Preview
With the collective angst excised from of five years of opening round defeats, Georgetown and its fans turn to a tougher test at hand: a Utah club that is everything Eastern Washington isn't.
EWU represented an amalgam of the teams which had bedeviled Georgetown in the past: the Stephen Curry-like marksman, the three point shooting of an Ohio, the defensive havoc of a VCU, and a coach who would like to have been the next Andy Enfield. Utah is none of these--a solid, defensive minded team who will play methodically and pound the ball inside. The utes allow less than 57 points per game, are fourth in the nation in two point defense, and are shooting 48 percent from the field, good for 13th in the nation. They are big inside and average five blocks a game, and have held 24 opponents this year under 64 points per game. Instead of thinking of Utah as another VCU or Florida Gulf Coast, think Wisconsin or Xavier.
(OK, maybe not Xavier.)
A great post at the HoyaTalk board by "DaytonaHoya 31" laid out the key elements of th Utah starting five. It is excerpted below for additional reading:
"Offense - Everything runs through Wright when the Utes have the ball. They run a motion offense, a ton of pick and rolls and besides pace of play, Utah very much reminds me of an NBA type offense. They value spacing. They try to get the ball inside to Jakob Poeltl - their NBA prospect freshman center. They have great shooting on the wings in Brandon Taylor and Jordan Loveridge. They have a dirty work guy inside named Chris Reyes. A lot of talent, and yet Utah many times struggles mightily to score the basketball. Part of this is due to pace of play. 85 percent of their possessions go at least 25 seconds. And outside of Wright and Taylor, they don't have many guys who can go and get their own shots. Wright truly means everything to this team, and Taylor truthfully isn't that far behind. You take their offense and combine it with their defense, and this game on Saturday may struggle to get to the 60's. If we can find a way to score 70, it may be tough for the Utes to beat us.
Defense: This is where the Utes are elite. Wright is a plus defender. Taylor - for his lack of size - is a wonderful defender. Poeltl is a wonderful defender and Utah funnels a lot towards him and his shotblocking abilities. Schematically, the Utes play a lot of man, and will mix in some zone. They don't extend their defense all that often. They just lock up from the three point line down to the hoop. That said, not sure they've seen a guy like Josh Smith this season. They have seen a guy like DSR in Joe Young from Oregon. DSR isn't as aggressive offensively as Young, but he's got the same ability to break a team down like Young did, and the Utes really struggled with him twice this season. So how they defend DSR and who they defend him with will be interesting to see for sure.
"Delon Wright: He's an awful lot like Kris Dunn from Providence, only better IMO. Both are NBA guys, but Wright is a little more refined in his game. Wright is tall at 6-5, he's a wonderful point guard. He gets into the lane at will. He's by far the best Utah player in transition. He finishes at the rim, and he's a better shooter than his numbers suggest. He's simply a load. Defensively, he's one of the most opportunistic guys I've seen in a long time at the college level. He jumps passing lanes. He's an elite shotblocker for his position and he's an elite rebounder for his position. He's a triple double threat. He reminds me of a 6-5 Rajon Rondo. He's also a great foul shooter, so we want to keep him off the line. He'll make them. Does he have a weakness? Well, he doesn't shoot it great from three, and he doesn't attack offensively for 40 minutes. He's unselfish, almost to a fault. And defensively, while he's a great help defender, he's not a great man defender. I've seen guys get after him a little bit (Young, Nigel Williams-Goss from Washington)."
"Brandon Wright: Has had a career year. Is by far Utah's best perimeter shooter. He's small at 5-9, but he's great off the dribble, and he gets great elevation on his jumper, so people rarely bother his shot. He was a lot more like a spot up shooter in years past, now he gets to the basket and can finish. He's Utah's best perimeter defender as well. I think he actually may be the guy who matches up with DSR, not Wright. Taylor is in many ways the heart and soul of this team. He's the vocal leader on the floor (Wright is not very vocal) and he's the guy whom everyone listens to. He's in a lot of ways almost as important to this team as Wright is. He's made a ton of big shots this year, and he's as tough as they come. "
"Jakob Poeltl: Probably an NBA guy. Probably the most talented big Utah has had since Andrew Bogut. He's 7-0, very mobile and athletic. He's good on the block and good in pick and roll. He can do a lot of damage without needing the ball. Poeltl is foul prone. He spent most of Pac-12 conference season battling foul issues. He has Josh Smith syndrome: He gets called for a ton of BS because he's big, and guards run into him and flop and get the call. Him and Josh will be a key matchup. This game may very well hinge on which one of those guys can stay on the floor. Poeltl is a bad free throw shooter. So we have 15 fouls in the middle, and we should use them.
