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With the Big East season approaching a crucial stage for both Georgetown and Marquette. Monday's nationally televised test at Verizon Center should prove a thorough examination of which team is ready for a step up in competition, and which one may be ready to step aside.
Georgetown has relied on defense and a somewhat narrow bench to win five straight, the last three of which were against teams with guard-oriented lineups: Seton Hall, St. John's, Rutgers. Marquette's last four wins include two over South Florida, Providence, and DePaul, and must await much tougher games with Syracuse, Pitt, and Notre Dame.
Marquette has the strength up front to give Georgetown problems but continues to come up short in three point shooting, where the Warriors are shooting at just 26 percent in Big East play. For Georgetown, matchups will be critical to counter a deep and talented Marquette bench.
At point guard, Junior Cadougan came up big in MU's weekend win over DePaul, with 17 points on 8-13 shooting. He was far less effective in the first Georgetown game at 1 for 10, and Markel Starks will be challenged to keep Cadougan from taking over the scoring sheets. Starks led the Hoyas with 18 in the Jan. 5 game and needs a strong effort from outside to open up lanes in the middle.
The shooting guard battle figures to be about defense, particularly from Jabril Trawick, who has been less effective as a scorer in recent games but consistently tough on defense. MU's Vander Blue seeks to escape the blanket Georgetown has put on opponent leading scorers, but must keep Blue off the line where he can really hurt the opposition. For his part, Trawick must assume a larger share of the offense that he did agaisnt Rutgers, with just one basket in 24 minutes.
Forward Trent Lockett had a resounding 10 rebounds against the Hoyas on Jan. 4, but will likely see a rotation of D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera and Nate Lubick seeking to keep him from exploiting the Hoyas inside. Juan Anderson is the nominal power forward but his minutes may be diminished if GU can properly execute its offense inside. Smith-Rivera's numbers are on the rise while Lubick must avoid a repeat of his early out against Rutgers by avoiding cheap fouls and be more aggressive with his shots.
After an encouraging effort against Rutgers, Georgetown's Mikael Hopkins seeks an encore performance with Marquette, which may prove difficult. Chris Otule will likely give way to 6-8, 290 lb. Davante Gardner, who has been a problem for Georgetown in recent games between the schools. Like Lubick, Hopkins most avoid early foul trouble and keep Gardner from camping out inside.
The Warriors own a a significant advantage on the bench. Where the Hoyas do not expect any significant points outside Smith-Rivera, Marquette will look to a bench that averages over 30 points a game, including Gardner, 6-7 Jamil Wilson, 6-3 guard Todd Mayo, and 6-7 forward Steve Taylor. In its most recent loss, the MU bench contributed just 10 points vs. Louisville, compared to 36 in the weekend win over DePaul.
Other keys to the game:
- Second Chances Yes, Marquette does not shoot well from outside, but the Warriors are even on offensive rebounds with their opponents, with about 12 second chance possessions per game.
- Foul Trouble: Georgetown's lineup cannot absorb early or extended foul trouble.
- Keep Off The Line: MU is a combined +55 on free throws in Big East play, and was a +6 in th one point win over GU last month.
- Nate Lubick: Georgetown needs 8, 6, 5, and 3 from Lubick tonight: eight or more points, six or more rebounds, five assists, and three or less fouls .
- Turnovers: The Hoyas must stay under 14 turnovers.
- Down The Stretch They Come...: Games in this series tend to be settled in the last 2-3 minutes of play. To be in the best position possible, GU needs its best five on the court and to control tempo that Marquette will want to expedite.
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