Overview
North Texas picked up a huge win against San Diego on Saturday. Now the Mean Green travel to the Nations Capital for a showdown with the Georgetown Hoyas.
- Wednesday, Dec 20 2017
- 6:00 p.m. CT
- Capital One Arena, Washington DC
- TV: FS 2
- Radio: MGRN – 88.1 KNTU-FM
What You Need to Know About Georgetown
Record: 8-1
Conference: Big East
Coach: Patrick Ewing (1st season at Georgetown )
Last Game: Syracuse L 86-79
Game Plan
It’s hard to get a read on exactly how good this Georgetown team is. They haven’t faced a lot of tough teams. The toughest team on their schedule so far was Syracuse. The Cuse took care of business against the Hoyas. So what kind of team are the Mean Green facing tonight?
Well they are facing a team lead by 6-10 C Jessie Govan. Govan is another skilled big man that this NT front court will have to handle. The Georgetown big is the leading scorer for the Hoyas, and he does a little bit of everything. Under the tutelage of Ewing Govan had really improved his game.
Marcus Derrickson the second leading scorer for Georgetown is a very versatile forward. He’ll be a challenge for North Texas, because of his ability to play with his back to the basket and to take it outside the arc. Derrickson isnt their best statistic 3pt shooter, but he has been the most efficient in my eyes. Temara, has to stay out of foul trouble guarding him. I say that because Derrickson is a big dude. He checks in at 250. The back-up 4 for North Texas Allante Holston comes in at 190. Derrickson would over power Holston in the paint.
FR F Jamorko Pickett is an athletic rangy F. North Texas has struggled at times this year with lengthy forwards. Pickett can make an impact at both ends of the floor for the Hoyas.
North Texas will get some get some help tonight as Jorden Duffy is set to return to action. We will see how much production he can provide off the bench, but having that extra ball handler will allow Woolridge a chance to get a blow.
You should expect North Texas to play this game at a slow pace again. Against San Diego they were able to speed things up to beat that good defense down the floor. Georgetown likes to play at a faster pace. That slower pace will allow North Texas to work the offense, control their turnovers, and get shots at the end of the shot clock.
Even though most of the stats point to Georgetown having a big edge, don’t believe all of it. It would not be surprising to see North Texas win the rebounding edge tonight. If the Mean Green can dominate on the offensive glass they may very well pull off the upset.
Projected Starting Lineups
North Texas
| Player | Position | Stat |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan Woolridge 6-3 | G | 4.6 A/pg |
| Roosevelt Smart 6-3 | G | 18.5 PT/pg |
| A.J. Lawson 6-5 | G | 10.9 PT/pg |
| Zachary Simmons 6-9 | F | 5.4 PT/pg |
| Shane Temara 6-9 | F | 6.4 REB/pg |
Georgetown
| Player | Position | Stat |
|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Mulmore 6-4 | G | 4.6 A/pg |
| Kaleb Johnson III 6-6 | G | 12 PT/pg |
| Jamorko Pickett 6-8 | F | 8.7 PT/pg |
| Marcus Derrickson 6-7 | F | 13.6 PT/pg |
| Jessie Govan 6-10 | F | 20.7PT/pg |
Go To Guys
3 Points
- Survive the sluggish start. Settle in.
- North Texas can hang around in this game, because of the offensive glass
- Stay out of foul trouble and keep Georgetown off the free throw line.
Inside the Advanced Stat Match-up
Prediction
I really want to pick North Texas to win this game. I think they are very capable of pulling off the upset. My biggest concern is the travel. North Texas just won an emotional game on the West Coast. Now 5 days later they are traveling to the East Coast to play a pretty good Georgetown team. That’s a lot of traveling for this young team. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are sluggish early. I do expect them to battle in this game no matter what. The only outcome that would surprise me is a Georgetown blow out. I’m going to take Georgetown to win a close game by knocking down free throws in the final seconds.
My Pick: Georgetown by 5
