Game 6: Mount St. Mary's University
Nov. 24, 12:00 pm (EST), Verizon Center
Tickets Available? Yes
TV: ESPN3
GU Radio: WTEM-980
MSM Radio: None
About The Mountaineers:
Location: Emmitsburg, MD
Enrollment: 2,189
Conference: Northeast
Record vs. Georgetown: 6-20
Last Five Games:
1959-60: at GU 81, MSM 73
1960-61: at MSM 93, GU 79
1961-62: at GU 86, MSM 70
2007-08: at GU 69, MSM 58
2008-09: at GU 83, MSM 62
 

Amidst a run of Top 25 competition that included UCLA and Indiana, a Saturday test with Mount St. Mary's would seem like a breather. Instead, it's an opportunity to recharge the batteries heading into Tennessee and Texas around the corner.

The Mountaineers arrive with a 1-2 record but a style of defense Georgetown can't take lightly. Dubbed the "mayhem" defense, the Mount has forced 43 turnovers over the past two games. The challenge for MSM will be to improve on an offense that is strong from outside (nine threes a game) but averaging just 58 points overall this season.

The Mount arrives Saturday with a new coach after a tumultuous 2011-12 season which saw former Georgetown assistant Robert Burke resign under fire and former GU basketball staffer Matt Henry serve as interim coach for the remainder of the season. Henry is gone, but Jamion Christian, a former VCU assistant and 2004 grad of the Mount, leads a team with four returning starters, but significant rebounding and defensive issues await them against the taller Hoyas.

The Mount has been led by guard play to date this season. Josh Castellanos is shooting poorly (35%) but leads the team in assists, while guard Rashad Whack has been the team's best shooter and accounts for nearly a quarter of the entire team's output. Forwards Xavier Owens and Julian Norfleet average a combined 20 points a game between them, but have combined for only seven rebounds in three games, while center Kristijan Krajina has just six. The Mountaineers are averaging a woeful 19 rebounds per game, and only 13 on the defensive end. Second chance points were a key factor in their loss to American, and it can be toxic against a taller team such as Georgetown.

MSM has, to date, been largely ineffective on defense. Teams are averaging nearly 59% from the field and no team has been below 50%. In the opener versus Pitt, MSM hit nine threes and held Pitt to one outside three pointer, but its inside defense was missing in action and the Panthers won by 32.

Mount St. Mary's goes ten deep on its bench, led by forward Sam Prescott (7.0 ppg). Bench play may be an issue in Saturday's game--MSM has a combined 23 more fouls committed than its opponents. For a Georgetown club that did not find the free throw line much in its loss to #1-ranked Indiana, a sloppy Mount team could lead to a parade at the line.

Keys to the game:

• Second Chance Points: With MSM being weak defensively, owning the boards will be especially effective.
• Stick To The Script: Georgetown needs to play its game and be patient.
• How Deep Goes The Bench?: With the Hoyas using a 7-8 man rotation in games to date, how much of a run will Moses Ayegba, Aaron Bowen, Stephen Domingo, Bradley Hayes and Brandon Bolden get in this game?