The Pinkie Previews: #11 Georgetown (18-7, 8-6) at Louisville (18-9, 9-5)

What: Georgetown Hoyas @ Louisville Cardinals
Site: Freedom Hall
Date: Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Time: 7:00 pm EST
T.V.: ESPN2 will televise the game with Dave Pasch (play-by-play) and Len Elmore (analyst)
Radio: WHAS (840 AM) with Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst)
Officials: Bob Donato, Brian O’Connell, Bryan Kersey

The University of Louisville men’s basketball team returns to action tonight for a chance to improve it’s NCAA Tournament resume.  The Cards will play host to the 11th ranked Georgetown Hoyas in Freedom Hall with the tip time set for 7:00 pm EST.  Louisville has won three straight games and seem to be stepping their game up at the right time.  The Cards are coming off a 68-59hard fought victory at Depaul this past Saturday  and picked up a double overtime win against Notre Dame last week.  Louisville has a golden opportunity to improve its tournament chances tonight.  They are regarded as a “bubble team” and have only two quality wins on the season (UCONN and at Syracuse).  Most experts say the Cards need to pick up a victory over a ranked team down the stretch to feel confident going into selection Sunday.  The 11th ranked Hoyas present this opportunity. 

Georgetown is a very tricky team to figure out.  The Hoyas have beaten some very quality teams this season in Duke,Villanova, and Butler, but have struggled against lesser competition with losses to South Florida, Rutgers and Old Dominion.  Georgetown comes into tonight’s game losers of two straight.  They dropped a 71-68 decision at Rutgers on Valentines Day and most recently lost at home to Syracuse 75-71 last Thursday night.  The Hoyas should come into this game hungry and determined to get back on the right track.  The outcome of this game hinges on what Georgetown team will show up. 

The Cards and Hoyas have locked up nine times in program history with Georgetown holding a 5-4 advantage.  Louisville is 2-2 against the Hoyas in Freedom Hall, but are just 1-2 on the road.  The teams have split in neutral site games 1-1.  The last meeting between these two came a year ago to the day, February 23, 2009 at Georgetown.  The Cards took that one in decisive fashion, 76-58. 

Meet the Hoyas

Georgetown is one of the best all around teams Louisville will face this year.  They are one of the best offensive teams in the country and have an outstanding defense to match.  The Hoya offense currently ranks fourth in the nation with a field goal percentage of 50.0%.  They are also 25th in the nation in three point percentage, drilling over 38% from beyond the arc.  They are well balanced both with the inside game and deep threat possibilities.  Georgetown has four of its five starters averaging double figures, led by Austin Freeman’s 17.0 points per game.  The other three are Greg Monroe (15.7), Chris Wright (14.4), and Jason Clark (10.7). 

As you can see, the Hoyas have a lot of weapons on offense that can put the ball in the bucket at a high rate.  Their philosophy is simple.  Work the ball from inside out.  The Hoyas have a man child at the center position in Monroe.  He plays the most physical out of anybody in the conference and till take the ball strong to the rim and right at his opponent.  If opponents try to double the post, Monroe will kick it out to the perimeter where a trio of Georgetown guards will knock down a trey ball.  The Hoyas are also not afraid to take their opponent off the bounce.  They have a very athletic lineup that will make an opponent pay if they over guard the perimeter.  This team presents a lot of problems for opposing defenses, and Ricky P’s squad must put together one of their best efforts in order to slow Georgetown down. 

Defensively, the Hoyas are one of the top teams in the conference.  Georgetown ranks fifth in the B.E. in scoring defense (65.3 ppg), fifth in field goal percentage defense (40.8%), and fifith in three-point field goal percentage defense (32.7%).  This season, the Hoyas have held 18 opponents to under 45% shooting and nine opponents to under 40%.  The Hoyas play an in your face style of defense and don’t give up any easy looks.  With Monroe’s size and physicality on the inside, points in the paint are hard to come by.  Samardo Samuels is going to have to do a better job of not forcing his shot and looking to throw it back outside.  Also, the Cards are going to need some fast ball movement and penetration by the guards to open up shots.  Louisville must find a way to knock down open looks against a defense that doesn’t give very many up.  It would be a tremendous advantage if Louisville could create fast break opportunities from their defense.  If the Cards can force Georgetown into several turnovers, they can get the transition game going and score that way.  Bottom line is the Cards can’t score just 60 points and expect to win. 

