Washington, D.C. (Sports Network) - The Georgetown Hoyas will be out for a
revenge in a Big East Conference rematch against the Marquette Golden Eagles
when the two powerhouse squads meet up at the Verizon Center.
Back on Jan. 5 these teams were matched up in Milwaukee early on in the Big
East Conference schedule. In that bout Marquette pulled out a 49-48 victory on
its home floor. The win evened the all-time series between the two squads at
seven games apiece.
Though teams like Syracuse and Louisville have reached the very top of the
national rankings it is Marquette that has a share of the top spot in the Big
East at 8-2 in league play. The Golden Eagles have earned back-to-back wins
coming into this contest after downing DePaul, 89-78, on Saturday. Marquette
is 17-5 overall, but has fared much better at home (13-0) than on the road
(2-4). Up next Marquette will host another premier program when Pittsburgh
comes to the Bradley Center.
After stumbling to begin league play with three losses in its first five
matchups in the Big East, Georgetown has really turned it on with wins in
five straight contests. At 7-3 in conference action the Hoyas are just a game
behind Marquette and Syracuse for the top spot in the Big East standings.
Overall Georgetown is 17-4, including a strong 12-1 mark at home. Georgetown
also gets another conference contender when it visits Cincinnati next time
out.
Five players scored in double figures led by 18 points from Vander Blue, as
the Golden Eagles shot at a 56.4 percent clip in the win over DePaul. The
Golden Eagles had twice as many assists (18) as turnovers (9) and outscored
the Blue Demons 50-30 in the paint and 15-9 in second-chance points.
Blue (15.0 ppg) has been a dynamic scorer for Marquette this season and one of
only two players on the roster averaging in double figures. Davante Gardner
(12.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg) is the other as he has been one of the best options off
the bench not only in the Big East but the country overall. Junior Cadougan
(9.0 ppg, 4.3 apg) can score when need be but has made more of an impact by
setting up his teammates. Marquette won't blow anyone out of the water with
their offensive firepower as they score a respectable 70.1 points per game on
46.2 percent shooting. On the defensive end the Golden Eagles are holding foes
to 62.6 points a game on 40.5 percent shooting.
Led by a double-double from Otto Porter (19 points, 14 rebounds) and a team-
high 20 points from Markel Starks, Georgetown was able to hold off Rutgers
last time out. The Hoyas yet again fed the ball inside as much as possible,
outscoring the Scarlet Knights 34-18 in the paint.
Georgetown is definitely a team built from the inside out, led by Porter (15.0
ppg, 8.0 rpg), who is tied for second in the conference in rebounds.
Georgetown doesn't blow by anyone offensively, though it is an efficient unit
on that end. The Hoyas are shooting at a 46.3 percent rate on the season, but
score the second fewest points per game (64.4) in the Big East. On defense the
Hoyas have been extremely tough, holding teams to just 55.7 points per game on
37.6 percent shooting. Both of those marks are among the top 15 nationally.
Starks (12.2 ppg) is the best player roaming the perimeter. Nate Lubick (7.4
ppg, 5,.2 rpg) has not been a prolific scorer but a rather efficient one,
as he finishes off 63.7 percent of his shots from the field.
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