GL: 1-0
Georgetown(9-0) v. Rutgers (7-2) 11:00am Pac
On the surface you look at Georgetown's record, 9-0, and think this is a pretty good team. However, if you look at the schedule and the scores you'll notice probably 150 teams would be 9-0 against that schedule. Hoyas lost power forward Mike Sweetney to the NBA, and their two top scorers are swingmen Brandon Bowman and Gerald Riley. The Hoyas lakc depth, size, and the coaching is suspect as well. Their only "name" victory was a 1 point win over Penn St., who's program is virtually in shambles.
Rutgers is slowly building up a contender, although the battle against the Big East powerhouses is uphill. Gary Waters, of Kent State fame, is in his third year leading the Scarlet Knights and seems to have his program on the right track. The Knights play scrappy, solid defense, and always seem to be in the ballgame. They are a balanced bunch with Quincy Douby, Ricky Shields, and Herve Lamizana sharing the scoring load. The State College of New Jersey has faced a much grittier schedule than the Hoyas, facing the likes of Wisconsin, Princeton, and Northwestern. It should also be noted they defeated the aforementioned Nittany Lions by 13 points with relative ease.
The key matchup in this game will be at the point guard where G'Town features sophomore Ashanti Cook and Rutgers trots out local boy Marquis Webb, a highly touted recruit. Webb has shown steady, although the ups and downs of a freshman year in the Big East are inevitable.
Coaching-wise the Scarlet Knights rate the edge. Esherick is no favorite of mine and the once-proud Hoyas are slowly sinking into mediocrity. Rutgers should be able to control the boards as Georgetown is missing its historically strong inside game. Rutgers seems to have the athletes to control the bouncy Hoya swingmen. Home court advantage would lead one to side with the Hoyas, but the cavernous MCI center does not even compare to the cozy confines of the Brown Center, and a game there feels more like a lassez-faire NBA contest, than a rah-rah college heavyweight fight.
Green Leans toward rutgers +5.5 G'Town
and sees a likely straight up victory for the Scarlet Knights.
Georgetown(9-0) v. Rutgers (7-2) 11:00am Pac
On the surface you look at Georgetown's record, 9-0, and think this is a pretty good team. However, if you look at the schedule and the scores you'll notice probably 150 teams would be 9-0 against that schedule. Hoyas lost power forward Mike Sweetney to the NBA, and their two top scorers are swingmen Brandon Bowman and Gerald Riley. The Hoyas lakc depth, size, and the coaching is suspect as well. Their only "name" victory was a 1 point win over Penn St., who's program is virtually in shambles.
Rutgers is slowly building up a contender, although the battle against the Big East powerhouses is uphill. Gary Waters, of Kent State fame, is in his third year leading the Scarlet Knights and seems to have his program on the right track. The Knights play scrappy, solid defense, and always seem to be in the ballgame. They are a balanced bunch with Quincy Douby, Ricky Shields, and Herve Lamizana sharing the scoring load. The State College of New Jersey has faced a much grittier schedule than the Hoyas, facing the likes of Wisconsin, Princeton, and Northwestern. It should also be noted they defeated the aforementioned Nittany Lions by 13 points with relative ease.
The key matchup in this game will be at the point guard where G'Town features sophomore Ashanti Cook and Rutgers trots out local boy Marquis Webb, a highly touted recruit. Webb has shown steady, although the ups and downs of a freshman year in the Big East are inevitable.
Coaching-wise the Scarlet Knights rate the edge. Esherick is no favorite of mine and the once-proud Hoyas are slowly sinking into mediocrity. Rutgers should be able to control the boards as Georgetown is missing its historically strong inside game. Rutgers seems to have the athletes to control the bouncy Hoya swingmen. Home court advantage would lead one to side with the Hoyas, but the cavernous MCI center does not even compare to the cozy confines of the Brown Center, and a game there feels more like a lassez-faire NBA contest, than a rah-rah college heavyweight fight.
Green Leans toward rutgers +5.5 G'Town
and sees a likely straight up victory for the Scarlet Knights.