So what does Georgetown do?
The Wisconsin game may offer some clues. While Georgetown was able to get more points in the paint (32-22), points off turnovers and fouls ultimately gave the Badgers the margin of victory. Utah's defense will challenge D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera in the open court, but if Georgetown can return to a better series of passing sets, DSR will have opportunities to exploit the Utes in the half court. DSR will need scoring support in the mid-court, however. L.J. Peak's lack of a mid range shot is more than evident at season's end and Utah will severely limit his ability to drive inside. Isaac Copeland, who saw five minutes of time in the November 27 game versus the Badgers, will be a key part of Georgetown's ability to take advantage of mid-range opportunities.
The inside game will be key. Maybe it's too late in Josh Smith's college career to expect him to avoid the bad habits which rendered him a non-factor versus Eastern Washington, but Smith is 40 minutes removed from the end of that college career if he does not avoid the cheap fouls which are plaguing the Hoyas. Smith needs a 25 minute, 12 point game--his rebounding numbers have been poor for much of the season and needs a 7+ effort in this one.
Another player to watch is the much improved play of senior Mikael Hopkins. Hopkins' defensive intensity and foul shooting bailed out the hoyas on Thursday, and he must avoid extended fouls as well. Bradley Hayes had his moment versus EWU but Utah would not be as accommodating. Georgetown needs Hopkins to stay on the court.
Some keys to the game:
The delineation among great Georgetown teams is often set by which ones advanced past this round. The 1985-86, 1989-90, 1991-92, and 2007-08 teams remain under appreciated because they never advanced to the regionals where they could have been something special. For all the ups and downs of this team, at this time, the opportunity to do something special still remains, and it's an opportunity worth taking.
With the collective angst excised from of five years of opening round defeats, Georgetown and its fans turn to a tougher test at hand: a Utah club that is everything Eastern Washington isn't.
EWU represented an amalgam of the teams which had bedeviled Georgetown in the past: the Stephen Curry-like marksman, the three point shooting of an Ohio, the defensive havoc of a VCU, and a coach who would like to have been the next Andy Enfield. Utah is none of these--a solid, defensive minded team who will play methodically and pound the ball inside. The utes allow less than 57 points per game, are fourth in the nation in two point defense, and are shooting 48 percent from the field, good for 13th in the nation. They are big inside and average five blocks a game, and have held 24 opponents this year under 64 points per game. Instead of thinking of Utah as another VCU or Florida Gulf Coast, think Wisconsin or Xavier.
(OK, maybe not Xavier.)
A great post at the HoyaTalk board by "DaytonaHoya 31" laid out the key elements of th Utah starting five. It is excerpted below for additional reading:
"Offense - Everything runs through Wright when the Utes have the ball. They run a motion offense, a ton of pick and rolls and besides pace of play, Utah very much reminds me of an NBA type offense. They value spacing. They try to get the ball inside to Jakob Poeltl - their NBA prospect freshman center. They have great shooting on the wings in Brandon Taylor and Jordan Loveridge. They have a dirty work guy inside named Chris Reyes. A lot of talent, and yet Utah many times struggles mightily to score the basketball. Part of this is due to pace of play. 85 percent of their possessions go at least 25 seconds. And outside of Wright and Taylor, they don't have many guys who can go and get their own shots. Wright truly means everything to this team, and Taylor truthfully isn't that far behind. You take their offense and combine it with their defense, and this game on Saturday may struggle to get to the 60's. If we can find a way to score 70, it may be tough for the Utes to beat us.
Defense: This is where the Utes are elite. Wright is a plus defender. Taylor - for his lack of size - is a wonderful defender. Poeltl is a wonderful defender and Utah funnels a lot towards him and his shotblocking abilities. Schematically, the Utes play a lot of man, and will mix in some zone. They don't extend their defense all that often. They just lock up from the three point line down to the hoop. That said, not sure they've seen a guy like Josh Smith this season. They have seen a guy like DSR in Joe Young from Oregon. DSR isn't as aggressive offensively as Young, but he's got the same ability to break a team down like Young did, and the Utes really struggled with him twice this season. So how they defend DSR and who they defend him with will be interesting to see for sure.
