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After starting the season 5–0, highlighted by wins over Maryland and Clemson, Georgetown has lost eight of its last twelve games, a stretch that includes just one win against a top-250 team (Marquette).
Georgetown’s offense has been inconsistent this year, often struggling to generate efficient looks in the half court. The Hoyas rely heavily on individual creation rather than sustained ball movement, which can lead to difficult, late-clock shots. When perimeter shooting isn’t falling, scoring droughts have been a recurring issue, especially since Georgetown has difficulty finding consistent scoring outside of guards Malik Mack and KJ Lewis. Bottom line: if Georgetown isn’t drawing fouls and getting to the line, it’s hard for them to win.
Defensively, Georgetown has shown effort but has struggled to contain dribble penetration. Rotations can be slow, leading to open three-point opportunities for opponents. While there are flashes of physical on-ball defense, maintaining discipline and consistency for a full 40 minutes has been a challenge.
I love KJ Lewis. The well-built combo guard currently ranks third in the Big East in usage rate and can do almost everything on offense, except consistently knock down threes. He’s elite at drawing fouls and getting to the line, and he’s Georgetown’s best defender. He’ll be a tough two-way matchup whenever Ball is at the 2.
Georgetown’s other star combo guard is Malik Mack. With the 13th-highest usage rate and the fifth-highest shot rate in the Big East, Mack can score in bunches and is a creative, shifty three-level scorer. However, his lack of size makes it difficult for him to finish efficiently inside. He’s also just an average three-point shooter, so having both Mack and Lewis as below-average shooters makes it tough for Georgetown to find space.
Starting center Julius Halaifonua has made a solid leap in his sophomore season and has shown some nice stretches this year, including six games of 14-plus points before a scoreless outing against St. John’s. With decent skill and some ability to shoot and pass, Halaifonua has legitimate potential. Capable of blocking shots, his defense still needs improvement, but he’s not bad on that end. He’s also a big body who isn’t afraid to battle.
Starting at the 3 is UConn transfer Isaiah Abraham, who sat out last game with an undisclosed injury. The ball is rarely in his hands in the half court, but he’s developed into a lights-out floor spacer while possessing enough size to be a reasonably versatile and switchable defender. Good on the offensive boards too. Kudos to him as he's having a much better season than I expected entering the season and he's got a solid floor as a 3-and-D small forward with size.
If Abraham can’t start, Baylor transfer Langston Love will likely fill in at the 3. Injuries throughout his career have slowed his quickness, making him a poor defender, but he’s a decent rebounder and limits mistakes on offense. This season, he’s been more efficient scoring inside than from the perimeter.
Caleb Williams is Georgetown’s weakest full-time starter on the defensive end, as the power forward lacks foot speed and situational awareness and can be a bit soft. Offensively, however, he’s a good floor spacer and an efficient secondary scorer who has had his share of standout games. Bottom line: despite being a one-way player, his efficiency allows him to score in bunches.
With two seven-footers forming the center tandem, Vince Iwuchukwu is playing a role similar to the one he had last season at St. John’s: an off-the-bench defensive specialist who, in his senior year, has reached career-high usage rates. He’s scored in double figures in four of his last five games and actually started last game with Halaifonua coming off the bench. No matter who starts, it’s close to a 50–50 time share.
Backup power forward Jayden Fort is a very athletic slasher who can get to the line and rebound well, but he struggles defensively and doesn’t bring much on offense.
Backup combo guard Jeremiah Williams is a big-bodied, savvy veteran who makes excellent passes, limits mistakes, and isn’t bad defensively, but he can’t shoot threes and is posting a career-low two-point percentage.
There haven’t really been any clear correlations in Georgetown’s three wins against high-major opponents this year, so this is another game where a lot would need to go right for the Hoyas to win.
OK, my first-semester grades and comments are due at 4 p.m., so back to work.
Georgetown’s offense has been inconsistent this year, often struggling to generate efficient looks in the half court. The Hoyas rely heavily on individual creation rather than sustained ball movement, which can lead to difficult, late-clock shots. When perimeter shooting isn’t falling, scoring droughts have been a recurring issue, especially since Georgetown has difficulty finding consistent scoring outside of guards Malik Mack and KJ Lewis. Bottom line: if Georgetown isn’t drawing fouls and getting to the line, it’s hard for them to win.
Defensively, Georgetown has shown effort but has struggled to contain dribble penetration. Rotations can be slow, leading to open three-point opportunities for opponents. While there are flashes of physical on-ball defense, maintaining discipline and consistency for a full 40 minutes has been a challenge.
I love KJ Lewis. The well-built combo guard currently ranks third in the Big East in usage rate and can do almost everything on offense, except consistently knock down threes. He’s elite at drawing fouls and getting to the line, and he’s Georgetown’s best defender. He’ll be a tough two-way matchup whenever Ball is at the 2.
Georgetown’s other star combo guard is Malik Mack. With the 13th-highest usage rate and the fifth-highest shot rate in the Big East, Mack can score in bunches and is a creative, shifty three-level scorer. However, his lack of size makes it difficult for him to finish efficiently inside. He’s also just an average three-point shooter, so having both Mack and Lewis as below-average shooters makes it tough for Georgetown to find space.
Starting center Julius Halaifonua has made a solid leap in his sophomore season and has shown some nice stretches this year, including six games of 14-plus points before a scoreless outing against St. John’s. With decent skill and some ability to shoot and pass, Halaifonua has legitimate potential. Capable of blocking shots, his defense still needs improvement, but he’s not bad on that end. He’s also a big body who isn’t afraid to battle.
Starting at the 3 is UConn transfer Isaiah Abraham, who sat out last game with an undisclosed injury. The ball is rarely in his hands in the half court, but he’s developed into a lights-out floor spacer while possessing enough size to be a reasonably versatile and switchable defender. Good on the offensive boards too. Kudos to him as he's having a much better season than I expected entering the season and he's got a solid floor as a 3-and-D small forward with size.
If Abraham can’t start, Baylor transfer Langston Love will likely fill in at the 3. Injuries throughout his career have slowed his quickness, making him a poor defender, but he’s a decent rebounder and limits mistakes on offense. This season, he’s been more efficient scoring inside than from the perimeter.
Caleb Williams is Georgetown’s weakest full-time starter on the defensive end, as the power forward lacks foot speed and situational awareness and can be a bit soft. Offensively, however, he’s a good floor spacer and an efficient secondary scorer who has had his share of standout games. Bottom line: despite being a one-way player, his efficiency allows him to score in bunches.
With two seven-footers forming the center tandem, Vince Iwuchukwu is playing a role similar to the one he had last season at St. John’s: an off-the-bench defensive specialist who, in his senior year, has reached career-high usage rates. He’s scored in double figures in four of his last five games and actually started last game with Halaifonua coming off the bench. No matter who starts, it’s close to a 50–50 time share.
Backup power forward Jayden Fort is a very athletic slasher who can get to the line and rebound well, but he struggles defensively and doesn’t bring much on offense.
Backup combo guard Jeremiah Williams is a big-bodied, savvy veteran who makes excellent passes, limits mistakes, and isn’t bad defensively, but he can’t shoot threes and is posting a career-low two-point percentage.
There haven’t really been any clear correlations in Georgetown’s three wins against high-major opponents this year, so this is another game where a lot would need to go right for the Hoyas to win.
OK, my first-semester grades and comments are due at 4 p.m., so back to work.
