Game Notes
Illinois is 47-1 in its last 48 regular season games .
Each of the last three seasons Illinois made it to #1 in the Associated Press poll, they advanced to the Final Four, including last season.
This is the second half of a home and away series between the schools. A renewal has not been announced.
Preview
For the second game in less than a week, Georgetown faces an opponent with an impeccable home court streak before a national audience. the prime time audience will see an Illinois team that has won 25 straight at home and 42 straight non-conference wins since 2000. But don't look past the opponent who is undefeated on the road, either.
Only two starters return from Illinois' NCAA finalist run in 2005, but the Illini are still a dangerous team and a step above the oregon team whose home court streak was broken by Georgetown on Saturday. Much as they were last season, Illinois is one of the best teams in the nation at making defensive adjustments, which demands the Hoyas do likewise.
Recent Illini games have seen a lot of this. Xavier shot 57% in the first half against Illinois, but the UI erased a ten point halftime lead by holding the Musketeers to 37% in the second. Arkansas-Little Rock kept it close with 42% shooting in the first half, then were shot down with a 28% effort in the second. It was a similar pattern in last year's game at MCI Center, where the Hoyas led for the first 16 minutes of the game before Illinois adjusted its defensive sets and took the Hoyas out of the game thereafter.
The Illini excelled all all phases of the game last year and have continued to do so this year. All-America candidate Dee Brown continues to lead the backcourt but look for reserve guard Jamar Smith (55% from 3) to spark the illini offense. Smith has scored 21 of his 27 baskets from behind the arc, and scored a career high 23 (with six threes) in Illinois' win over Arkansas-Little Rock. How do other matchups look? Here's a look at some potential matchups which await the Georgetown five on Thursday:
Rich McBride vs. Jonathan Wallace : The injury to Illinois' Chester Frazier will give point duties to McBride, who hass shot 1 for 13 in his last two games. Wallace has ben inconsistent on offense but has performed well of late defensively. If McBride falters, Dee Brown could also see time at the point.
Dee Brown vs. Ashanti Cook: What seemed a potential mismatch last year was a pretty tight matchup, with Cook outscoring Brown 97, and keeping Brown's scoring in check. For his part, Cook needs to continue to shoot well but also look for the assist--he has only three this season and the Hoyas as a whole are averaging only 11 per game, down five per game from this time last season.Still, Brown's court leadership will be a big plus for his team, and he is capable of some nice scoring runs as well.
Brian Randle vs. Brandon Bowman: Bowman shot poorly last season in a matchup last season with Illinois' Roger Powell, Jr., shooting 2 for 8 for 7 points. Georgetown will need Bowman to step up his play against Randle, a redshirt sophomore. Key stat to watch: Bowman's three point shooting is down to 27% this season after a healthy 36.5% average in 2004-05.
James Augustine vs. Jeff Green: Both players enjoyed strong performances in last season's matchup. Green, who has not yet risen to the levels seen last season, will be worth watching to see how he fares against the 6-10 Augustine, which will give GU fans an idea of what they can expect inside from Green during Big East play.
Shaun Pruitt vs. Roy Hibbert: An opportunity for Hibbert to get some attention, as Pruitt has slumped to a 3.0 ppg average in his last three games. Hibbert must stay out of foul trouble and give Green the opportunity to play outside the pivot. Illinois bench vs. Georgetown bench. Illinois is 42-3 since 2003 when their bench outscores the opposition, and while the Illini bench isn't as deep as last season, Jamar Smith and 6-9 Warren Carter figure to get more than Darrel Owens and what has become a thin GU bench after four games this season, and if foul troubles force the Hoyas to look for help, it's not clear what they'll find. Outside of Owens, the bench is a combined 5 for 16 this season and a third of the Georgetown roster (Dizdarevic, Thornton, Spann, Beal, and Izzo) has not seen any action this season
One stat to watch: second half points. Illinois is averaging just 27 points per game allowed in the second half. Georgetown put up 39 on Oregon in the second, and will need at least 30 to keep this one interesting.
This will be one of rare number of appearances on ESPN this year for the G-men, and if Illinois prevails, a lot of non-GU fans might be writing off the Hoyas a little too soon. Nonetheless, this is Georgetown's last major contest for a number of weeks leading into the UTEP Sun Bowl tournament and if it's not a final exam, it's a good test for what promises to be a good team at mid term.
