It’s Hoyas well, well after dark on Turkey Day!
It’s time to give thanks as Your Georgetown Hoyas are playing a KenPom Top 50 team just four games into the season as they face San Diego State in the Wooden Legacy in a very late Thanksgiving tip for us on the east coast!
Game 4: Georgetown Hoyas (2-1) vs San Diego State Aztecs (3-1)
When: Thursday 11:30 pm
Where: Anaheim Convention Center (Anaheim, Ca.)
Series: Hoyas lead 1-0
Last meeting: Georgetown beat San Diego State 71-53 in the fifth game of Patrick Ewing’s collegiate career back on Dec. 5, 1981. The Hoyas went on to finish NCAA runners up.
TV: ESPN2 (Roxy Bernstein & Corey Williams)
— Georgetown Hoops (@GeorgetownHoops) November 25, 2021
Radio: The Team 980 (Rich Chvotkin, 48th season), SiriusXM 382, Radio.com
KenPom Ranking: San Diego State 39, Georgetown 88
KenPom Projection: San Diego State 69, Georgetown 65 (66 percent)
Line: Aztecs -6.5, 132.5
Mutombo Coffee:
PREVIEW
Sure last year’s event would have been way more interesting (Kansas, UCLA, Virginia) but who cares, it’s time to see the Hoyas against some top level competition. After three games against teams that Georgetown should beat – they went 2-1 – we get our first true idea of where this Hoyas squad stacks up and where they need to improve the most before conference play begins.
Good news for Georgetown is that Kaiden Rice found his lethal stroke against Siena last time out and matched with Don Carey, the duo should give opposing defenses all they can handle from behind the arc. This will be the first true test for freshman phenom Aminu Mohammed against high level guards and maybe, just maybe we’ll see what the rotation looks like if Collin Holloway and/or Kobe Clark are healthy enough to suit up.
If there was ever a game to break out the zone for long stretches, it’s this one.
The other half of the bracket is No. 24 USC vs St Joe’s. The Hoyas will play one of those schools on Friday.
AZTEC REPORT
Transfer guard (Cal) Matt Bradley leads the team in scoring at 14.5 points per game but is struggling from 3. Bradley was a 40 % shooter for the Golden Bears but has made just 2 of 11 (18 %) to start this season. Senior big Nathan Mensah has improved steadily over his career and is averaging 11.3 points and 7.8 rebounds.
San Diego State – a program known for good defense – has continued that trend into the start of this season in holding teams to just 25 % from deep. On the flip side the offense has been a struggle as the Aztecs have yet to crack the 70 point barrier.
Coach Brian Dutcher – a longtime assistant on the previous staff – has done a solid job replacing Steve Fisher and is one win shy of 100. Dutcher has taken San Diego State to two NCAA Tournaments in his four seasons. Unfortunately for him he had a possible 2 seed and Final Four caliber squad in 2019-20 but covid took down the tournament for everyone.
MISSED CONNECTIONS
It’s actually kind of amazing that Georgetown and San Diego State haven’t met since 1981 as it seemed like a matchup the selection committee really wanted to see. Three times in four seasons between 2010 and 2013 the Hoyas and Aztecs could have met in an NCAA Tournament second round game. Tragically, they didn’t get together as the one needed combination required – both winning – didn’t occur.
In 2010, both teams lost in the first round. In 2012, Georgetown won and San Diego State lost and then in 2013 the reverse result happened when the Hoyas lost and the Aztecs won.
(Little known fact: I was a minimum level San Diego State donor in 2010 to get NCAA Tournament tickets.)
Casual Props
Hoya points o/u – 60.5
One of Clark/Holloway play – YES/NO
Ewing playing highlights on the broadcast o/u – 2.5
Rice made 3s o/u – 3.5
Mutombo blocks o/u .5
Plates you get at Thanksgiving Dinner – o/u 1.5
Bobby’s Prediction
San Diego State 68, Georgetown 59
Leave your witty (and non-witty) in-game comments here!
HOYA SAXA!