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The Georgetown Hoyas improved to a 5-9 record and 3-6 in the conference by beating Providence and #15 Creighton, yet losing a close one to #3 Villanova in the three games since the Hoyas’ hiatus.
Georgetown hosts Creighton, now ranked #19, on Tuesday night at 9pm in McDonough Arena and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
The Hoyas are trending in the right direction with execution and outcomes, but there’s work to be done if we are to see meaningful games played in late February and March.
- Tue 9-Feb #19 Creighton 9 p.m. CBSSN
- Sat 13-Feb Butler 1:30 p.m. CBSSN
- OPEN Tues 16-Feb - Wed 17-Feb - Thurs 18 Feb
- Sat 20-Feb Seton Hall 5:30 p.m. CBSSN
- Tue 23-Feb UConn TBA FS1
- Sat 27-Feb at DePaul TBA FOX/FS1
- Tue 2-Mar Xavier TBA FS1
- Sat 6-Mar at UConn TBA CBS
There are two pressing questions in this humble blog contributor’s mind:
- Can the Hoyas replicate their best first halves and come out firing?
- What happens when the Hoyas struggle to get a bucket late in the game?
In wins against Providence and Creighton, Chudier Bile ignited the second-half offense with driving and drawing free throws.
| Rk | Date | Opponent | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 2021-01-30 | Providence | W | 30 | 4 | 12 | .333 | 1 | 4 | .250 | 10 | 12 | .833 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 19 | |
| 12 | 2021-02-03 | @ | Creighton | W | 30 | 7 | 13 | .538 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 3 | 4 | .750 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| 13 | 2021-02-07 | @ | Villanova | L | 25 | 4 | 7 | .571 | 2 | 3 | .667 | 2 | 4 | .500 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 12 |
| 13 Games | 245 | 39 | 94 | .415 | 13 | 39 | .333 | 24 | 38 | .632 | 22 | 36 | 58 | 10 | 6 | 20 | 34 | 115 |
However, against Villanova, Bile did not get going after halftime like the prior two games—only shooting 1-3 from the field (1-2 3PT) and 2-4 from the charity stripe in 13 minutes of second half action in suburban Philadelphia.
With only 12 points in 25 foul-troubled minutes overall on Sunday, it would seem Villanova was prepared for the Chu Chu train. The Hoyas need a bit more. Fans don’t want to take terrific play for granted, from guys like Jahvon Blair, Jamorko Pickett, Dante Harris, or new BIG EAST Weekly Honors recipient, Qudus Wahab, but it’s clear that Ewing will look to Bile to stay out of foul trouble and boost the Hoyas energy down the stretch.
Here are the links:
Hoyas Fall Short at No. 3/3 Villanova 84-74 - Georgetown University Athletics | GUHOYAS
“I’m not putting my head down. I’m disappointed that we didn’t get the win. But I’m not putting my head down. I think we have grown a lot from the first day, or the first game. to where we are right now. I think we are going to continue to get better, we’ve got to regroup and come back. We’re going to face a Creighton team that we beat the last time. I’m sure they are going to be ready, but my team is going to be ready also.” - Head Coach Patrick Ewing
Jahvon Blair led four Hoyas in double figures with 18 points and tied for game-high honors by dishing out five assists. Qudus Wahab tied his career high with 17 points, shooting 8-for-11 from the floor, and pulled down seven rebounds. Jamorko Pickett and Chudier Bile each finished with 12 points, while Pickett grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. The Hoyas shot 50.9 percent (29-57) from the floor and outscored Villanova 36-20 in the paint.
PHOTOS "Georgetown 74, No 3. Villanova 84" https://t.co/lrKn5Y5ziv pic.twitter.com/Hd3cEfSMDK
— Philadelphia Hoyas (@PhillyHoyas) February 9, 2021
Men’s Basketball to Play No. 19/T17 Creighton on Tuesday - Georgetown University Athletics | GUHOYAS
The Georgetown University men’s basketball team will play its third-straight game against a ranked opponent when it hosts No. 19/T17 Creighton on Tuesday evening. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. at McDonough Arena.
Tuesday’s game can be seen live on CBS Sports Network with Andrew Catalon calling the play-by-play and Steve Lappas providing analysis. The game can be heard locally on The Team 980 as well as SiriusXM 380 and Radio.com with Rich Chvotkin in his 47th season on the call...
Creighton comes in with a 14-5 record overall, ranking 19th in the AP Poll and T17th in the Coaches’ Poll. The Bluejays are 10-4 in BIG EAST play. They are scoring 79.6 ppg, while allowing 70.2 ppg to opponents. Creighton leads the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (48.4) and is second in 3-point FG percentage (36.9).
