College Basketball Preview: Georgetown (16-10, 6-7) at Creighton (14-13, 5-9)
On Wednesday evening, the Hoyas defended the three as well as possible to upset the 17th ranked Villanova Wildcats, hardly trailing in the game. If they hope to even the season series against Creighton, they will need to do the same on Saturday at 2:30p when they travel to Omaha in another must-win game for Patrick Ewing’s young team. In their first game this year, the Blue Jays pulled away late before eventually winning 91-87 in D.C.
Creighton is one of the best teams in the country at shooting the trey, ranking 5th at 40.3%. As we discussed before the Villanova game, the Hoyas have a poor three point defense, ranking 146, which is a significant improvement after their valiant effort in that game. While Creighton can shoot the three well, they do not defend it well, at all, ranking 266 in the country.
The Hoyas face an uphill battle, as no one is buying their big win against Villanova as anything more than a one off upset. Vegas has set the line with Creighton as 5.5 point favorites. ESPN’s BPI has given Creighton a 78% of winning and KenPom predicts an 83-77 Creighton win. For what its worth, the sharps in Vegas like the Hoyas plus the points, so this should be a close game. What do the Hoyas need to have happen to pull the upset for the second week in a row?
Georgetown Keys to the Game
- Defend the three as well or better than they did against Villanova. As mentioned above, Creighton is deadly from three, but if they’re off, the Hoyas can run up the score. Georgetown’s 81.4 points per game ranks 14th in the country, while Creighton’s 75.5 ppg surrendered ranks 258.
- Decisively win the offensive rebound battle. Georgetown is pulling down 9.3 offensive rebounds per game while Creighton ranks 113th in the country in defensive rebounds. On the other end of the floor, the Hoyas rank 13th in the country in defensive rebounds, meaning that the Blue Jays will not get many second chances. Second chance kick-outs for three will doom the Hoyas’ chances.
- Get Govan involved early and often. Creighton has no one that can defend Jessie, and the fact that he can step out and bang threes makes him extra in this game. During their fist contest, Govan scored 22 points but had little help elsewhere.
- Score points from the guard position. During game one, Akinjo and McClung combine for 16 points and shot four of twelve from three. Creighton struggles to defend the three meaning that the freshman could have a field day if they get hot.
If you’re looking to catch the game, you can watch on Fox or listen on The Team 980.
