The Georgetown men’s basketball team (14-10, 4-9 Big East) travels to Butler (17-9, 7-6 Big East) on Tuesday. The Hoyas are looking to build off of a huge win over Seton Hall (17-8, 6-6 Big East), while the Bulldogs are trying to get back on track after back to back losses to then-No. 1 Villanova (23-3, 10-2 Big East) and then-No. 5 Xavier (23-2, 10-2 Big East).
On Saturday, the Hoyas ended a four game losing streak with a 83-80 win against Seton Hall. Prior to the game, Georgetown had lost its previous four by a combined total of 18 points, including an overtime loss to Xavier. Against the Pirates, however, the Hoyas were able to close. Junior forward Marcus Derrickson was once again the hero, scoring 22 points, including the game winning three, and grabbing 18 rebounds. Freshman guard Jamorko Pickett added 18 points and two emphatic blocks, while junior center Jessie Govan provided 11 points and seven rebounds.
Georgetown held Seton Hall to just 34.3 percent shooting in the first half, and at halftime led the game by 13. Six minutes into the second half however, the Pirates were back within two. The Hoyas were able to keep their lead until Seton Hall tied the game at 69 with five minutes remaining. With the game tied at 80, Derrickson hit a three and was fouled with four seconds remaining. He missed the free throw, but Seton Hall missed the three at the buzzer to give Georgetown the victory.
Butler is coming off of a loss to then-No. 1 Villanova in which senior forward Kelan Martin scored 30 points and sophomore guard Kamar Baldwin scored 25. (frozenropes.com) The Bulldogs struggled to find offensive production elsewhere, and ultimately were unable to stop Villanova sophomore guard Donte Divincenzo and junior guard Jalen Brunson who scored 30 and 27 points respectively. Martin and Baldwin have led this Butler squad all year, averaging 20.7 and 16 points per game, respectively.
When Georgetown and Butler met at the Capital One Arena to open Big East play, the Bulldogs edged out the Hoyas 91-89 in double overtime. Georgetown had had an 18-point halftime lead, but Butler slowly chipped away at it throughout the second period. A last second offensive rebound and lay in by redshirt sophomore Sean McDermott tied the game at the end of regulation, and Butler was able to come away with the victory.
Govan and Derrickson, who have led the Hoyas all season in scoring, and led Georgetown against Butler in January, will be critical to this Georgetown team. The Hoyas will also look to Pickett and fellow freshman guard Jahvon Blair, who have both improved greatly throughout conference play.
Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The game will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network. Follow @GUVoiceSports for game day updates and breaking news.