Illinois is 47-1 in its last 48 regular season games .
Each of the last three seasons Illinois made it to #1 in the Associated Press poll, they advanced to the Final Four, including last season.
This is the second half of a home and away series between the schools. A renewal has not been announced.
Preview
For the second game in less than a week, Georgetown faces an opponent with an impeccable home court streak before a national audience. the prime time audience will see an Illinois team that has won 25 straight at home and 42 straight non-conference wins since 2000. But don't look past the opponent who is undefeated on the road, either.
Only two starters return from Illinois' NCAA finalist run in 2005, but the Illini are still a dangerous team and a step above the oregon team whose home court streak was broken by Georgetown on Saturday. Much as they were last season, Illinois is one of the best teams in the nation at making defensive adjustments, which demands the Hoyas do likewise.
Recent Illini games have seen a lot of this. Xavier shot 57% in the first half against Illinois, but the UI erased a ten point halftime lead by holding the Musketeers to 37% in the second. Arkansas-Little Rock kept it close with 42% shooting in the first half, then were shot down with a 28% effort in the second. It was a similar pattern in last year's game at MCI Center, where the Hoyas led for the first 16 minutes of the game before Illinois adjusted its defensive sets and took the Hoyas out of the game thereafter.
The Illini excelled all all phases of the game last year and have continued to do so this year. All-America candidate Dee Brown continues to lead the backcourt but look for reserve guard Jamar Smith (55% from 3) to spark the illini offense. Smith has scored 21 of his 27 baskets from behind the arc, and scored a career high 23 (with six threes) in Illinois' win over Arkansas-Little Rock. How do other matchups look? Here's a look at some potential matchups which await the Georgetown five on Thursday:
Rich McBride vs. Jonathan Wallace : The injury to Illinois' Chester Frazier will give point duties to McBride, who hass shot 1 for 13 in his last two games. Wallace has ben inconsistent on offense but has performed well of late defensively. If McBride falters, Dee Brown could also see time at the point.
Dee Brown vs. Ashanti Cook: What seemed a potential mismatch last year was a pretty tight matchup, with Cook outscoring Brown 97, and keeping Brown's scoring in check. For his part, Cook needs to continue to shoot well but also look for the assist--he has only three this season and the Hoyas as a whole are averaging only 11 per game, down five per game from this time last season.Still, Brown's court leadership will be a big plus for his team, and he is capable of some nice scoring runs as well.
Brian Randle vs. Brandon Bowman: Bowman shot poorly last season in a matchup last season with Illinois' Roger Powell, Jr., shooting 2 for 8 for 7 points. Georgetown will need Bowman to step up his play against Randle, a redshirt sophomore. Key stat to watch: Bowman's three point shooting is down to 27% this season after a healthy 36.5% average in 2004-05.
James Augustine vs. Jeff Green: Both players enjoyed strong performances in last season's matchup. Green, who has not yet risen to the levels seen last season, will be worth watching to see how he fares against the 6-10 Augustine, which will give GU fans an idea of what they can expect inside from Green during Big East play.
Shaun Pruitt vs. Roy Hibbert: An opportunity for Hibbert to get some attention, as Pruitt has slumped to a 3.0 ppg average in his last three games. Hibbert must stay out of foul trouble and give Green the opportunity to play outside the pivot. Illinois bench vs. Georgetown bench. Illinois is 42-3 since 2003 when their bench outscores the opposition, and while the Illini bench isn't as deep as last season, Jamar Smith and 6-9 Warren Carter figure to get more than Darrel Owens and what has become a thin GU bench after four games this season, and if foul troubles force the Hoyas to look for help, it's not clear what they'll find. Outside of Owens, the bench is a combined 5 for 16 this season and a third of the Georgetown roster (Dizdarevic, Thornton, Spann, Beal, and Izzo) has not seen any action this season
One stat to watch: second half points. Illinois is averaging just 27 points per game allowed in the second half. Georgetown put up 39 on Oregon in the second, and will need at least 30 to keep this one interesting.
This will be one of rare number of appearances on ESPN this year for the G-men, and if Illinois prevails, a lot of non-GU fans might be writing off the Hoyas a little too soon. Nonetheless, this is Georgetown's last major contest for a number of weeks leading into the UTEP Sun Bowl tournament and if it's not a final exam, it's a good test for what promises to be a good team at mid term.
