Villanova Wildcats 14-4 (5-2) vs Georgetown Hoyas 9-9 (1-6)
Where: Finneran Pavilion (Villanova, PA)
When: Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 7:00 PM
Betting Line: TBD
How to Watch: NBC Sports Network & Peacock
How to Listen: Villanova Sports Radio Network
Net Rankings: Villanova 32, Georgetown 120 (Quad 3)
KenPom: Villanova 27, Georgetown 101
Torvik: Villanova 34, Georgetown 104
About Georgetown: The Hoyas are led by Ed Cooley, who left Providence after a long and successful tenure to try to revive a program that has
been in the dumps for over a decade. Unlike Villanova’s new coach, his second go-round in the conference has not gone well.
After a tough first year, Cooley was able to win 18 games last season and have optimism for year 3. That optimism was damaged when freshman standout Thomas Sorber left early for the NBA draft. Sorber was selected 15th overall by the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The Hoya faithful still had NCAA-tournament hope despite that loss, as did the Big East coaches, who selected Georgetown to finish sixth in the preseason poll. Like Providence and Marquette who were selected before them, that has not worked out. Cooley now sits at 35-48 as the head man of the Hoyas, and currently resides over a last-place team.
Georgetown is led by a mixture of returning players and transfers. Junior guards KJ Lewis and Malik Mack lead the Hoyas in scoring. Lewis, the 6’4” transfer from Arizona, averages 14.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists on 40.1% shooting and 31.5% from three. Mack, a 6’2” returnee, averages 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and a team-leading 4.2 assists on 37.9% from the field and 32.7% from deep.
7’1” senior Vince Iwuchukwu and 7’ sophomore Julius Halaifonua are third and fourth on the team in scoring. Iwuchukwu, a transfer from St. John’s, missed 10 games with an injury sustained against Clemson on November 15. The Hoyas were 4-0 in their games up to that point, but are 0-4 since his return. Iwuchukwu averages 10.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per contest. He has scored in double-figures in his last three outings.
Halaifonua, a returning sophomore, stepped in admirably why Iwuchukwu was out. His playing time has since dipped, only playing 8 minutes against UCONN on Saturday. He averages 10.7 points and 4.7 rebounds on the year.
Forward Caleb Williams (no, not that one) averages 10.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. The returning sophomore shoots 38.6% from three-point range.
UConn transfer Isaiah Abraham is the Hoyas’ fifth starter, and he is their biggest threat from deep. The 6’7” sophomore averages 6.5 points and shoots 43.2% from the arc.
Two of the main reasons for Georgetwown’s disappointing season are transfers Langston Love and DeShawn Harris-Smith. Love, a 6’5” senior from Baylor, was projected to be a main contributor for the Hoyas. Instead, he is averaging 3.8 points per game (down from his 8.9 per contest as a junior). One thing Cooley does have in common with Kevin Willard is that a Maryland transfer and depth piece left the program. Harrison-Smith, the 6’5” junior, averaged 5.2 points per game in his six outings prior to exiting.
As far as common opponents are concerned: Georgetown has won at Marquette, but has losses to DePaul, Creighton, St. John’s and Seton Hall.
Notes on Nova: The Wildcats hope to get back in the win column against the Hoyas, coming off of a humbling performance against St. John’s. The size advantage will be against them once again, as Georgetown plays two seven footers and multiple 6’7” forwards. The Hoyas average more rebounds per game than Villanova and (surprisingly) turn it over less, so the Wildcats will need to be sharp here despite the respective records. Villanova’s Lewis, Acaden, will look to get right in a challenging matchup against Georgetown’s KJ Lewis. Acaden Lewis struggled against the Johnnies, shooting 1/7 and turning it over 6 times. We are still waiting for the get-right game for Bryce Lindsay, who is shooting 10/38 over his last four outings.
