Game 5 - Georgetown (2-2) vs. American (2-2)
Nuts & Bolts
Date: November 19, 2023
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Capital One Arena - Washington, DC
How to Watch: Fox Sports 2
Matchup History: Georgetown leads all-time series 7-1
Last Meeting: American def. Georgetown 74-70 on 11/23/22
Betting Lines: Via DraftKings
Spread: Georgetown -9
Over/Under: 144.5
Prediction: Georgetown 69, American 64
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Head Coach: Ed Cooley (1st season, 2-2 record at Georgetown)
Record: 2-2 (0-0, 10th in Big East)
Last Time Out: Won vs. Mount St. Mary's 83-72 on 11/18
Player to Watch: Dontrez Styles
The Hoyas won their first of two games over the weekend on Saturday, defeating Mount St. Mary’s 83-72 at Capital One Arena in DC.
Georgetown’s turnover issue reared its head again in the win. Following 21 turnovers in the loss to Rutgers on Wednesday, the Hoyas turned it over 20 times against the Mountaineers, including 6 from point guard Jayden Epps, who finished with 10 points and 6 assists as well.
Georgetown was led in the game by North Carolina transfer, Dontrez Styles, who finished with a game-high 26 points on 8-15 shooting, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks in 38 minutes.
Head Coach Ed Cooley liked the Hoyas start, who led by as many as 17 in the game, but was not pleased with the lack of ball control throughout.
"I loved the way we got out of that gate. I thought that really set the tone for the rest of the game,” Cooley said. “Obviously we have to do a better job of taking care of the ball, over the last two games we've had 41 turnovers, and that's not a recipe for success."
On Sunday, roughly 26 hours after the conclusion of the game against Mount St. Mary’s, Georgetown takes the floor yet again. This time, the Hoyas face local rival American, a team that beat Georgetown a season ago.
"The philosophy behind the back-to-back games was to prepare our men for New York City and the Big East Tournament and postseason play,” Cooley said. “So if we can do that early, as we're building...I think it's important for us."
Head Coach: Duane Simpkins (1st season, 2-2 record at American)
Record: 2-2 (0-0, 1st in Patriot)
Last Time Out: Won vs. NJIT 87-73 on 11/16
Player to Watch: Matt Rogers
AU is off to a 2-2 start under the direction of first-year head coach Duane Simpkins.
The Eagles lost @ Villanova and @ William & Mary and have won back-to-back games against Siena and NJIT heading into Sunday’s game against Georgetown.
Last year, American beat Georgetown for the first time in school history, taking out the Hoyas 74-70 on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving in a game that tipped off at 11:30am.
The Eagles bring back three starters from the team that took down the Hoyas last year, including senior forward Matt Rogers, who is coming off a 28 point and 11 rebound performance against NJIT on Thursday.
It’s still a bit too early to tell how much success AU will have in Simpkins’ first season at the helm, but it is quite the opportunity in front of them on Sunday.
The Eagles get a Georgetown team that they not only beat a year ago, but also a team that played roughly 24 hours earlier.
It will be a huge early season endurance test for Georgetown, especially going against an AU team that will certainly have fresher legs throughout.
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