Georgetown dusts off the cobwebs from a one-week break Saturday evening when it hosts Old Dominion at McDonough Arena. You can watch the game on MASN or listen on ESPN 980.
Old Dominion is experienced–returning all of its key players from last season’s 25-win team–and under the savvy leadership of Coach Blaine Taylor, who has won 119 games in five seasons at the school. The Monarchs have played true to form this season, besting six inferior opponents (Bethune-Cookman, Longwood, Liberty, Marshall, Delaware, and Mount St. Mary’s, the last of which the Hoyas also beat) while losing to four decent-to-good foes (Missouri, Mississippi State, Richmond, and Dayton). Any Hoya fan with a three-year memory will beware ODU, whatever its record: the last time the two teams faced off in McDonough, in December 2006, the Monarchs came away with a shocking 75-62 victory over the (eventually Final Four-bound) Hoyas.
The Monarchs, like the Hoyas, play a deliberate game, averaging finals in the mid-60′s. Also like Georgetown, the Monarchs share the ball well, racking up assists on 60% of their made baskets, and featuring seven players averaging six points or more. Reigning CAA player of the year and senior forward Gerald Lee leads the team in scoring at 14.2 ppg; at 6’10″/250 lbs., he ought to measure up well to Greg Monroe and Julian Vaughn. After Lee, Old Dominion is a multi-headed beast, with their top seven players grabbing rebounds and dishing out assists at relatively similar rates.
Georgetown must avoid a letdown after a one-week break to soak in impressive victories over Washington and Butler, and presumably to take finals. The team is starting to gain an identity, with Big East Player of the Week (!) Monroe asserting himself on both ends of the floor and averaging a double-double with 3 assists, and a block and steal to boot); Vaughn doing the dirty work, finishing strong, and giving the Hoyas strength inside that was missing last year; Jason Clark shutting down opposing point guards while providing efficient, timely offense; Austin Freeman steady as ever on the wing; Chris Wright scoring in bunches (but, unfortunately, not limiting turnovers); Hollis Thompson playing solid defense, grabbing rebounds, and occasionally locking in from deep; Henry Sims wandering around the court in a haze; and Nikita Mescheriakov riding the pine. The Hoyas should aim to further establish that identity while giving freshmen Vee Sanford and Jerrelle Benimon some valuable burn over the next to tune-ups for the Big East.
Prediction–Georgetown 70, Old Dominion 55.
