Cincinnati and at West Virginia, where they lost 81-61.

There is no doubt that Jom Boeheim's squad has talent. Jonny Flynn and Dante Greene are McDonald's All-Americans, Arinze Onuaku is one of the league's most improved players and Paul Harris makes an impact on every game with his athletic ability and intense effort. However, the Orange are young and they show all the bad habits that young players have. Their defense can lack consistent effort and intensity, decision making and shot selection is spotty and their toughness inside can be exposed.

On the other-hand, Georgetown returns four starters from last year's Big East championship club that went to the Final Four. Led be preseason Big East Player of the Year Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas have won four of their first five in conference play and rebounded from their lone loss, last Monday at Pittsburgh, with an impressive mauling of Notre Dame Saturday. Hibber led Georgetown with 21 pts and 5 assists against the Irish and DaJuan Summer, Jesse Sapp and Austin Freeman all rebounded from poor outings against Pitt with very effecient games.

That is the Hoya motto, effeciency. Georgetown runs a methodical and patient Princeton-style offense that keeps pressure on the defense on every spot on the floor. Hibbert's ability to pass the ball draws the opposing big man away from the hoop. Syracuse will counter the Hoya movement by playing their trademark 2-3 zone defense and try to force the Hoyas to depend on the perimeter shot. Against Pitt the Hoyas were 3-20 from three-point range in their loss. Of course, back on their home floor against ND, the Hoyas were 8-20 (40%) from the arc and 53% overall from the floor.

Georgetown will mix defenses and run an effecient offense, two things that can really frustrate a young club. I think Georgetown will be aggressive attacking the Orange zone and any form of foul trouble with the Orange tilts this game HEAVILY in favor of Georgetown. Playing on the road on a short turnaround, this game looks to be VERY tough on Syracuse, a 12-pt underdog.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 78 Syracuse 63

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: GEORGETOWN @ PITTSBURGH

2008-01-14T10:14:00.001-05:00

January 14, 2008

Big Monday on ESPN kicks off with a heavyweight match-up as the Georgetown Hoyas travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers at the Peterson Events Center. The road has not been kind to Big East teams this year and, with conference play only two weeks old, Georgetown is the only team in the Big East without a conference loss.

The Panthers have overcome injuries to starters Levance Fields and Mike Cook to get off to a 2-1 start in the conference. Pittsburgh has a completly new starting five from last season and after a 64-63 road loss to Villanova to open conference play, the Panthers have won two in a row.

Here are the local media previews on tonight's game:

Panther's Young is a Slam Dunk and Then Some (Washington Post)
Plenty of Talk About Hoyas (Washington Times)
Hoyas Surged After Wins Against Pitt (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Pitt's Blair Faces Tall Order Against Georgetown (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Pitt's Blair Ready for Hibbert (Tribune-Review)
Pitt Still Evolving as Hoyas Arrive (Washington (PA) Observer)

Over the past seven years the Pittsburgh Panthers have had a lot of success, losing just 26 games in conference play. However, one team the Panthers have struggled with of late has been the Georgetown Hoyas, who have beaten the Panthers in four of the last five meetings, including a 65-42 drubbing in the Big East Conference Tournament Championship game last season.

Other than that lopsided affair, the other games have come down to the wire in back and forth contests. One thorn in the Panthers' side is no longer there as Jeff Green has moved on to the NBA, but the Hoyas still return four other starters from last year's Final Four team.

Georgetown is led by Big East preseason Player of the Year, Roy Hibbert. The 7'2 center has a signficant height advantage over a Pitt line-up that will likely have 6'7 DeJuan Blair and 6'8 Tyrell Biggs playing the post. Blair will try to use his exceptional feet and hands to work inside and Biggs will try to pull Hibbert away from the basket. On defense, the Panther big men will have to use their bodies and strength to keep the bigger Hibbert out of his comfort zone on the block. Hibbert, at times, can be bodied up, but his enourmous size advantage could lead to foul trouble for the Panthers, something that could reallu hurt Pitt with their lack of depth due to injuries. Freshman Gary McGhee (6'10) offers more of a size match-up for Hibbert and will likely see action. His play against USF's Kentrell Gransberry when Blair picked up two first half fouls was a key ingredient to Pitt's road win over the Bulls.

One of the candidates for Big East Player of the Year AND Most Improved Player is Panther forward Sam Young. The 6'6 jumping-jack from Clinton (MD) grew up close to Georgetown and now will try to lead Pitt to a win over the Hoyas. Young scored 50 points in the Panther's wins last week and is averaging over 18 PPG on the season. itt is doing a tremendous job in getting Young the ball in position to score and take advantage of his inside-out strengths. Georgetown does have the perfect player to match-up with Young in sophomore DaJuan Summers, a 6'7 F who can also go inside and out on each side of the ball. Summers also has the ability to be a dominate scorer, but in the Georgetown Princeton-style system, he shares the scoring load with the rest of the line-up.

Georgetown also has some added depth in the frontcourt with sophomore Vernon Macklin and senior Patrick Ewing Jr. Both offer excellent size, strength and athleticism for theirt positions.

On the wing, the Panthers are without senior Mike Cook for the rest of the season and redshirt freshman Gilbert Brown has stepped into his spot in the starting line-up. Brown is one of the best athletes in the entire conference and should emerge as a terrefic wing player. He is still looking for his comfort zone offesively, but in every game he makes a couple athletic plays that leaves observers impressed. For Georgetown, freshman Austin Freeman can fill up the basket quickly and will be a good match-up with Brown when they are on the floor together. This could be a major coming out party for Freeman if the freshman continues his solid play. He is averaging 13 PPG in conference action, shooting 50% from the arc (6-12) and 62% (16-26) from the floor in three games.

The backcourts look pretty identical with Pitt starting a pair of seniors in Ronald Ramon and Keith Benjamin and the Hoyas have senior Jonathan Wallace at the point and Jesse Sapp at the off guard. Ramon is averaging 8 PPG and 6 assists in Big East action, but looked to find his shooting stroke on Saturday against Seton Hall. Benjamin has really stepped up his game since the injury to Fields, averging nearly 16 PPG in the three Big East contests. Both are good defensive players as well. Sapp and Wallace both average 9 PPG in conference play, but they each have the knack of coming up big when needed. Georgetown has added depth with Chris Wright and Jeremiah Rivers giving very good minutes. Pitt only has freshman Brad Wanamaker in the backcourt to provide relief for the starters, unless they go with a bigger line-up with Gil Brown at guard.

Georgetown is about a 2-pt favorite in this one. They have a very versatile line-up that can go big or small. I look for them to play a mixture of man to man and zone defense and if they can settle into a zone, they will force Pitt to beat them from the perimeter. Without Levance Fields to break down the defense, I think that could give the Panthers trouble. Pitt also will have to watch the foul trouble as I expect them to be physical with Hibbert in the paint, but for John Thompson III to make it a priority to point out the physical play to the officials. Jamie Dixon will have Pitt ready and he has done a masterful job putting his injury-riddled line-up together and keeping them in position to win. I expect their veterans to be ready to play and the crowd to give them that extra lift. If they hit from the perimeter, I like their chances. However, the lack of depth makes the margin of error a little too narrow for me tonight.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 73 Pittsburgh 72

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: CONNECTICUT @ GEORGETOWN

2008-01-11T14:52:00.000-05:00

January 12, 2008

A classic Big East battle commences at the MCI Center on Saturday afternnon when Georgetown hosts the Connecticut Huskies. The Hoyas are 2-0 in the conference, cruising past both DePaul and Rutgers on the road, now they return home to host a UConn team looking to make a statement.

Here are the local media previews on the contest:

Hoyas on the Rebound (Washington Times)
Hoyas Swap Places with Connecticut (Washington Post)
Chance to Send Instant Message (Hartford Courant)
Thabeet Eager for Hibbert, Georgetown (Connecticut Post)

The Huskies have opened conference play with wins over Seton Hall and St. John's which bookend a loss to Notre Dame. Against the Irish, UConn found themselves down 19 at the half and rallied to take a 2nd half lead, but the Irish made big plays down the stretch to save the win.

The Hoyas have a little bit of everything, with 7'2 ROy Hibbert nearly matching the height of UConn's 7'3 Hasheem Thabeet. Patrick Ewing Jr and Vernon Macklin also add size and athletic ability to the mix. Multi-dimensional Dajuan Summers plays both forward spots and cool and steady lead guard Jonathan Wallace adds experience and dead-eye shooting to the Hoya mix.

Georgetown also has another element this season with freshmen Austin Freeman and Chris Wright joining junior Jesse Sapp as players who can excelt in the open court as well. If UConn is successful in pushin tempo, Georgetown adds more weapons to their traditional Princeton-style attack.

The patience and high effeciency execution that trademarks Georgetown is a touch match-up for UConn, especially this group that is still coming together as a team. The Huskies tend to lose focus at times, but their improvement has been steady and Jim Calhoun has been harping on 40-minutes of effort from this squad. The Huskies like to play fast and Georgetown is very good at preventing teams from playing at their preferred tempo.

For UConn to win this game, AJ Price is going to have to be at his very best, especially when the game slows down and UConn is forced to play in the halfcourt. Price will need to get the big men in position to score. Despite several exceptional athletes, UConn does have trouble with players being able to create their own offense in a halfcourt setting. Outside of Price and Jerome Dyson, the rest in the regular line-up are much more capable in transition or picking up baskets on the offensive glass. The presence of Hibbert will limit the advantage that Thabeet has over most teams. The Hoya depth should also be able to battle Jeff Adrien in the paint and Georgetown's experience migh be a stiff challenge for Stanley Robinson.

This should be a great learning tool for Connecticut as they still have to learn to fight through a game against a good opponent that will force them to play out of their element. I think the Huskies match-up well, but until they have road success playing teams of a different style, I am going to wait on them before predicting they spring an upset.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 76 UConn 68

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: GEORGETOWN @ DEPAUL

2008-01-08T08:22:00.000-05:00

January 8, 2008

Two ofthe four remaining unbeaten teams in Big East play collide in Chicago tonight as the Georgetown Hoyas meet the DePaul Blue Demons. DePaul has surprised many following the conference wth wins over Villanova and Providence to start league play. Georgetown beat Rutgers on Saturday to start Big East play for the Hoyas.

DePaul, 6-7 on the season, will face a daunting task to reach .500 on the season and to move to 3-0 in the Big East. Georgetown is deep with talent on the front line and in the backcourt. Seniors Jonathan Wallace, Roy Hibbert and Pat Ewing give coach John Thompson III the veteran leadership any contender must have. DaJuan Summers is a burgeoning star in the league and Jesse Sapp has been through the Big East battes for a few yars as well. Freshmen Austin Freeman and Chris Wright are capable of giving the Hoyas an extra gear. Added depth with Vernon Macklin and Jeremiah Rivers to round out the regular rotation that has answers for just about every situation they will face in the Big East.

One of DePaul's biggst areas of improvement the last few games has been their play at point guard, led by senior Cliff Clinkscales and junior Jabari Currie. Their more consistent play as the leaders on the floor has been a big help in the team's improvement. Draelon Burns is the go-to scorer and has a defined role, although he will find it tough to be effecient against the Georgetown defense.

DePaul definitely has the athleticism to match anyone in the conference on the wings with Karron Clarke, Dar Tucker and Will Walker. Inside, the one-two punch of Mac Koshwal and Wesley Green have greatly benefited from the improved guard play as they have gotten more touches and taken advantage.

Tonight, look for Georgetown to play with a little more purpose and intensity because John Thompson III was not at all happy with the overall effort against Rutgers. They will involve Roy Hibbert early and often and work from there. DePaul will hang tough, but Georgetown will slowly and consistently pull away with their offensive effeciency, stout defense and solid rebounding, making DePaul have to play a near perfect game to keep pace.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 71 DePaul 61

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: GEORGETOWN @ RUTGERS

2008-01-04T14:20:00.000-05:00

January 5, 2008

The Big East's preseason favorite, Georgetown, will begin defense of their conference crown on Saturday as they travel to New Jersey to face Rutgers, at the RAC. Rutgers dropped their league opening contest on the road to South Florida, 68-45, Wednesday night.

Things are not going very well right now for Fred Hill Jr and his Rutgers squad. Not only were they drubbed by South Florida, who was picked 16th in the league by the coaches, but they have been without freshman Corey Chandler and his 14 PPG for a few weeks now. On Wednesday night, their other top player, JR Inman, was not in the starting line-up. I know coach Hill says it was a coaches decision, but there has to be more behind it, maybe a message was being sent and a fresh start is ahead.

