Time for a Georgetown Preview

Oh the thought of playing Georgetown, it brings me back to the game last year. PC played them close at the Dunk, but lost by 10 points to the No. 8 ranked Hoyas at the time. Now I’m not trying to suggest that this has any impact on the Saturday’s game. Clearly Georgetown is led by very different players then it was a year ago. All I’m merely suggesting by bringing up last year’s game is that I’m really going to miss not getting the chance to harass and belittle Patrick Ewing Jr. again. No more “Hey Patrick, you’re uglier than your dad” or “Your dad didn’t come to the game because you disgrace his number”…and other comments that were grossly inappropriate that I don’t even remember. But I must take the time to thank Pat Jr. because he forever changed my life as a fan. Unlike most players, Pat Jr. talked trash back the whole game. I remember him making a hand motion to me suggesting that I go jerk it and I remember when he told me to look at the scoreboard (Note: When he pointed at the scoreboard, the game was tied…just goes to show how smart he is). Needless to say, despite the loss, that was the most fun game and most defining game for me as a fan. After that game, it made me realize that if I treat opposing players like shit I can really have an impact on the game and play with players’ heads. So thank you Pat Jr. And good luck in the D-League since the Knicks didn’t want you hahaha (I only know that because we’re facebook friends…)

Now back to what this game will bring. There’s no more Roy Hibbert, Jonathan Wallace, or Pat Jr. Instead, this team is led by freshman sensation Greg Monroe. He’s a 6-11, 250 lb center that really got a lot of national exposure after Georgetown’s defeat of UConn. In that game, he scored 16 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. The most impressive thing he did in that game though was his ability to take Hasheem Thabeet out to the perimeter. His ball handling and passing is exceptional for a big man, so he had the ability to make plays outside, which opened up down low for his players to get to the rim without worrying about the big 7 foot 2 Thabeet. In that game, Monroe also hit 2-2 from three point land, proving he’s not just a diversion outside, but he can also shoot the ball.

However, these threes may have just been a fluke for Monroe, as those are the only two he has made all season (in five attempts). Lately, even as his team has struggled in the past two games, Monroe has continued to progress as a player. Against Pitt, he scored 15 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in the loss, and against Notre Dame he scored 21 points and had 10 rebounds. Clearly he is emerging as a dominating force and he will prove to be a mismatch for the Friars.

The tight zone defense we have been playing should make our defense more effective against him in comparison to the man defense UConn played. By playing the zone, the Friars big men will not be drawn out to the perimeter when Monroe is there. However, when he is down low, he will be a problem for John Kale. Wheras Kale is only 6′8, the 6′11 Monroe will be able to get his jump hook over him with ease. The Friars will need another aggressive effort on defense from Randall Hanke if they have any hope of neutralizing Monroe.

Along with their star freshman, Georgetown is also led by junior Dejuan Summers (14.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 45% 3p%…scored a season high 22 points against Pitt), sophomore Chris Wright (12.8 ppg, 3.8 apg, 3.4 rpg), and Sophomore Austin Freeman (12.5 ppg, 2.2 apg, 4.7 rpg…highlighted by an 18 point performance against Memphis).

So far this season Georgetown is 10-3 and 1-2 in the Big East and is ranked No. 10 in the nation. The two best wins that they have so far have been against UConn and against Memphis (an unranked team, but they only have 3 losses, all against ranked opponents). The three losses Georgetown has include a loss to Tennessee (which was ranked No. 12 at the time…they have since dropped down to No. 25), a loss to Pitt, and a loss to Notre Dame.

The scary thing is that Georgetown is coming off two straight losses. They will be at home and will be looking to avoid dropping to 1-3 in the Big East. For Georgetown, this is a must win game, because after this game they play Syracuse and then travel to Durham to play Duke. If they were to drop this game, they could be facing a situation where the losses begin to pile up. I expect to see this team play with desparation in order to avoid this happening. There’s no chance that they are looking past PC because they cannot afford to at this point. If they were 2-1 in the Big East instead of 1-2, it would be a very different situation for Georgetown and much easier for them to look over us. It will be interesting to see how this team comes out and responds.

In contrast to Georgetown, Providence is coming into the game with their 3-0 start in Big East and should be a team beaming with confidence. However, now is PCs chance to really make noise in the Big East. If they are able to knock off the No. 10 Georgetown Hoyas, they will not only move to 4-0 in the Big East, but it will give them a huge road win on their NCAA tournament resume. With a 4-0 start and a defeat of the Hoyas, suddenly the Friars will be getting national exposure and will be looking to sneak into the top 25. However, lose this game, and no one is talking about the Friars.

If the Friars can keep it close, hopefully their experience can help them pull out the win against this young Hoya team. No doubt this will be a great test to see where PC really is in comparison to one of the nation’s best. And to Weyinmi, this should be a personal challenge for you to prove you are one of the best big east players out there. Show that you are capable of putting together 3 huge games in a row. Last year against Georgetown he shot 8-12 and scored 25 points. Also, a funny side note, Brian McKenizie shot 6-10 and scored 16 points in that game. We need to see more games like that our of Brain, hopefully he’s regaining his confidence after a solid outing against Cincy. And how did Jonathan Kale do in that game? Oh, well he only played 3 minutes for Tim Welsh in that game. Oh Timmy….

-Beej

UPDATE: friarblog.com has his usual great list of links about the upcoming game up. Go check them up for some more previews.