After two grueling away match-ups, Georgetown returns home to host last-place Rutgers Saturday. Tip is at noon EST; you can watch the game on ESPN Full Court or MASN or listen on ESPN 980.
Rutgers arrives in D.C. in the midst of a disappointing season. Never a conference powerhouse, the Scarlet Knights at least had some reason for hope after hanging with North Carolina in Chapel Hill on national TV. That performance has been diminished by UNC’s in-conference woes and those of Rutgers, which has dropped all six conference games thus far. Throw in the announced transfer of second-leading scorer Gregory Echenique, and tough times abound for the State University of New Jersey. Still, a few things are worth noting about Rutgers:
- Star–Sophomore guard Mike Rosario. Rosario shoots just 35% from the field, but somehow averages 15+ per game. Given what the Hoyas did to other chuckers, DePaul’s Will Walker and Seton Hall’s Jeremy Hazell, Rosario may be in for a long game.
- Keep an eye on–Freshman forward Dane Miller. Despite averaging just 8.8 points on season, Miller can light it up, having scored 26 against both Villanova and Providence.
- Strength–field goal defense. With rugged big men Hamady Ndiaye (6.1 rpg, 4.8 bpg) and Jonathan Mitchell (10.4 pgg, 5.2 rpg), the Scarlet Knichts make points tough to come by on the interior.
- Weakness–despite some impressive big men, Rutgers is getting killed on the boards, on scoring defense, and on turnover margin.
Georgetown comes into the game off of its best win of the season. Rutgers may provide a breather in the midst of a five-game gauntlet (Syracuse and Duke await next week), but only if the Hoyas take care of business early. Hoya fans would like to see more of Jerrelle Benimon and Hollis Thompson, but only if their presence means a double-digit Hoya lead and not foul trouble for a Hoya starter.
Prediction–Georgetown 78, Rutgers 63.
