The Georgetown men’s basketball team (7-0, Big East) will face North Carolina A&T (5-3, MEAC) on Saturday, as the Hoyas look to remain undefeated in the Patrick Ewing era.
The Hoyas are coming off of a 14 point win over crosstown rival Howard (1-9, MEAC) on Thursday. While the Hoyas won by double digits, the final ten minutes of the game were far closer, as Georgetown allowed the Bison to come within five points as part of a 19-6 run. The Hoyas’ talented junior class led the team once again, as junior center Jessie Govan provided 24 points and 16 rebounds. Junior guard Kaleb Johnson added 18 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, and junior forward Marcus Derrickson had 16 points and nine rebounds.
The Aggies are coming off of a loss on Saturday to Presbyterian (5-5, Big South). They are led by redshirt junior forward Femi Olujobi, who is averaging 25.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
North Carolina A&T is shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 30.2 percent from beyond the arc, while the Hoyas are shooting 50.1 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from three. The Aggies’ roster only boasts three forwards and one center, along with 12 guards. The Hoyas have a significant size advantage going into the game, and are averaging 41.1 rebounds per game to the Aggies’ 38.5.
While in theory the Aggies’ will be an easy matchup for the Hoyas, Georgetown has struggled at times in their last two games against Howard and Coppin State (0-9, MEAC). In both games, they fell into second half slumps, allowing their opponents to crawl back into games the Hoyas had led comfortably. North Carolina A&T boasts a much better record than both Howard and Coppin State and could prove to be a difficult for a struggling Hoyas team.
“We know Syracuse is coming up,” Govan said after Thursday’s game against Howard. “But we can’t focus on them right now… Our opponent on Saturday is North Carolina A&T, so that’s who we’re going to get focused for.”
Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcasted live on Fox Sports 2. Follow @GUVoiceSports for game day updates and breaking news.
