Coming off a solid non-conference slate capped by a 6-game win streak, the Georgetown Hoyas men’s basketball team is now driving right into one of the toughest conferences in the country. The Big East is loaded from top-to-bottom, with Villanova and Butler both in the top-10 and five other teams hovering near the top-25 rankings. Georgetown will have their work cut out for them if they hope to make it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Patrick Ewing’s tutelage, but so far, the progress is promising.
How to Watch Georgetown Basketball Online
- Next Game: Georgetown vs Seton Hall, Friday, January 3rd, 9:00 PM
- TV Channel: FS1
- Streaming option for the season: fuboTV (try for free)
Georgetown currently sits at 10-4 after a blowout loss to Providence in their Big East opener. The Hoyas amassed a 10-3 record against a non-conference schedule that ranked 87th in the country, according to Kenpom. They seemingly set a poor tone to the season by losing to Penn State by 15 points, but the Nittany Lions have continued to impress and now occupy the #21 ranking in the country. Ewing’s players followed the disappointing loss with a statement win over the residing #22 team, Texas, at MSG, and an 8-point loss to Duke in the Empire Classic Final – a frustrating foul-ridden affair on the Hoyas side after being tied at halftime.
But of all the dark marks against the Hoyas, much has been made of Georgetown’s loss to UNC Greensboro. However, the Spartans are ranked above a Stephen F. Austin team that knocked off Duke earlier in the season, per College Insider. UNCG has become a perennial Southern Conference favorite thanks to the excellent coaching of Wes Miller, and are a good bet to make the NCAA Tournament two years removed from nearly knocking out #4 seed Gonzaga in the first round. Add in Greensboro’s loss to a good NC State squad at the buzzer, and the defeat doesn’t look nearly as bad for Patrick Ewing’s team.
The Hoyas are led by senior NC State transfer Omer Yurtseven, a 7-footer with strong interior footwork. The big man is currently averaging a double-double, with 18 points and 10 rebounds per game. The household name, however, is sophomore Mac McClung, who has featured more than once on SportsCenter’s Top 10 thanks to his highlight-reel dunks. McClung is chipping in 15.5 points per game and has been particularly explosive in big games, including a 26-point performance against rival Syracuse and a 33-point outburst against an undefeated Oklahoma State team.
Entering Big East play, Georgetown is now more reliant on these two than ever, after four players departed the program in December. Starting point guard and seemingly critical cog James Akinjo decided to transfer for personal reasons, while Josh LeBlanc, Myron Gardner, and Galen Alexander were each mentioned in civil complaints and also entered the transfer portal. That leaves the Hoyas with seven scholarship players to rotate, which dropped to six when McClung sat out in Georgetown’s loss to Providence.
Overall, the shorter rotation has worked in the Hoyas’ favor. Since the departure of Akinjo and LeBlanc, the squad has gone from averaging 14.5 assists/game to 17.7 as they’ve worked the ball around more. Meanwhile, one of the major issues that have plagued Georgetown the last few seasons, turnovers, has also improved, with the team’s turnover percentage dropping from 19% to 15.3% per 100 possessions. Ewing will hope that his team’s performance in Providence was an aberration caused by McClung’s absence as the Hoyas head to Newark to face Seton Hall.
This year’s Big East is one of the deepest in recent memory, as Marquette and Markus Howard, Seton Hall led by Myles Powell, Creighton, Xavier, St. John’s, and even DePaul are all coming off good non-conference performances in addition to the two ranked squads, Butler and Villanova. The conference tradition of teams trading wins and losses should be more rampant than ever, and Georgetown will need to outperform their 9-9 Big East record from last year in order to solidify their place in the Big Dance.
Georgetown Hoyas Men’s Basketball TV Schedule
at Seton Hall – Fri, Jan. 3, 9:00 PM – FS1
vs St. John’s – Wed, Jan. 8, 6:30 PM – FS1
at Villanova – Sat, Jan. 11, 12:00 PM – FS1
vs Creighton – Wed, Jan. 15, 7:00 PM – CBS Sports Network
vs Marquette – Sat, Jan. 18, 2:00 PM – FS1
at Xavier – Sat, Jan. 22, 6:30 PM – FS1
vs Butler – Tue, Jan. 28, 9:00 PM – CBS Sports Network
at St. John’s – Sun, Feb. 2, 1:00 PM – CBS
vs Seton Hall – Wed, Feb. 5, 8:30 PM – FS1
vs DePaul – Sat, Feb. 8, 12:00 PM
at Butler – Sat, Feb. 15, 2:30 PM – FOX
vs Providence – Wed, Feb. 19, 8:30 PM – FS1
at DePaul – Sat, Feb. 22, 9:00 PM – FS1
at Marquette – Wed, Feb. 26, 8:30 PM – FS1
vs Xavier – Sun, Mar. 1, 2:00 PM – CBS
at Creighton – Wed, Mar. 4, 8:00 PM
vs Villanova – Sat, Mar. 7, 12:00 PM – FOX
We recommend interesting sports viewing and streaming opportunities. If you sign up to a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.
