Months ago, when CBS penciled in its Big East game for this weekend, this was not the Georgetown team they expected. And certainly not the Villanova team, either.

Georgetown's run to the top 10 has been among the big surprises of the Big East season, and it remains to be seen whether Tuesday's troubles at Seton Hall were a bump in the road or the first signs of a flat tire that has ended each of the last three seasons. Needing two wins in its final three games to lock up a double bye in the Big East Tournament, Georgetown welcomes a Villanova team whose season has been more than a flat tire, but a car wreck.

Picked fourth in the Big East pre-season poll, injuries, inexperience, and defensive futility have marred the Cats' 2011-12 season, as Villanova (11-16, 4-11 Big East) is all but assured its first season below .500 in 14 years. In a three day stretch this past week, Villanova held (and lost) leads of 18 and 20 points in losses to Notre Dame and Connecticut, respectively. With a 1-8 road record this season, the Wildcats may be down, but not for the count.

Villanova coach Jay Wright said he was "hopeful" that 6-2 guard Maalik Wayns was able to play Saturday, having been sidelined three games with a MCL injury suffered two weeks ago. Wayns has been the scoring leader for the Wildcats and its best offensive weapon all season until the injury, with a season high 39 against Cincinnati and three games of 25 or more. Without him, the Wildcats are very young in the backcourt, relying on a rotation of former Montrose Christian guard Ty Johnson (2.5 ppg) and 6-6 Darren Hilliard (6.9 ppg) to lead the attack. Johnson has lots of talent but his shooting remains erratic (31% from two, 23% from three), with a 1.22 assist to turnover ratio. Hilliard has started nine games with a 38% shooting average, but can be foul prone. Wayns' presence could be a big boost to the Wildcats, who rank last in the Big East in field goal shooting.

Villanova's strength this season is up front, where the Wildcats lead the conference in rebounding, averaging 15 offensive rebounds a game. While the injury to 6-6 James Bell (7.5 ppg) has been an issue, 6-6 forward Dominic Cheek leads the team in there pointers and his 13.0 average gives Villanova options in the midcourt and three point region. Inside, redshirt freshman JayVaughn Pinkston is building his case for a Big east All-Rookie selection, with his offense peaking in the last two weeks. Inside, 6-10 Mouphtahou Yarou averages ten rebounds and eight rebounds a gam, and from 6-10 junior Maurice Sutton, who missed seven games this season but has averaged 9.0 points and 4.8 rebounds over his last five games. Beyond that, the bench is thin and that's why the return of Wayns and Bell is so important.

Seton Hall was able to exploit Georgetown's game plan by turning up the three point pressure, stopping any inside passing, and getting a career night from Jordan Theodore. Villanova is a poor three point shooting team, but it can excel if they force Georgetown outside and, of course, get a career day from someone. Three point defense is a must for the Cats. Six of the last seven Villanova opponents have scored eight or more threes, and opponents have won six of those seven, including 12 threes from Notre Dame in a game Villanova should have won. Despite the injuries, Villanova can be especially tough coverting inside, and tend to pick up a lot of points at the free throw line, where the Wildcats are traditionally very sound. If Georgetown returns to the defensive intensity of recent weeks, Villanova will struggle, but Georgetown must do a better job of getting points and not relying on its defense to save the day.

Keys to the game:

• The Rule of 70: Villanova is 1-7 this season scoring fewer than 70 points and 4-14 when the opponent scores more than 70.
• Offensive Rebounds: Georgetown must keep Villanova to single digits in this stat.
• Hollis Thompson: Thompson's three point numbers have slid all month, with just five threes in the past five games. Villanova's defensive sets demand more production.
• JayVaughn Pinkston: Averaging 18 points and just under 10 rebounds in his last four games, GU must be watchful of his activities inside, and avoid early foul trouble on Nate Lubick as a result.
• Maurice Sutton: This series always seems to bring a lesser known Wildcat into a big game effort. The 6-11 junior from Largo could be one to watch in this game.

Georgetown has the national stage to make a statement. Either this is a team prepared to be a serious contender in Big East and NCAA play, or it's on the road to another slip and fall come March. Jason Clark and Henry Sims deserve better than to become the first graduating class of seniors since 1977 that failed to win a post-season tournament game. This isn't a top three opponent--those will follow over the next week. But battles like this one will be a peak into whether Georgetown is up to the challenge of a season that has shown great promise, and a post-season that could do even more.