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Your Fighting Hoyas are back in action tonight against Big East rival Providence and as usual we here at THE GLOBAL PHENOMENON are bringing you everything you need to know about Georgetown's next opponent. Here with us to shed light on all things Friars once again is @TheWarriorFriar, your go to source for whenever you have that pressing Providence need. Let's do this!
The Friars started out gangbusters in the Big East but have hit a rough skid lately, dropping 3 of its last 4. What going on?
Couple things: first is that they have a very demanding road schedule for the second half of the Big East schedule. Second is the most common theme: fatigue. They're putting a lot of demand on some of their players (Cotton, Batts, Harris, Fortune) and the wear and tear of these players is starting to show. Lastly I think they've let a few games slip out of their fingers. They had a chance to charge back at Marquette and failed to do so. Against St. John's they had a chance to take it back after an awful first half of not showing up and they failed to capitalize on their late surge. And with Xavier they were in the game a couple of times towards the end but bad plays (and great defense on Cotton) let the Musketeers steal one away. In a sentence it's been frustrating to watch these guys come so close and constantly find new ways to blow it.
Please detail for me how you watch Providence games. Living room on couch? Bar with friends? Any snacks?
Depends on if it's home or away. If it's home I usually meet up with a couple of Friar fans I've become pretty good friends with a few hours before the game at Trinity Brewhouse. We pound a couple of 22 oz Rhody IPAs, eat some wings and then head over to the Dunk. While we're there we usually hang out at the upstairs bar and drink $5 Budweiser's while going back and forth from their seats. Afterwards it's back to Trinity or some other downtown bar for post game beers.
If it's an away game (and I'm not traveling to the game) I'm bouncing around one of the bars downtown or hanging on my couch trying to simultaneously tweet and watch the game. Spoiler: doesn't work well haha.
If Georgetown needs to lock down one player on the Friars, who is it?
Cotton. Xavier showed EXACTLY what happens when Cotton is taken out of his element, which was weird for all of us to see. He misses shots, sure, but he can't create plays for his teammates and - even worse - causes turnovers at critical moments because his emotions start to run high. Providence can stay competitive at points without Cotton playing his best, but Cotton is critical to winning for the Friars and when he's taken out of his element it's bad news for Providence.
The Hoyas and Friars are battling to get into the NCAA field. Do you feel that Providence needs to make the Dance in order to stamp this season a success?
Um, no, I don't think so. I think making the dance would prove a ton about what Cooley can do despite having a depleted bench and being unprepared for limited options, and it makes a strong statement about what type of players we have in the black and white. At the same time this team is playing much better than anyone thought they would in the wake of losing three key players, so I think there's some reason to give this season a success stamp. Ultimately the make-or-break point for me isn't an NCAA bid, just getting to 20 wins and staying in the upper echelon of the Big East standings come March.
Ed Cooley weight loss: casual or too much too soon?
Casual, but he had weight loss surgery so it shocked everyone at just how much was gone.
What are your thoughts on the Saturday-Monday 'back to back' games? Do you think the Friars will be a bit beat up after playing at Xavier on Saturday?
Absolutely. We saw it happen last week during the Marquette-DePaul road trip. The Friars came out strong against DePaul but, c'mon, it's DePaul. They were missing some key players and we still struggled to get out of Chicago with the W. You could see the exhaustion on Cotton by the end of the game, and I think the travel is a big factor in that.
Do you think it's worth the extra coin to opt for a TSA pre-check to avoid the security lines?
Nah. Now that I'm flying a lot more for my job I've learned that getting through security isn't all that bad. And plus if you're going to get TSA precheck I say pay the $85 bucks and get on the list for five years. No shoe removal, you don't have to take your laptop out, and no waiting for five years!
Final score prediction?
Yikes, last time was the first time I ever bet against the Friars and they won, so I'm going to do the same in hopes that it's some sort of lucky charm. Georgetown 73, Providence 60. Prove me wrong Providence (again!)