"Delon Wright: He's an awful lot like Kris Dunn from Providence, only better IMO. Both are NBA guys, but Wright is a little more refined in his game. Wright is tall at 6-5, he's a wonderful point guard. He gets into the lane at will. He's by far the best Utah player in transition. He finishes at the rim, and he's a better shooter than his numbers suggest. He's simply a load. Defensively, he's one of the most opportunistic guys I've seen in a long time at the college level. He jumps passing lanes. He's an elite shotblocker for his position and he's an elite rebounder for his position. He's a triple double threat. He reminds me of a 6-5 Rajon Rondo. He's also a great foul shooter, so we want to keep him off the line. He'll make them. Does he have a weakness? Well, he doesn't shoot it great from three, and he doesn't attack offensively for 40 minutes. He's unselfish, almost to a fault. And defensively, while he's a great help defender, he's not a great man defender. I've seen guys get after him a little bit (Young, Nigel Williams-Goss from Washington)."
"Brandon Wright: Has had a career year. Is by far Utah's best perimeter shooter. He's small at 5-9, but he's great off the dribble, and he gets great elevation on his jumper, so people rarely bother his shot. He was a lot more like a spot up shooter in years past, now he gets to the basket and can finish. He's Utah's best perimeter defender as well. I think he actually may be the guy who matches up with DSR, not Wright. Taylor is in many ways the heart and soul of this team. He's the vocal leader on the floor (Wright is not very vocal) and he's the guy whom everyone listens to. He's in a lot of ways almost as important to this team as Wright is. He's made a ton of big shots this year, and he's as tough as they come. "
"Jakob Poeltl: Probably an NBA guy. Probably the most talented big Utah has had since Andrew Bogut. He's 7-0, very mobile and athletic. He's good on the block and good in pick and roll. He can do a lot of damage without needing the ball. Poeltl is foul prone. He spent most of Pac-12 conference season battling foul issues. He has Josh Smith syndrome: He gets called for a ton of BS because he's big, and guards run into him and flop and get the call. Him and Josh will be a key matchup. This game may very well hinge on which one of those guys can stay on the floor. Poeltl is a bad free throw shooter. So we have 15 fouls in the middle, and we should use them.
So what does Georgetown do?
The Wisconsin game may offer some clues. While Georgetown was able to get more points in the paint (32-22), points off turnovers and fouls ultimately gave the Badgers the margin of victory. Utah's defense will challenge D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera in the open court, but if Georgetown can return to a better series of passing sets, DSR will have opportunities to exploit the Utes in the half court. DSR will need scoring support in the mid-court, however. L.J. Peak's lack of a mid range shot is more than evident at season's end and Utah will severely limit his ability to drive inside. Isaac Copeland, who saw five minutes of time in the November 27 game versus the Badgers, will be a key part of Georgetown's ability to take advantage of mid-range opportunities.
The inside game will be key. Maybe it's too late in Josh Smith's college career to expect him to avoid the bad habits which rendered him a non-factor versus Eastern Washington, but Smith is 40 minutes removed from the end of that college career if he does not avoid the cheap fouls which are plaguing the Hoyas. Smith needs a 25 minute, 12 point game--his rebounding numbers have been poor for much of the season and needs a 7+ effort in this one.
Another player to watch is the much improved play of senior Mikael Hopkins. Hopkins' defensive intensity and foul shooting bailed out the hoyas on Thursday, and he must avoid extended fouls as well. Bradley Hayes had his moment versus EWU but Utah would not be as accommodating. Georgetown needs Hopkins to stay on the court.
Some keys to the game:
- Inside Play: Georgetown's height is underrated given how ineffective Smith has become. If he can be more assertive without being more aggressive, Georgetown can own an advantage.
- Turnovers: Hoyas must stay under 11 turnovers to contend.
- Emotion, Not Temper : Jabril Trawick must stay focused without getting into trouble. His chest-swat in the EWU game will not go so well in a game like this.
- Test the Three: Utah is holding opponents under 32% from three. If Georgetown can get hot, great, but don't commit to the outside shot as its only hope.
The delineation among great Georgetown teams is often set by which ones advanced past this round. The 1985-86, 1989-90, 1991-92, and 2007-08 teams remain under appreciated because they never advanced to the regionals where they could have been something special. For all the ups and downs of this team, at this time, the opportunity to do something special still remains, and it's an opportunity worth taking.
