Big East opener brings familiar foe
Georgetown is on a similar trajectory
You wouldn’t confuse one team for the other when looking at them on the court, but Marquette and Georgetown enter Wednesday’s Big East opener at the BMO Harris Bradley Center with similar paths, production and challenges heading into conference play.
Both the Golden Eagles (9-3) and Hoyas (8-4) are aiming for bounce-back seasons after finishing in the bottom four of the Big East last year. Those rebuilding efforts got off to bumpy starts, with Georgetown dropping four of its first six games, including a home loss to Arkansas State, and Marquette leaving the 2K Classic with a pair of losses and a .500 record through four games.
Both have rebounded nicely, though, with Georgetown on a six-game winning streak, including a victory at former league rival Syracuse. Marquette has won seven of eight, including a road victory at Georgia. Each team took a hit during its break for finals
week, though, with junior forward Isaac Copeland announcing his intention to transfer from Georgetown and sophomore guard Traci Carter deciding to leave Marquette two days later.
Although those transfers impact depth, the Golden Eagles and Hoyas have performed just fine. Despite a major difference in size — Georgetown is the second-tallest team in the Big East and Marquette is the smallest — the teams have played very similarly, especially on the offensive end.
Both shoot about 40% on threepointers, both are in the top 15 in free-throw shooting and both like to push the pace. More than anything, though, both have balanced attacks — just ask the two coaches.
“I think both teams have very good offensive balance,” Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski said. “I think both teams have shown that a number of guys on any given night can really make an impact on the offensive end. I think there certainly are some similarities when you talk about who we are offensively.”
Georgetown coach John Thompson III’s perspective was independently in lockstep with Wojciechowski’s.
“I hadn’t looked at it from that vantage point,” he said. “Thinking out loud I think we both are very balanced . ... I think we have multiple people, both of us, that can go out and get points. Both of our teams do a good job of sharing the game with each other, both unselfish teams, I believe. And we both have an inside and outside presence.”
Georgetown, like Marquette, has gotten big contributions from newcomers, but for the Hoyas, much of the heavy lifting has been done by Rodney Pryor, a graduate transfer from Robert Morris. He’s second in the Big East with 19.8 points per game and has made 37 of 72 three-pointers (51.4%), ranking just ahead of Marquette freshman Sam Hauser (50%) for third in the conference.
“We knew he’d come in and contribute,” Thompson said. “It would be misleading if I said I knew he’d come in and do what he’s done so far this year. The thing with Rodney, you have a fifth-year person that comes into your mix, but he works so hard. His work ethic has been infectious.”
The Hoyas also have leaned on junior guard L.J. Peak and sophosaid. more center Jessie Govan. Peak attacks the basket and gets to the line more often (6.9 attempts per game) than any of his teammates, which is significant considering the Hoyas are third in the country in free-throw rate.
Govan, a 6-foot-10 center, has flourished in his second season and has become a threat on both ends. He’s improved as a shot blocker and defender and has expanded his offensive game, averaging 15.8 points per game over the last four contests. The Hoyas replace Govan with 7-footer Bradley Hayes, a fifth-year senior who has been effective when not hampered by injuries.
Marquette should get a boost off the bench with the expected return of graduate transfer Katin Reinhardt, who has missed the past two games due to right Achilles soreness.
“Katin’s shown significant progress since he’s come back from Christmas break,” Wojciechowski “He still has not been able to complete a full practice, but he has been able to practice some with our group . ... We anticipate him having the opportunity to play.”
Being at full strength, or at least close to it, should be a boon to Marquette in an important league opener. Both squads were projected in the middle of the pack in the Big East and will need every win they can get.
Each team also faces a tough opening conference schedule, with the Golden Eagles following up with visits to Seton Hall and No. 1 Villanova and the Hoyas facing home games against No. 17 Xavier and No. 13 Butler as well as a trip to Providence.
“Looking at our conference as a whole it’s just so strong top to bottom,” Wojciechowski said. “Certainly being able to protect your home court and win the games at home, given the fact that winning on the road is so difficult, is important.”