Team Comparison

                                              Georgetown  Louisville

Scoring Average                          73.8           78.3

Scoring Defense                          64.9           69.4

Scoring Margin                            +8.9           +8.8

Field Goal Percentage                 50.6%       45.0%

FG Percentage Defense              40.6%       42.7%

Three Point FG %                        39.6%       33.2%

Three Point FG % Defense          32.1%       34.2%

Free Throw Percentage               70.4%        70.5%

Rebound Average                         33.6          38.1

Opponents Rebound Average      31.2          34.3

Rebound Margin                           +2.4          +3.9

Assists                                          15.7           15.4

Turnover Average                         14.7          13.9

Turnovers Forced                         13.5          15.6

Turnover Margin                           -1.2           +1.7

Steals                                            7.2             7.7

Blocks                                           5.4             4.2

Players to Watch

#15 Austin Freeman-  Freeman is the biggest scoring threat for the Hoyas.  He has scored in double figures 23 times this season, including 15 games of 16 points or more.  His 17.0 points per game average is best on the team and ranks 10th in the Big East.  In conference games, Freeman’s scoring average is even higher at 19 ppg which is sixth best in the Big East.  From the field, the kid is flat out deadly.  He is connecting on 53.6% of his shots which is 38th best in the country.  Freeman is also the biggest three-point threat for the Hoyas.  He has knocked down 47 three’s in 102 attempts which is 46.1%.  He is a versatile scorer that is an excellent jump shooter, but can also put the ball on the deck and get to the rim.  He is most effective with his jump shot, but if Louisville overplays this, he will drive right by his man.  The Cards have to be careful in the way they approach Freeman defensively because of the many ways he can hurt them.  

Freeman not only ranks first on the team in scoring, but ranks first in free throw percentage (83.1%) and third in assists (60).   Earlier this season he became the 41st player in school history to surpass the 1,000 point plateau.  As a Junior he continues to climb up the schools record books in sveral statistical categories.  He is 20th in FG % (51.2%), 13th in three point field goals (113), 3rd in three point FG % (39.4), and 8th in FT % (79.4%).  Freeman is an unbelievable offensive weapon that could give Louisville all kinds of trouble.     

#10 Greg Monroe- There is only one word to describe this Sophomore center… Beast!  Monroe is a physical 6’11, 247 lb body that just manhandles opponents in the paint.  He is the reigning Big East Rookie of the year and is making a strong case for All Big East Honors again this season.  He is second on the team in scoring with 15.7 ppg and is first in rebounding at 9.4 boards per game.  His 9.4 rebounds places him fourth in the Big East.  He has recorded nine double-double’s on the season and has scored in double figures 21 times.  Monroe has also secured 10 or more rebounds in a game 10 times this year.  His best game of the season came against a top 10 nationally ranked team in Butler, where he  scored a career high 24 points and pulled down a career high 15 rebounds. 

Monroe is very skilled in almost every area.  This kid can score, rebound, pass, create turnovers, and block shots.  He ranks in the top 20 of the Big East in almost every statistical category.  Monroe is 16th in the league in scoring with 15.7 points per game,  fourth in the league in rebounding (9.4rpg), and is tied for 15th in the league with 1.36 steals per game.  He is also 15th in the B.E.  in assists (3.60 per game) and is ninth in the league in blocks with 1.72 per game. 

As I said earlier, Monroe is the definition of beast.  Once he gets the ball in the paint, he is virtually unstoppable.  He is so physical that he isn’t scared to go right at the chest of the defender and finish with contact.  If you try to double team him or bring a guard down to dig, Monroe recognizes this quickly and makes the appropriate pass to the perimeter or to a cutting guard.  He has great awareness and always seems to make the right decision with the ball in his hands.  He is also an animal on the boards.  He attacks the rim and goes after every ball that bounces off. 

Of all the centers in the conference, Monroe is probably the best.  He definitely plays the most physical style of game and this does not bode well for Samardo Samuels.  Samuels has the tendency to get pushed around on the inside against guys like Monroe.  Samuels is going to have to match the intensity and physicality of Monroe or he’s going to have some problems.  Samuels must not be afraid to push back and attack Monroe.  Hopefully he can put Monroe on the bench in foul trouble which would be a huge advantage for the Cards.  In any case, the battle of the bigs is going to be something to watch. 

Georgetown 73, Louisville 70