The status of Chandler is still unknown, this was the game he was targeting to return, but they hoped he would be available for some time on Wednesday. Without Chandler and with Inman in and out of the line-up, Rutgers goes from a below-average offensive team to, well, not a good one at all. Against USF they shot 39% from the field with just 6 team assists in the contest. They also shot 2-16 from the arc and 1-8 from the foul line...YUCK!

On the other hand, Georgetown is one of the most effecient offensive machines in the nation. Although they have been lightly challenged this season until a date at Memphis where they were handles easily by the Tigers, look for Georgetown to flex their muscles on the road and let the rest of the league know they are serious about defending their crown.

The Hoyas will play nine-deep and it is an impressive group. Seniors Jonathan Wallace and Roy Hibbert, the conference's pre-season player of the year, are joined by sophomore, and leading soorer, DaJuan Summers and junior Jesse Sapp as returning starters from last year's squad. Other key contributors return such as Jeremiah Rivers, Pat Ewing Jr and Vernon Macklin. What makes this squad even more dangerous offensively is the addition of a pair of McDonald All-Americans in the backcourt, Chris Wright and Austin Freeman, who come off the bench.

I think Rutgers will play hard and scrap for a while, but over the course of 40 minutes, too many offensive droughts will catch up with them and Georgetown will go about business as usual and pull away consistently.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 78 Rutgers 59

2007-2008 BIG EAST PREVIEW: 1) GEORGETOWN

2007-11-02T14:50:00.001-04:00

November 4, 2007

GEORGETOWN ESSENTIALS:

Official Website of Georgetown Basketball

2007-2008 Official Georgetown Roster & Bios

Meet Coach John Thompson III

Verizon Center

2007-2008 Georgetown Basketball Schedule

OVERVIEW:

The revival of Georgetown basketball has taken John Thompson III three years to complete. The son of legendary coach John Thomson Jr., JTIII, as he is known, took over for Craig Esherick and led the Hoyas back to the Final Four to cap off three years of quick and steady improvement. The 2007 NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) Coach of the Year saw his Hoyas win the BIG EAST Regular Season Championship, the BIG EAST Tournament Championship as well as the NCAA East Regional Championship while compiling a 30-7 record.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Prior to coaching at Georgetown, Thompson guided Princeton to three Ivy League Championships, two NCAA tournaments and an NIT appearance over his four years as head coach. He amassed a 68-42 record as Princeton's head coach after serving as an assistant coach at Princeton from 1995- 2000. Thompson also played at Princeton under legendary Pete Carril and many of the basketball philosophies Carril is famous for are very evident in the style Georgetown plays the game. Being a son of one coaching legend and having another as his mentor gives coach Thompson such a unique perspective of the game. He is able to recruit high level players and work them into a system that many of these elite recruits tend to shy away from.

One of Thompson’s first initiatives as head coach was to get involved with the local recruiting scene. Too many talented players from the talent-saturated region of the Mid-Atlantic had been leaving the area, or ignoring Georgetown in recent years. Luckily, he had a good start inheriting local recruits Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green from Esherick and his staff, however, since then, JTIII has hit the local region hard and this season his roster will be stocked with players from the region including Vernon Macklin, DaJuan Summers, Chris Wright, Nikita Mescheriakov, Austin Freeman, Tyler Crawford and Hibbert. Also, a link the Georgetown’s rich tradition with Patrick Ewing Jr. on their roster. Could another Thompson-Ewing tandem bring the Hoyas another national title?

THE 2006-2007 SEASON:

Entering the 2006-2007 season, Georgetown and Pittsburgh were considered the pre-season favorites in the Big East. Led by Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green and incoming elite recruits in Vernon Macklin and DaJuan Summers, everyone was talking about the Hoya frontline and questioning their backcourt. Not expecting their backcourt to be weak, but questioning if that backcourt was good enough to be an elite team in college basketball.

After a slow start, which included the backcourt being victimized in a 56-52 home loss to Villanova and a subsequent loss on the road to Pittsburgh, Georgetown found themselves out of the top 25, 1-2 in the Big East conference and sitting at 11-5 with losses to Old Dominion (home), Oregon (home) and Duke out of conference. Not exactly the start many envisioned prior to the season.

However, Georgetown never lost focus of who they were. The continued to efficiently run their Princeton-style offensive attack and gradually worked their way back up the rankings by methodically winning their next 11 games, all Big east contests. Ten of those wins were by eight points or more, only a narrow road win over Villanova was much of a challenge (although a tough battle over Pittsburgh was also included). Their average margin of victory in that span was 15 points!

After a mis-step on the road against Syracuse, Georgetown closed out the regular season with a win over UConn and then stormed through the Big East Tournament, led by Big East Player of the Year Jeff Green, culminating the effort with a 65-42 dismantling of Pittsburgh in the Finals.

Georgetown went into the NCAA Tournament with a high seed and high hopes. After surviving a tough match-up with Boston College in round 2 and escaping Vanderbilt’s upset bid in the Sweet 16, Georgetown came up with the clutch baskets to upset North Carolina in the East Regional Finals to earn a trip to the Final Four. It was in this game where the Georgetown guards showed they were every bit of the reason the frontcourt was for their team’s success. Jonathan Wallace and Jesse Sapp completely outplayed the highly touted duo of Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington, outscoring them 34-10, and combining for 15 assists against just 3 turnovers compared to just six assists and six turnovers by the UNC duo.

In the offseason, Georgetown fans were at the edge of their seats as Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert went through the NBA draft process. Both players flirted with leaving and returning, in the end, Green entered the draft and was selected 5th overall and Hibbert opted to return to Georgetown, much to the delight of the Hoya faithful.

THE BACKCOURT:

Senior Jonathan Wallace and junior Jesse Sapp return to anchor the Georgetown backcourt. Wallace is the perfect fit to direct the Princeton-style attack. The Louisiana native was originally headed to Princeton to play for JTIII, but when Thompson accepted the Hoya coaching position, Wallace quickly followed. Wallace might not put up gaudy numbers, in the Georgetown system, it is the offensive scheme that sets up scoring opportunities, not one single player. Wallace knows the system inside and out and is one of the best spot-up 3-pt shooters in the country that now has a big-shot resume from last year’s tournament action.

Sapp is a NYC native that makes up the other half of the Georgetown ‘odd-couple’ backcourt. Nearly a polar opposite in style and resume, Sapp was a street ball and AAU staple from NYC that has more of the open floor ability. It is those differing styles and skills that made their roles fit perfectly together. Senior Tyler Crawford and junior Jeremiah Rivers also return to the mix. Rivers is the son of former NBA star and head coach Glenn ‘Doc’ Rivers. He plays like a coach’s son and is an important cog in the Hoya mix. Crawford is a good shooter, but has yet to find a spot in the regular rotation at Georgetown.

This year, the Hoyas’ backcourt is one of the hottest topics in the game with the addition of a pair of McDonald’s All-Americans, Austin Freeman and Chris Wright. Freeman is a 6’4 scorer deluxe from famed DeMatha High School. Freeman should be one of the freshmen ready to make his mark the quickest in the Big East as he has a varied offensive game that should fit very well on the wing in the Hoya attack. Wright will not make as big of an early impact, first, he will miss all of the preseason team practices due to a broken foot suffered playing pick-up ball this fall. Secondly, the Princeton-style offense is a very intricate system and with Jonathan Wallace firmly entrenched as the started and Rivers an experienced back-up, Wright might have to find most of his time off the ball. There Jesse Sapp and Austin Freeman are ahead of him on the wings as well. Georgetown certainly has the option of going to a smaller line-up this season, moving DaJuan Summers to a ‘4’ position and playing three guards, with this amount of depth and talent at the guard positions, it might be something done quite often.

THE FRONTCOURT:

Even with the loss of Jeff Green to the NBA draft, Georgetown still has a frontcourt that will be regarded among the best in the country. They are led by 7’2 senior center Roy Hibbert, who turned down the opportunity of being a lottery pick in last year’s June draft to return for his senior season. Hibbert is a true rarity in the college game today, he is 7’2 and through improvement each and every season, he comes back for his senior year and turns down the NBA. Hibbert will show more improvement this year after a summer of playing against excellent competition. He continues to get stronger and more fluid on the offensive end and being 7’2, his defensive presence is obvious.

Hibbert will be joined by the athletic Patrick Ewing Jr. and the extremely talented DaJuan Summers. Ewing Jr played his first year with Georgetown last season and the 6’8, 238 lb power forward was always a quick burst of energy off the bench for the Hoyas. Playing behind Hibbert and Green did not leave a lot of opportunity to play for Ewing, he got nearly 15 minutes a game and averaged about 4.5 PPG, similar numbers to what he had in two seasons at Indiana prior to transferring to Georgetown. Summers is a player that could take a large step forward this season. As a freshman he averaged 9.5 PPG in conference action and had a big game in their Eastern Regional Final win over North Carolina, scoring 20 points in the win. Look for Summers to step forward as one of the league’s better players this season.

Another sophomore who came to Georgetown very highly regarded was 6’9 Vernon Macklin. It was a tough first year with the Hoyas as Macklin’s skills were not always compatible to the offensive style of Georgetown. Players spend a lot f time moving and on the perimeter in Georgetown’s offense so ball-handling and passing, even for a big man is a must. Macklin is a physical talent and as his skills catch up to his raw abilities, he will get more chances to produce.

The Hoyas also have a couple later period recruiting additions, Omar Wattad and Nikita Mescheriakov that are on the roster and will provide depth. Do not expect much playing time from either as frosh.

2007-2008 PREDICTION:

Well, the Hoyas have been through this before and with how they are recruiting, do not expect them to fall too far from near the top of the league. The have loads of experience and an exciting new case of contributors, led by McDonald’s All-Americans Chris Wright and Austin Freeman. Seniors Roy Hibbert and Jonathan Wallace will lead the way and this team will be concistently good from start to finish. The play of DaJuan Summers might determine just how good this team can be as he has the potential to bust out and lead this team towards the heights they accomplished last season. It sure is good to be a Georgetown fan again!

BIG EAST PREDICTION: 15-3

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: GEORGETOWN

2007-10-16T10:01:00.000-04:00

October 16, 2007

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Greg Monroe, 6'10 BF from Harvey (LA) Helen Cox

Projected 2008-2009 Roster:

Seniors: Jesse Sapp (G)
Juniors: Jeremiah Rivers (PG), Dajuan Summers (F), Vernon Macklin (PF)
Sophomores: Austin Freeman (SG), Chris Wright (PG), Omar Wattad (F), Nikita Mescheriakov (F)
Freshmen: Chris Braswell (PF), Jason Clark (G), Henry Sims (BF/C), Greg Monroe (BF)

It was not that big of a surprise that Greg Monroe choose Georgetown, but the timing of it caught many off guard as Monroe Commits to Georgetown (Times-Picayune) prior to finishing his five official visits. Georgetown and LSU where the only schools he took official visits to and he has canceled trips to Duke, UConn and Texas.

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Georgetown is HOT right now. John Thompson III has been cleaning up on the top prospects in the local area, which has been LOADED with prospects the last couple years and now he goes outside and lands the nation's #1 prospect in the class of 2008 by getting the coveted commitment from Louisiana big man Greg Monroe. The 6'10 Monroe is smooth on the floor with an impressive array of skills for a 6'10 player. It is no secret he has NBA written all over him and the new NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement is the only thing keeping him out of the NBA draft for a year (at least). Monroe is a lefty that handles and passes the ball impressively and is only beginning to scratch the surface of his VAST potential as he is younger than most of his high school peers in the class of 2008.

Coming off the 2007 class where the Hoyas landed a pair of McDonald's All-Americans (Chris Wright and Austin Freeman) from the local area, they got off to a quick start in 2008 by securing commitments from local standouts Henry Sims, Chris Braswell and Jason Clark. Monroe is obviously the big prize and securing a trio of frontcourt recruits like Sims and Braswell to go with Monroe is one of the most impressive recruiting jobs done in a long time, especially when you add the guard duo of Wright and Freeman. There are a few questions around Braswell who left DeMatha High for Hargrave Military Academy this fall in hopes of tightening up his academics. He was MIA a lot of the season last year at DeMatha and his summer play was spotty on the AAU circuit. However, he also has a lot of ability and can play inside and out effectively for a player his size. He has a strong frame which should make him effective in the Big East. Sims is not nearly as polished as Braswell, but Sims will give you a super effort every time on the floor. He is a long and lean athlete in the post that will battle in the boards and block shots on the defensive end. He will continue to develop on offense and will be a very good college player as he continues to improve. Clark is another with high potential, mostly coming from the fact that he is developing his game as a point guard, rather than just a scoring off-guard. He is a long athlete at 6'2 that has a very high basketball IQ and is a really good defender.

