Game 18: Seton Hall University (9-8)
Jan 10, 8:30 pm (EST)
Washington, DC
Capital One Arena (20,500)
Tickets: Available
Media:
TV: Fox Sports 1
GU Radio: WTEM-980
BU Radio: WNYM-970
About the Pirates:
Location: South Orange, NJ
Enrollment: 5,913
Conference: Big East
2021-22 Record: 21-11
Record vs. Georgetown: 55-60
Media Notes: Click Here
Meet The Coach:
Shaheen Holloway
(Seton Hall '00)
1st season, 9-8
Career: 73-65
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Expected Starters |
Name |
Ht. |
Pts. |
Al-Amir Dawes |
6-2 |
11.0 |
Kadary Richmond |
6-6 |
9.9 |
Femi Odukale |
6-6 |
6.4 |
KC Ndefo |
6-6 |
6.4 |
Tyrese Samuel |
6-10 |
11.0 |
|
Team Stats: |
Points/Game: |
69.8 |
Points Allowed: |
64.4 |
FG Shooting: |
44.3 |
FG Defense |
40.3 |
3FG Shooting: |
30.7 |
FT Shooting: |
67.6 |
Rebounds/Game |
37.1 |
Assists/Game |
12.4 |
Turnovers/Game |
15.0 |
|
Last 5 Games (2-3) |
12/20: Xavier 73, SHU 70
12/27: Marquette 83, SHU 68
12/31: SHU 88, St. John's 66
01/03: Creighton 83, SHU 61
01/07: SHU 76, Butler 51
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Preview
Two home games in the next two weeks appear, at a distance, to being the only games preventing a 100th career loss for Patrick Ewing by the end of January. Tuesday's meeting with Seton Hall presents the 5-12 Hoyas its best opportunity for a win over the next three weeks.
The Pirates return one starter from the team that swept the Hoyas in three meetings last season; at 9-8 this season, it's been an up and down season to date. With its best win being a 45-43 rock fight over Rutgers, the Pirates are a capable defensive team that can struggle on offense, especially on the perimeter. Seton Hall had lost four of five games before a 76-51 win at home versus Butler where the Pirates held the Bulldogs to 26 percent shooting.
Seton Hall is 0-3 on the road in Big East play this season. Then again, Georgetown is 0-3 at home in Big East play this season, so something's got to give.
Clemson transfer El-Amir Dawes is enjoying some his better play of late, with three consecutive games shooting 50 percent or better from the floor after shooting 25 percent combined in his three prior games. For a team which has no go-to shooters from deep, Dawes is the Pirates' best option, shooting 41 percent from the perimeter this season, but is underwater on his assist turnover ratio. Dawes had no turnovers in 31 minutes versus Butler after coughing up eight in his prior two games, so ball possession is vital for him to lead.
Junior Kadary Richmond averaged nine points in three games versus GU last season, which tracks to this season and his career numbers. A 28 point effort versus Providence and a 19 point, six assist effort versus Marquette are season highs to date, but are outliers. Richmond's numbers are improving this season, with an 11 point, nine assist effort versus Butler. Not known for outside shooting (just eight threes all season), Richmond is as good a candidate as any to have a big night against the Hoyas, but will otherwise focus on drives inside.
One of the players that followed Shaheen Holloway from St. Peter's, grad transfer Kenechukwu ("KC") Ndefo, has struggled at the Big East level and is foul prone. A 52 percent shooter for the season, he leads the team in blocks and is second in rebounds, but can disappear in games. Across the court, junior college forward Femi Odukale remains inconsistent. A 16 point effort versus a very good Creighton team preceded a 1 for 4 effort versus Butler. Odukale has only six threes in has last 12 games, and will be sought more for his defense than his scoring.
For the Pirates to win, they will need a strong game from two veterans: one a starter, one a sixth man. Junior center Tyrese Samuel, a three time Big East All-Academic selection, leads the team in scoring and has double figures in four of his last five games. A 19 point, seven rebound effort in the game with Butler would a considerable step forward versus the Hoyas, which held him to just 10 points in three games last season. One player to watch is sixth man Tray Jackson, who went for 21 last season at Capital One Arena but just seven pints combined in the two other games versus Georgetown last season. He currently leads the Pirates off the bench in field goal and three point shooting, so he is capable of big things in this game.
So why are the Pirates sitting at 9-8 and 2-4 in the Big East? Seton Hall is a solid defensive team, and in their wins have held opponents to just 52.5 points a game. That's a figure which calls to mind some of the John Thompson III teams of old, but those Georgetown teams struggled against teams that got hot (Davidson, Ohio, VCU, et al.) and Georgetown didn't have the horses to come roaring back. Same with the Hall.
In this sense, Georgetown can win this game by staying close and not surrendering some 18-2 mid second half run that it cannot recover from. Otherwise, the Hoyas are candidates to follow a patter that befell Butler last weekend; namely, a game where it is ground down defensively and unable to score enough points to even contend.
Some other keys to the game:
1. Primo Spears: Georgetown's leading scorer continues to be contained by more watchful Big East defenses. Spears matched his 18 points versus marquete over 18 in his prior three games combined, but the Hoyas need 20 or more from him to be competitive in this one.
2. Inside Game: This is one of the few games remaining where Georgetown has a decided edge inside: use it.
3. Perimeter Defense: It's a real problem spot for Georgetown, but given how poorly Seton Hall executes from the outside, but it still needs to be a point of emphasis. Any more than seven threes in this game from the Pirates is a red flag for Georgetown.
4. Forty Percent: Seton Hall is 7-1 when holding opponents under 40% and 2-6 when allowing more than tat. The Hoyas have topped 40 percent in four of their last seven, but have dropped all of them. In games under 40 percent this season, Georgetown is 0-5.