It's no secret the Georgetown Hoyas are a hot team right now, but the NCAA tournament can throw a cold shiver into the best of teams. Three out of four schools won't even make it past the weekend, and for Georgetown to move forward, it must face every opponent as if it were their last. So before you pencil Georgetown in to the second round, it's worth taking a look at a Belmont team which won't go away quietly.

The Bruins captured their second straight Atlantic Sun title with a mix of outside shooting and a tight perimeter defense, holding its conference championship opponent to the same mark in three point shooting (3 for 17) that Georgetown did a week later versus Pitt. Winners of 10 of its last 11, the Bruins may lack the visibility enjoyed by the Hoyas but are more than capable of dragging this one through the grinder, much like Northern Iowa did in the Hoyas' 2006 first round game, a game that was not decided until the final minute.

For Belmont to make a splash, it'll have to be early, and it'll have to be on the shoulders of 6-2 guard Justin Hare. Hare is an all Atlantic Sun conference selection, its leader in scoring, steals, and assists. Though Hare has been coming off the bench in recent games, he's expected to be a key contributor to a Belmont team that hit 12 threes in the first half of its conference title game and averages 24 attempts a game.

If Hare doesn't get the start, he'll likely see time alongside 6-2 Andy Wicke. Wicke's numbers are strong (46.7% from two, 45.7% from three) and is equally capable of the assist as well. Wicke tends to be more of an up and down player, but his stock was way up in the Atlantic Sun final, finishing with five threes and 18 points against East Tennessee State.

Although the Bruins prefer a three guard setup, Georgetown's height may force more size up front. 6-8 forward Matthew Dotson will definitely see time along with 6-10 Andrew Preston, who leads the team with a 61% shooting average, almost all from inside. Off the bench, Belmont will look to 6-11 Justin (Boomer) Herndon, a wide-body who played eight minutes against the Hoyas in the 2003 NIT's while with Tennessee. Herndon is second on the team in scoring, first in rebounding (at only 5.4 a game) and the team leader in blocks. Herndon posted two blocks against Georgetown in that 2003 game in just eight minutes on the court, and will certainly attempt to clog up the middle against an equally tall Georgetown front line.

Here's a look at some potential matchups:

Jonathan Wallace vs. Henry Harris. Harris' numbers are down, he is shooting 39%, and leads the team in turnovers. Wallace may look to force the action against him early.
Jessie Sapp vs. Justin Hare. Sapp is quietly establishing himself as one of the nation's better perimeter defenders, and poses a tough test for Hare. Belmont's guards drive the offense's ability to go inside, and this matchup will be a key one in the game.
Dajuan Summers vs.Josh Goodwin . The 6-3 Goodwin is just too small to match up with Summers and Coach Byrd will likely use his bench liberally in the small forward position. Summers came up big in the Big East tournament and may need to do likewise if the Bruins try to smother Green and Hibbert down low.
Jeff Green vs. Matthew Dotson.Dotson does many of the things Green does, but without the big-game experience Green possesses. Dotson may be called upon more for his defense against Green in this one, with Andrew Preston and 6-9 Keaton Belcher seeing time at the four as well.
Roy Hibbert vs. Andrew Preston. Preston figures to move to the four in this game if Boomer Herndon can stay out of foul trouble. For his part, Hibbert needs to avoid foul trouble and use his size on the boards, while simply letting Herndon and Preston over-commit on defense.
GU bench vs. Belmont bench. Belmont can go as many as 11 deep and won't be afraid to do so. Wicke, Herndon, and 6-4 swingman Shane Dansby will all see time, and each are capable of a run in this game if the opportunity presents itself. The key, of course, is to minimize those opportunities as Georgetown effectively did with Pitt.

Keys to the game:
1. Early Momentum. Georgetown must avoid the early fouls and limit Belmont's outside shooting opportunities in the first 12 minutes of play.
2. Turnovers. Belmont averages 16 turnovers a game and must keep their total under 10 to contend. On the other side of the ball, Georgetown must not give Belmont extra possessions with poor passing inside, and use its height to limit bad passes coming up the floor or in feeding the big men low.
3. The "Motion Offense" Belmont is the first team outside the Big East to face the Georgetown motion offense since December. Reopening the back door gives Georgetown a great advantage that spares it from fighting in the paint for shots.

Georgetown's big win over Pitt was a confluence of three factors: a big game by Jeff Green, a 30+ minute game from Roy Hibbert, and exceptional perimeter defense. The Hoyas haven't had all three in such quantity in every game, so Belmont figures to crowd Green, force Hibbert out of the game early, and test the Georgetown perimeter defense. If Belmont shoots from outside like Pitt did (3-17) it'll be a long afternoon, but if they look more like Notre Dame did in the first half against Georgetown, they'll have themselves a game of it and the Hoyas had better be prepared for it.