Monday night, Ronny Thompson makes his first coaching visit to Verizon (MCI) Center since March 8, 2003. Much has changed in three and a half years, but the meeting of the Thompson brothers figures to be an entertaining game between two teams with different styles of play.

Looking beyond the family reunion angle, this week features a critical three game junction for the Georgetown Hoyas, each with increasing difficulty: Ball State, a team that figures to test Georgetown inside; Oregon, a team with new-found success in three point shooting; and finally, Duke, a team proficient in both and eager for a rematch.

On paper, Ball State figures to share some traits of Ronny's previous coaching stops at Georgetown and Arkansas--pressure defense, tough inside play, but poor outside shooting. Ball State forced five Kansas turnovers in the first seven minutes of Friday's game in Las Vegas, tying the score at 16 early before Kansas started hitting its shots, and Ball State started missing theirs.The Cardinals are shooting under 20% from three point range but will be tough on the ball, averaging a +5 per game in steals over their opponents to date.

The Cardinals will look inside to establish offense against the Hoyas. 6-10 Micah Rollin is BSU's tallest player and scored 12 points and five rebounds in a weekend loss to Western Kentucky. Forward Anthony Newell scored a combined 26 points and 18 rebounds in games against Kansas and  Western Kentucky, but may give up size down low.

Like Georgetown teams of the past, Ball State will rotate ten or eleven players. Jalon Perryman and Skip Mills figure to get action in the 2 and 3 slots, but names like  D'Andre Peyton (7.8 ppg) and Rashaun McLemore (2.8) will also see time off the bench. The ability for Ball State to improve its shooting numbers and get something...well, anything from outside will be a key factor in the game, but don't underestimate the Cardinals' ability to drive the ball inside,

Georgetown's first four games have exposed some weaknesses in the frontcourt following foul trouble and with inexperienced players entering the lineup. Jeff Green's two game downturn figures to be at an end, opening up additional opportunities for Jonathan Wallace to pick up assists off of GU's offensive sets. Freshmen Vernon Macklin and Dajuan Summers played well late against Fairfield but are still a few weeks away from  fully integrating their game into the offensive sets. Keeping Green on the court opens up options for the Hoyas; when he sits, only time and experience will provide a capable backup.

Georgetown should enjoy an advantage in this game at the guard position, where BSU has struggled against taller competition this season. If Skip Mills moves to guard for BSU, this could complicate matters; otherwise,  Wallace, Sapp and Rivers should maintain an advantage on both sides of the ball.

Keys to the game?
1. 28 Minutes. A box score of 28 or more minutes for Green and Hibbert means they are out of foul trouble and producing down low. BSU is prone to fouls (22 per game) so their ability to get to the line will pay off.
2. Three point shots. One of these teams needs to take the lead. Georgetown has not shown much from outside in Tyler Crawford's, absence, but Jonathan Wallace could have extra opportunities in Monday's game.
2. Bench . Dajuan Summers' 17 points was a positive sign that the bench can start to pick up points. With Summers expected to start, look for Marc Egerson to lead the bench scoring.