Georgetown embarked on its decisive 16-3 burst after the Badgers (2-2) drew within 33-31 on Nigel Hayes’s three-pointer with 16 minutes 54 seconds left.
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The victor of Friday’s game between the Hoyas and the Badgers faces the victor of a game between Duke and VCU on Sunday, November 22.
Georgetown (1-2), led by Isaac Copeland’s 15 points, awaited the victor of Duke-VCU in Sunday’s championship game.
Wisconsin will look to exploit Georgetown’s porous three-point defense, which ranks 261st in the nation, according to KenPom.com. Wisconsin is averaging 79 points and they are shooting 45.3 percent from the floor including 34 percent from beyond the three-point arc while defensively they are allowing 66 points and their opponents are shooting 46.8 percent. Center Jessie Govan added 13 points and D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera came alive in the second half to tally 12 to round out Georgetown’s leaders. “On defense we have to figure out how to stop people and basically finish the game”. The Hoyas have had a tough schedule so far and it does not get easier for them on Sunday. Nigel Hayes was the only player that had a solid night shooting for Wisconsin as he finished with 22 points on 7-16 shooting. Georgetown held Wisconsin to 32 percent shooting overall. Wisconsin really could of used Bronson Koenig as well who could not get into a groove shooting the ball in this game. To start the season, Georgetown dropped its first two games to Radford and Maryland in dramatic fashion. The Hackensack, N.J. native who played high school basketball at nearby Hudson Catholic of Jersey City, shot 4-of-5 from three-point range en route to surpassing his career-high of 13 points scored against Xavier in January of 2014.
This time, the Hoyas’ perimeter defense must contend with two elite wings.
“He can do everything”, Smith-Rivera said.
Whereas Sam Dekker, Frank Kaminsky and the rest of last year’s Badgers formed one of the nation’s most potent offenses, this year’s group appears to be lacking weapons.
“I thought our guys, on the defensive end, there were a few lapses but for the most part I thought we were very good”, Hoyas coach John Thompson III said. Copeland and Govan, who grew up in Queens, are among nine freshmen and sophomores on the Hoyas.
In a larger sense, the Wisconsin game offers yet another test for the Hoyas in what has been a grueling start to the season, as the Hoyas will play three of their first four games against NCAA tournament teams from previous year.
“You have to get [Cameron] out of his comfort zone”, Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said, “I think we did a better job in the second half”.
From the players’ perspective, a chance to play two games on the game’s biggest stage at the Garden is an exciting prospect, especially against such prestigious programs.
But it’s also why fans on the Hilltop should feel confident moving forward, and why they can go to sleep tonight knowing they’re going to compete at the top of the Big East this season. “We’re all excited and we’re all looking forward to it”.
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White, who has missed the first two games of the season, remains questionable for Friday’s game.
