This is Senior Night for three Butler seniors who are a combined 48-17 at Hinkle Fieldhouse over their careers.
Preview
As series go, Tuesday's game with Butler is a one of a kind.
The last time Georgetown played three games against a single season in a season, the "Hilltoppers" took two of three from the Washington YMCA club in the 1914-15 season. A century later, thanks to an early appearance at the Battle 4 Atlantis, Butler and Georgetown meet for the third time this season, and know a lot about each other.
In the opener, the Georgetown starting five was 0-6 from three point range and combined for just 25 points in a 64-58 loss. In game two at Verizon Center, the Hoyas needed a late basket by Isaac Copeland to jump-start its run up the standings, winning four of its next five. Now, having won six of its last seven at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Butler can lock up a second seed in the Big East tournament with a win on its senior night.
With the continuing injury to center Andrew Chrabascz, Butler has relied on its backcourt to carry it to the penultimate seed in the Big East to date. While point guard Alex Barlow has struggled of late (2 for 8 in his last two games), he is capable of a big game, as witnessed by a 19 point effort versus Villanova on Feb. 14. Despite being 5-11, Barlow actually led the Bulldogs in rebounding versus DePaul and is not afraid to get inside. In his two prior games with Georgetown, Butler shot 4 for 12 and averaged 7.0 points. Georgetown can't take him for granted.
The bulk of Butler's offense comes from the 2 and 3 slots in the lineup. All-Big East candidate Kellen Dunham is only a junior but will finish his college career with over 2,000 points when all is said and done. Dunham has averaged 23.0 points per game in his last two starts and is shooting 45% from the field and 43% from three point range. Georgetown's defense kept him contained for much of the past two games, but Dunham is a resourceful player who can pick apart a defense on its edges. Zone defenses may allow Dunham opportunities to exploit weaknesses in Georgetown's sets; however, Jabril Trawick is a solid defender who can keep Dunham in check. Of equal concern will be 6-4 forward Roosevelt Jones, who went for 28 against the Hoyas on Jan. 17 and who despite having no three point shots this season, picked up 26 points and 10 assists over his last two games. Georgetown lacks a consistent defender at small forward among L.J. Peak or Aaron Bowen, so Jones may have an opportunity to be more aggressive on Butler's possessions. A career 55% free throw shooter, Jones would rather drive to the basket than stand in front of it.
The Bulldogs get proportionately less points up front than most Big east tams but they make up for it with one of the best rebounding teams Georgetown will see this season. Kameron Woods is second in the Big East at 9.6 rebounds a game, and as a team, Butler allows the fewest offensive rebounds by its opponents in the league. Freshman Tyler Wideman is still adjusting to Big East play but represents Butler's best hope inside without the availability of Chrabascz, who is day-to-day at this point in his recovery from injury.
Despite its formidable strength of schedule, Georgetown has one glaring omission on its NCAA resume: a significant road win. Its four Big East road wins have come against the bottom four teams in the conference and a lack of scoring beyond D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera can get into the psyche of a team looking for a consistent option to take the pressure off DSR, much as Markel Starks carried the load in 2012-14. Josh Smith needs a big game despite his increasing knack for fouling himself out of games with utterly predictable fouls. Smith is never going to be a passing center but his skills at close range cannot be denied...if he's in the game to do it.
Butler's 11.6 turnovers per game are second best in the league, which cannot be said for Georgetown, whose early stumbles set up St. John's to pull ahead early. Georgetown must control turnovers or face another early exit.
Some other keys:
Offensive Rebounds: Butler is especially effective at limiting second chance points, with a +111 on offensive rebounds made vs. allowed this season.
Three Pointers Before Halftime:: When georgetown starts slow, they stay slow, but some early threes may provide the Hoyas with some early enthusiasm.
Who Steps Up?: georgetown needs a better game from peak, Copeland and White to contend in this game. Which one will do so?
After two games this season, the two teams are fairly even across the board, but Chrabasz's likely absence gives the Hoyas an edge inside. Good perimeter defense and some better decisions inside on both ends of the court are key elements to get Georgetown to a 20th win and some needed momentum as the post season March is around the corner.
