LINKS: Hopefully Healthy Hoyas Host Marquette on Friday Night

Georgetown had a solid three days of practice before the Golden Eagles. Should be fun!

Believe it or not, the Georgetown Hoyas (6-5, 0-0 ) will be playing BIG EAST basketball within 24 hours when they host the Marquette Golden Eagles (9-6, 1-3) at 6:30 PM ET on Friday, January 7th. Patrick Ewing, in a media appearance on Wednesday, shared that the team had their first full practice, since the pause, on Tuesday. Among other probable firsts after the break, the Hoyas will play their first conference matchup and their first game in 19 long days.

It’s great to hear from Ewing that the team is finally healthy, and that Dante Harris, Timothy Ighoefe and Kobe Clark appear to be on-track with their respective injury recovery efforts. The “pause” certainly did allow healing time for some Hoyas, but getting one’s wind back after COVID can be tough, though, particularly against a press.

Moreover, with playing as a team being so vital in modern college hoops, especially on defense, having only a couple days to practice together makes things tough. Perhaps the young men in Gray have a slow start against a Marquette team who just dominated #16 Providence.

Hoyas fans, of course, will be anxious to see if a new face is on the bench, suited up, and/or playing—Wayne Bristol, Jr.

Perhaps some more personnel info will come out before tip-off, but with a packed schedule coming up and some expected build-up to full strength, one would think the rotations will be quick and the minutes will be spread. The COVID pause of last season certainly helped Georgetown, and there is slight optimism that a young Hoyas squad might have aged up with semester closing and the calendar flip.

Last time Georgetown faced Marquette, they retired Coach Steve Wojawhatever, 68-49, on the way to the BIG EAST Championship. Ewing has also had luck against Shaka Smart’s team, with an 82-66 win against then-no. 22 Texas in the 2K Empire Classic Semifinal in 2019.

Hoping for Georgetown to have success against Marquette right out of the gates on Friday is not unrealistic at all. On the other hand, maybe let’s just knock on wood that neither team has any re-surfacing health issues, and make sure this game gets played. We need some Georgetown basketball!

Here are the links:

Georgetown finally gets Big East play going vs. Marquette | CBS Sports | FLM

Smart has assembled a talented cast that includes grad transfers Darryl Morsell (Maryland) and Kur Kuath (Oklahoma), who had seven blocks against Providence.

Tyler Kolek, the Atlantic-10 rookie of the year last season at George Mason, had nine assists against Providence. In his second season at Marquette, powerfully built Justin Lewis leads the team in points (15.7 per game) and rebounds (8.2 per game).

Georgetown will try to match Lewis with its own blossoming talent, Aminu Mohammed, who averages 14.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, both team highs.

The Hoyas are dangerous when 3-point threats Kaiden Rice — 42.6 percent accuracy from beyond the arc — and Donald Carey (47.3 percent) are hot.

Kur Kuath is one of the best shot-blockers in the nation. Marquette’s defense feeds off those rejections. | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The 6-foot-10 Kuath registered seven blocks in just 19 minutes in the Golden Eagles’ 88-56 thrashing of Providence on Tuesday. In 15 games, Kuath has rejected 47 shots, the most of any player in the Big East. His 15.9 block percentage, which measures the amount of shots blocked when a player is on the floor, ranks fifth in the nation.

Kuath will look to keep deterring attempts at the rim when MU (9-6, 1-3 Big East) plays Georgetown (6-5) at 5:30 p.m. Friday in Washington. The game will be televised by FS1.

The Golden Eagles broke open the game against Providence with a 20-0 run in the first half that was spearheaded by MU’s defense. Kuath had three blocks in that stretch and his defensive activity was contagious.

Marquette – Game Preview | The Providence Crier

Coached by Shaka Smart in his First Year at Marquette, the Golden Eagles possess an 8-6 Record (0-3 in Big East). The team is led by super sophomore Justin Lewis, who is averaging 15 points and 8 rebounds a game. Maryland transfer Darryl Morsell helps play sidekick to Lewis, averaging almost 14 points. [] Tyler Kolek is the leading assist man in the Big East at 5.9 assists/game…

Lewis is a match-up nightmare for opposing defenses. Surprisingly, Lewis is listed at only 6’7 (I question the accuracy of that), but plays much bigger than that. He has the ability to mix it up in the paint, while also knocking down the mid-range and deep ball. I’d anticipate “The Energizer Bunny” Justin Minaya to warmly introduce himself to Justin Lewis on the defensive end, in a similar fashion to how Minaya effectively defended Jared Rhoden. Lewis has a propensity for turnovers, averaging almost 2 a game, so Providence should look to make life very difficult for Lewis by having Minaya stick to him like glue.

Wowwww: Marquette 88, #16 Providence 56 | Anonymous Eagle

If you could have scripted a bounce back performance for Marquette to follow up Saturday’s double OT loss to Creighton, this is what you would have scripted. The fact that it came against the #16 team in the country, a team that had lost just once so far this season, a team that was 3-0 in Big East play….. well, that’s just icing on the cake.

As mentioned earlier, Lewis led Marquette with 23 points, getting there on 7-for-16 shooting including making two of his four attempts from long range as well as all seven of his free throws. He also added 11 rebounds for a double-double, plus two assists and a steal. OMax Prosper (11), Kam Jones (14), and Oso Ighodaro (16) all joined Lewis in double digit territory in points. Tyler Kolek had a game high nine assists, while chipping in a made three plus three rebounds and two steals.

Kur Kuath had SEVEN BLOCKS to move himself quite dramatically into fifth place all time amongst Marquette seniors.

#MUBB Travels To Georgetown Friday Night | GoMarquette.com

Jones Provides Instant Offense In Return … Freshman Kam Jones missed the Creighton game while in health and safety protocols, but wasted no time in making his presence felt in his return against Providence Tuesday night.

The Memphis native finished with 14 points in just 20 minutes off the bench, shooting 5-of-7 from the floor overall and 4-of-5 from long distance. He also added two rebounds and a steal in the 32-point victory. Jones has now reached double figures in scoring on four occasions in 2021-22.

2022 NBA Mock Draft 4.0 | The Athletic

29 … Aminu Mohammed | 6-5 wing | 20 years old | Georgetown

Aminu Mohammed has been one of the most productive freshmen in college hoops this season despite playing for an undermanned Georgetown team. He’s averaging 15 points and nine rebounds per game as a physical, tough wing who constantly plays with an edge. He’s strong and stout at 210 pounds and plays with the kind of energy that forces his teammates to lift themselves. His best skill offensively right now is his driving. He’s a tough and physical on-ball defender but has some jumper questions in terms of consistency.

NCAA releases updated COVID-19 guidance for winter sports | NCAA.org

COVID-19 management considerations suggest five days of quarantine after a positive test with isolation ending after five days if there are no symptoms or symptoms are resolving. Considerations also include masking around others for five additional days. Participation in athletic activities without a mask during days six through 10 can be considered following a negative PCR/NAAT test or antigen test.

The updated guidance also extends to close contacts. Those who are not fully vaccinated should quarantine at home for five days with no participation in athletic activities, followed by masking for five additional days. Participation in athletic activities without a mask can be considered during days six through 10 following a negative PCR/NAAT test or antigen test.