Happy MLK Day and a very Happy Second Sunday to all of my readers! I hope you have all got your fill of NFL Football, I know I did. Before we got to the playoff festivities the Friars took care of business on their home court in a 65-61 victory over the Seton Hall Pirates. Now the Friars roll into D.C. looking for that ever elusive first victory of the season on the road. Last time I checked I’m pretty sure you need to win a road game in order to receive an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament. This is the first rematch of a Big East opponent for the Friars, as they defeated the Hoyas 76-70 back on 1/4. The Hoyas are coming off a thrilling comeback against UConn in a game of two of college basketball’s biggest enigmas this season. If the Friars can pull out tonight’s game that’d be two in a row!
My Keys to The Game
- Build a Lead, Keep a Lead– We all know what happened in the Friars last attempt at a road victory, they let DePaul stick around and then had a complete meltdown playing a trap press. Georgetown is familiar with comebacks as on Saturday they evaporated UConn’s 14 point lead in a matter of minutes in the second half and ended up winning a tight one. If the Friars get a lead they need to make a conscious effort to stay aggressive, value the basketball, and make your free throws.
- Can Kyron Cartwright Do it Again?– Kyron Cartwright probably had his most complete offensive game for the Friars vs the Pirates, as he finished with 20 points on 7/14 shooting, 8 assists and 2 rebounds. It seems like he willed the Friars to the win, coming up with big play after big play. He reminded me of what I’ve seen from the guy across the street this season, that would be Celtics’ Isaiah Thomas. If Cartwright can continue to play this well offensively it will go a long way for the Friars.
- Keep Rodney Pryor in Check– The first time the Friars played Georgetown guard Rodney Pryor probably had one of his worst games since transferring over from Robert Morris. He ended up scoring 16 points but it was on 6/18 from the field including 3/11 from the 3pt line. Pryor’s last 4 games including the PC one he’s only averaging 10.7 ppg which is a far cry from his 18 ppg he’s averaging on the season. It makes you wonder if the uptick in competition is wearing on the grad transfer but he still needs to be firmly on the scouting report. Look for Jalen Lindsey to take the task of guarding him and lets see if he can disrupt him like last game.
Prediction Time
So I’ve taken a lot of heat for my score predictions and deservedly so. Since starting the blog the Friars are 1-2 and I’m 0-3 in predicting a winner. At the same point how do you know that I didn’t sacrifice my predictability skills by picking Seton Hall in order reverse jinx the Friars? You’re welcome Friartown, not all heroes wear capes. As for this game, the Friars come to our nation’s capital seeking their first road victory of the season. A friend of mine, the same friend who will be writing “An Open Letter to Timberwolves Coach Tom Thibodeau” for the blog, told me he thinks Ed Cooley should give the Friars the speech from the film Hooisers and I think he’s right. The basketball court has the same dimensions at the Verizon Center as it does at The Dunk, Friars just have to play their game. Speaking of Isaiah Thomas he always uses the phrase “lets keep it hoops” and thats exactly what the Friars need to do, the road woes are more mentally constructed then they are physically.
Friars 68 Georgetown 64
Enjoy the Game!