Preview
As series go, Tuesday's game with Butler is a one of a kind.
The last time Georgetown played three games against a single season in a season, the "Hilltoppers" took two of three from the Washington YMCA club in the 1914-15 season. A century later, thanks to an early appearance at the Battle 4 Atlantis, Butler and Georgetown meet for the third time this season, and know a lot about each other.
In the opener, the Georgetown starting five was 0-6 from three point range and combined for just 25 points in a 64-58 loss. In game two at Verizon Center, the Hoyas needed a late basket by Isaac Copeland to jump-start its run up the standings, winning four of its next five. Now, having won six of its last seven at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Butler can lock up a second seed in the Big East tournament with a win on its senior night.
With the continuing injury to center Andrew Chrabascz, Butler has relied on its backcourt to carry it to the penultimate seed in the Big East to date. While point guard Alex Barlow has struggled of late (2 for 8 in his last two games), he is capable of a big game, as witnessed by a 19 point effort versus Villanova on Feb. 14. Despite being 5-11, Barlow actually led the Bulldogs in rebounding versus DePaul and is not afraid to get inside. In his two prior games with Georgetown, Butler shot 4 for 12 and averaged 7.0 points. Georgetown can't take him for granted.
The bulk of Butler's offense comes from the 2 and 3 slots in the lineup. All-Big East candidate Kellen Dunham is only a junior but will finish his college career with over 2,000 points when all is said and done. Dunham has averaged 23.0 points per game in his last two starts and is shooting 45% from the field and 43% from three point range. Georgetown's defense kept him contained for much of the past two games, but Dunham is a resourceful player who can pick apart a defense on its edges. Zone defenses may allow Dunham opportunities to exploit weaknesses in Georgetown's sets; however, Jabril Trawick is a solid defender who can keep Dunham in check. Of equal concern will be 6-4 forward Roosevelt Jones, who went for 28 against the Hoyas on Jan. 17 and who despite having no three point shots this season, picked up 26 points and 10 assists over his last two games. Georgetown lacks a consistent defender at small forward among L.J. Peak or Aaron Bowen, so Jones may have an opportunity to be more aggressive on Butler's possessions. A career 55% free throw shooter, Jones would rather drive to the basket than stand in front of it.
The Bulldogs get proportionately less points up front than most Big east tams but they make up for it with one of the best rebounding teams Georgetown will see this season. Kameron Woods is second in the Big East at 9.6 rebounds a game, and as a team, Butler allows the fewest offensive rebounds by its opponents in the league. Freshman Tyler Wideman is still adjusting to Big East play but represents Butler's best hope inside without the availability of Chrabascz, who is day-to-day at this point in his recovery from injury.
Despite its formidable strength of schedule, Georgetown has one glaring omission on its NCAA resume: a significant road win. Its four Big East road wins have come against the bottom four teams in the conference and a lack of scoring beyond D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera can get into the psyche of a team looking for a consistent option to take the pressure off DSR, much as Markel Starks carried the load in 2012-14. Josh Smith needs a big game despite his increasing knack for fouling himself out of games with utterly predictable fouls. Smith is never going to be a passing center but his skills at close range cannot be denied...if he's in the game to do it.
Butler's 11.6 turnovers per game are second best in the league, which cannot be said for Georgetown, whose early stumbles set up St. John's to pull ahead early. Georgetown must control turnovers or face another early exit.
Some other keys:
Offensive Rebounds: Butler is especially effective at limiting second chance points, with a +111 on offensive rebounds made vs. allowed this season.
Three Pointers Before Halftime:: When georgetown starts slow, they stay slow, but some early threes may provide the Hoyas with some early enthusiasm.
Who Steps Up?: georgetown needs a better game from peak, Copeland and White to contend in this game. Which one will do so?
After two games this season, the two teams are fairly even across the board, but Chrabasz's likely absence gives the Hoyas an edge inside. Good perimeter defense and some better decisions inside on both ends of the court are key elements to get Georgetown to a 20th win and some needed momentum as the post season March is around the corner.
