Georgetown 2010 NCAA Tournament Preview

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Georgetown Hoyas - Big East Conference (23-10, 10-8)

Seed: #3 - Midwest Region

Big Wins: 1/30 Duke (89-77), 2/6 Villanova (103-90), 3/11 vs Syracuse (91-84)

Bad Losses: 1/6 at Marquette (59-62), 2/3 South Florida (64-72), 2/14 at Rutgers (68-71)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2008, Second Round loss to Davidson

Probable Georgetown Starters:

• Chris Wright, Junior, Guard, 14.8 ppg, 4.1 apg, 1.6 spg

• Austin Freeman, Junior, Guard, 16.7 ppg, 2.4 apg

• Jason Clark, Sophomore, Guard, 10.6 ppg, 1.9 apg

• Julian Vaughn, Junior, Forward, 7.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.5 bpg

• Greg Monroe, Sophomore, Center, 16.1 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg

Key Georgetown Roleplayers:

• Jerrelle Benimon, Freshman, Forward, 1.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg

• Hollis Thompson, Freshman, Forward, 4.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg

Why The Hoyas Can Surprise:
Georgetown has performed so well this season because of the maturation of their guards. Chris Wright has turned into a relatively good point guard who can do more than just get to the basket and score. He has done a fine job finding the scorers on this team…at least when he is not scoring himself.

It gets even better on the wings. Austin Freeman is the team’s leading scorer at 16.7 points per game and has turned into one of the most consistent shooters in the nation. That certainly was not the case when he was an underclassman. Last year Freeman connected on just over 30 percent of his shots from long range. This year his three-point shooting percentage has skyrocketed to xxx. The emergence of sophomore Jason Clark has turned Coach John Thompson III’s team into one of the best shooting teams in the nation. Clark is also a double-digit scorer and hits nearly 43 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.

Why The Hoyas Can Disappoint:
However, those guards still run into some problems when it comes to turnovers. Georgetown is not a team that is going to score 80 points in a game very often, but they still commit nearly 15 turnovers per contest and a possession here or there can be the difference between a win and a loss. The other issue is the lack of depth in the frontcourt. Julian Vaughn has done an admirable job on the glass and in the shot blocking department, but his minutes are almost out of necessity. The only other options to compliment Greg Monroe under the basket, and to replace him when he needs a break, are freshmen Hollis Thompson and Jerrelle Benimon.

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Who To Watch for Georgetown:
It is a good thing that Monroe has learned to play without getting into foul trouble. He averages over 34 minutes per game and Georgetown needs him on the floor as long as possible. The 6-11, 247 pound sophomore could be in the NBA right now and if he were, this team would be in deep trouble. It is his ability to be a consistent, not to mention dominating, scorer in the paint that opens up all the shooting lanes for Freeman and Clark. Without him, this team would not be among the best shooting teams in the nation from the floor or from beyond the arc. Monroe is also a monster on the glass and handles a majority of the rebounding for Georgetown. On paper the Hoyas should outrebound just about everybody, but that has not been the case; but at least Monroe keeps it close.

Georgetown By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 73.1 (87th in nation, 9th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 65.5 (97, 4)

Field-Goal Percentage: 49.8 (4, 2)

Field-Goal Defense: 41.4 (87, 6)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.2 (163, 10)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.8 (24, 3)

Free-Throw Percentage: 70.8 (108, 4)

Rebound Margin: 2.4 (101, 8)

Assists Per Game: 15.4 (32, 6)

Turnovers Per Game: 14.4 (219, 13)

Joel’s Bracket Says: Elite Eight loss to Kansas