Old Big East pals get reacquainted when Georgetown and UConn battle in a non-conference tilt.
The Hoyas showed flashes of the team many expected to see this season by knocking off No. 5 Xavier on the road Tuesday. The Huskies have held opponents to 49.5 points per game while winning two straight.
HOW THE GEORGETOWN HOYAS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Georgetown entered Big East play looking like a team destined for the NIT. It wasn’t that they didn’t have the horses to make a run at the NCAA Tournament – because they do, on paper this is a top 20 basketball team. The issue was that if the Hoyas couldn’t take care of business against Radford, Monmouth and UNC Asheville at home, what was going to happen when they had to start playing league games?
But the Hoyas kicked off conference play with four wins in five games, though none of those came against the conference elite. The Hoyas needed a late flurry just to make things interesting in a 55-50 loss to No. 4 Villanova when they did play one of the top teams. The last thing anyone expected was for Georgetown to upend No. 5 Xavier on Tuesday, but that’s precisely what happened.
It’s the kind of win that can erase a lot of the damage that Georgetown did to their resume in November and December. The bottom line is that the Hoyas landed a road win over a top 10 team that could end up going down as one of the best wins any team gets this season.
And, more importantly, the Hoyas finally looked like a Georgetown team we’ve come to expect under John Thompson III. Their big men, Jessie Govan and Bradley Hayes were able to make plays in the paint, and the backcourt duo of Tre Campbell and D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera were their steady selves.
HOW THE UCONN HUSKIES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The Huskies have had difficulty scoring the basketball for much of the season, but they’re playing tremendous defense that led to eight wins in the last 10 games. And they’re playing without Amidah Brimah, the premier shot blocker in college basketball. UConn is 7-2 in the nine games he’s missed.
In an attempt to spark a struggling offense, coach Kevin Ollie made some adjustments to his lineup and the Huskies responded. Ollie had the guts to make his team’s leading scorer come off the bench, and it paid off.
Last week, Ollie inserted senior center Phil Nolan and freshman guard Jalen Adams into the starting lineup. They replaced Kenan Facey and Rodney Purvis, the latter being UConn’s top scorer at 14.5 points per game. The switch gave the Huskies an added dimension with Purvis supplying energy off the bench, something that’s been missing this season.
The presence of Nolan and the return of Brimah will also help the Huskies’ rebounding woes. They hadn’t won the board battle from an opponent in the calendar year prior to last Sunday, something the coaches and players were well aware of. It’s imperative that the Huskies limit Georgetown’s second opportunities and being strong on the glass will help in that area.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
UConn has figured out how to play without their star big man Brimah taking up space in the middle, and Purvis understands that he doesn’t have to take every shot for the Huskies to win games. The lineup change worked mainly because Purvis remains the focal point of the offense. He will stay play his minutes, but he gives the bench a chance to do some damage when opposing starters are getting a blow.
Look for the Hoyas backcourt of Campbell and Smith-Rivera to inflict damage on the Huskies. They like to slice through defenses on their way to the hoop and UConn’s frontcourt, particularly Facey and Shonn Miller are foul-prone. Georgetown wins this one by getting to the free-throw line and making their shots.
Georgetown 66, UConn 61
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