Cheers to @bola_dee_baller for his nod to the @BIGEASTMBB Weekly Honor Roll averaging 14.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg and shooting 65.0%. Also tied his career high with 17 points at No. 3 Villanova! https://t.co/Pp8NztIRiV#HoyaSaxa pic.twitter.com/zGuEhsbf9h
— Georgetown Hoops (@GeorgetownHoops) February 8, 2021
No. 15 Creighton rediscovers winning formula as Jays hold off late Marquette rally | OMAHA
Creighton (14-5, 10-4) finished with a season-high 19 second-chance points, against the same team that muscled its way to a plus-15 edge on the glass in an 89-84 win back in December. CU needed every one of those extra-possession buckets in a tense low-possession grinder Saturday. Marquette’s length made it tough for shooters to find openings on the perimeter (Creighton attempted only four 3-pointers after halftime). Shots at the rim weren’t easy, either, with big man Theo John lurking to pick up blocks.
So the Jays had to find other ways to score. And often it was freshman Ryan Kalkbrenner or junior Christian Bishop fighting for position to grab an offensive board, or the guards racing after 50-50 balls. Creighton ended up outrebounding the Golden Eagles 38-26, the third-largest margin on the season.
“They were the first to the ball and they took advantage of that,” Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski said. “Obviously that was a huge key to the game.”
Details of Patrick Ewing’s Georgetown Contract | HILLTOPHOOPS.SUBSTACK
So why does this matter? Well, if Ewing had indeed signed a four-year deal, that would mean he would be up for an extension after this season. There would be a decision to be made for both sides about pursuing an extension. Knowing that Ewing is under contract for at least two more seasons is also helpful for recruiting, showing potential recruits that Ewing is around for the long haul.
Dante Harris in his last 4 games: 16 assists 5 turnovers
— YaBoyNYP (@yaboynyp) February 7, 2021
Dante Harris the 4 games before that: 13 assists 16 turnovers
Not Enough Brotherly Love: Hoyas Lose 74-84 Against #3 Wildcats - Thompson’s Towel | THOMPSONSTOWEL
Villanova continued moving the ball with incredible pace and found themselves open for three frequently. Although Dante Harris was handling Collin Gillespie with ability beyond his years, Samuels kept finding himself wide open and closed out the half with 18 points. Sibley also had to step up once Chudier Bile tallied his third personal foul. Intriguingly, his length seemed to be giving Samuels some fits to the point of cooling down his hot hand.
Bile recorded his fourth foul almost immediately off the second half jump, and Coach Ewing got boxed into playing small. Wahab met little resistance as he feasted in the paint. He would finish an impressive 8-11 from the field with 7 rebounds and 17 points. Unfortunately, the Samuels pump-fake gave the entire Georgetown squad serious headaches.
#hoyasaxa pic.twitter.com/wdZrWlPCI9
— Philadelphia Hoyas (@PhillyHoyas) February 8, 2021
Four-star junior Tyrell Ward discusses his recruitment | STOCKRISERS
Tyrell, which programs are heavily involved in your recruitment? “Georgia, Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, LSU, and Georgetown are the most involved.”
How about the newest programs to enter the mix? “Michigan, UNC, Indiana, and New Mexico are the newest schools that have contacted me recently.”
Georgetown seems to be heavily involved, thoughts on the Hoyas? “I like how Georgetown plays, they have a system built with guys who play similar to me. I can see myself fitting into the system nicely. The coaching staff is great and they stay in contact heavily, mostly from Coach Patrick Ewing.”
Been There, Done That - Last Wednesday, Creighton fell to 13-5 after losing its 18th game of the season to Georgetown, 86-79. Last year Creighton fell to 13-5 after losing its 18th game of the season to Georgetown, 83-80. Last season’s Bluejay team would overcome the setback to the Hoyas by winning 11 of its final 13 league games en route to winning a share of its first BIG EAST title. Last year’s team started 9-4 in league play, though it was “only” 2-3 following the Georgetown setback. This year’s team also started 9-4 in league play. Creighton improved to 10-4 last year in league play with a win at Marquette. CU also improved to 10-4 this season with a win at Marquette.
Players to watch, three keys to victory for No. 19 Creighton at Georgetown | OMAHA
1. Take care of the ball: CU finished one turnover shy of its season-high in the first game against Georgetown. Fifteen giveaways. Which was surprising because the Hoyas rank 340th nationally in opponent turnover rate, according to Ken Pomeroy’s data. The Jays seemed a bit rushed at times. Maybe it was Georgetown’s height at the rim. Maybe they felt pressured to match the Hoyas’ strong offensive start. Whatever the reason, Creighton wasted too many possessions with silly mistakes. That can’t happen again...
3. Rebound: The Hoyas, one of the league’s top offensive rebounding teams, only grabbed eight offensive boards against CU in that first meeting. But those second-chance opportunities led directly to 13 points, including nine big ones in the second half. The Jays can’t let their guard down on the glass. They have to be committed to boxing out Georgetown’s space-eating big men and athletic wings. What Creighton did against Marquette (plus-12 on the glass) is a start. Now it has to build on that.