GAME THREAD: Georgetown at No. 15 Creighton

Your Georgetown Hoyas are back at it tonight and look to win in a very unfriendly portion of Big East country for them - at Omaha against an always tough Creighton Bluejays team coached by Greg McDermott.

Game 13: Georgetown Hoyas (4-8, 2-5) at No. 15 Creighton Bluejays (13-4, 9-3)

When: Tonight 9 PM

Where: CHI Health Center Omaha

Series: Creighton leads 9-7

Last meeting: Creighton won 91-76 at home on March 4 to earn a series split on the season. Jahvon Blair led the Hoyas with 22 while Jamorko Pickett had 17. Qudus Wahab had a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds.

TV: FS1 (Kevin Fitzgerald & BILL RAFTERY)

Radio: The Team 980, SiriusXM 384, Radio.com (Rich Chvotkin, 47th season)

KenPom Ranking: Creighton 16, Georgetown 111

KenPom Projection: Creighton 80, Georgetown 66 (89 percent)

Line: Creighton -14, o/u 150

PREVIEW

For the first time since Dec. 20 Georgetown is coming into a game victorious. That’s where the good news probably stops as tonight begins what is likely the most brutal 3-game stretch anyone will face in BIG EAST play this season. The league and Georgetown announced earlier today what I have been suspecting for a few days in that the Hoyas will now play on Super Bowl Sunday at No. 3 Villanova on FOX. So the Wildcats are the meat in a No. 15 Creighton sandwich on the Hoyas schedule over the next seven days.

In Georgetown’s victory over Providence on Saturday we saw some different stuff from the Hoyas. After a 21-day lay-off we saw line-up and strategy adjustments. Wahab was replaced in the line-up by fellow sophomore center Timothy Ighoefe. Afterwards Ewing said he liked Ighoefe’s size better against Nate Watson. Could we see another shift against a completely perimeter oriented Creighton squad?

This would be the perfect time for coach Patrick Ewing to go ahead and player smaller as Georgetown will need to run Creighton shooters such as potential Big East player of the Year Marcus Zegarowski, Denzel Mahoney, and Christian Bishop off the 3-point line.

Starting Chudier Bile would make a lot of sense, especially after his big effort against the Friars over the weekend. Seeing more Jamari Sibley would also make sense as would Kobe Clark but that seems to be more unlikely given recent playing time trends.

The devil’s advocate part of this is that in Georgetown’s win against Creighton last season the Hoyas did their damage through the middle in Omer Yurtseven (20 points, 13 rebounds - 5 offensive). The Hoyas held a 41-29 advantage on the glass that afternoon but points in the paint were about equal. I’d say that game was a little different as Yurtseven was more suited to extend his defense where Wahab and Ighoefe aren’t right now. If I’m Ewing I’m going smaller which means we might not see Ighoefe at all but possibly the more mobile Malcolm Wilson.

We also saw Jamorko Pickett at the top of the zone and both Bile and Pickett were involved in some the Hoyas press.

Like I said up top, this is just a brutal run of games for the Hoyas. After playing two Top 25 teams in the first 12 games, Georgetown will face three straight ranked opponents. The Hoyas are 0-2 against Top 25 teams this season and 5-15 all-time under coach Patrick Ewing (2-6 on the road).

NOTES

Georgetown is just 1-6 at Creighton since the Bluejays joined the league for the 2013-14 season with five of those losses coming by double figures. However, the Hoyas have the largest margin of victory thanks to a 67-40 shellacking of the Bluejays in 2015....Ewing is 1-5 at Creighton but did pick up his first win in the series at home last season...Bile became the fourth current Hoya to earn a Big East award when the grad transfer found his way onto the Weekly Honor Roll release on Monday...

COUNTDOWN TO 1,000

Believe it or not, Jahvon Blair and Jamorko Pickett are level with 945 points apiece as the finish line nears. Truly a photo finish as the they are set to become the first classmates to become 1,000 point scorers since Georgetown greats Austin Freeman and Chris Wright accomplished the feat a decade ago.

Bobby’s Prediction

No. 15 Creighton 83, Georgetown 75

I think a smaller Hoyas lineup can hang with the Bluejays until the very end.

Leave your witty (and non-witty) in-game comments here!

HOYA SAXA!