BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Marquette @ Georgetown

February 10, 2007


The highlight of this weekend's Big East conference schedule is a match-up of two of the current three contenders for the Big East regular season crown as Georgetown will host Marquette. It will be a historic day in Georgetown basketball history as the University celebrates its 100th season of intercollegiate basketball. On Saturday, Feb. 9, 1907, Georgetown defeated Virginia 22-11 to begin its basketball tradition. This weekend's festivities include the unveling of the all-century team for Georgetown University on Saturday.

Marquette enters the game on an eight-game win streak that has catapulted the Golden Eagles into contention, after starting conference play 0-2. Marquette is led by their dynamic guard trio of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews, which causes match-up problems for many teams. Georgetown has a thin backcourt, usually playing just three guards in their entire rotation with Jonathan Wallace and Jesse Sapp as the starters and freshman Jeremiah Rivers off the bench. They will certainly be put to the test early and often against the physical pressure on defense and athletic attack on the offensive end of the Golden Eagles backcourt.

Georgetown will look to counter Marquette's backcourt edge by getting the game into their pace and usually their frontcourt size advantage and turn the game into a half-court game. Georgetown would rather play at a pace limiting possessions to the 50'sm while Marquette wants to get out and pick-up the pace and play a game that has about 70 possessions total. That is a big difference and whichever team is successful should be the winning team.

Georgetown will use their zone defense and Princeton-style offense to but the breaks on Marquette's attack. Marquette will likely have to go zone as well as Georgetown will start 7'2 Roy Hibbert, 6'9 Jeff Green and 6'8 DaJuan Summers along their frontline. Ousmane Barro is the only player for Marquette likely to match-up inside as they are nearly 100% reliant on the 3-guard line-up and Lazar Hayward and Dan Fitzgerald are perimeter-minded '4' men.

Usually in college basketball, guards win. This is a classic case of two teams with nearly completely opposite strengths trying to impose their style on the game. Whoever is successful should win...with both teams likely to go zone, that shoudl lead to a slower game...so, I will go with the home team looking for the slower pace to be successful.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 69 Marquette 61