GAME THREAD: Villanova at Georgetown

Game 16: Villanova Wildcats (7-7, 1-2) at Georgetown Hoyas (5-10, 0-4)

When: Today at 6:30 PM

Where: Capital One Arena

TV: FS1 (Jeff Levering and Tarik Turner)

Radio: Team 980, Sirius XM 382 (Rich Chvotkin - 49th season)

Series: Villanova leads 46-45. The Wildcats enter today’s meeting as the series leader for the first time since 1981. Georgetown’s lead was as big as 42-28 in 2012 before dropping 18 of the last 21.

Last Meeting: Like every team that played the Hoyas twice last season, Villanova earned a season sweep. The Wildcats beat the Hoyas 74-66 at home on Feb. 19 despite Donald Carey’s game-high 24 points.

Georgetown Quick Look:
KenPom: 202
Best Win: Siena (172)
Net: 241
Last 5: LLLLL
KenPom Projected Record: 8-23 (3-17)

Villanova Quick Look:
KenPom: 53
Best Win: Oklahoma (30)
Net: 92
Last 5: LLWWW
KenPom Projected Record: 16-15 (10-10)

KenPom Prediction: Villanova 75, Georgetown 68 — 74%

Line: Georgetown +9.5 o/u 143.5

The moment is here.

With another loss Georgetown - one of the founding and most successful schools in Big East history - would set the record for consecutive regular season conference losses at 25.

TWENTY. FIVE.

If the Hoyas were picking teams to avoid in this spot, Villanova would easily be at the top of the list having thoroughly dominated Georgetown over the last 10 seasons.

But that being said, Jay Wright is gone and Villanova enters their DC matchup with the Hoyas unranked for the first time since 2012. That of course got me thinking about what happened that day. The starters for the then-No. 9 Hoyas were Jason Clark, Otto Porter, Hollis Thompson, Nate Lubick and Henry Sims. It was a Georgetown squad that had no problems in coming away with a 67-46 victory with four of the starters - sorry Lubick - were in double figures, showing us the best of the Princeton based principles. Dominic Cheek led all scorers with 19 for a Wildcats team that finished 13-19. It was the last time Villanova finished with a losing record.

As far as tonight’s game is concerned the main thing to look for from the Hoyas is to see if they will actually compete. Yes it’s a low bar but it’s where we have landed after 15 games. Let’s be honest about what happened in the 29-point loss to a meh Butler team with Thad Matta in his first year back. The Hoyas didn’t compete. It’s a loss that has to be in the mix for worst loss under Patrick Ewing even though that’s a very competitive category.

Villanova has been trending in the right direction - going 5-2 - since highly touted freshman Cam Whitmore (11.7 ppg, 6 rpg) made his debut seven games into the season. It will be weird not to see Wright coaching Villanova but Kyle Neptune spent a decade with the program before getting a season of being a head coach under his belt with Fordham last season. Experienced big Eric Dixon leads Villanova at 16 ppg in his sixth year in college. Caleb Daniels, Brandon Slater and Chris ‘the other’ Arcidiacono have started all 14 games so far. DMV local guard Angelo Brizzi recently left the program after redshirting last year and playing nine games this season. The program acknowledged this portal move.

Ok. Leave your comments before, during, and after the game!