On paper the Hoyas have one scholarship to give for 2008 and they have only one senior (Jesse Sapp) on the 2008-2009 roster. It would probably make the most sense for them to hold steady and look to go for some of the best local talent in the 2009 class, especially with their limited scholarships available (of course, expect more to open with Monroe, DeJuan Summers and Austin Freeman as early NBA departure possibilities). Renaldo Woolridge, a top wing in the class of 2008, was on hand this past weekend and the excitement of the Monroe pledge could rub off on him as well. In addition, they Hoyas had 2009 prospects such as Hollis Thompson (CA), Isaiah Armwood and Terrell Vinson of Montrose Christian and Dashonte Riley out of Detroit. Riley has referred to Georgetown as his dream school in the past and with Georgetown so hot, locals like Armwood and Vinson might not be able to wait too long if they want to join the party.

It is sure fun to be a Hoya fan right now...

GEORGETOWN 2007-2008 SNAPSHOT

2007-05-02T11:17:00.000-04:00

May 2, 2007

Head Coach: John Thompson III
2006-2007 Record: 30-7 (13-3 in Big East), Big East Tournament Champions and NCAA Final Four

Returning Players:
Jeff Green, Senior (Forward)
Roy Hibbert, Senior (Forward)
Jonathan Wallace, Senior (Point Guard)
Tyler Crawford, Senior (Guard)
Patrick Ewing Jr, Senior (Forward)
Jesse Sapp, Junior (Guard)
Octavious Spann, Junior (Forward/Guard)
Vernon Macklin, Sophomore (Forward/Center)
DaJuan Summers, Sophomore (Forward)
Jeremiah Rivers, Sophomore (Point Guard)

Incoming Players:
Austin Freeman (Guard)
Chris Wright (Point Guard)
Omar Wattad (Forward)
Nikita Mesheriakou (Forward)

Open Issues:
Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert have both made themselves available for the NBA draft. Neither has signed with an agent leaving the possibility they could return for their senior seasons, which would solidify the Hoyas as a title contender for 2007-2008. Both are projected lottery picks, but are saying all the right things to give the Hoyas hope for their return.

Rumors persist that Octavious Spann will transfer out of Georgetown and return to a school closer to his Georgia home. Spann has played very little in his first two season as a Hoya and the prospect for playing time is unlikely to increase next year.

Summary:
Even if Green and Hibbert remain in the NBA draft the Georgetown program is VERY hot right now under John Thompson III. A starting five of Jonathan Wallace, Jesse Sapp, DeJuan Summers, Patrick Ewing and Venon Macklin is good enough to compete with anyone in the Big East and that does not even include a pair of McDonald's All-American guards arriving in Austin Freeman and Chris Wright. Freeman will add a significant scoring bunch and Summers is likely to step his game up at the 3/4 combo position like Green and Brandon Bowman before him in the system. Without Green and Hibbert the frontcourt depth and offense is a question mark that will cause the Hoyas to slip a bit next season, but they still will be in the mix among the top four in the conference and a near NCAA lock.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: GEORGETOWN

2007-05-01T08:21:00.000-04:00

May 1, 2007

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Henry Sims, 6'10 BF/C from Mt. St. Joseph HS (MD)

Projected 2007-2008 Roster:

Seniors: Jeff Green (F), Roy Hibbert (C), Jon Wallace (PG), Tyler Crawford (G), Pat Ewing Jr (F)
Juniors: Jesse Sapp (G), Octavious Spann (SF)
Sophomores: Jeremiah Rivers (PG), Dajuan Summers (F), Vernon Macklin (PF)
Freshmen: Austin Freeman (SG), Chris Wright (PG), Omar Wattad (F), Nikita Mescheriakov (F)
2008 Verbal Commitments: Chris Braswell (PF), Jason Clark (G), Henry Sims (BF/C)

The Baltimore Sun had the story this morning on Henry Sims verbal commitment to Georgetown over the weekend: Mt. St. Joe's Sims to Play for Hoyas.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Georgetown adds a second big man in the class of 2008 as Henry Sims, one of the top prospects in the Baltimore area, chose the Hoyas over the weekend. Sims, a junior, accepted a scholarship offer from the Hoyas over offers from Maryland, Boston College, Florida and Virginia. Sims averaged 11.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks this past season. Sims joins Chris Braswell on the Hoyas frontline that could replace Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green if they return to school for the 2007-2008 season. Jason Clark also is a member of the Hoyas' class of 2008 which represents the best start in the conference on the 2008 trail and gives the Hoyas three consecutive top-notch classes.

Currently, Georgetown has one scholarship open or 2008, but there are rumors that Octavious Spann will transfer closer to his Georgia home in an attempt to find more playing time to finish his career. Exoect the Hoyas to be on the trail of a small forward and possbily another guard to close out their 2008 recruiting. Despite a limited staff due to Kevin Broadas (Binghampton) and Sydney Johnson (Princeton) accepting head coaching positions, the Hoya train rolls on...

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: GEORGETOWN

2007-04-17T09:19:00.000-04:00

April 17, 2007

COMMITMENT ALERT: Nikita Mescheriakov, (F) St. John's (MD) from Belarus

Projected 2007-2008 Roster:

Seniors: Jeff Green (F), Roy Hibbert (C), Jon Wallace (PG), Tyler Crawford (G), Pat Ewing Jr (F)
Juniors: Jesse Sapp (G), Octavious Spann (SF)
Sophomores: Jeremiah Rivers (PG), Dajuan Summers (F), Vernon Macklin (PF)
Freshmen: Austin Freeman (SG), Chris Wright (PG), Omar Wattad (F), Nikita Mescheriakov (F)
2008 Verbal Commitments: Chris Braswell (PF), Jason Clark (G)

John Barr in his Recruiting Insider for the Washington Post reports that Georgetown Adds a Good One with the commitment of Nikita Mescheriakov.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Mescheriakov, a 6-7 Belarus native who has been in the U.S. for one year played for St. John's Catholic Prep. Mescheriakov was born and raised in Belarus, an Eastern European country bordered by Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia and is the younger brother of Yegor Mescheriakov who starred at George Washington University from 1995-99, earning a spot on the Colonials All-Century Team. To learn more on Mescheriakov and his journey to the United States and how he has adapted to his new home, see the article Shooting Czar from the Frederick News Post Published last February.

Georgetown may still be active in the 2007 recruiting as Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green explore their NBA draft status. Both have declared for the draft but have yet to retain the services of an agent, leaving them the opportunity to return to school if they choose. As of now, both are projected lottery picks.

We will continue to follw the Hoyas on the recruiting trail.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Connecticut @ Georgetown

2007-03-02T14:17:00.001-05:00

March 3, 2007

Georgetown looks to sew up at least a share of the Big East regular season championship when they host Connecticut on Saturday afternoon. Georgetown saw their 11-game Big East win streak end on Monday night in Syracuse, allowing them to slip back into a tie for 1st place with Pittsburgh. Connecticut dropped another excruciating game on Wednesday when they missed 20 free throws and saw Scottie Reynolds drop 40 points on them in a loss to Villanova.

Georgetown is a tough match-up for the Huskies because Roy Hibbert, Jeff Green and Dajuan Summers match-up very well height-wise with the UConn frontline of Hasheem Thabeet, Jeff Adrien and Stanley Robinson. The athletic ability of the Connecticut guards is likely to cause some trouble for the Hoyas, but the experience and streuctured system and game that Georgetown plays will likely wear down the Huskies and capitalize on every opportunity afforded the Hoyas. To beat Georgetown you have to be extremely effecient offensively, and the Huskies certainly are not that type of team at this stage of their development.

If Connecticut can turn this into a ragged affair, they will have a shot, but once Georgetown settles into their offense and forces Connecticut into the halfcourt on offense and defense, the game becomes Georgetown's without a doubt.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 76 Connecticut 64

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Georgetown @ Syracuse

2007-02-26T08:33:00.000-05:00

February 26, 2007

It is Big Monday, late in February and Georgetown travels to Syracuse for a meaningful Big East Conference showdown. There is even a #33 on the court for Georgetown by the name of Ewing and a Thompson on the sideline. While it may not be for the Big East championship, the Syracuse Orange would love nothing better to send off their four seniors with a memorable final home game and put any clinching victory for Georgetown on hold for a few days.

Here are the pregame stories and previews found on the internet:

SU Looks to Extend Streak (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle)
Tough Road Schedule Steels Georgetown (Washington Post)
Hoyas, Orange on Tap Tonight (Washington Times)
Senior Moments (Syracuse Post-Standard)
More Work Ahead for SU (Syracuse Post-Standard)

Georgetown is coming off a hard-fought 61-53 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon that pushed the Hoyas win streak to 11 games and moved them into sole possession of 1st place in the conference. Georgetown rallied from an 8-pt defecit in the last 12 minutes and outscored Pitt 12-4 in the last 3 and a half minutes to earn the win. Now, they have to re-focus and head to Syracuse where the Orange will be waiting.

Syracuse has won four in a row to move to 9-5 in the Big East. The Orange know that a win tonight will help ease any Selection Sunday concerns. It also marks the final home game for Demetris Nichols, Darryl Watkins, Terrence Roberts and Matt Gorman. The Syracuse senior class might have not always lived up to expectations, but they have been putting together a solid run at the end of the season and sending the Dome crowd into a frenzy in their last home game would be an appropriate send-off.

Georgetown will test the Syracuse frontcourt. The Orange have the height and athletic ability to match up with Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green, but Georgetown is deeper with Vernon Macklin and Patrick Ewing jr off the bench. Syracuse will look to continue their solid shooting, especially with Nichols, but the Orange have been getting a big lift from Andy Rautins beyond the arc. The sophomore scored 19 at Providence, hitting five of nine from beyond the arc, and is averaging over 15 PPG in this stretch. If he is providing Syracuse with an outside compliment to Nichols, allowing Eric Devendorf to slash to the hoop, Syracuse could be tough.

Georgetown is a 3.5-pt favorite over the Orange, but their 11-game win streak will certainly be put to the test tonight. In fact, I think it comes to an end as this is a tough spot for Georgetown to pick themselves back up as emotionally as they were on Saturday against a team that will be charged up from the get-go.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Syracuse 67 Georgetown 63

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Georgetown @ Cincinnati

2007-02-21T09:43:00.000-05:00

February 21, 2007

Last season in the Big East, the upset of the year was a season-ending win by South Florida over Georgetown, costing the Hoyas a bye in the Big East Conference Tournament. This year the Hoyas will look to avoid a similar fate when they travel to meet last-place Cincinnati and keep on track for a conference title showdown this Saturday with Pittsburgh.

For the Bearcats, it has been a long season. A lack of depth, experience and talent have made winning a near impossible chore for Mick Cronin's squad. Even when they look poised to pull out a victory, they find a different way to let it slip away.

Here are some pregame stories and previews around the internet on tonight's game:

UC Meets Hoyas Again (Cincinnati Enquirer)
Hibbert Looms Large for Hoyas (Cincinnati Post)
Streaking Hoyas Are Aware of Trap (Washington Post)

It would be perfectly natural for the Georgetown Hoyas to be peeking ahead just a little bit. Afterall, as winners of nine straight games, Georgetown has put themselves in position to play for the conference title this coming Saturday when Pittsburgh visits the Verizon Center for a nationally televised match-up. Pitt was also the last team to beat the Hoyas this year.

Standing in their way, however, is a trip to Cincinnati to meet the struggling Bearcats, losers of seven straight contests. At times, Cincinnati can look pretty good. They have an impressive collection of athletes, but lack depth, size and shooting touch. However, costing them a couple wins has also been a lack of basketball acumen late in games. They will have to be near perfect tonight to get a win, even if Georgetown is looking past them just a bit.

