Washington, D.C. – Coming off a thrilling win over ranked Louisville this week in their Big East-opener on the road, ranked Georgetown Hoyas return to the Verizon Center to play host to the Providence Friars.
Georgetown has won 11 of its first 12 games this season and is on a serious roll, coming into this contest with a nine-game win streak in tow. It marks the longest win streak for the Hoyas since the team won 11 in a row in 2006-07, the same season Georgetown made a run to the Final Four. John Thompson III's squad opened up Big East action at Louisville this week and came away with a thrilling 71-68 victory.
The Friars were not as fortunate in their conference opener this week against St. John's. Providence, which came into the contest with a seven-game win streak intact, was no match for the Red Storm in a 91-67 loss. Still, at 11-3 on the season, the Friars could be a real surprise in the Big East heading into the second half of the campaign.
This is the 60th all-time meeting between these two teams. Georgetown holds a 40-19 edge in the series and has won each of the last five matchups.
Providence shot a decent 48.3 percent from the floor against St. John's but fell victim to a hot-shooting Red Storm, who converted 56.5 percent from the field in a lopsided win. Gerard Coleman led the way in defeat with 20 points. LaDontae Henton just missed a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Vincent Council chipped in with 11 points. Council, the team's leading scorer, struggled a bit, committing seven of the team's 20 turnovers in the game. The Friars are averaging a modest 71.6 ppg this season, but spread that scoring out, with four of the five starters currently averaging double digits. Council leads the way with 16.5 ppg and is followed closely by Coleman's 16.1 ppg. Bryce Cotton is the team's top sniper, hitting 40.9 percent from behind the arc en route to 15.1 ppg. Henton rounds out the top scoring threats at 13.2 ppg and is the team's most productive rebounder (8.8 rpg).
The Hoyas have long been known for their defensive grit and nothing has changed this season. Georgetown has been extremely tough on opponents this season, allowing just 57.6 ppg, on .388 shooting. The team contests just about every shot and it shows, with foes converting a meager 27.4 percent from behind the arc. In addition, Georgetown is outrebounding foes by almost seven boards per game. Jason Clark headlines the action at the offensive end, netting 15.7 ppg. Hollis Thompson (14.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and Henry Sims (12.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg) add balance up front and both are shooting well over 50 percent from the floor. The Hoyas let a double-digit lead in the second half slip away, but rallied down the stretch to pick up the big win over the Cardinals this week. Sophomore Markel Starks led the way with a career-high 20 points. Freshman Otto Porter came off the bench to record his first career double- double with 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Thompson chimed in with 10 points. Georgetown was able to hold Louisville to just 41.7 percent shooting while outrebounding the Cardinals, 38-32.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.