Game 31: St. John's University (18-12)
Mar. 9, 12:00 pm EST
New York, NY
Madison Square Garden
Tickets: Available
Media:
TV: Fox Broadcast
GU Radio: WTEM-980
SJU Radio: Varsity App
About the Redmen:
Location: New York, NY
Enrollment: 15,700
Conference: Big East
2022-23 Record: 18-15
Record vs. Georgetown: 66-57
Meet The Coach:
Rick Pitino
(Massachusetts '74)
1st season, 18-12
Career: 852-305
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Expected Starters |
Name |
Ht. |
Pts. |
Daniss Jenkins |
6-4 |
14.4 |
Jordan Dingle |
6-3 |
11.3 |
Glenn Taylor |
6-7 |
4.4 |
Chris Ledlum |
6-6 |
9.4 |
Joel Soriano |
6-11 |
14.2 |
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Team Stats: |
Points/Game: |
77.8 |
Points Allowed: |
71.0 |
FG Shooting: |
44.8 |
FG Defense |
42.8 |
3FG Shooting: |
33.5 |
FT Shooting: |
71.4 |
Rebounds/Game |
39.4 |
Assists/Game |
15.9 |
Turnovers/Game |
11.0 |
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Last 5 Games (4-1) |
02/18: Seton Hall 68, SJ 62
02/21: SJ 90, Georgetown 85
02/25: SJ 80, Creighton 66
02/28: SJ 82, Butler 59
03/05: SJ 104, DePaul 77
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If the last two seasons of the Patrick Ewing was the basketball version of a slow motion car crash, the first year of the Ed Cooley era has been, to some, watching that car just sit there, waiting for the ignition to turn over.
No one in blue and gray was making reservations for the NCAA regionals with the roster which began this season, but few predicted how little the Hoyas would improve thereafter. Entering the regular season finale against an improving St. John's team this Saturday, Georgetown has no wins over team ranked in the top 125 in the NCAA NET rankings and just one win over any team with a winning record: a two point win over Merrimack on November 29.
It's not like Georgetown haven't had opportunities: five games when holding leads in the final two minutes, losing all five. The collective release if Georgetown could get just one... one lucky break as the season concludes over the next week wouldn't make up for five months of heartbreak and frustration, but provide the kind of a result any rebuilding team needs into the off-season.
St. John's, which did not miss a field goal in the final 5:15 of a 90-85 win at Capital One Arena two weeks ago, is the kind of opponent GU can compete with. The Redmen are are playing for the post-season for the first time in five years and need this game and probably one win in the Big East tournament to make its case. Yes, St. John's are 18 point favorites. Yes, they have won six straight versus Georgetown, the most in over two decades. But can Georgetown put 40 minutes together for once?
This preview will discuss how the Redmen have fared since its game on February 21 with the Hoyas: in two words, very well. The starting five for St. John's has excelled in its last four games, avoiding much of the sloppy offensive play and a visibly shaky defense which defined much of its season to that point. This is the case with point guard Daniss Jenkins, averaging 15.2 points over his last four games shooting 54 percent from the field, much of it on penetrations inside the there point line., Jenkins scored 15 on the Hoyas at Capital One Arena, including a key jumper with 1:02 remaining. Jenkins has also been proficient on ball handling, with 22 assists against nine turnovers in this run, though five of these nine turnovers came against Georgetown.
No one starter defines the St. John's resurgence as has Jordan Dingle, who came off thee straight single digit figures in the SJU losing streak to lead the Redmen with 22 against the Hoyas, adding to the momentum with 18 against Creighton and 19 against DePaul. With opponent off guards having great success versus Georgetown of late with the wayward defense of Jayden Epps and Jay Heath, Dingle is in line for another big day; of course, a tighter defense could be invaluable to the Hoyas on the margin. However, they haven't shown it to date.
Oregon State transfer Glenn Taylor got the start over R.J. Luis in the Feb. 21 game and while he has not been as strong on the offensive side of the stat sheet, his defense is keeping him in the lineup entering the season finale. A 17 point effort in 30 minutes versus Butler is a season high, and if he gets time on the court he can be productive. Luis is still effective coming off the bench, with double figures in three of his last four games and had 19 points and six rebounds versus the Hoyas on Feb. 21.
Inside, St. John's needs a strong game from grad transfer Chris Ledlum, who continues to be inconsistent on both ends of the court. Ledlum had 12 in the SJU win two weeks ago, but can get lost in games and does not get as many scoring touches,. Such was not the case versus DePaul, where Ledlum was 8 of 11 from the floor for 19 points and eight rebounds in the rout. Similar inconsistency has been seen from center Joel Soriano, who was just 6 for 14 from inside over his last two games and is vital if St. John's is to advance at next week's conference tournament. Of note: Soriano is foul prone and if either he or Georgetown's Supreme Cook sit for extended portions of the game, this will affect the flow of the game for the respective team.
Three common themes continue to bury the 2023-24 Hoyas as the season winds down: inside defense, poor outside shooting, and a lack of a consistent second option if Epps is not on target. Of these, the thee point shooting is the only one which can pivot on shorter notice. Georgetown is last in the Big East in shooting and field goal defense, and its three point shooting (.324) is ninth overall in the conference. Shooting 4 for 20, as it did Tuesday versus Providence, is not going to win games, period.
Keys to the game are the same as they were for the first meeting:
1. Epps Must Lead: Jayden Epps is shooting under 29 percent in the last three games, 4 for 187 from thee point range. Georgetown doesn't win with numbers like this.
2. Defend & Deny: Georgetown must defend the perimeter and deny St. John's opportunities to Soriano inside. For 36 minutes in th4e first meeting this held, but....
3. Win The Last Four Minutes: Georgetown has flat lined in the last four minutes of the first (and second) halves for much of this season. As such, the Hoyas must get offense in these critical time windows. On Feb. 21, Georgetown outscored St. John's 12-2 to end the first half and 20-14 to end the second half, which is why the game was competitive late.
A win in this game for the Hoyas would not only be a body blow to the NCAA prospects of Rick Pitino and the Redmen, but possible force a third game in the series on Wednesday. A loss likely sends the Hoyas to a third game against Providence.