In their previous meeting, Georgetown cruised to an 82-67 win that was kept relatively respectable by the fact that Cincinnati shot 14-24 from 3-pt range. However, Georgetown has too much size inside with Jeff Green (17 pts) and Roy Hibbert (26 pts) combining for 43 points in the first meeting and their ability to bring Patrick Ewing and Vernon Mackling off the bench. No mater how lethargic Georgetown might be, they have such an inside advantage that rebounds and easy hoops inside will be there whenever they want it tonight.

Georgetown is an 11.5-pt road favorite and the only question will be on their focus. After nine straight wins, including an emotional victory at Villanova on Saturday, this game is in a tough spot with Pittsburgh on the horizon, so the Hoyas are due for a flat performance, but that should be good enough for the win.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 71 Cincinnati 61

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Villanova @ Georgetown

2007-02-16T14:50:00.000-05:00

February 17, 2007

The Big East tips off Saturday's action with a marquee match-up in Philadelphia when the Georgetown Hoyas make the short trip to meet the Villanova Wildcats. A win on Saturday will move Georgetown into a tie with Pittsburgh for the conference lead with four games to play. Villanova is still trying to solidify their standing in the conference this season and a win on Saturday goes a long way in doing so.

These two teams met in January at Georgetown and Villanova avoided an 0-3 conference start by picking up a very important 56-52 win on the road. The Wildcats forced 21 Hoya turnovers in the contest by extending pressure all over the court. Georgetown has a very thin backcourt and their Princeton-style offense is not designed to run in a hurry, and forcing Georgetown to expend time and energy breaking the press was a key factor in the Hoyas never getting their offense on track in the contest. Despite Mike Nardi and Curtis Sumpter combining to shoot 3-15, Villanova was victorious. On the Georgetown side, the turnovers were the killer, but Roy Hibbert also did not attempt a shot from the field in the entire game and scored hus only two points (2-6) at the foul line. A stat-line of 2 pts and 3 rebounds in 24 minutes by the 7'2 center will not get it done for Georgetown.

In the rematch, the Wildcats will look to use the same formula. They will press and trap Georgetown at every chance they can. Playing at home, Mike Nardi and Curtis Sumpter are nearly guaranteed to have much better games, but will they be able to keep Hibbert from scoring opportunities as well as last time?

After losing to Villanova, the Hoyas turned around and dropped a game to Pittsburgh. However, since then, Georgetown has won eight straight game by an average score of 73-57. Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green have been playing like the two All-American candidates they were hyped to be in the preseason. The effecient Hoyas waste little opportunity on the offensive end and they have been executing at peak capacity in recent weeks. They will look to continue to feed the ball to Hibbert and run more and more of the offense through Green, opening up opportunities for Jonathan Wallace and DeJuan Summers to hurt you as well.

Right now the Hoyas are rolling. I do think Villanova is a quality team, but they will be hard-pressed slowing the Georgetown train as it rolls through Philadelphia on Saturday.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 72 Villanova 62

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: West Virginia @ Georgetown

2007-02-12T08:52:00.000-05:00

February 12, 2007

Georgetown and West Virginia both scored big wins on Saturday, now they must put those games behind them in a hury and concentrate on the task at hand, beating the other at their own game!

On Saturday, Georgetown took sole possession of 2nd place and remained right on the heels of the Pittsburgh Panthers with a 76-58 win at home against Marquette. On the afternoon that Georgetown celebrated 100 years of intercollegient college basketball, Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green made their cases to be included in their next celebration by combining for 47 points to outshine the Golden Eagles backcourt.

West Virginia earned a huge out of conference victory as they upset 2nd-ranked UCLA in Morgantown. The Mountaineers are locked in a tight battle for the 4th and final Big East Tournament bye with Louisville and others, so getting their attention back to their conference situation is imperative quickly.

Here are the pregame stories and previews found on the internet this morning:

Mountaineers Visit Red-Hot Hoyas Tonight (Charleston Gazette)
Hibbert, Green Key to Hoyas Revival (Washington Times)
Hoyas Combination is Finally Revealed (Washington Post)
Celbration Time is Over for Mountaineer Men (Register-Herald)

To read our brief preview of the game and to see the NBE Blogger's prediction on the outcome, click 'Read More' below. Also, we'd love to see the reader's thoughts and predictions on the game in the comments, so feel free to add your toughts!

Preparing for Georgetown and West Virginia usually takes several days, however, both Georgetown and West Virginia will have slightly more than a day to prepare for each other as they both need to put the good feelings of Saturday behind them and get back to the task at hand.

West Virginia is well known for their 1-3-1 trapping zone defense. They also spread the floor on offense and work for the open 3-pter or backdoor cut. They just about ignore any type of post offense or attempt to rebound and concentrates on creating turnovers and scoring from beyond the arc.

Georgetown uses a Princeton-style offense that shortens the game, usually limiting each contest to 55 possessions, or in the neighborhood thereof. With Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green towering over the West Virginia frontline, how the backcourt duo of Jesse Sapp and Jonathan Wallace nadle the 1-3-1 traps will determine how effecient the Hoya offensive attack is. If they can get the ball to Hibbert or Green inside, it will likely result in a basket nearly everytime. Even if they are forced to settle for the perimeter shot, the Hoyas have a major advantage on the glass to clean up the miss and score on the putbacks.

West Virginia's reliance on the 3-pt shot makes this game very interesting. With Georgetown looking to shorten the game, just a few 3's here and there can turn this game quickly. At times, WVU will have all five players on the floor behind the 3-pt arc and all very capable of making the shot. Frank Young and Alex Ruoff are the most dangerous shooters, but Darris Nichols, Dasean Butler and Jamie Smalligan are also dangerous shooters. With the threats on the perimeter, they can pull the Georgetown defense away from the basket and try to run Butler and others of screens for backdoor baskets. If Georgetown goes to zone, it could help the WVU shooters get more comfortable on the perimeter. The 3-pt shot is the great equalizer in college basketball and WVU uses it fully to their advantage.

Georgetown is a 9.5-pt favorite at home and they have the size and the experience to get this win. West Virginia will likely bang home some 3's and keep this game interesting with some well-timed long range shots, but Georgetown has Hibbert and Green to turn to when they need a basket, and when they turn to them, it should be nearly automatic against the WVU zone.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 73 West Virginia 64

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Marquette @ Georgetown

2007-02-09T14:45:00.000-05:00

February 10, 2007

The highlight of this weekend's Big East conference schedule is a match-up of two of the current three contenders for the Big East regular season crown as Georgetown will host Marquette. It will be a historic day in Georgetown basketball history as the University celebrates its 100th season of intercollegiate basketball. On Saturday, Feb. 9, 1907, Georgetown defeated Virginia 22-11 to begin its basketball tradition. This weekend's festivities include the unveling of the all-century team for Georgetown University on Saturday.

Marquette enters the game on an eight-game win streak that has catapulted the Golden Eagles into contention, after starting conference play 0-2. Marquette is led by their dynamic guard trio of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews, which causes match-up problems for many teams. Georgetown has a thin backcourt, usually playing just three guards in their entire rotation with Jonathan Wallace and Jesse Sapp as the starters and freshman Jeremiah Rivers off the bench. They will certainly be put to the test early and often against the physical pressure on defense and athletic attack on the offensive end of the Golden Eagles backcourt.

Georgetown will look to counter Marquette's backcourt edge by getting the game into their pace and usually their frontcourt size advantage and turn the game into a half-court game. Georgetown would rather play at a pace limiting possessions to the 50'sm while Marquette wants to get out and pick-up the pace and play a game that has about 70 possessions total. That is a big difference and whichever team is successful should be the winning team.

Georgetown will use their zone defense and Princeton-style offense to but the breaks on Marquette's attack. Marquette will likely have to go zone as well as Georgetown will start 7'2 Roy Hibbert, 6'9 Jeff Green and 6'8 DaJuan Summers along their frontline. Ousmane Barro is the only player for Marquette likely to match-up inside as they are nearly 100% reliant on the 3-guard line-up and Lazar Hayward and Dan Fitzgerald are perimeter-minded '4' men.

Usually in college basketball, guards win. This is a classic case of two teams with nearly completely opposite strengths trying to impose their style on the game. Whoever is successful should win...with both teams likely to go zone, that shoudl lead to a slower game...so, I will go with the home team looking for the slower pace to be successful.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 69 Marquette 61

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Georgetown @ Louisville

2007-02-07T08:18:00.000-05:00

February 7, 2007

The Georgetown Hoyas try to keep pace with the leaders as they travel to Louisville to meet Rick Pitino and the Cardinals. Louisville is also trying to stay among the league leaders and position themselves for a Big East Tournament bye. On a night that the court at Freedom Hall will be renamed for Denny Crum, it should be a great atmosphere for an upper-division Big East showdown.

Here are the pregame stories and previews found on the internet this morning:

Cold Cards Seek Shooting (Lexington Herald-Leader)
Pitino, Hoyas Go Way Back (Lexington Herald-Leader)
For U of L Fans, One Day Brings Two Big Events (Louisville Courier-Journal)
Finally Healthy, Louisville Feeling Better About Itself (Washington Post)
At Peace in His Father's Shadow (Washington Times)
Clark Finding His Comfort Zone (Louisville Courier-Journal)
'Denny Crum Court' Ceremony Tonight (Courier-Journal)

Click below for our brief preview and prediction on this game and don't forget to leave your prediction in the comments section.

READ REST OF PREVIEW...CLICK "Read More" BELOW

It should be an emotionally charged Louisville crowd tonight as they rename the court at storied Freedom Hall in honor of former head coach Denny Crum. Denny Crum Court will be unveiled this evening as the Cardinals welcome in the Georgetown Hoyas in a Big East conference match-up. Both teams have a 1st round bye in he Big East conference tournament firmly in their sites and a win tonight with each having a date with Pittsburgh in the near future could set them up to challenge for Big East supremecy. There is a lot riding on this game.

The oddsmakers have made this a 'pick-em' game and the Pomeroy Computer rankings give a slight edge to the Hoyas. Louisville has been playing an aggressive style of extended defense that has given Georgetown trouble at times this year. Villanova used a similar defense to stymie the Georgetown attack for a victory. The Hoyas are thin in the backcourt and if you force them to take 10-15 seconds to get set in their offense you take away a lot of the effectiveness of the Princeton-style offense Georgetown will utilize.

While Louisville's defense has been a strength, it will definitely be challenged tonight as Georgetown has been the most effecient offense in Big East play. The hoyas have a mix of scoring from the perimeter and inside and they are perfectly comfortable playing a game in the high 50's because that is where their pace of play usually puts the game. With a frontline of Roy Hibbert, Jeff Green and DaJuan Summers they have the size to give Louisville trouble on the boards and matching up on defense. The Cardinals will look to rotate their four guards (Edgar Sosa, Jerry Smith, Brandon Jenkins and Andre McGee) to keep the pressure on the Georgetown backcourt and hope to wear out Jonathan Wallace and Jesse Sapp.

Louisville needs to shoot better, it is plain and simple. Georgetown will shorten the game with long possessions on offense and tough defense, changing from man to man and match-up zone to give the Cards different looks. Louisville will have a hard time getting Juan Palacios and David Padgett established against the size of the Hoyas, but they will need to be persistent in attempting so they can open up the perimeter for their guards to get comfortable and for Terrence Williams to find lanes to the rim.

This should be an excellent game. Georgetown is on quite a run, winning their last five games, although none have come against teams .500 or better in the conference. Louisville has played themselves back into contention winning six of their last eight, with home wins over Providence and Syracuse the best of the bunch. So, both teams are looking for a win to hang their hat on.

I thinkg Georgetown is just a little tougher and has the better shooting touch as a team and gets it down, in a tight one, on the road.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 64 Louisville 60

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Georgetown @ St. John's

2007-02-01T09:04:00.000-05:00

February 1, 2007

The last two teams from the upperhalf of the Big East conference to wander into Madison Square Garden were sent home with a 'L' courtesy of the St. John's Redstorm. St. John's will look to increase their home winning streak to three games tonight when the Georgetown Hoyas come to New York City. Georgetown has won four in a row and they begin a two-game road trip tonight in NYC which will also include a trip to Louisville this weekend.

Here are the pregame stories and previews on tonight's game we have found on the internet this morning:

Hoyas Have Been Handling With Care (Washington Post)
Ewing Jr. Follows Dad's Path to Garden (NY Times)
Hill's Career Could Be Done (Newsday)
Hill May Be Done at SJU (NY Post)
Knee Troubles Shut Down Hill (NY Daily News)

Click below for our brief preview and prediction on this game and don't forget to leave your prediction in the comments section.

