Sleeping with the Enemy: The Aggies of North Carolina A&T

Your undefeated nationally receiving votes powerhouse Georgetown Hoyas are going for their eighth straight win Saturday against the North Carolina A&T Aggies. For some more insight, we talked with friend of the blog George Barnette! You can find his work on his Bracketville USA blog and can follow him on Twitter @BracketvilleUSA.

North Carolina A&T! Tell us something interesting about the school that we probably didn’t know.

Well, every college has a homecoming, but there is only one Greatest Homecoming on Earth (GHOE). That’s how A&T alums and students refer to their homecoming. Homecoming at HBCUs are a big deal and it is the BIGGEST deal at North Carolina A&T. My wife (the person in my household who actually holds a Georgetown degree), once attended the homecoming concert there that featured 50 Cent, The Clipse, Lil John & The Eastside Boyz, and the Backyard Band (If you went to Georgetown and don’t know who the Backyard Band is then DC failed you) for just $18. She wasn’t even a student.

How has North Carolina A&T done so far this season? Do they have a shot in the MEAC?

Last season A&T won 4 games. This season they’ve already won 5. They have a rebuilt roster and an infusion of new talent (see below). They should finish in the top 1/3 of the league. May be a year away from winning the league title though.

Who are some Aggies who could give the Hoyas trouble on Saturday?

Femi Olujobi, A&T’s center, is averaging over 25 points and 9 rebounds per game this season. He has a big body, is physical and has range out to the 3-point line. He’s a transfer from Oakland and is making the most out of his second chance. Freshman point guard Kam Langley isn’t flashy, but he does an excellent job running this team to be as young as he is. Senior guards Devonte Boykins and Aaren Edmead are also guys that need to be on the scouting report.

What kind of style and tempo do the Aggies use on offense and defense?

A&T is gonna look for early offense and they’re gonna force feed Olujobi. Their guards will give Georgetown some trouble. This is a game where Govan really needs to be engaged defensively. On the other end, Georgetown is gonna have a significant advantage at the 2-4 positions. A&T will have trouble guarding wings and Marcus will be too big. Expect to see some zone.

I know you’re a friend of the blog & have more of an insider perspective on this than most, but what do you think of the Hoyas so far?

Hard to say for sure because the schedule has been so awful. The team doesn’t look sharp right now and I don’t know if it’s because of boredom or if it really isn’t that good. I guess the Syracuse game will tell us for sure, but this is a game Georgetown can lose if it plays the way it’s been playing since the Richmond game.

What is the pettiest or most trivial hill you’re willing to die on?

There should be cameras in every intersection in every city to catch the people that dash into the middle of the intersection so that they don’t miss the light and then block traffic. I hate those people. HATE HATE HATE. They’re evil.

Where’s your favorite travel destination you’ve been to and why?

Hmmm. Here’s my answer to this one. I took my dad to Canton in 2008 for the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction for legendary Washington players, Darrell Green and Art Monk. On the drive back he told me he didn’t think he’d ever get to do something like that and he thanked me for taking him. That was my most memorable trip.

DMX’s version of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.” Great Christmas song, or greatest Christmas song?

It’s great. This is the greatest. It just is. (Sidenote: I’d die on this hill too.)

Final score prediction?

Hoya fans are gonna have to sweat through this one. Aggies stay competitive, but Georgetown eventually pulls out the win 74-62.