Georgetown Basketball

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The Georgetown Hoyas enter the halfway point of Big East play with as many conference wins as the past three years combined, yet there is a sense that it has left some opportunities on the table.

Saturday's 78-68 loss at Providence was Georgetown's first double digit loss of the season in Big East play, following consecutive losses of five points each to DePaul and St. John's. As the Redmen make a return trip to Capital One Arena Tuesday evening, it has won six straight, though only one of these wins was outside the New York metropolitan area.

This is a St. John's team that relishes the comeback. The Redmen came from 14 down in the second half to beat the Hoyas on January 14, and rallied from 16 down to force overtime versus Xavier, en route to last week's 79-71 win.

"We cannot take losses," proclaimed St. John's coach Rick Pitino following the Xavier game. "It's a non-negotiable thing for us, and that's the attitude we have, and that's where we come back."

St. John's has been riding a five man lineup through much of this win streak, owing to the continuing shoulder injury of guard Deivon Smith. Averaging 17 points per game, Smith played 16 minutes versus Seton hall, was 0-6, and did not play in the Xavier game. He is not listed a a projected starter in the St. John's media notes, which will see Simeon Wilcher (9.3) get the start. After two sub-par efforts against GU and Seton Hall, Wilcher went for 16 points and three assists in the Xavier game, and will be a capable defender against a still-inconsistent Malik Mack. Wilcher's rise has come as Aaron Scott's numbers have fallen, fouling out with only five points in the aforementioned Xavier game. In Smith's absence, Scott is the best of a starting five that is ineffective from outside. Scott shoots just 24 percent from three in Big East action and 28 percent overall, but can defend and force turnovers, with 28 steals on the season.

One of the keys to St. John's in this game may well be the play of small forward Kadary Richmond, who has picked up his scoring within the past three games. Richmond had 19 points and seven rebounds in the Xavier game, and is now playing to the form that set himself apart during his years at Seton Hall. Fellow St. John's forward R.J. Luis has been strong as usual, averaging 20 points over his last two games and serving as an active rebounder on the defensive end, averaging 8.3 rebounds over his past six games. If the Redmen can get another strong effort inside from Zuby Ejiofor, who was 7 for 11 and 16 points in the Xavier win, his defense on Thomas Sorber will be a key subplot in the ability of St. John's to force GU to settle for bad shots and to convert on transition.

Georgetown has lost four of five as the higher competition has made its presence felt, but the team is running into a pattern where the Hoyas will only go as far as Sorber and Micah Peavy will take them, and a veteran coach like Pitino knows just what to do about it. Its guard play must be much more efficient than what Mack and Jayden Epps have done to date, Caleb Williams needs to contribute, and Drew Fielder must step forward to take pressure off Sorber. The bench? Well, it's a problem with no easy solutions.

Some keys to the game:

1. Turnovers: St. John's picked up 20 points from 19 Georgetown turnovers two weeks ago. The Hoyas must maintain ball control.

2. Second Half Scoring: St. John's has held three of its last four opponents under 36 percent shooting after halftime, and the fourth shot just 40 percent. If GU is to withstand a second half run from the Redmen, it must shoot its way to victory.

3. Threes: The Hoyas rank 9th of 11 Big East in three pointers in conference play. At 11th is, St. John's, shooting just 22 percent from the floor. If either teams suddenly find gold from beyond the arc. they could put this game away.

Georgetown seeks to end an eight game losing streak to St. John's, the longest in the series since a 10 game run from 1949 through 1972.

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