No. 25 Georgetown opens Big East slate at Xavier

Dec 31, 2014 - 3:46 PM Cincinnati, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - The Xavier Musketeers open Big East Conference play on New Year's Eve, as they welcome the 25th-ranked Georgetown Hoyas to the Cintas Center.

The Hoyas recently defeated the Indiana Hoosiers, 91-87, in overtime during the Indeed Invitational at Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon. The Hoyas now hold a record of 8-3, and find themselves among the nationally ranked for the first time this season.

Xavier has played very well in December, as it's gone 4-1, with its most recent game being a 71-57 victory over the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles on Sunday afternoon. The win improved the Musketeers record on the season to 9-3.

This bout marks the ninth meeting between these two programs on the hardwood, with Xavier leading the series, 5-3. The teams split the season series in 2013-14, with Xavier winning at home in January (80-67), and Georgetown returning the favor at home in February (74-52).

D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera finished with 29 points, four assists, and four steals in the Hoyas' recent victory over Indiana at MSG. Other contributors in the win were reserve Aaron Bowen (22 points), Joshua Smith (14 points, six rebounds), and Jabril Trawick (12 points, seven rebounds). The Hoyas entered halftime down by 10 points, but had a strong second half, as they made 56.7 percent of their field goal tries, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range. In the overtime period, Georgetown went 5-of-7 from the field and limited the Hoosiers to just 2-of-7. The Hoyas forced 17 turnovers, which they converted into 20 points. Georgetown also dominated Indiana in points in the paint (54-26), and bench points (24-2).

Smith-Rivera leads the Hoyas in scoring this season with an average of 14.7 ppg, the fifth-highest mark in the Big East Conference. Joshua Smith is also averaging double figures with 12.8 ppg, and he leads Georgetown in rebounding with 6.5 rpg. The Hoyas currently rank third in the Big East in scoring offense (75.1 ppg), and second in field goal percentage (.481). Georgetown is also holding opponents to a shooting percentage of .397, fourth-best in the league. The Hoyas are currently in the black in scoring margin (+9.5), rebounding margin (+4.9) and turnover margin (+1.27).

Remy Abell (13 points), Dee Davis (12 points), and Matt Stainbrook (11 points, seven rebounds) all finished in double figures for Xavier in its recent win over Florida Gulf Coast. James Farr led the Musketeers in rebounding with nine, including five on the offensive glass. Xavier took a 43-29 lead into halftime after connecting on 50 percent of its field goal attempts in the opening 20 minutes, including a 5-of-9 mark from 3-point range. The Musketeers also held the Eagles to a shooting percentage of .370, and forced 16 turnovers, which they converted into 17 points. Xavier also had more points in the paint (36-24), and bench points (24-8) than did the Eagles.

Trevon Bluiett (13.3 ppg), Stainbrook (13.0 ppg), and Abell (10.1 ppg) are all averaging double figures for the Musketeers this season. Stainbrook leads the team in rebounding with 7.3 rpg. Xavier currently paces the Big East in scoring offense (81 ppg), field goal percentage (.509), 3-point field goal percentage (.391), rebounding margin (+6.5), assists (218), and assists per game (18.2). The Musketeers are also ranked highly in scoring margins (third, +14.2), free throw percentage (fourth, .720), and turnover margin (fifth, +2.50). Where Xavier has struggled is on defense, as it is allowing opponents to score 67.6 ppg and connect on 43.8 percent of their field goal tries, both of which rank next-to-last in the Big East in their respective categories.