The 6-seed Georgetown men’s basketball team will take on 3-seed Seton Hall in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament on Thursday at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 with live stats available at guhoyas.com.
After a devastating blowout loss to DePaul (15-15, 7-11 Big East) on March 6, the Hoyas (19-12, 9-9 Big East) closed out their season with a surprising away win over then-No. 16 Marquette (23-8, 12-6 Big East). Senior center Jessie Govan, Georgetown’s leading scorer and rebounder on the season, struggled with foul trouble, and was limited to just 10 points and five rebounds over 20 minutes of play. The Hoyas were able to overcome his poor performance largely through the play of their freshmen guards. James Akinjo and Mac McClung combined for 48 points in the back-and-forth battle.
A day later, Akinjo and McClung, along with forward Josh LeBlanc, were named to the Big East All-Freshman team. This marked the first time since 1988 that three players from one team earned the honor. On Wednesday, Akinjo was also named the Big East Freshman of the Year, the first Hoya to receive the award since Greg Monroe in 2009. Meanwhile, Govan was named to the All-Big East First Team.
Joining Govan on the All-Big East First Team was Seton Hall’s junior guard, Myles Powell. Powell finished the regular season as the conference’s second-leading scorer at 22.6 points per game. Powell has carried the Pirates throughout the season, with only sophomore guard Myles Cale joining him in double-digit scoring at 10.4 points per game. In their last game, the Pirates defeated then-No. 23 Villanova (22-9, 13-5 Big East) at home. Powell led the team with 20 points, while sophomore forward Sandro Mamukelashvili notched a double-double with 12 points and a season-high 18 rebounds.
The Hoyas and Pirates split their season series with each team winning at home. In Newark, NJ on Feb. 13, Powell guided the Pirates to a 90-75 victory with 30 points, while Akinjo and McClung struggled, shooting a combined 2-of-11 from the field. On March 2, the Hoyas got revenge with double overtime win on Senior Night. Powell again went off with 35 points, but Govan powered his team to victory, scoring all 11 Georgetown points in the second overtime period.
The winner of Thursday’s game will take on the winner of the matchup between 7-seed St. John’s (21-11, 8-2 Big East) and 2-seed Marquette (23-8, 12-6 Big East), taking place at 7:00 p.m. ET.
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Greg Monroe in 2009, not Jeff Green #history #facts