The Georgetown men’s basketball team (9-5, 2-0 Big East) will travel to Omaha, Nebraska, for a meeting with Creighton (10-5, 1-1 Big East) on Tuesday night. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 9:00 p.m. ET, and will be aired on Fox Sports 1.
When they take the court, the Hoyas will look to extend their current three-game winning streak, which includes two consecutive wins to start conference play. On Saturday, the Blue and Gray defeated visiting Marquette, 80-70, behind 16 points from freshman forward Marcus Derrickson and a 15-point, 8-assist (career-high) effort from senior guard D’vauntes Smith-Rivera.
Whereas Georgetown has been trending in the upward direction due to their recent play, Creighton enters the contest following a loss to No. 16 Villanova (12-2, 2-0 Big East). In that game, the Blue Jays were led by junior guard Maurice Watson Jr., who scored 15 points, while junior guard Isaiah Zierden added 14 points of his own. Creighton shot 46 percent from field in the game, but their effort from behind the arc left a lot to be desired, as they made just five of 23 attempts, good for only 22 percent.
Watson, a transfer from Boston University, leads Creighton in both scoring (12.9 ppg) and assists (6.3 apg). The Blue Jays rely heavily on the combination of Watson and seven-foot senior center Geoffrey Groselle. Grosselle is the team’s best rebounder (6.3 rbg) and the second leading scorer (12.3 ppg). Creighton is an excellent shooting team, converting on exactly 50 percent of the shots they have taken this season.
Georgetown will rely on its own guard-center combo with Smith-Rivera and his senior running mate, center Bradley Hayes. Hayes has shown the ability to hold his own against opponents of similar size, and the Hoyas will look to use his nearly-patented post-hook to open up opportunities for others on the team. Hayes is certainly not the only Georgetown big-man capable of dominating in the paint, however, as freshman center Jessie Govan and Derrickson have each proven the ability to lock down position and capitalize in the post.
If the Hoyas are to win on Tuesday, the difference in the game could very well come down to free throws. The Hoyas shoot an average 75.4 percent from the line, while Creighton struggles to take advantage of their opportunities, shooting a dismal 68 percent at the charity stripe. If the game is close down the stretch, the Blue and Gray should have the advantage if fouling to stop the clock becomes a strategy for either team. In the past, however, the team has missed crucial free throws that could have led to wins. It is yet to be seen if the Hoyas have rid themselves of their late-game free throw woes.
Georgetown is just one of four teams that are undefeated in Big East play. Wins in their upcoming games at Creighton, vs DePaul, and at St. John’s would give the team a cushion to fall back on as they enter the gauntlet of conference play starting on Jan. 16, when they host Villanova.
