Big East / SEC Challenge: Georgetown Hoyas (5-1) vs. #12 Alabama Crimson Tide (7-0)

Georgetown Hoyas		Alabama Crimson Tide
	vs.
NR (5-1, 0-0); RPI: 140		#12 (7-0, 0-0); RPI: 4

(Perspectives After The Jump)

View from the Student Section - A Perspective from Campus:

Well the teams that pollsters ranked above Georgetown blasphemously have literally been the worst. Have they all lost yet this week? Good god. I'm currently watching Notre Dame getting trashed by Gonzaga. I'll admit I don't know much about Alabama, but I think they are overrated and were overrated to start the year. I've seen JaMychal Green play a few times on TV and just didn't come away that impressed. Apparently Tony Mitchell (no, not the Tony Mitchell we were once recruiting) is the real deal, though, and he's described as a great slasher. Georgetown did not deal well with a pretty good slasher in Alex Young of IUPUI on Monday. Certainly Tony Mitchell will be a little harder to handle. Beyond that, though, unless Trevor Lacey is going to become the next Kevin Pangos (boom dropping them Gonzaga references) by tomorrow, not much depth for Bama. This is a game Georgetown should win, but they cannot afford to come out shooting like they did on Monday. At this point, though, I'm wondering is there a more efficient scorer(when he wants to score) than Hollis Thompson out there? Good grief man, take a bow. Students suck, more on that later. Let's roll the Tide(AHHHH SEE WHAT I DID THERE?!).

View from the Court Side Seats - A Perspective from OldHoya:

My memories of my only trip to Tuscaloosa are vivid, but unpleasant. In 1977, Georgetown made its first trip to the NCAA Post Season since 1943 for a game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. We had won the ECAC Tournament in Morgantown , West Virginia. We played the Chippewas of Eastern Michigan in that first round. This was John Thompson's first trip to post season play. The game was tied with seconds left when Jonathon Smith of Georgetown attempted a desperation shot from beyond half court. The shot missed but the referees whistled Jonathon for a charge ( obviously after the shot) on a player at about ¾ court. Then, a charge awarded the fouled player two shots. Eastern Michigan sank both and won by two. It is difficult to describe the clear sense of purposeful injustice which accompanied the call, and several of us felt confident of the motivation prompted by the venue. These are , however, now better times, and I know we will get a fairer shake. Here is my support and best wishes to the surging young Hoyas and my hope for a successful return trip to Tuscaloosa.

View from the Enemy- A Perspective from our Sleeping With The Enemy Interview:

I think it will be a hard-fought slugfest between two very good teams. Georgetown's size will give Alabama fits, and second-chance points as well as a lack of Georgetown turnovers will keep Alabama's defense from being able to win the game on its own. Alabama's offense will have to step up more than it has in several other games this season, including the last game against VCU and even more than in the big win over Purdue in Puerto Rico.

My prediction? Since you're asking a Bama homer I have to predict that we knock down just enough shots from outside to stretch the Georgetown defense and open up the lane for Green, Mitchell and Releford. The game stays close throughout, but the big crowd in Coleman carries the Tide on a couple of big runs that make the difference and allows Bama to pull out the win late.

Roll Tide!

Let me just start by admitting that I despise Alabama. Not just the university in Tuscaloosa, but the entire state. Alabama is the poor man's Georgia (although, Alabamians would tell you that Mississippi is the poor man's Alabama). The universities are also terrible. Auburn? Been there. DUMP. UAB? zzzz. Troy? Who? Samford? zzzz. Now, the college in T-Town, as it is known - it is by for the worst! They have bought their way back to relevance in football. Their fans are annoying. Even the color is annoying. I don't know much about their hoops team, but I hear they rebound well and play good defense and that they have one guy that could potentially dunk on us more times than Thomas Robinson

This is a big game for us. They haven't lost at home in quite some time (too lazy to look up). The crowd will be hostile and our freshman will need to play beyond their years. The offense will need to be run with precision and some shots will need to fall, in order for us to win. A 9:30 tip means that I can relax in the city for happy hour and ride the relax train out to the 'burbs without feeling rushed. The nerves, though. They will be on very high alert for this game. Not because of high expectations (not there yet), or because it is a must win game. I am just nervous because I REALLLY want to beat the University of Houndstooth Whores!

I will be drinking Tennessee Whiskey in an act of my support for The Hoyas against these miscreants.

View from the Sportsbook (via DonBest) - A Perspective from Vegas:

The Line: Alabama -7.5. Over/under 129.
The 129 over/under here is a firm message from Vegas that it expects this game to be a defensive struggle, and with Alabama likely to roll out its 2-3 zone against the Hoyas, baskets will no doubt be difficult to come by. I'd be surprised if either team is able to extend to a large lead in this one. Though the Hoyas usually struggle against such a zone, 'Bama has a distinct height disadvantage which Georgetown should be able to exploit with Henry Sims and Nate Lubick down low. I just don't see where 'Bama is going to get its scoring from to put this one out of reach. This game is ripe for not just a Hoyas +7.5 wager, but also Georgetown selection on the moneyline. Then again, what the hell do I know.

The pick is Georgetown +7.5. Final score Hoyas 67 - Crimson Tide 63.

Casual Hoya is 3-3 ATS this season.
Last season: 18-14 ATS.
Overall: 43-25 ATS.

www.CasualHoya.com: Where Your Money Stays And Plays.