READ REST OF PREVIEW...CLICK "Read More" BELOW

It is a tough time for St. John's fans today as the news is out that senior guard Daryll Hill will be sidelined for up to 4-6 weeks to try and rehab his injured knee. The best case scenario looks like he might be available for the Big East Tournament if the Redstorm can qualify, but the level of impact he would have is unknown. Hill was a true NYC legend, earning the nickname 'Showtime' for his play in the Rucker Park summer league and averaged 20 PPG as a sophomore for the depleted Redstorm. A bothersome knee has hindered his play the past two seasons and has forced him to shut it down for the time being.

Without Hill, the Redstorm will have to get more production from Larry Wright and Ricky Torres and hope to see consistent offense from Avery Patterson at the 2-guard. Eugene Lawrence is a tough point guard, but their backcourt offense just has not come around with a hobbled Hill. Tonight they have to score against one of the toughest defenses in the country. Georgetown counters St. John's existing strength with size and athletic ability in the frontcourt and will make it very hard for St. John's to score.

On offense, the Hoyas will look to get the ball inside to Roy Hibbert in position to score and run their backdoor cuts from there. If St. John's goes to zone, Jeff Green and Dajuan Summers can step away from the paint and hit out to the 3-pt range and crash the boards with Hibbert. Georgetown has too many options for St. John's to keep up offensively.

Georgetown is a 7.5-pt favorite and a predicted 10-pt winner by the Pomeroy Computer. Georgetown should be able to cover that number.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 65 St. John's 54

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Cincinnati @ Georgetown

2007-01-26T14:38:00.000-05:00

January 27, 2007

Last weekend the Cincinnati Bearcats finally broke through and got their first Big East win under Mick Cronin when they defeated the West Virginia Mountaineers in overtime. The win streak did not last long as they were shot out of their own building on Wednesday when Pittsburgh turned back the Bearcats 67-51.

Georgetown has won three consecutive games coming off their win over DePaul from Wednesday. The Hoyas continue to shine on the defensive side of the ball, holding five of their six Big East opponents 58 points or under and did the same to eight of their previous nine out of conference opponents.

In their win over DePaul, the Georgetown frontline led the way with Jeff Green scoring 19 pts and Roy Hibbert and Dajuan Summers coming up with key contributions. This is the strength of the Hoyas and they will look to go right at the weakness of the Bearcats. Cincinnati spent so much time worrying about the mis-match that Pitt's Aaron Gray enjoyed over the Bearcat frontline that they let the Pitt shooters free and paid for it. Look for a similar result with Jonathan Wallace finding room outside as Cincinnati tries to slow the Hoya frontcourt.

Cincinnati will look to pressure Georgetown and speed them up. The Hoyas are susceptible to full court pressure, but how long can Cincinnati keep it up with essentially a rotation of six basketball players and one football player? They might cause the Hoyas some discomfort with their ahtletic abaility, but over the course of 40 minutes, the Hoyas will grind them down and make them pay.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 71 Cincinnati 54

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: DePaul @ Georgetown

2007-01-24T09:45:00.000-05:00

January 24, 2007

The Depaul Blue Demons continued to be consistently inconsistent by laying an egg offensively at home against Louisville over the weekend to even their conference record at 3-3. Georgetown swept a New Jersey swing last week defeating Rutgers on Wednesday and Seton Hall on friday to move to 3-2 in the conference.

Not much on the internet about tonight's game, the city of Chicago is gearing up for the Superbowl apparently:

Hoyas Look for Top Option (Washington Times)

Click below for our brief preview and prediction on this game and don't forget to leave your prediction in the comments section.

READ REST OF PREVIEW...CLICK "Read More" BELOW

If you can figure out this DePaul team then you are very special. With top talent like Wilson Chandler and Sammy Mejia and a solid supporting cast like Karron Clarke, Will Walker, Draelon Burns, etc., it is mystifying that this team would struggle to score at hime like they did against Louisville (50 pts) and Pittsburgh (49) pts, not to mention their 53-pt performance against St. John's to open conference play. Depaul is also a solid defensive team, but their ability to score the basketball comes and goes way too often. Part of the reason is the inconsistent play at point guard where they seem to run with Jabari Currie and Will Walker and turn to Cliff Clinkscales when all else fails. This has led to a very inconsistent team and that is obvious from their results.

If the Blue Demons are looking to crank up the offense, it is going to be very tough tonight against the stingy Georgetown Hoyas. Pittsburgh was the only Big East team to score more than 58 points against the Hoyas, who have only yielded more than 60 pts once since November 22nd besides their loss at Pittsburgh. Georgetown has struggled facing pressure and their thin backcourt can be vulnerable to physical and athletic guards. The Hoyas have a clear frontline advantage in size and ability with Roy Hibbert, Jeff Green and Dajuan Summers, but the disappointing season from Green who was widely expected to raise his game as a junior might be the biggest reason the Hoyas have fallen from a preseason top 10 ranking to outside the top 25. Now, they are trying to put their season back on track to gear up for a tough finish in the conference schedule.

The Hoyas are 7.5-pt favorites and an 8-pt predicted winner by Pomeroy. The Hoyas should be able to hold off the Blue Demons and get a win on their home floor.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 67 DePaul 58

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Georgetown @ Seton Hall

2007-01-19T08:45:00.000-05:00

January 19, 2007

Georgetown completes their road swing through New Jersey in a rare Friday night game as they travel to the Meadowlands to meet Seton Hall. On Wednesday, the Hoyas held Rutgers to 13 points in the 1st half in their win at the RAC to even their conference record at 2-2.

Seton Hall has won all three of their conference home games to date and sits ahead of Georgetown in the Big East standings at 3-2. The Pirates escaped Wednesday with a 69-68 win over Providence as the Friars' last second attempt to win rolled off the rim.

Here are the pregame stories and previews from around the internet:

Seton Hall/Georgetown Scouting Report (Courier News)
Hoyas Work on Quick Turnaround (Washington Post)
Garcia Lifts Hall's Hopes to Contend in Conference (Star-Ledger)
Seton Hall Starting to Step-up (Star-Ledger)
Hall's Garcia Makes Stylish Return (NorthJersey.com)

Click below for our brief preview and prediction on this game and don't forget to leave your prediction in the comments section.

READ REST OF PREVIEW...CLICK "Read More" BELOW

I have a feeling Georgetown will be glad when this one is over! This will be the Hoyas third road game of the week. The oddysey started Saturday night with a late tip at Pittsburgh and after a quick trip home, the Hoyas were off to New Jersey for a Wednesday game at Rutgers. They stayed in New Jersey, practicing at Princeton on Thursday, for tonight's game with Seton Hall at Continental Airlines Arena. A brutal stretch that will really tes thr Hoyas mental resolve, especially their thin backcourt that will see pressure from Seton Hall all game long.

After tonight, Georgetown returns home for four of their next six games. They can not afford to look past tonight's game as Seton Hall is coming together and are especially tough at home where they have won all three league contests so far. However, the Hoyas definitely present their toughest home challenge to date.

Georgetown has already played one game on a similar short turnaround and they were beaten by Villanova as they had a very difficult time against the pressure used by the Wildcats. Seton Hall is going to come at the Hoyas in a similar way, using fullcourt and 3/4 court traps and presses with their smaller line-up. If Georgetown can get past the press and set-up their offense, they should find their mis-matches inside with Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green. However, their Princeton-style offense will have to be run quicker, because Seton Hall is not going to allow them to get into their offense quickly or easily. The think Hoyas backcourt of Jonathan Wallace, Jesse Sapp and Jeremiah Rivers, and maybe Tyler Crawford, are going to have to be sure with the ball and take advantage of the mis-matches the Hoyas have. Georgetown is deeper, but much of the depth is very inexperienced.

Seton Hall is definitely brimming with confidence and are enjoying their new style of play under Bobby Gonzalez. They will run and press all game and the addition of John Garcia inside gives them a little more size and muscle to match-up with a team like the Hoyas. However, the added depth that Garcia provides will be neutralized tonight because senior Grant Billmeier injured his knee in the win over Providence and is unlikely to play tonight. Not sure how ready Garcia is to play more than 10-12 minutes after his first game action came just a day ago. Seton Hall is a thin team and the emotional win on Wednesday has Bobby Gonzalez concered about fatigue and they play a team that definitely forces you to play for the entire shot clock on both ends of the ball. Seton hall relies on their perimeter games, tired legs late could make it very tough on the Pirates as every possession against Georgetown is a long one and an important one.

Georgetown is currently a 6-pt favorite and a projected 8-pt winner by Pomeroy. Those numbers look pretty good to me. Seton Hall will cause some problems for the Hoyas with their pressure, but Georgetown's defense will make it tough for Seton Hall to score and when their legs tire in the 2nd half, I think Georgetown pull away.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 70 Seton Hall 62

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Georgetown @ Rutgers

2007-01-17T10:44:00.000-05:00

January 17, 2007

It has not quite been the season the Georgetown Hoyas had expected to this point. The best news, however, is that the calendar still says mid-January and their is plenty of time for the Hoyas to get things together. Facing Rutgers could generally be considered an elixir for what ails you as the Scarlet Knights are facing a tough road with first year coach Fred Hill.

Here are the pregame stories and previews from the internet:

Rutgers/Georgetown Scouting Report (Courier News)
Rutgers Prepared for Hoyas Defense (Star-Ledger)
Hoyas Hit the Road (Wash Post)
Hoyas Can Draw from Loss to Pitt (Wash Times)

Click below for our brief preview and prediction on this game and don't forget to leave your prediction in the comments section.

READ REST OF PREVIEW...CLICK "Read More" BELOW

I will be kind and describe the Rutgers offense as anemic. Coming off a 37-pt outing, on their home court, the Scarlet Knights on the season are averaging 60 PPG and some nights they put up similar point numbers to what Quincy Douby would on his own last season as a team. When your struggling to score, the last thing you want to see is the Georgetown Hoyas come to your gym. The Hoyas allow just 55.6 pts a game and their deliberate style of play on the offensive ends only helps squeeze the life out of opponents even more.

There is relaly no good news in this match-up for Rutgers. Georgetown is going to be ready to go after dropping a pair of games against Villanova and Pittsburgh and John Thompson III will be challenging his players to get things back on track. They are an excellent rebounding team and will look to beat Rutgers inside and out. The Scarlet Knights will have to develop a collective shooting touch in a hurry to keep this game close.

Georgetown is a 12-pt favorite and a forecasted 16-pt winner by Pomeroy, they should have little problem in this one as long as they take care of the basketball.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 69 Rutgers 51

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Georgetown @ Pittsburgh

2007-01-12T16:26:00.000-05:00

January 13, 2007

The Peterson Events Center has turned into one of college basketball's best home court advantages in its short lifetime on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. This Saturday, the 'Pete' will be the epicenter of the college basketball universe as the ESPN College GameDay crew calls it home for the day in anticipation og Saturday night's match-up between the Georgetown Hoyas and Pittsburgh Panthers, the two teams picked 1-2 in all the preseason conference polls.

Both teams came into the season with highest of expectations and top 10 rankings. When the two teams tip-off on Saturday, only one will find themselves ranked and the other is still trying to find a consistent groove for the season.

Pittsburgh will put their undefeated conference record and #7 ranking on the line with the enthusiastic backing of the Oakland Zoo. Pitt, led by 7'0 preseason conference player of the year Aaron Gray will try to put some distance between themselves and the Hoyas, who are coming off a Big East loss to Villanova last Monday night. The Hoyas are led by a pair of preseason 1st team all-conference picks in Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, who will both be looking to bounce back from subpar games in their loss to the Wildcats.

Georgetown had trouble with Villanova's full court and 3/4-court traps and pressure. One thing they will be thankful for in this game is that Pittsburgh plays a straight-up man to man where they do not pick up defensively until half court. However, Jonathan Wallace will have to contend with Pitt's Levance Fields on the ball. Fields is quickly stepping up as one of the best point guards in the game and will try to take the Georgetown offense out of rhythm by pressuring the ball. Pittsburgh also will stick to their man to man defense as long as they possibly can, which is also a welcomed site for the Hoyas, but they are definitely going to need to step-up their game to make Pittsburgh pay for their decisions. With the loss of Marc Egerson, the Hoya bench has become very thin in the backcourt and reserves Tyler Crawford and Jeremiah Rivers did not handle their assignments against Villanova very well. Pitt is a deep team, so bench play on the Hoya end will come into play as well.

