UConn men vs. Georgetown
There have been times whenthe goal of simply finishing this college basketball season seemed dicey for the UConnmen. But through three lengthy disruptions due to COVID-19, the Huskies have made it to the final regular-season game, their 20th, at Gampel Pavilion against Georgetown on Saturday.
Anormal full season would have been 31 games, with three more in conference, several more against mid-majors that would have inflated the win total and a couple of more out-of-conference challenges, such as a road game at Florida. But the Huskies are happy enough to have gotten this many games in, seven over the minimum for NCAATournament consideration.
As they face Georgetown a second time following a win a week and a half ago, the Huskies, No. 32 in NetRankings, have essentially accomplished their goal of positioning themselves for the NCAA Tournament. Awin here would guarantee it, a loss probably wouldn’t change it. They’ve clinched a third-place seed for the Big East tournament, outperforming their preseason projection (fourth).
UConn will be honoring seniors Josh Carlton, Isaiah Whaley and Tyler Polley, who may (or may not) be playing their final game at Gampel. Here’s what you need to know:
The basics
Time: Noon
Venue: Gampel Pavilion
Series: Georgetown leads, 36-31 Last meeting: UConn, 70-57, Feb. 23 in Washington, D.C.
Streaks: UConnW3,GeorgetownW2 TV: CBS (Carter Blackburn, Clark Kellogg)
Radio: UConn IMG Radio Network (Mike Crispino, Wayne Norman); 97.9 ESPN Hartford, WINE 940 AM, WGCH 1490 AM, WICC 600 AM, WAVZ 1300 AM, WXLM 980 AM, WATR 1320 AM, WILI 1400 AM, 95.3 FM.
Livestream: Information can be found at the CBS Sports website.
Georgetown (9-11, 7-8) probable starters, sixth man
Jamorko Pickett F, 6-9, Sr.; Chudier Bile, F, 6-7, GS; Dante Harris, G, 6-0, Fr.; Qudus Wahab, C, 6-11, So.; Jahvon Blair, G, 6-4, Sr.; Donald Carey, G, 6-7, GS.
UConn (13-6, 10-6
Big East) probable starters, sixth man Adama Sanogo, C, 6-9, Fr.; Isaiah Whaley, F, 6-9, Sr.; Andre Jackson, G, 6-6, Fr.; R.J. Cole, G, 6-0, Jr.; Tyrese Martin, G/F, 6-6, Jr.; James Bouknight, G, 6-4, So.
The matchup
UConn’s offense: Bouknight and Cole have been carrying the scoring load from the backcourt. At Seton Hall, Sanogo and Whaley picked up the slack when the guards had off shooting nights. At the end of the season, the Huskies
have achieved the balance they have sought all year, though Martin has been quiet lately. UConn’s defense: The Huskies have been fierce on defense the last three or four games and especially tough on the boards. Whaley has 53 blocks. Georgetown’s offense: Georgetown averages 71.1 points, shooting 42.3%, 36.3 on 3ts. The Hoyas like to score in the paint. Blair takes the most 3s — 154 — but has made only 32.5%. Wahab had 18 points, 10 rebounds versus UConn last time.
Georgetown’s defense: The Hoyas allow 72.1 points per game, 41.6% field-goal shooting and 33.3% on 3s. They have 85 blocks, 37 by Wahab.
UConn key: Keep an eye that the Whaley-Wahab matchup.
Players to watch: Tyler Polley. His 3-point shooting could be a key weapon for the Huskies in
March.
About Georgetown’s coach: Hall-of-Famer Patrick Ewing, 58, is one of the significant figures in Big East history. He’s 58-57 overall, 26-43 in conference, since taking over at his alma mater.
About Georgetown’s mascot: “Hoyas” is derived from a GreekLatin chant that means“What Rocks?”The mascot is a bulldog named Jack.
Famous alumni: Ewing, Sleepy Floyd, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning, Allen Iverson, Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert.
Dom Amore can be reached at damore@courant.com.