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Game 21 - Georgetown (8-12) vs. #9 Marquette (16-5)
Date: February 3, 2024
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Capital One Arena - Washington, DC
How to Watch: FS1
Matchup History: Marquette leads all-time series 22-13
Last Meeting: Marquette def. Georgetown 81-51 on 12/22/23
Betting Lines: Via DraftKings
Spread: Georgetown +12
Over/Under: 152
Prediction: Georgetown 67, Marquette 82
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Head Coach: Ed Cooley (1st season, 8-12 record at Georgetown)
Record: 8-12 (1-8, 10th in Big East)
Last Time Out: Lost @ Providence 84-76 on 1/27/24
Player to Watch: Jayden Epps
Ed Cooley’s return to Providence last Saturday was one of the highlighted days on the college basketball calendar, and it certainly did not disappoint.
Cooley’s Georgetown Hoyas put up a fight many, myself included, did not quite expect following a 24-point loss to Butler in the game prior.
Saturday, Georgetown lost to PC 84-76, but put together a terrific performance. The Hoyas fell behind by as many as 12 in the second half after trailing by 4 at halftime, only to crawl back into the game and take the lead with under three minutes to play, 69-66.
From there, however, Providence ended the game on an 18-7 run as Georgetown made just two shots from the field after taking the three point lead.
After the game, an emotional Cooley was proud of his current team and sentimental about his old one.
“I’ll always be a part of the fabric, I’ll always be a part of the culture,” Cooley said following the game. “Don’t worry about the person that’s gone, embrace the great coach that you have…mark my words: eventually we’re going to prove everybody wrong. We’re not there yet. We’re just beginning to build this thing. But we’re going to do it.”
The Hoyas were once again led by Jayden Epps, who finished with 26 points in the game, but was just 9/27 from the field.
Ish Massoud came off the bench for the first time since his first game as a Hoya and tied his career high with 16 points to go along with 7 rebounds.
Saturday, Georgetown turns its attention to Marquette, a top ten team that beat them by 30 in December in what was Georgetown’s lowest scoring output of the season, losing 81-51.
The Hoyas have been much better over the last two weeks, but still are very inconsistent, which makes it hard to predict a game against a top team like Marquette.
If Georgetown can knock down shots like it did against Xavier a few weeks ago and play better defense against the uber-athletic Golden Eagles, they’ll have a chance to hang around til the finish on Saturday afternoon.
Head Coach: Shaka Smart (3rd season, 64-25 record at Marquette)
Record: 16-5 (7-3, 2nd in Big East)
Last Time Out: Won @ Villanova 85-80 on 1/30/24
Player to Watch: Tyler Kolek
With the exception of MAYBE Providence, there is no team in the Big East that has faced more adversity from an injury standpoint than the Marquette Golden Eagles.
Shaka Smart’s team has had a hobbled Tyler Kolek for multiple games this year, lost Sean Jones in the loss at home to Butler on January 10 and played Tuesday night’s game on the road against Villanova without the team's third leading scorer Kam Jones.
And yet, Marquette is 16-5 and sits second in the conference, entering Saturday’s game against Georgetown having won five games in a row, including a sweep of Villanova and a road win against St. John’s.
The Golden Eagles boast one of the more impressive resumes in the country, owning wins over Kansas, Illinois, Texas, and Creighton.
Coach Smart has built the program into a power, and is in prime position to finish second in the league just a year removed from winning both the regular season and conference tournament.
For Saturday’s game against Georgetown, the goal is simple for MU: Stay healthy, and get a win over a Georgetown team that is hungry and approaching the line to desperation.
Nothing less will suffice. Up next, it’s back to Milwaukee for St. John’s before back-to-back road games against Butler, who already beat MU, followed by #1 UConn.