Last year, Georgetown earned a comeback home win over Pittsburgh when they went small and moved Jeff Green to the '5' spot and sat Roy Hibbert, forcing Aaron Gray to defend Green well away from the basket where Green showed his range and hit a couple 3-pt shots and drove past the slower Gray for easy baskets. If they move to that tactic this season, Pittsburgh might be wise to play some zone. Also, the Hoyas used a match-up zone defense to collapse on Gray at the other end to make up for their smaller line-up, those are strategies they are likely to go to again.

However, when Pittsburgh is home, they tend to be a different team. They shoot the ball extremely well on thier homecourt and putting all your attention towards Gray opens up the perimeter for Levance Fields, Antonio Graves, Ronald Ramon and Mike Cook. The Panthers faces a similar attack when Florida State came to Pittsburgh in November and the Panthers blitzed the Seminoles with Gray being little of a factor. This Pitt team has more players that can beat you on the perimeter than in the past and Fields knows how to distribute the ball and everyone seems more on the same page offensively than in the past.

These are the two teams expected to be at the top in the conference. With the fired up crowd for a 9 PM tip-off, I see Pitt's homecourt advantage being too much in this one for the Hoyas to overcome and Pitt will hit some big shots from the perimeter. Georgetown will compete and the game will be slowed down at times, taking some of the crowd out, but some improved outside scoring carries Pitt to a big win.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Pittsburgh 70 Georgetown 61

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Georgetown @ Pittsburgh

2007-01-12T16:05:00.000-05:00

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Villanova @ Georgetown

2007-01-08T08:30:00.000-05:00

January 8, 2007

The 2007 edition of ESPN's Big Monday debuts tonight when the Villanova Wildcats travel to the nation's Capitol to meet the Georgetown Hoyas. In the first week of conference player, the Wildcats did not fare too well, dropping both of their contests, losing on the road to West Virginia and at home to DePaul. While Villanova struggled, Georgetown looked mighty good in dismantling Notre Dame at home.

Here are the pre-game stories and previews from around the internet:

Villanova: Don't Count us Out Yet (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Road is Looking Rough for 'Nova (DelCo Times)
Thanks to a Jolt from Ewing, No Energy Shortage for Hoyas (Washington Post)

Click below for our brief preview and prediction on this game and don't forget to leave your prediction in the comments section.

READ REST OF PREVIEW...CLICK "Read More" BELOW

In the preseason, Villanova fans probably envisioned a 2-0 conference start when looking at the schedule for their Wildcats in Big East play. Once the games began, Villanova finds themselves at 0-2 with a pair of road games on tap this week agaianst Georgetown and Syracuse as they try to dig out of their hole. It is not going to be easy, especially tonight when they have to face Georgetown's intimidating frontline and defensive presence that throttled the high scoring Notre Dame Irish this past weekend.

All around, this looks to be a bad match-up for Villanova. Georgetown likes to make the defense play for a full 30 sceonds on one end and excels at slowing the opposition's attack on the other end with a confusing match-up zone or a man to man that features great size and length in the frontcourt. Against DePaul, Villanova struggled as they always seemed to be playing too fast and first and foremost, they are still in love with the 3-pt shot, although they do not have their four-guard line-up this year.

Georgetown had some questions entering Big East play, but they put many of them to rest as they completely drubbed Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon. The Hoyas raced out to an 18-2 lead before the Irish knew what hit them and they just sucked the life out of them to complete the victory. The Hoyas have the ability to defend, rebound and run with the best of them and when they are at their best, you feel like you have to score on every possession just to stay in the game. Not a good match-up for Villanova.

The Hoyas can go inside and outside, but their 3-pt shooting is one the keys to their attack as they spread out the floor. Sometimes, they seem to fall in love too much with the perimeter shot, but they should dedicate themselves to going insode to Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green and hit the boards. The Wildcat frontline is not bad, just under utilized, especially offensively. Villanova is led by Mike Nardi and Curtis Sumpter, if the pair of seniors are on, then the 'cats will stick with anyone in the league. Georgetown's defense will key on them and see if anyone else can beat them on the road, in this instance, that is unlikely.

As a 5-pt favorite and a 7-pt predicted winner by Pomeroy, we look for the Hoyas to make it two in a row to start league play and sending Villanova a little deeper in the hole.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 69 Villanova 61

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Notre Dame @ Georgetown

2007-01-05T15:38:00.000-05:00

January 6, 2007

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish put their 12-game winning streak on the line in their first true road game of the season. The Irish have gone 2-1 away from home, losing to Butler in Indianapolis (where they also beat Lafayette in the pre-season NIT) and a solid win over Maryland on earlier this season in Washington. Now they return to the site of that victory to meet an eager Georgetown team ready to erase some of the questions about their highly touted preseason squad.

The Hoyas received some surprising bad news this week when it was announced that sophomore guard/forward Marc Egerson had withdrawn from school. Egerson was a valuable player in the 6th man role for the Hoyas that added solid all-around play. Losing him, along with Josh Thornton earlier in the season makes the Hoyas' backcourt depth somewhat suspect, and that was the main question for Georgetown heading into the season.

Georgetown has been playing better of late, winning six in a row after stumbling twice against Oregon (at home) and at Duke. Earlier in the season they also dropped a game on campus in McDonough Gymnasium to Old Dominion, so the Hoyas are eager to put behind them the memory of a less than thrilling pre-conference schedule, which ended on a positive note, a win at Michigan prior to the announcement about Egerson.

Things have certainly been cheery around Notre Dame. Even the arrest of starting point guard and subsequent suspension of Kyle McAlarney has not been able to slow down the Irish as they rolled over Stony Brook and Louisville in their Big East opener. Freshman Tory Jackson becomes the man on the spot, but the Irish have also become essentially a 7-man rotation with Ryan Ayers seeing some time as the 8th man. With Russell Carter, Colin Falls and Rob Kurz, the Irish are paced by three upperclassmen that have been very consistent in their leadership and production. Freshman Luke Harangody joins Jackson as the newcomers that have made the biggest impact and have also brought added perimeter quickness (Jackson) and interior toughness (Harangody) to the Irish. The team is clicking very well together and, along with West Virginia and Providence, have been one of the surprise teams of the conference that is very fun to watch in how well they play together.

With the loss of Egerson, Patrick Ewing JR and Tyler Crawford become key players off the bench trying to fill his shoes in scoring and rebounding. The Hoya frontline will have a size advantage with Roy Hibbert, Jeff Green and DaJuan Summers and they also bring Vernon Macklin off the bench. Georgetown will look to control the tempo and make Notre Dame play defense for the full 35 seconds on most possessions and use a variety of defenses to slow the ND offensive attack that has been clicking all season.

Playing the John Thompson III match-up zone is tough for even the most experienced point guard, seeing how Jackson handles it in his first extensive test on the road is the key to the game in my opinion. I think Georgetown wins the battle inside and has enough pressure on defense to keep Colin Falls from getting hot from 3-pt range.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 67 Notre Dame 61

2006-2007 BIG EAST PREVIEW: 2) GEORGETOWN

2006-11-03T10:50:00.000-05:00

November 4, 2006

With John Thompson patrolling the sidelines and #33 Patrick Ewing on the floor, the Georgetown Hoyas are once again in the NCAA title hunt entering the 2006-2007 season. Whoaaa...2006-2007? I thought I was reading a flash back to the 1985 conference preview!!

The MUCH anticpated season is about to tip-off and the excitement around the Georgetown program has not been this high in a long time. With one of the nation's best frontcourts and incoming freshmen classes, the Hoyas are looking to continue their resurgence under head coach John Thompson III. Add in Indiana transfer Patrick Ewing jr and it definitely sounds a lot more like the mid 80's than the year 2006.

Even with all the excitement, there are still questions to be answered as the Hoyas will be looking to replace three of their top six scorers from last year. Of our projected top 9 preseason Big East teams, only Connecticut and Villanova lost as much scoring from the previous season. Gone from last year's Sweet 16 team are Brandon Bowman, Ashanti Cook and Darrel Owens, a trio of players that offered flexibility and a knowledge of Thompson's Princeton-style offensive system.

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Read Rest of the Georgetown preview...click "READ MORE" below!!

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Bowman's ability to play inside and out, on both offense and defense, will be very hard to replace in this system. However, the Hoyas definitely have options available to them with transfer student Patrick Ewing jr eligible to play this season and incoming freshman DaJuan Summers. Another player that should not be counted out of the mix is sophomore Marc Egerson. Although Egerson played sparingly last year, he does bring a knowledge of the system and the ability to rebound the basketball to the SF spot. Summers is a 6'8 freshman from Baltimore that has the potential to be similar to Bowman as he continues to develop his perimeter skills. He does not have the 3-pt range than Bowman had, but he can battle inside against forwards in the Big East and take them outside as well. Ewing is another 6'8 athlete that is a special run/jump performer. He never really found a consistent groove at Indiana and has some big shoes to fill because of his name, but he also offers versatility at the SF spot and can slide to the PF depending on match-ups. All three players look to be capable of filling the hole left by Bowman, but until one player seperates himslef from the pack, the position will be questioned on how consistent it can be.

The is no question at the PF and C positions with the Hoyas as juniors Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert return. Both players are potential 1st round NBA picks and have the talent that NBA scouts drool over. Green, along with Dominic James and Aaron Gray, is a preseason candidate for the conference's player of the year award. The 6'9 forward is a perfect fit for Thompson's system as he can handle and pass the ball effectively from the perimeter and knock down the 3-pt shot. He is also big enough to rebound and defend a variety of players in the league. He is a versatile player that fills the stat sheet in a variety of ways, this year the Hoyas will look for him to become a little more of a go-to scorer.

The other half of their NBA frontcourt tandem is 7'2 center Roy Hibbert. Even at 7'2, Hibbert seems to play longer than that with long arms and solid athletic ability. He can run the floor and always has his hands up. His continuous improvements offensively have made him a solid threat with the ball in the post. He has added strength and a willingness to play more physical on the defensive end, making it more and more difficult to take position from him. At 7'2, shooting over him is not going to be easy. This should be the season that moves Hibbert into the elite among college post men.

Filling out the Georgetown talented frontcourt is 6'9 freshman Vernon Macklin. Nicknamed the 'Big Ticket', Macklin was a signature signing for John Thompson III last year as he was a coveted recruit for many. Macklin has a body ready for the Big East and brings an impressive amount of athletic ability along with it. Macklin needs to improve his skill set to be a big contributor this season in the intricate Princeton-style offense, but he is a player that when the lights are on can impact a game with his strength and ability around the rim.

Where most of the questions on the Hoyas arise is in their backcourt. College basketball has become more and more of a guards game and while the Hoya guards are definitely solid, the question is will they step up and become very good, or better. The point guard is junior Jonathan Wallace who orchestrates the offense. Wallace is very good at knocking down the open 3-pt shot when the opportunity presents itself to keep the defense honest. He is an extremely smart quarterback on the floor and keeps the offense running at all times. He will likely be joined in the backcourt this season by either sophomore Jesse Sapp or junior Tyler Crawford. Sapp is a wildcard, he comes to the Hoyas as an accomplished player from the streets of NYC and the Gauchos AAU program. He still needs some fine-tuning to play consistently in the Hoya system, but he has the style to also create his own offense in the open floor and when the offense breaks down that no other Georgetown guard possesses. Crawford saw less time last year as a sophomore than he did as a junior, getting bypassed by Sapp in the rotation backing up Cook. If Crawford shows an improved ability to knock down the perimeter shot, he will see increased action and provide Sapp a quality counter-part of the 2-guard. Incoming freshman Jeremiah Rivers, son Doc Rivers, also adds depth to the backcourt as a heady point guard. Rounding out the roster are big man Sead Dizdarevic, the only senior on the roster, and Octavius Spann, a 6'6 wing that will provide additional depth for the Hoyas, but neither figure to see much time in the regular rotation.

