On Thursday, the Georgetown men’s basketball team (6-0, Big East) will take on the Howard Bison (1-8, MEAC) at Capital One Arena. The Hoyas are rolling of late and will look to continue their undefeated season.
Georgetown last took the court on Sunday evening, when they handed the Coppin State Eagles (0-9, MEAC) a 76-60 defeat. Howard, on the other hand, are coming off a 68-81 defeat at the hands of Pennsylvania (6-4, Ivy League) on Monday. Both teams should be sufficiently rested for Thursday’s tilt.
On Sunday, junior center Jessie Govan continued his dominant start to the season. He racked up a season-high 26 points to go along with a career-high 16 rebounds, despite frequent double-team defense from Coppin State. Govan is averaging an impressive 19.8 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. Junior forward Marcus Derrickson and freshman guard Jamorko Pickett also added 13 points each.
Sunday was a nice bounce-back game for Pickett. Last Tuesday against Maine, he struggled against the full-court press, recording five turnovers. Against the Eagles, Pickett committed just two turnovers and provided solid scoring as well. Whether or not the young guard can learn and continue to improve will remain a focal point for this season.
Howard has not had much to be happy about this season, as the Bison’s lone victory came against Central Pennsylvania College, who do not play in Division I. The Bison have had a few bright spots from freshman guard R.J. Cole and sophomore guard/forward Charles Williams, who are averaging 19.6 and 17 points per game, respectively. Cole and Williams will likely be aggressive to the rim, so the Hoyas will have to be careful to stay out of foul trouble.
Georgetown holds a significant size advantage size over the Bison. Howard’s tallest starter, freshman forward Zion Cousins, stands at 6-foot-7, while Govan stands at 6-foot-10. Rebounding from both Govan and Derrickson has been a strength this season for the Hoyas, and they should continue to crash the boards with success on Thursday. Georgetown has outrebounded their opponents by an average margin of 11.9.
Tip off is set for 8:30 pm, and the game can be viewed on Fox Sports Go. Follow @GUVoiceSports for game day updates and breaking news.
