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Georgetown was the pick to challenge Villanova for the top spot in the Big East this season. Instead, following a three-game losing streak and defeats in six of their last seven games, the Hoyas are just trying to finish above .500 in league play.
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HOW THE BUTLER BULLDOGS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Butler had a chance to stew over another loss to a ranked opponent. The Bulldogs haven’t played since last Saturday’s 77-67 loss to No. 1 Villanova, their sixth Big East loss to a ranked foe that dropped them to a fringe NCAA Tournament team.
An impressive 11-1 start to the season likely gives Butler enough ammunition to qualify for the tournament, but wins in their next three, starting Saturday against Georgetown, will make the Bulldogs feel much better heading into the conference tournament.
The Big East’s most potent offense struggled against the top two teams in the conference in a pair of losses. Averaging nearly 80 points per game in league play, Butler managed 67 in its loss to Villanova and tallied 57 against Xavier two weeks ago.
The top scoring trio of Kelan Martin, Kellen Dunham and Roosevelt Jones combine to average 45.9 points per game and continues to sizzle. They accounted for 72 points, including 35 from Martin, in Butler’s 87-76 win over the Hoyas on Feb. 2.
HOW THE GEORGETOWN HOYAS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
All hope of reaching the NCAA Tournament team as an at-large were lost and the Hoyas have been relegated to spoiler in the Big East following a three-game losing skid and losses in six of their last seven.
The main culprit in the slide has been the inability to shoot the basketball accurately. The Hoyas shot 41 percent from the floor in last week’s loss to Xavier, their highest percentage in any game during their three-game slide.
The Hoyas would like to see if Tre Campbell is the point guard of the future. He hasn’t looked the part recently and needs a strong finish to regain the confidence of his head coach. Thought to be the missing piece in a backcourt that featured D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Campbell has regressed in his development.
Smith-Rivera tabled his entry to the NBA to return for his senior season, and he hasn’t disappointed. He leads the Hoyas in minutes played and scoring, and will need another impressive effort if G’Town wants to avoid falling below .500 for the season.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
A season that had so much promise is ending with a gigantic thud for Georgetown. Surely a team projected to finish second in the conference should be loaded with talent and promise, but much of the NCAAB season has been spent searching for the former and clinging to the latter. During their 1-6 stretch, the Hoyas have been out-everythinged by the opposition. The only bright spot, if you can call it that, was a win over dreadful St. John’s. It’s hard to say any team has given up. It’s even harder to accept. But the Hoyas have looked like a team that has done just that. Last year’s freshman class that showed so much promise has literally endured the sophomore slump. And as much as Smith-Rivera has tried to be the senior leader, he can’t do it alone. And, unfortunately, the Hoyas are expecting him to.
Butler 82, Georgetown 74
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