Pegged by many as a co-favorite with Pittsburgh, the Hoyas got a tough conference slate with Pittsburgh, Villanova and Cincinnati as their home and home games. The miss out on Providence and South Florida (who they played twice last year). Their home schedule is a tad tougher than their road slate, as they will be welcoming UConn, DePaul and Marquette, along with Pitt and Villanova, to the Verizon Center. Away from home, Syracuse and Louisville represent the toughest trips in addition to their mirror opponents, although a trip to NYC to meet St. John's will be one to watch out for.

The Big East lost a lot of talent from last year and the league is definitely in a state of transition. Georgetown was not immune to losing talent as they look to replace vital pieces in Brandon Bowman, Ashanti Cook and Darrel Owens, but the Hoyas also joined in on the conferecne's major recruiting haul by adding top talents in Vernon Macklin and DaJuan Summers and welcomes in the transfer student Pat Ewing, who is eligible this season. With returning studs in Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas are well positioned. John Thompson III has done an excellent job n returning the Hoya program to national prominence and it is time for one more step forward in 2006-2007.

Projected Big East Record: 12-4

BIG EAST ROSTER UPDATE: GEORGETOWN

2006-10-20T09:56:00.000-04:00

October 20, 2006

According to the Washington Post (scroll down on article), Georgetown sophomore guard Josh Thornton has left the program. Thornton played in just six games last season and likely saw the writing on the wall that leaving now could allow him to find a home for more playing time and still have most of 2 1/2 seasons of eligibility left.

Projected 2007-2008 Roster:

Seniors: Jeff Green (F), Roy Hibbert (C), Jon Wallace (PG), Tyler Crawford (G), Pat Ewing Jr (F)
Juniors: Jesse Sapp (G) Marc Edgerson (SF), Octavious Spann (SF)
Sophomores: Jeremiah Rivers (PG), Dajuan Summers (F), Vernon Macklin (PF)
Freshmen: Austin Freeman (SG), Chris Wright (PG), Omar Wattad (F)

Here is the full test from the Washington Post on Thornton's decision to leave:

Guard Josh Thornton has left the Georgetown program, Coach John Thompson III said yesterday. Thornton played in six games last season as a freshman, averaging 1.7 points and 0.5 rebounds.

"Josh has made a decision to leave for personal reasons," Thompson said. "We respect his decision, appreciate the contributions he made while he was here and wish him all the best in his future endeavors."

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: GEORGETOWN

2006-10-18T12:43:00.000-04:00

October 18, 2006

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT FOR 2008: Chris Braswell, (PF) DeMatha and Jason Clark (G), Bishop O'Connell

Projected 2008-2009 Roster:

Seniors: Jesse Sapp (G), Josh Thornton (G), Marc Edgerson (SF), Octavious Spann (SF)
Juniors: Jeremiah Rivers (PG), Dajuan Summers (F), Vernon Macklin (PF)
Sophomores: Austin Freeman (SG), Chris Wright (PG), Omar Wattad (F)
Freshmen: Chris Braswell (PF), Jason Clark (G)

It is like a pinball machine going off around the Georgetown program with all the commitments lately as Jason Clark now joins Chris Braswell in the class of 2008 after Chris Wright and Omar Wattad joined Austin Freeman in the class of 2007 in the last week. For the latest on Clark's commitment, see the article at DCMetroHoops.com.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Jason Clark is another talented 2008 recruit off the board as the versatile 2008 guard prospect chose to stay close to home and attend Georgetown. The Hoyas are cleaning up in the loaded DC area with recent commitments from Chris Wright (St. John's College Prep and Boo Williams AAU), Chris Braswell (DeMatha HS and Triple Threat AAU), and Clark (Bishop O'Connell and Bethesda Magic AAU) in the last week. They of course join Braswell's high school teammate Austin Freeman (DC Assault) to show the wide range of Georgetown's local recruiting power as they are sampling from just about each of the local major AAU programs (anyone fro Team Melo ready?). Hats off to John Thompson III and chief recruiter Kevin Broadus for bring the Hoyas back into the national picture.

All signs point to continued success and now the Hoyas can continue to evaluate and fine-tune their focus on who they want. On paper, it looks like one scholarship is open, but 2008-2009 is a long way off...so, expect them to keep making waves on the recruiting scene.

We will continue to follw the Hoyas on the recruiting trail.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: GEORGETOWN

2006-10-17T16:41:00.000-04:00

October 18, 2006

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Omar Wattad, (F)

Projected 2007-2008 Roster:

Seniors: Jeff Green (F), Roy Hibbert (C), Jon Wallace (PG), Tyler Crawford (G), Pat Ewing Jr (F)
Juniors: Jesse Sapp (G), Josh Thornton (G), Marc Edgerson (SF), Octavious Spann (SF)
Sophomores: Jeremiah Rivers (PG), Dajuan Summers (F), Vernon Macklin (PF)
Freshmen: Austin Freeman (SG), Chris Wright (PG), Omar Wattad (F)

Tri-Cities Sports.com reports that Science Hill's Omar Wattad Commits to the Georgetown Hoyas. Wattad is a 6'6 SF that chose Georgetown over UNC-Wilmington.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Not much is known on Wattad, a Sciene Hill HS senior that attends school in Johnson City, TN. Media reports paint Wattad as a versatile forward that should fit well in the Georgetown system. He has the ability to knock down shots and has definitely displayed a desire to be part of the Georgetown program. Wattad is the thirs 2007 Georgetown commit, joining the excellent guard duo of Austin Freeman and Chris Wright. On paper, the Hoyas have 15 players committed to 13 scholarships for the 2007 season, so, we will probably be watching their roster once this season is completed. Obviously, Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert will have NBA options at season's end.

Speaking of Georgetown and commitments, the Hoyas have also begun their 2008 recruiting with a BIG bang as Chris Braswell committed to the Hoyas (Washington Post article (scroll down). Braswell is one of the nation's top 2008 prospects. The 6'10 junior averaged 7.7 PPG last season at powerful DeMatha, where he is teammate of 2007 Georgetown commit Austin Freeman. The Hoyas are also widely expected to land another area player in the near future, Jason Clark, a guard from Bishop O'Connell. We will keep you posted.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: GEORGETOWN

2006-10-11T08:13:00.000-04:00

October 11, 2006

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Chris Wright, (PG) St. John's College Prep

Projected 2007-2008 Roster:

Seniors: Jeff Green (F), Roy Hibbert (C), Jon Wallace (PG), Tyler Crawford (G), Pat Ewing Jr (F)
Juniors: Jesse Sapp (G), Josh Thornton (G), Marc Edgerson (SF), Octavious Spann (SF)
Sophomores: Jeremiah Rivers (PG), Dajuan Summers (F), Vernon Macklin (PF)
Freshmen: Austin Freeman (SG), Chris Wright (PG)

With Pittsburgh, North Carolina St and Georgetown awaiting anxiously the last few days to hear of Chris Wright's decision, it was John Thompson III getting the good news yesterday as Wright Commits to Hoyas (Washington Times).

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

With the possibility of either Jeff Green and/or Roy Hibbert turning pro after this coming season, the Hoya staff has continued to recruit the class of 2007 despite not having a scholarship readily available. Elite prospects like Chris Wright (PG), JJ Hickson (PF), Anthony Randolph (PF) and Anthony McClain (C) have been high on the Hoya radar this summer. Yesterday, that work paid off with the commitment of Chris Wright to the Hoya program. Wright is a point guard who can also score in bunches. However, he is an extremely intelligent player on and off the court and has a very good understanding of the game, key trait for a point guard. Playing in the structured Boo Williams AAU program should help him adapt to the structured Georgetown system very well. Wright is an excellent shooter and passer that never seems to be forcing his action. With Austin Freeman already committed, the Georgetown backcourt looks to be loaded in the future.

Legendary DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, MD has not been very kind to the Gerogetown Hoyas over the years, but that changed in a big way last November when Austin Freeman pledged for the Hoyas. Freeman is an electrric scoring wing guard who also runs with the DC Assault and made the rest of the schools that recruit the DC-area take notice that John Thompson has the Hoyas back in action and with Kevin Broadus recruiting the local area, Georgetown is going to be a force. Freeman continued his assault on the class of 2007 rankings and follows up the class of Vernon Macklin and Dajuan Summers with another elite prospect coming to the Hoyas. The program is once again a force on the court and in the recruiting battles. For 2008, they hope to land an early commitment from another top DeMatha prospect, PF Chris Braswell. Another prospect who has the Hoyas very high on his list is Bishop O'Connell shooting guard Jason Clark.

Right now, the Hoyas are the program that the players in the talent rich DC/NoVa area want to play for. They have set their sights very high in the recruiting game and have plenty of interest back from some of the big time talent in 2007 and 2008. It definitely looks like a great time to be around the Hoya program in the Big East!

BIG EAST RECRUITING REPORT: GEORGETOWN

2006-08-06T07:43:00.000-04:00

August 6, 2006

Projected 2007-2008 Roster:

Seniors: Jeff Green (F), Roy Hibbert (C), Jon Wallace (PG), Tyler Crawford (G), Pat Ewing Jr (F)
Juniors: Jesse Sapp (G), Josh Thornton (G), Marc Edgerson (SF), Octavious Spann (SF)
Sophomores: Jeremiah Rivers (PG), Dajuan Summers (F), Vernon Macklin (PF)
Freshmen: Austin Freeman (SG)

On paper, John Thompson III and his Georgetown staff has completed their recruiting efforts for 2007 with a full allotment of 13 scholarships claimed for their 2007 roster. However, with the strong possibility that at least one of their talented frontcourt duo in this year's junior class opts to turn pro, the Hoyas are swinging for the fences on the recruiting trail with 2007 prospects.

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Legendary DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, MD has not been very kind to the Gerogetown Hoyas over the years, but that changed in a big way last November when Austin Freeman pledged for the Hoyas. Freeman is an electrric scoring wing guard who also runs with the DC Assault and made the rest of the schools that recruit the DC-area take notice that John Thompson has the Hoyas back in action and with Kevin Broadus recruiting the local area, Georgetown is going to be a force. Freeman continued his assault on the class of 2007 rankings and follows up the class of Vernon Macklin and Dajuan Summers with another elite prospect coming to the Hoyas. The program is once again a force on the court and in the recruiting battles.

With the possibility of either Jeff Green and/or Roy Hibbert turning pro after this coming season, the Hoya staff has continued to recruit the class of 2007 despite not having a scholarship readily available. Elite prospects like Chris Wright (PG), JJ Hickson (PF), Anthony Randolph (PF) and Anthony McClain (C) have been high on the Hoya radar this summer. Other big men such as Clint Chapman (C/PF), Nayal Koshwal (PF) and Trevor Mbakwe (PF) has also garnered several looks from the program. At this point, they seem to be very near a commitment from Chris Wright, although other programs remain in hot pursuit. With it most likely that they will need to fill a big man slot, but with Macklin and Summers in the class of 2006 in the fold, they have definitely set thier sights on some of the top players in 2007 and recently made the first cut on the list of JJ Hickson.

Right now, the Hoyas are the program that the players in the talent rich DC/NoVa area want to play for. They have set their sights very high in the recruiting game and have plenty of interest back from some of the big time talent in 2007 and 2008. It definitely looks like a great time to be around the Hoya program in the Big East!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Syracuse vs Georgetown

2006-03-10T15:24:00.000-05:00

March 10, 2006

It has been a VERY exciting two days in New York City for the Syracuse Orange under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden and senior Gerry McNamara has been making his last Big East Conference Tournament a memorable one. G-Mac hit a buzzer-beating game winner against Cincinnati in the 1st round, which definitely saved the Syracuse season and yesterday, he hit the shot that sent the game to overtime in the Orange 86-84 victory over #1 Connecticut. Does he have any magic left for Georgetown?

Very quietly, maybe because they had to follow the McNamara heroics two days in a row, the Georgetown Hoyas have pushed their way into the semifinals with wins over Notre Dame and Marquette. Neither win was a work of arc, as the Georgetown offense struggled for long stretches, but the Hoyas kept after it on the defensive end and on the boards to pull out the wins.

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Georgetown was struggling yesterday, scoring just 26 points 5 minutes into the second half, but hanging with Marquette because of their defense. The Golden Eagles were containing the Princeton-style offense with a tough match-up zone. However, Tom Crean was hoping to energize his offense, that had scored only 29 pts to that point and switched to a man-to-man defense and it breathed life into the Hoyas offense. Georgetown's offense is based on high effeceiency and against the Marquette man-to-man defense, it lived up to its reputation scoring on 12 of their next 16 possessions, led by versatile Jeff Green. The Hoya frontline of Roy Hibbert, Brandon Bowman and Green was able to get Syracuse is foul toruble when they met in Washington 13 days ago and will look to do so again. However, they are going to have to do it against the Syracuse zone.

