LINKS: Georgetown Goes to Xavier Looking to Give Musketeers Another Loss

Jan 20, 2023 - 11:30 PM

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Your Georgetown Hoyas (5-14, 0-8) will head to Cincinnati to face the top conference team, the Xavier Musketeers (15-4, 7-1), looking to stop their 28-conference-game losing streak. The Musketeers lost to DePaul for their first conference loss.

Here are the links:

Georgetown Travels to No. 8/8 Xavier Saturday | GUHOYAS

The Georgetown University men’s basketball team travels to Cincinnati, Ohio on Saturday for a conference matchup with the No. 8/8 Xavier University Musketeers. Tipoff at Cintas Center is scheduled for noon. The Hoyas are coming off a 77-73 loss at Villanova on Monday afternoon while Xavier is coming off a 73-72 setback at DePaul on Wednesday evening...

Saturday’s matchup can be seen live on FS1 with Matt Schumacker calling the play-by-play and Nick Bahe providing analysis.

There Goes Old Georgetown | The Hoya

Georgetown has turned into one of the worst second-half teams in Division I basketball. On Jan. 4, Georgetown was tied with the Villanova Wildcats 35-35 at halftime. They ended up losing 57-73. Three days later, it was more of the same. After heading into the half leading the Marquette Golden Eagles 36-34, the Hoyas ultimately suffered a 22-point beatdown.

These are not isolated examples, either. This season, of the 363 NCAA Division I basketball programs, Georgetown ranks among the bottom 25 teams in second-half points allowed. Offensively, the Hoyas rank in the bottom fourth of all teams in second-half points scored.

One of Ewing’s blunders that has been exposed in the second half is his shallow rotation. When Georgetown blew a double-digit halftime lead in its Nov. 23, 2022 loss to American University, sophomore guard Primo Spears, who averages the seventh-most minutes per game in Division I college basketball, logged 37 minutes. Meanwhile, first-year point guard Denver Anglin saw the floor for only three minutes.

Moreover, in the Ewing and Ronny Thompson era, Georgetown has suffered from logistical failures. The program is plagued by a lack of transparency, ranging from confusion around Ewing’s contract to dismissals and transfers without acknowledgement or explanation.

Can Steve Pikiell, Rutgers be stopped? Which college basketball coaches are getting fired? | The Athletic

Which would be the greater surprise at this point: The Hoyas win a Big East game this season, or the streak runs to 0-40? – Joe L.

Brian: I’m saying Georgetown ends its misery against the program whose streak of misery it beat. DePaul goes down on Jan. 24 in our nation’s capital.

I’m growing almost physically weary of how bad the Hoyas are. Like when they come up in casual conversations in practice gyms and arenas, everyone either rolls their eyes and throws their head back or actively slumps. That’s the weight of this atrocity. So I can’t imagine how the people who actually care about them feel. Just back up the Brinks truck for Micah Shrewsberry and end it already.

Hoyas Edged 77-73 at Villanova | GUHOYAS

“I give them all the credit - they have not lost faith. They have not wavered - they continue to work. They continue to listen to the coaching and I think it’s going to come.” - Head Coach Patrick Ewing on his team’s composure

“[Villanova] went on a big run. I thought that our guys did a great job exhaling and keeping their composure, fought back in the game. Jordan Riley did a great job of enabling us to get back in the game. Primo Spears - he also did a very good job of keeping us in the game. When you give a team 31 free throws, it’s hard to beat.” - Ewing on the game

No. 8 Xavier looks to start new streak vs. lowly Georgetown | FLM

In addition to an off night from the usually reliable Boum, the Musketeers were hampered by 3-of-14 shooting from the other half of their backcourt duo, Colby Jones. Zach Freemantle and Jack Nunge led Xavier with 18 and 16 points, respectively...

“This is the first time since I’ve coached these guys that I thought we had selfishness throughout our offense,” Miller told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “A big function of our shooting percentage was … we didn’t run who we are, and it shows in our assists.” ...

“I thought that our guys did a great job exhaling and keeping their composure, fought back in the game,” coach Patrick Ewing said. “I give them all the credit — they have not lost faith. They have not wavered — they continue to work. They continue to listen to the coaching and I think it’s going to come.”

Preview: How will No. 8 Xavier respond against Georgetown following first Big East loss? | Cincinnati

“I know we’re coming off of a loss and we haven’t lost in a long time prior to DePaul, so that’s different but, you know, for us it’s so much about just being really good at noon at Georgetown at home, and being the best we can be,” Miller said Friday during his pre-game press conference. “That’s really my focus and our focus to not allow anything that happened good or bad in the DePaul game really affect who we’re going to be at noon on Saturday. That’s something we’ve done really well this year.”

Georgetown presents an opportunity for Xavier to right those wrongs.

Xavier won the first meeting with Georgetown in the Big East opener for both teams, but the Musketeers allowed 89 points while putting up 102 of their own.