Georgetown Basketball

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The Fairfield Stags arrive to Washington with some questions on offense following a 38 point season opening loss. This needs to change if the Stags can stay on the court Saturday at Capital One Arena.

Fairfield opened last season with six consecutive Division I losses before turning things around in a big way, finishing 24-13 with a finals appearance in the MAAC championship and a semifinal appearance in the CBI tournament. With only two returning starters, eight transfers joined eight returnees in a rebuilding effort and four of those transfers started Monday in its 96-58 loss at Rhode Island.

For a team which shot 40 percent from three point range last season in MAAC play, the Stags shot just four for 29 from three point range in the URI game, missing 15 of 16 attempts in the first half. Of additional concern against the Hoyas: just one Fairfield starter stands taller than 6-7.

Fairfield's starting lineup bears some resemblance to that fielded by Lehigh in the opener. The roles played by Lehigh guards Cam Gillus and Keith Higgins, who combined for 43 of the Engineers' 77 points, falls to 6-0 junior college transfer Braden Smith and 6-3 Drexel transfer Jamie Bergens. Sparks, who shot 42 percent from three at Indian Hills CC, was zero for nine from the field in the URI game and Bergens was two for six. Both are capable of more and their experience may test Georgetown's defensive intensity among its guards, a visibly lacking piece of its puzzle in the Hoyas' 85-77 win over Lehigh. Both have college level experience and both needs to set the pace for Fairfield to contend.

Up front, Lehigh center Hank Alvey finished with 14 points on the evening but had no rebounding impact whatsoever, and this will be much the same inside in 6-10 Peyton Smith, who had just one rebound in 14 minutes versus URI. He will need help inside from grad transfer Louis Bleechmore, whose 13 points was the only double figure outcome for the Stags in that game. Also expected around the hoop: 6-3 combo guard Prophet Johnson, who picked up a team high 11 rebounds in the URI game. For a team with no particular height, Fairfield scrapped for 16 offensive rebounds and held URI to half that, so they can be aggressive inside. Off the bench, 6-5 Fordham transfer Noah Best may see an extended run to support the frontcourt.

There were a lot of positives out of Georgetown's opener, particularly in the front court, where Thomas Sorber and Julius Halaifonua signaled the hope of a more robust defensive presence that has been lacking at Georgetown since the days of Jessie Govan and Marcus Derrickson. The medley between Jayden Epps, Malik Mack, and and Micah Peavy is still a work in progress, and does not expect to be challenged any more than they were by Lehigh, so progress will be incremental and the trio still need to learn to play among each other. Georgetown's three point shooting was rough but could improve substantially with a kind rim at the cavernous downtown facility.

Keys to the game for the Hoyas:

1. Defensive Teamwork: A visible gap in the opener, and one which needs to be addressed

2. Drew Fielder: The sophomore forward looked lost in the opener, and wasn't a part of the offense. Georgetown needs to run more offensive sets through him.

3. Outside Shooting: Fairfield needs a better effort from outside, a given, but so does Georgetown. Early season habits have a way of taking its toll on Georgetown teams by mid-season.

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