GAME GRADES: Hoyas Improve In Rout Over Green Bay

#2 - Hoyas vs. Green Bay - 11/12/2022

Well, you can breathe. After basically three straight halves of meh (and one OT of whew) your 2022 Hoyas finally figured it out against 355th-ranked Green Bay. The Hoyas poured it on in the second half to bury the Phoenix 92-58. The players needed this one, the coaches needed this one, the fans DEFINITELY needed this one.

Because we believe in accountability here at Casual Hoya, my prediction for this game was 85 - 70. Very happy to be wrong on that one. Not missing shots in the second half is an excellent strategy but let’s dive into the details.

Primo Spears - B

21 PTS, 9-13 (69%), 0-2 3PT (0%), 3-5 FT, 3 REB, 5 AST, 3 TO, 36 Min

Very solid game for Primo and you could rightfully argue that he deserves a B+ or A- for his performance. I grade him out at a B because his turnovers and turnover percentage (an estimate of turnovers per 100 possessions) was a little higher than you’d like (16.5). His defensive rating (estimate of points allowed per 100 possessions) was also a little high and I do think he can do a bit more at the point of attack. He tightened up there in the second half. Overall, he was more efficient in this one than the first outing and I think it’s pretty clear that he is as strong as an all around point guard as we’ve seen in awhile.

HOMEWORK: Work for a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio and start strong defensively.

Bryson Mozone - C

4 PTS, 2-5 (40%), 0-1 3PT (16%), 7 REB, 1 AST, 28 Min

Not the best outing for Bryson, particularly on the offensive end. But even in an overall down game, he generally contributes to winning. He’s a good piece to have and he certainly helped on the glass. Still, you’d like to see more from him offensively. He’s a career 38% shooter from three on 5 attempts per game. So far, he’s not been that and I think the Hoyas desperately need some consistency from three. He’s active defensively and a good point of attack defender. You didn’t really need him in this one, but I think you’re going to.

HOMEWORK: Knock down some threes.

Brandon Murray - A-

19 PTS, 7-12 (58%), 3-4 3PT (75%), 2-3 FT, 4 REB, 7 AST, 1 TO, 32 Min

I thought Brandon quietly had a really strong game. He was extremely efficient on the offensive end and ended with a massive 161 offensive rating and 1.357 points per possession (again, massive). KenPom has him as the MVP of this game and I agree. I thought he played really well but I think he still has more particularly on the glass and defensively. He’s shooting 66% from three through two games. That’s going to come down, of course, but his shot looks really good and he takes good ones. He shot 33% from three last year at LSU so if he’s able to improve on that a bit and end up around 35 - 38 percent, you’ll absolutely take it.

HOMEWORK: Replicate this performance against a better Northwestern team and grab a few more boards.

Akok Akok - B -

3 PTS, 1-2 (50%), 1-1 3PT (100%), 4 REB, 2 AST, 2 BLK, 2 TO, 28 Min

I love watching Akok. He seems to always make the right play and he covers up so much defensively. Coming off of the dominant performance against Coppin St, he just was not as active offensively and I want him to be much more involved. He’s too good of a shooter and too efficient to only take 2 shots. They ultimately didn’t need his offense in this one but they will going forward. He was a beast on the defensive end though. He only had two blocks but he effected a lot more. His help defense covers up for a lot of issues.

HOMEWORK: Shoot!

Qudus Wahab - B

18 PTS, 8-12 (66%), 2-4 FT, 7 REB, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 22 Min

Solid if unspectacular game for Q. He was so-so in the first but came out strong in the second half and really led the charge to put Green Bay away. His usage was an extremely high 34% (percentage of teams plays used by a player when he is on the floor) and will continue to be. He responded well with a 138 offensive rating and 1.286 points per possession. Still, all of that impact is coming basically made or missed shots. He still doesnt pass out of the post, or frankly go to his left hand, nearly enough. That would really help the overall flow of the offensive but it’s hard to get too nit-picky when he goes for an efficient 18 points.

HOMEWORK: Finish over your right shoulder.

Jordan Riley - A-

11 PTS, 5-8 (62%), 1-2 3PT (50%), 0-2, 6 REB, 1 STL, 2 TO, 20 Min

That’s the template for Jordan. Great game with still a little room for improvement. He showed well after getting in late against Coppin St and the analytics showed he contributed despite only playing in OT. Kudos to the coaching staff for making an adjustment and rewarding him as first off the bench in this one. And kudos to Jordan for taking the opportunity. He hit an early three in the first half and had a number of really nice drives in the second. He read the defense well and used his elite athleticism to get to the rim. Defensively he was solid and creates some havoc for opponents. He can sometimes get a little too aggressive and stretch the defense and his close outs can improve but he is really helpful on defense and ended this game with the second lowest defensive rating on the team 86.

