Game 17: University of Connecticut (14-2)
Jan. 14, 12:00 pm EST
Hartford, CT
XL Center
Tickets: Available
Media:
TV: Fox Broadcast
GU Radio: WDCH-99.1
UC Radio: WUCS-97.9
About the Huskies:
Location: Storrs, CT
Enrollment: 24,371
Conference: Big East
2022-23 Record: 31-8
Record vs. Georgetown: 36-36
Meet The Coach:
Dan Hurley
(Seton Hall '96)
6th season, 118-57
Career: 259-152
|
|
Expected Starters |
Name |
Ht. |
Pts. |
Tristan Newton |
6-5 |
12.8 |
Cam Spencer |
6-4 |
14.6 |
Stephen Castle |
6-6 |
10.4 |
Alex Karaban |
6-8 |
13.8 |
Samson Johnson |
6-10 |
8.0 |
|
Team Stats: |
Points/Game: |
83.3 |
Points Allowed: |
65.4 |
FG Shooting: |
50.7 |
FG Defense |
40.2 |
3FG Shooting: |
34.8 |
FT Shooting: |
72.6 |
Rebounds/Game |
38.3 |
Assists/Game |
18.5 |
Turnovers/Game |
10.6 |
|
Last 5 Games (4-1) |
12/20: Seton Hall 75, UC 60
12/23: UC 69, St. John's 65
01/02: UC 85, DePaul 56
01/05: UC 88, Butler 81
01/10: UC 80, Xavier 75
|
|
-->
At the halfway point of the 2023-24 season, the rebuild of Georgetown basketball continues.
Through 16 games, the Hoyas are 8-8, but a discouraging .500 at that. Georgetown has no wins over teams with a winning record, lost to a 3-13 Holy Cross team, and nearly lost to Merrimack. It has scored 1,156 points, and allowed 1,156.
Yet, there are signs of growth. A spirited comeback against Seton Hall fell short, but this is not a team willing to pack it in. As coach Ed Cooley remarked before the team headed north, the Hoyas need to play "a little desperate" to continue to grow. This growth will be on display before a national TV audience against #4-Connecticut on Sunday.
The Hoyas' first visit to the XL Center since 2016 meets a disciplined UConn team that has won seven of its last and all eight at home courts at Hartford and Storrs. Averaging 50.7 percent from the field, 18.8 assists per game, and 5.2 blocks in a game, it's the kind of momentum that leads teams deep into March, but also lends itself poorly to opponents with a visible lack of consistency.
Three road games in its net four provide more clues as to the changes Cooley and his staff will hope to make going forward, and sometimes it's the hardest lessons that teach the most.
The Huskies figure to be elevated to #1 in the national polls with a favorable outcome Sunday, and that prognosis is based on its consistent guard play.
Fifth year senior Tristan Newton and his shooting is a source of some concern for UConn fans as conference play has developed. Despite a healthy 15.2 average, Newton is shooting 26 percent over his last four games but came up big in its win over Xavier, with 16 points and 11 assists. Newton figures to be a touch assignment for Rowan Brumbaugh and the Huskies may see more zone defense to limit his penetrations as a result. If Newton gets hot early, the Hoyas may be out of this game by halftime.
Cam Spencer, formerly of Boys Latin in Baltimore and Rutgers, chose UConn over Georgetown in the transfer portal and figures to be playing into mid-March. Through early January, he has been a solid replacement for the NBA-bound Jordan Hawkins, averaging 15.4 points per game and 17 in his last four Big East games. Spencer is a solid shooter and careful with the ball, with one turnover in his last three games. Spencer shoots well from three (45.1%) but is primarily an inside shooting threat, and his foul shooting (86.5%) is valuable in crunch time for the Huskies. Defensively, Spencer will see Jayden Epps in Georgetown's offensive sets and his ability to limit Epps in ball screens and off-man movements is an important matchup for UConn to limit Georgetown offensively, with Epps the primary options in Georgetown's possessions.
Up front, freshman Stephen Castle is trending the right way for UConn to make a championship run. Castle is 17 of 23 over his last three games and has 19 assists in those games from the small forward position. Castle has not demonstrated an outside shot, a specialty best left to fellow forward Alex Karaban, a 40 percent career scorer from outside. Much as his fellow teammates, Karaban has enjoyed success inside as well, shooting a sterling 70 percent from inside the arc and averaging 17 points and 5.3 rebounds in his last three games. With Georgetown's Ismael Massoud struggling in perimeter defense, Karaban has an opportunity for a big day.
A less familiar name, center Samson Johnson, has manned the middle for Connecticut owing to a foot injury suffered four games ago by Donovan Clingan. Head coach Dan Hurley said that Clingan could be back soon, but a game like this might allow Clingan some more rest heading into games with Creighton and Villanova. A 16 point game at St. John's was a career high for Johnson but he is more of a spot player, averaging 21 minutes a game as UConn has been able to go smaller as its leads grow.
Unlike recent Georgetown opponents, UConn doesn't lose many leads. The Huskies are 12-0 leading at the half and lead the Big East in scoring margin at 17.8 points per game. Turnovers could be an issue, with the Huskies trending up in that category, but their use of points per possession (1.19, 3rd nationally) gives the Hoyas little margin for error, and unfortunately, Georgetown's play has been so rocky of late that winning the turnover battle would not be enough on its own. Its PPP is 1.03, 162nd nationally and 9th in the Big East.
Keys to the game:
1. Stay Under 70: UConn is 12-0 in games scoring 70 or more points.
2. Aggression Inside: Points in the paint have hurt the Hoyas all season, but Cooley has taken a c cautious approach with keeping Supreme Cook out of foul trouble. UConn will punish the Hoyas inside unless the Hoyas play a little tougher down low.
3. Points Per Possession: Scoring just 62.6 points per game in Big East play, Georgetown is not getting much efficiency on its possessions, including 12.1 turnovers per game. Staying in this game must lend itself to more focus on a possession by possession basis, especially difficult amidst the most hostile crowd to date this season, at least until January 27.