.png)
Game 23 - Georgetown (8-14) vs. #1 UConn (21-2)
Nuts & Bolts
Date: February 10, 2024
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Capital One Arena - Washington, DC
How to Watch: FS1
Matchup History: UConn leads all-time series 37-36
Last Meeting: UConn def. Georgetown 80-67 on 1/24/24
Betting Lines: Via DraftKings
Spread: Georgetown +16.5
Over/Under: 146
Prediction: Georgetown 64, UConn 77
Follow Along on Twitter
Road to the Garden: https://twitter.com/Road2TheGarden
Zach Penrice - DMV Sports: https://twitter.com/Zach_DMVSports
Head Coach: Ed Cooley (1st season, 8-14 record at Georgetown)
Record: 8-14 (1-10, 10th in Big East)
Last Time Out: Lost @ Seton Hall 76-60 on 2/7/24
Player to Watch: Dontrez Styles
The Georgetown Hoyas fell for the seventh consecutive time on Wednesday, as the Hoyas lost to Seton Hall on the road for the second time during this seven-game stretch.
Georgetown never led in the game, but kept it close and competitive throughout. The Hoyas fell behind by as many as 11 in the second half, but cut the deficit down to just three with under six minutes to go.
However, the performances of Dre Davis, who finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Kadary Richmond, who finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists, proved too much for the Hoyas to overcome.
“I was really proud of our men. I thought we competed today,” Georgetown Head Coach Ed Cooley said after the 76-70 defeat. “Again, it’s the Big East…no matter who you play, you’ve gotta be prepared. I think every time we went on a run, they answered and then they had the final knockout punch.”
Dontrez Styles and Supreme Cook led all Hoyas with 20 points apiece, while Cook put up 11 rebounds to mark his sixth double-double of the season.
With the losing skid now at seven, the Hoyas welcome in the #1 team in the country and the defending National Champion UConn Huskies.
Georgetown was in Hartford on January 14, falling to the Huskies 80-67. Supreme Cook put in a terrific performance, scoring 18 points and hauling in 13 rebounds in the win.
At this point in the college basketball season, it appears that there’s UConn and then there’s everyone else, with the Huskies looking like the best team in the country by a significant margin.
It’s the tallest task the Hoyas have faced up to this point. Having lost their last two home games by a combined 58 points against Butler and #9 Marquette, Georgetown ought to be desperate to put in a good performance in front of its home fans, and likely a ton of UConn faithful.
Head Coach: Dan Hurley (6th season, 125-57 record at UConn)
Record: 21-2 (11-1, 1st in Big East)
Last Time Out: Won vs. Butler 71-62 on 2/6/24
Player to Watch: Tristen Newton
We’re at the point of the season where it’s easy to run out of superlatives for this UConn Huskies team.
Dan Hurley led the Huskies to a national championship in his fifth year at Connecticut, and has his program ranked #1 with a 21-2 record in his sixth season.
The Huskies are 11-1 in conference play and have tallied 11 consecutive wins entering Saturday’s game in DC.
However, over the last two weeks, the Huskies have looked slightly more vulnerable. In a home win vs. Providence, UConn led by just one at the half. In the next game against St. John’s, they trailed at the break. On Tuesday at home vs. Butler, they led by eight at the half and shut down a myriad of Bulldog runs to hold on to a nine-point win.
The counterargument to UConn looking more vulnerable is that they are not being challenged. The Huskies still have their most important Big East games ahead of them and it would be easy to not be as locked in when it’s St. John’s, Georgetown, or Butler.
Dan Hurley still has to take his team to Creighton, and play Marquette twice over the last eight regular season games, as Connecticut looks to win their first Big East regular season title since 2006.
For UConn, the name of the game at this point is staying healthy. They have what is widely considered the best backcourt in the country with Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer running the show. The duo combines for over 30 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Besides that, the Huskies front-court is no slouch by any means, with Forward Alex Karaban and 7’2” Center Donovan Clingan, a duo that is shooting well over 50% from the field and putting up 27 points per game.
Connecticut has the best team in the country, but it is not often that the best college basketball team in the regular season goes on to win the NCAA Tournament.
However, this UConn team has been there before and knows what it takes to bring home a title.
Can Dan Hurley lead Connecticut to become the first back-to-back national champion since Florida in 2006-2007?
Comments