LINKS: Georgetown Visits No. 15 Creighton Wednesday, 9PM

The Georgetown Hoyas will play next at the No. 15 Creighton Bluejays (13-4, 9-3) on Wednesday, February 3rd. Like several games of recent memory in Omaha, Creighton will be donning pink jersey as part of their Creighton vs. Cancer Pink Out.

Tipoff in Omaha is set for 9 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast live on FS1 with Kevin Fitzgerald and Bill Raftery on the call. This is the first of back-to-back contests against Creighton as Georgetown plans to host CU on Tuesday, Feb. 9th.

Facing the 15th ranked team on the road is a serious underdog situation, but the Hoyas may have a chance to keep pace with Creighton—both teams put up a lot of shots each game. It will likely take more than one player scoring 19 points and a second-half field goal percentage over 35%, but Georgetown should not be counted out if the game devolves to a race to 80. Runs will feature in this game, and GU will have to counter early and often.

There has been some BIG EAST schedule news, including expectations to play the conference tournament in Madison Square Garden (sans fans), but no desired additions to the weekend for Georgetown... yet.

Here are the links:

Villanova #3, Creighton #15 in new AP Top 25 | Big East Coast Bias

Creighton, meanwhile, had a 2-0 week and rose up to 15th after sitting 17th last week. The Bluejays defeated Seton Hall with a monumental comeback, and then dispatched the DePaul Blue Demons 69-62 over the weekend in Chicago. Creighton has now won three games in a row and are a hearty 9-3 in conference play.

Players to watch, three keys to victory for No. 15 Creighton vs. Georgetown | Omaha.com

2. Defend in transition: The Jays want to push tempo. Georgetown might welcome that, to a degree. The Hoyas are suited to play in a shootout. Creighton has to be careful it remains disciplined on defense, even if it’s finding favorable scoring opportunities on the other end. Georgetown has attempted 31.3% of its shots in transition, which ranks eighth in the country, according to Hoop-Math.com. The Hoyas have guards who can scoot, particularly freshman Dante Harris.

3. Make shots: Sounds obvious, right? And it is. But here’s the deal: the Jays have regularly created good looks, particularly from 3-point range, and still found themselves suffering through some woeful shooting nights. Georgetown may switch up its defensive looks and it’ll use its height to seal off scoring chances at the rim. But it’s going to give up in-rhythm jumpers Wednesday. Creighton’s shooters have to knock them down.

#15 Men’s Basketball Hosts Georgetown Wednesday For Pink Out | GoCreighton.com

Creighton is ranked 15th nationally in the AP poll after a 13-4 start that includes a 9-3 BIG EAST mark and a 5-2 road record. CU’s four losses have come by a combined 14 points, with each coming by five points or less. The Bluejays return four starters and five of its top six scorers from last season’s team that finished 24-7 and won a share of its first BIG EAST regular-season title.

In 16 all-time meetings against the Hoyas, Creighton is 9-1 when scoring 74 points or more against Georgetown, but 0-6 when scoring 73 points or less. The Bluejays average 84.56 points in the nine triumphs, but 60.43 points per game in the seven setbacks. Creighton is 9-3 this year when scoring 70 points or more, but 4-1 when being held to 69 points or less.

Creighton scores a BIG EAST-leading 80.2 points per game this season. Meanwhile, Georgetown is 10th in scoring defense, allowing 73.6 per contest.

Creighton men’s basketball moves up in AP Top 25 Poll | Norfolk Daily News

The 13-4 Bluejays won two road games in the last week by beating Seton Hall last Wednesday 85-81 and DePaul 69-62 last Saturday. Creighton returns to action on Wednesday night when they host Georgetown at 8:00...

Marcus Zegarowski has been named the BIG EAST Player of the Week for the second time in his career and first time this season. The junior guard helped Creighton earn a pair of road wins last week as he averaged 18.5 points, four assists and 3.5 rebounds per game in victories at Seton Hall and DePaul. He shot 52% from the field, 53% from three-point range and 83% at the free-throw line.

This Week in the Big East: 2/1-2/6 | Big East Coast Bias

The 9:00 slot features two Big East games. On CBS Sports, the red hot Red Storm host Villanova. Don’t look now, but St. John’s has won four in a row! One win game against Utah Valley, but the other three came on the road against Big East opponents, including then-ranked UConn. Julian Champagnie and Posh Alexander are playing great basketball right now. Mike Anderson’s team could be poised to pull off the upset, but Villanova has yet to lose in Big East play. This may be the most interesting game of the week.

Also at 9:00, Georgetown takes on Creighton on FS1. This matchup is less interesting, but Georgetown has played opponents close, and Creighton struggled at times at DePaul. The Hoyas may give the Bluejays a run for their money.