- Georgetown is the first ranked team Xavier has played this season.
- Xavier is 22-2 at Cintas Center over the last two seasons.
Preview
After seven home games, a trip to the Bahamas, and a weekend stop at Madison Square Garden, the 25th rankled Georgetown Hoyas make its fist road trip of the 2014-15 season late Wednesday night, where a raucous Xavier crowd and a 10 pm start will see if the Hoyas can contain the Big East's top-ranked offense this season to date.
The 9-3 Xavier Musketeers enter Wednesday's game leading the Big East in scoring (81.8 ppg.), shooting (50.9% from the field), rebound margin (a net +6.5 per game), and assists (18.2). Each of these tools proved effective when X defeated Georgetown last year at home, but will be put to the test with a key Georgetown addition in the middle.
Xavier presents a challenge to Georgetown with a balanced scoring effort--five different Musketeers have led its team in scoring over the past six games. A key emphasis will be in the starting backcourt, which combined for 35 points in last season's win at Cintas Center but was contained in the rematch in Washington, Semaj Christon left early and ended up in the D-League, but Dee Davis remains a mainstay of the Xavier lineup. The 6-0 guard is one of the Big east leaders in assists (5.3 per game) but will need a strong offensive effort as well on Wednesday. Davis had a season high 17 against Missouri on Dec. 13 but was just 4 for 12 in its most recent game with Florida Gulf Coast. Davis's combination of passing and driving must be taken into account, but the X-men are also getting a boost from 6-4 junior Remy Abell, averaging 12.4 ppg over his last five game and shooting at a 57 percent rate this season. Much like Davis, Abell is not an outside scorer, but can drive and pick up fouls. Xavier's three point game is aided by sophomore guard Myles Davis, averaging 48 percent from behind the arc.
At forward, 6-10 junior James Farr will face a defensive role similar to Georgetown's Mikael Hopkins, and both may see a lot of head to head action, Farr averages only 5.3 points per game but had nine rebounds in 19 minutes of action on the Musketeers' last game. Freshman Trevon Bluett leads the team in scoring, but much of his firepower came earlier in the season, with Wednesday's game a good early test as to his ability to take over a game. Up front, 6-10, 270 pound Matt Stainbrook is a big presence inside, but Wednesday's game will be Stainbrook's first meeting with Georgetown's Josh Smith, who was out of the 2013-14 lineup when the teams met last season. Stainbrook will give up over 50 pounds to Smith in the pivot but he is considerably more agile and his 97 assists are evidence that he can set up the play as well as convert.
Xavier presents a challenge much like Indiana--good shooting rom a variety of places on the court and a three point menace. For its part, Xavier must guard against defensive lapses, which have been a subplot in games earlier this season. The X-men made a statement of sorts when they held Florida Gulf Coast to 29 second half points in its most recent game, but Georgetown is not FGCU. Xavier owns a net 4.5 additional free throws made per game, which Georgetown must limit to contend late.
Some other keys to the game:
- 26 Minutes: That's the amount of time on the floor for Josh Smith on Saturday, a key factor in Georgetown's ability to stay close with indiana in the second half. With Stainbrook inside, Xavier needs Smith to lapse into early foul trouble which georgetown must take care to avoid, even if it means sitting him at various stretches of the game.
- Second Half Turnovers: The hoyas traditionally begins games a little sloppy, but were able to successfully avoid it in the second half versus Indiana, with just two turnovers compared to six for IU. Another efficient outcome is a plus in this game.
- Option Two: D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera reasserted his place atop the Georgetown scoring chart with his 29 point effort vs. IU, but a clear second option in scoring has not materialized. Xavier's defensive sets may be an opportunity for L.J. Peak to be more effective in an up-tempo set.
- Bench Play: The Xavier bench combines for 36 percent of the Musketeers' output per game.
- The finale of the Big East's 10 team, five game marathon promises to be a lively one, even if the audience fort the game may be distracted by the New Year's Eve clock. For the Hoyas, keeping control of Xavier's shot selection inside and a strong perimeter defense are likely to give it the best opportunity to ring in 2015 with the first of many Big East wins to come.
