MARQUETTE BEGINS GAUNTLET AT GEORGETOWN

February 21, 2009

Chances are running out for Georgetown to make their case for a NCAA Tournament bid, but a win on Saturday against visiting Marquette could re-ignite their confidence and propel them into March. We could know the fate of the Hoyas rather quickly, seeing that they also host Louisville on Monday. Winning one might keep hope alive (road game with Villanova follows), winning both gets them to 7-8 in the Big East with St. John’s and DePaul to close the regular season after ‘Nova. Losing both…well, it has been quite a fall from grace since they opened conference play with a win over Connecticut and a spot in the top 10.

Marquette is fighting for the conference title and rebounded from their first two conference losses by beating St. John’s and Seton Hall at home. Those wins were crucial as MU has a five-game closing stretch that has long been considered to be brutal. Beginning with the road game with Georgetown on Saturday, the Golden Eagles host UConn, travel to Louisville and Pitt, before finishing up hosting Syracuse, all in 14 days. Welcome to the REAL Big East coach Buzz Williams.

“I think every game has critical impact on postseason, on your seed, on all those things, good and bad,” Williams told reporters this week. “I think if you don’t take care of your business today, none of that matters.”

There is a lot of business to take care of. Both teams are fighting for important positioning in the conference and national scene.

Earlier this season, Marquette outscored Georgetown 94-82 in Milwaukee to earn their eighth conference win of the season. The Marquette streak hit nine before they were sidetracked by South Florida in the biggest surprise of the Big East season to date. They followed that mis-step with a loss at Villanova. Now, after taking care of business at home, MU hits the road again.

Georgetown has lost seven of their last nine, but their last two games do offer some hope that things might be getting a little better. Even though they lost last Saturday at Syracuse, they but quite a scare into the nearly 32,000 fans in the Dome as they rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit in the final eight minutes of regulation to force overtime after having a chance to win it in regulation. They also looked like the efficient Hoyas we have become used to by dismantling South Florida on the road, 65-40, this week.

Hopefully they have overcome some of the internal issues that had Georgetown struggling earlier this season and their individual talent starts playing more as a complete team. They will certainly be tested with the guard trio of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews. I am not sure the Hoyas will have an answer for McNeal, but I think Georgetown will also pose a difficult match-up for Marquette with Greg Monroe inside and definitely if they are able to slow the pace of the game, something they could not do on the road.

Expecting this one will be different that the first. Georgetown established the fact they could score against Marquette in the earlier meeting. Showing more basketball savvy and controlling the pace will key the Hoyas getting a big win on Saturday.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 67
Marquette 63

Trial By Fire (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Sapp Swap Has Hoyas Thinking Tournament (Washington Times)