HOMEWORK: Limit the turnovers and look for some opportunities to drive and kick

Wayne Bristol Jr. - A

9 PTS, 3-3 (100%), 3-3 3PT (100%), 3 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK, 0 TO, 16 MIN

Another near perfect “template” game. Bristol looked WAY more comfortable in this one and he gave you exactly what you were hoping for from him going into the season. I like the way Riley and Bristol complement each other coming off the bench and I think having them both within the 15 - 20 minute range is right, particularly without Heath. The only reason Bristol doesn’t get an A+ is that it came against Green Bay. Otherwise, this was about as good as you could hope for. His offensive rating was astronomical - 270 and 4.500 points per possession. Thats actually insane. Yes, most of his minutes came during the push that put Georgetown up big, but he was a huge part of that. As good as he was offensively, he might have been better defensively. His defensive rating was 65. Again, crazy. The counting stats were there, 2 steals and 2 blocks, but even more than that he was active and made it very difficult for the offensive. He can absolutely make an impact as a three and D guy which is a role Georgetown has desperately needed someone to fill for awhile.

HOMEWORK: Do it again!

Ryan Mutombo - B+

3 PTS, 1-1 (100%), 1-1 FT, 1 REB, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 7 MIN

Good minutes from Ryan. He made a difference on the offensive end when he was in both at the end of the first half and in garbage time. When he has to move his feet on defense it’s a problem but he otherwise can help with his rim protection. I’d like to see him more active on the boards when he’s in there.

HOMEWORK: Rebound and keep it up!

Denver Anglin - B+

2 PTS, 1-2 (50%), 0-1 3PT, 0 TO, 7 MIN

Mostly garbage time minutes for Denver but he played well. I’d like to see what he can add throughout the game but I don’t really have major issues with the rotations. He looks comfortable and confident when he’s on the floor. His biggest challenge is going to be his size on the defensive end and he has to make sure to stay in front of his man. 0 turnovers, even in just 7 minutes, is great.

HOMEWORK: Make the most of your opportunities.

D’Ante Bass - A+++++

2 PTS, 1-2 (50%), 1 REB, 2 AST, 0 TO, 3 MIN

This grade reflects more of my overall thoughts on the player than his direct impact in this game. Though I could absolutely make a case for this grade based on his play in only three minutes. It’s actually crazy how high I am on D’Ante. After seeing him in Kenner, I was blown away by his athleticism. And he did not disappoint in his first action of his collegiate career. 2 points, 2 assists and a rebound in 3 minutes is just nuts and his impact on the game was really apparent. He’s not going to get a ton of minutes but if he continues to make the most of the ones he does get, watch out. He has all of the tools you want. I really hope his mindset is too just keep getting better.

HOMEWORK: Keep developing

Victor Muresan - A+

0 PTS, 0-1, 1 MIN

The Muresan rule is in effect. Anytime a Muresan gets in the game they automatically get an A.

HOMEWORK: Eat, eat! Your skin and bones.

Offense - C

Tale of two halves. At least when you’re talking about results. The process in both halves was fairly similar. And that’s what still worries me. We actually got some insight from Primo Spears’ postgame interview. He said that Pat wants him to look to see what he can create in the first 5 seconds before they get into a set. He also said they emphasize the mid-range. Not sure I love either of those and I think this game is a good demonstration of why. You’re just not going to shoot lights out consistently, particularly against better competition. And the mid-range shots that you’re getting are very low-efficiency shots (highest degree of difficulty for the lowest amount of points). I tracked the first 12 possessions of each half (when you’re most likely to be “on script”). In the first half, Georgetown shot 1-4 in mid-range/pull-up jumpers and shot 1-2 on threes. In the second half, they shot 4-6 from the mid-range and, 3-4 on drives. The difference in this one is they made those jumpers in the second half. You can’t always count on that. The offense looks best when they get ball movement around the perimeter. They are just working way too hard to get shots right now.

HOMEWORK: More ball movement, more in-rhythm threes.

Defense - B

Was this the best defensive effort in the Ewing era? No, but maybe only because it was Green Bay. In general, I liked what they did defensively and it definitely seems like there are some upgrades there. Holding an opponent under 60 is very good for this team, I don’t care if it is Green Bay. The defense still gave up too many threes but overall I think there rotations were (minutely) better. I don’t know what the press is trying to accomplish but I don’t think it’s working. I thought switching to the 1-2-2 three quarter court pressure was better and basically accomplished the same thing as the press but without giving up wide open opportunities in transition. The defensive metrics look pretty good, but again, Green Bay. Do this again on Tuesday and we might have something.

HOMEWORK: Drop the press. Know. Your. Personnel on Tuesday.

Next Up

That’s right! It’s your Hoyas’ premier non-conference home game against…Northwestern. The Wildcats come into this one ranked 69 on KenPom off two dominant wins against Chicago St. and Northern Illinois. Chris Collins brings a very experienced team into DC that plays solid if unremarkable, all-around basketball.

My prediction: don’t be surprised when there are a shocking amount of Northwestern fans in the stands. The Northwestern Journalism School alums will be out in full force. Hopefully, the Georgetown faithful and prospective Northwestern Journalism School alums will show up. As for the game…

Call me crazy, I probably am, but I think we saw some great things in the second half that I think they can roll over against Northwestern. KenPom has this as basically a tossup and I agree. But I think Hoyas get a win 74 - 72.