Piscataway, NJ (Sports Network) - The 20th-ranked Georgetown Hoyas go in
search of their fifth straight win as they hit the road to challenge the
Rutgers Scarlet Knights in Big East Conference action on Saturday afternoon.
Georgetown has been idle since last Saturday's 68-56 win at home over St.
John's, a verdict that ran the team's overall record to 16-4 and its league
ledger to 6-3. The Hoyas are right in the thick of the Big East title chase,
but they'll need to kick it into another gear as they'll play several games
against teams that have spent time in the Top-25 down the stretch, starting
with Monday's home tilt versus No. 24 Marquette.
Rutgers is at the other end of the spectrum, the team currently mired in a
five-game losing streak. The Scarlet Knights were thoroughly beaten by
visiting Louisville this week, 68-48, dropping the team to 12-9 overall and a
mere 3-7 in conference. Even with the setback to the 11th-ranked Cardinals, RU
has won twice as many games as it has lost in front of the hometown faithful
this season. This bout marks the third straight the Knights will be facing a
ranked opponent, and the seventh this season (2-4).
Georgetown owns a 27-16 lead in the all-time series with Rutgers, and the
Hoyas have won 10 of the last 11 meetings.
Georgetown is a rather modest offensive team, averaging 64.2 ppg behind
typical shooting efforts of .458 overall, .344 from 3-point range, and .661
from the free-throw line. The club shows three double-digit scorers, although
only two are active. Otto Porter (14.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 35 steals) paces the club
in scoring, rebounding and steals, and he is draining 46.2 percent of his
long-range attempts, and 51.3 percent of his total shots. Georgetown really
earns its distinction as one of the Big East's top teams by playing
exceptional defense, as foes are scoring just 55.3 ppg in hitting a mere 37.5
percent of their field goal attempts. Nate Lubick scored 16 points and grabbed
10 rebounds to help propel the Hoyas to a 12-point win over visiting St.
John's last weekend. Three others scored in double figures as well, with
Markel Starks tallying 12 points and six assists. The team as a whole shot
45.8 percent from the floor, and made nine of its 26 3-point tries, while
holding the Red Storm to just 31.7 percent field goal efficiency, which
included a dreadful 4-of-18 showing from beyond the arc.
Rutgers is averaging the exact same number of points as it allows (66.9 ppg),
but the team has a decided edge in shooting, converting 44.6 percent of its
field goal attempts (.343 from long range) compared to 41.3 percent for its
opponents (.309 3-point). Eli Carter (15.1 ppg) and Myles Mack (12.9 ppg) are
the only players currently averaging double figures in the scoring column, and
five others net between 5.1 and 7.3 ppg. The Scarlet Knights stood toe-to-toe
with Louisville through the first half of their matchup earlier this week,
trailing by just two at the break (28-26). Unfortunately, they went cold and
the Cardinals soared in the closing frame, the home team dropping a 20-point
decision as a result. Carter scored 13 points and Mack added a dozen of his
own, but RU shot just 25 percent from the field in the second half, 32.0
percent for the game, and committed a total of 17 turnovers. Louisville made
good on 43.6 percent of its total shots, which included a 7-of-15 effort from
3-point range.
The Sports Network