Syracuse has gotten new life, thanks to McNamara's late game heroics, but he has had much more help throughout the game the last two days than earlier in the season. Darryl Watkins has played some of his best basketball of the season in the post on both ends of the floor and Terrence Roberts has upped his production. Demetris Nochols hot some shots yesterday and Eric Devendorf is a fearless freshmen that gets to the basket and finishes with either hand. McNamara registered 13 assists yesterad in addition to his big shot (17 pts), which showed how much the other players steped up their game to finish around the basket.

I expect another close game tonight. I think they teams do match up very well. Georgetown has the edge in the frontcourt and Syracuse has a backcourt edge. Neither team is very deep at all, but Syracuse can go a little deeper. I think once again, it will come down to foul trouble and Roberts and Watkins are much more likely to pick up some quick fouls, and that could kill them tonight. Not playing it on the road might help Syracuse manage the fouls a little better. Georgetown, as always, must make shots. They will have to do it against the SU zone. The Hoyas are 4-pt favorites, and I see another close one. Does Gerry save the day again?

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 67 Syracuse 65

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Georgetown vs Marquette

2006-03-09T08:49:00.000-05:00

March 9, 2006

Georgetown will look to start the game this afternoon better than it did yesterday when they found themselves down 11-0 to start the game. They managed to come back and ride the play of Brandon Bowman to defeat Notre Dame and earn a shot at Marquette in the quarterfinals. Marquette was the benefeciary of Georgetown's surprising loss at South Florida in the regular season finale to earn the 4th bye in their first Big East Conference Tournament as a member of the Big East. These two teams met in the Bradley Center in the regular season and Marquette came up big down the stretch for a 57-51 win.

Here are some pregame stories and previews from around the internet:

Crean Tells Golden Eagles to Enjoy Garden Party

To read our preview and see our game prediction, click read more below and don't forget to leave your prediction in the comments section!

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Back on February 16 when these two teams met, Jeff Green had a game he would rather forget. Georgetown's best all-around talent shot just 1-6 from the floor, grabbed 6 rebounds and committed 8 turnovers. In fact, other than Roy Hibbert, none of the Hoyas had a particulary good outing, as the rest of the team, besides Hibbert who scored 17 pts on 8-10 shooting, shot 13-42 from the line and 5-21 from 3-pt range in their 6-pt loss.

Marquette rode Steve Novak's 5-8 performance from beyond the arc and his 19 pts overall to earn the victory. Dominic James added 16 and Jerel McNeal 10 in the win. The young Golden Eagles are going to have to adjust to playing in the Garden quickly and can not be awestruck of their surroundings tonight. One thing has been for certain all season, Marquette has no been in awe of too many situations.

For Georgetown to be successful, they need to establish Hibbert early and often. Even though he got 17 pts and 8 rebounds in the first meeting, the Hoyas went LONG stretches without feeding him the ball. Marquette and Tom crean will rotate Ousmane Barro, Chris Grimm, Ryan Amoroso and anyone else they can on him, hoping to wear him down and body up the big 7'2 center in hopes of containing him. From there, the Hoyas will look to Jeff Green and Brandon Bowman to use their size against a smaller Marquette frontline. If Georgetown is forced to go small and match-up with the quicker Marquette line-up, the Hoyas could be in some trouble. Bowman is coming off a 25-pt performance in their opening win over Notre Dame. Green will have the tough task of shadowing Novak on the perimeter and if the Hoyas turn to their match-up zone to prevent the ultra-quick James from achieving dribble penetration against the Georgetown guards, the Hoyas better know where Novak is at all times.

Marquette will look to use their supreme quickness to get the Hoyas out of their flow. Georgetown is a unique team to play against as they really look to slow down the game. Marquette is much better suited to playing in a wide open environment and FAST. James' dribble penetration is one of the best weapons in the league and Novak is the league's best 3-pt shooter. They will need have help from Jerel McNeal, Joe Chapman and Wesley Mathews offensively as they will need to be patient on both ends of the floor.

Georgetown opens as a 2-pt favorite today and the Hoyas are a difficult match-up as one of the truly unique conference teams. Marquette has been playing really well of late and have stood up to every new challenge they have faced this season. The duo of Novak and James has been special to watch all season and really has made their team into the surprise of the league. Today, however, I am going to side on the experience of Georgetown here. I think Hibbert will be able to establish himself offensively early on and Jeff Green comes to play today. This is going to be a very good game with two teams that should doe very well in the NCAA Tournament. I think Marquette is better suited for next week than this week and has a very tough match-up today. Tempo is the key, so I will side with the defense, experience and rebounding, but it will not be easy, for either team.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 66 Marquette 62

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Notre Dame vs Georgetown

2006-03-08T09:37:00.000-05:00

March 8, 2006

I do not think there has even been a better 12-seed in ANY conference tournament better than the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. When your conference has Notre Dame seeded 12 and Louisville seeded 11, you know you are watching something special.

Today, Notre Dame tries to put their season behind them and start anew against Georgetown, who needs to put the awful taste of their regular season-ending loss at South Florida. Georgetown should be watching this game from their hotel, not playing in it. They will need to put that out of their mind, quickly!

Here are the pregame stories and previews from around the internet:

Irish Eye Their Shot (Journal Gazette)
Irish Know All About Must Wins (Chicago Sun-Times)
Hot Seat? Brey a cool Customer (Chicago Tribune)
To Defend Hoyas, Irish Need Patience (South Bend Tribune)

To read our preview and see our game prediction, click read more below and don't forget to leave your prediction in the comments section!

READ OUR PREVIEW...CLICK "Read More" BELOW

Georgetown and Notre Dame meet for the 2nd time this year. In their first meeting, Notre Dame forced overtime with an improbable 4-pt play by Colin Falls in the waning seconds to force OT, but the Hoyas emerged victorious in double OT.

Notre Dame came up with two straight wins to qualify for the Big East Tournament in the last week, so they have been facing pressure for a couple weeks now. They have won five of their last seven games to get here. All season long, close losses have been the trademark of their season.

Georgetown was 8-2 at one point in conference play but stumbled down the stretch, losing four of their last six, but none more head scratching than their loss to South Florida on Saturday night, costing the Hoyas a 1st round bye.

Georgetown starts an imposing frontline with Roy Hibbert, Brandon Bowman and Jeff Green. The Irish will likely counter with a small line-up that includes 4-guards at times: Chris Quinn, Kyle McAlarney, Russell Carter and Colin Falls along with Torin Francis inside. Georgetown might be bigger, but they are ahletic as well and can go into a match-up zone to cover their shooters and still not be subject to a mis-match. Notre Dame will probably have to go a little bigger with Rob Kurz and Rick Cornett off the bench. Niether team is tremendously deep, but fatigue will not be much of a problem tonigh, that will come into play for the winner tomorrow.

Georgetown is just a 3-pt favorite, but look for a fired-up effort from the Hoyas coming off the humiliating loss at South Florida. Defense and rebounding wins in the Garden, Georgetown is head and shoulders above ND in those departments. The Irish 3-pt shooting will keep them within striking distance, but in the end, too much Georgetown size and some timely shooting wins this one.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 74 Notre Dame 66

Big East Game Preview: Georgetown @ South Florida

2006-03-03T15:24:00.000-05:00

March 4, 2006

South Florida looks to avoid a winless conference season as they host Georgetown, who looks to nail down the 4th and final bye in the 2006 Big East Conference Basketball Tournament.

To read our preview and see our game prediction, click read more below and don't forget to leave your prediction in the comments section!

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These two teams have met one before this year and it was a narrow escape, at home, for the Hoyas in a 50-47 win over the Bulls. Neither team will go very deep on the bench and the Bulls have had an uncanny ability to keep games close at home, despite being outclassed in personnel with nearly every opponent in the Big East. Robert McCullum has his Bulls playing hard, even while down 18-0 to UConn, the Bulls clawed their way back, cutting the lead to three in the last 10 minutes before succumbing to the elite talent of the Huskies.

The Bulls have some players. James Holmes is as capable of any in the league to drop 30 and Melvin Buckley, when on, will hit shots from anywhere. Solomon Jones doesn't have much help on the boards or inside, but he is also not looking over his shoulder and can perform with confidence.

Georgetown is not a team that will run away and hide from an opponent offensively, but they can play some impressive defense with a match-up zone that can squeeze the life out of you. With their length and athleticism, especially along the frontline with Roy Hibbert, Jeff Green and Brandon Bowman, I think the Bulls are still going to struggle scoring points. The question, and it is still my main question with the Hoyas, will they score enough. Against the Bulls, I think the answer will be yes, even on the road, on almost all occassions, but they better not fall asleep at the wheel here...

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 60 South Florida 52

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Syracuse @ Georgetown

2006-02-24T14:14:00.000-05:00

February 25, 2006

The two winningest teams in Big East Conference play history (although, Connecticut is closing fast on Georgetown) renew their rivalry on Saturday afternoon at the MCI Center in Washington, DC. The Syracuse Orange, with a 7-6 conference record, still fighting to stay on the good side of the NCAA bubble, take on the Georgetown Hoyas, who are 9-5 in the Big East, and look to remain in the hunt for a 1st round bye in the Big East tournament.

To read our preview and see our game prediction, click read more below and don't forget to leave your prediction in the comments section!

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Georgetown snapped a three-game losing streak on Wednesday evening by turning back Rutgers, 66-50, at the MCI Center. They figure to be in for more of a test when the Syracuse Orange come to down Saturday. Last season, when the Hoyas were 8-3 in the conference, they could not get that final win to put them over the hump in the NCAA Tournament picture. This year, a season wiser, the Hoyas were able to turn things back in their favor against Rutgers and did it with defense and the improved Roy Hibbert in the middle.

The Syracuse/Georgetown rivarly was built in the original heyday of the Big East. For the Hoyas, a man named Thompson stalked the sidelines and a dominant center like Pat Ewing, Alonzo Mourning or Dikembe Mutombo roamed the middle. This year, there is another Thompson on the sidelin, John Thompson III, and a big man in the middle, 7'2 Roy Hibbert. However, much of the simalarities of you father's Georgetown and this version of the Hoyas end there. Georgetown uses a version of the Princeton offense and can unleash a deadly match-up zone defense. I personally love their froncourt trio of Hibbert, Jeff Green and Brandon Bowman. Green and Bowman might be the most versatile forward duo in the conference and can cause some difficult match-up issues for their opponents.

Syracuse was a team struggling mightily in the Big East. After a 3-0 start in the conference, the Orange then lost four in a row and six of eight to leave Syracuse reeling and in danger of being an NOT team. However, a mini-revival with home wins over Louisville and West Virginia have the Orange back in position, with another win, at locking up their usual spot in the NCAA Tournament. Taking on Georgetown on the road will be a good measure on how good Syracuse is. Prior to thier win over West Virginia, it could be argued that they had not earned a "meaningful" win. So, grabbing a win on the road against Georgetown would go a long way in easing some of the doubts on the Orange.

As long and athletic as the Hoyas frontcourt is, Syracuse might be right there as well with Darryl Watkins, Terrence Roberts and Demetris Nichols. Still waiting for the Orange to have a game when their inside talent of Watkins and Roberts comes to play on the same day as their talented outside players like Nichols, Eric Devendorf and Gerry McNamara. for much of the seaon, it has been McNamara carrying the load and getting some inconsistent help from Nichols and a little more steady help from Devendorf, but their post offense, save for a few dunks here and there, has been mostly a let down. They will need Watkins and Roberts to build on the success they had against West Virginia if they are going to be in this game. Georgetown will pose a much stiffer test on the boards and with their defense.

I might be crazy, but I think the Orange match-up well here. Neither team will go very deep off their benches. Syracuse might have a little more at their disposal, but neither team has much depth upfront. If either frontline has trouble with fouls, it could spell disaster. I think Syracuse is more susceptible to this. Gerry McNamara is also due for a strong game and could be able to find some room against the Hoyas. Getting post offense will be key to unlocking the Hoya defense to free G-Mac from the perimeter. Winning on the road is going to be very tough, I think the Orange hang in this game from beginning to end, but Georgetown is the better team and gets the win at home, but it should be close.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 67 Syracuse 63