.png)
Game 12 - Georgetown (5-6) vs. Xavier (8-3)
Nuts & Bolts
Date: December 16, 2022
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
How to Watch: Fox Sports 1
Matchup History: Xavier leads all-time series 17-6
Last Meeting: Xavier def. Georgetown 97-75 on 3/5/22
Betting Lines: Via DraftKings
Spread: Georgetown +11.5
Over/Under: 156
Prediction: Georgetown 65, Xavier 81
Official Game Notes: HERE
Follow Along on Twitter
Road to the Garden: https://twitter.com/Road2TheGarden
Zach Penrice - DMV Sports: https://twitter.com/Zach_DMVSports
Head Coach: Patrick Ewing (6th season, 73-90 record at Georgetown)
Record: 5-6 (0-0 in Big East)
Last Time Out: Lost @ Syracuse 83-64 on 12/10
Player to Watch: Qudus Wahab
Georgetown hasn’t won a Big East game since the Hoyas defeated Creighton in the Big East Tournament championship game. That was in March of 2021.
Since that massive win, Georgetown has lost 20 Big East games in a row, and the Hoya faithful is less than optimistic that the 2022-23 conference slate will yield very different results.
The Hoyas enter Big East play on the heels of a 19 point road loss to former bitter rival Syracuse. What was once one of the best rivalries in college basketball has certainly lost a step, but is still a “circle the date” game for Georgetown. Obviously, a 83-64 loss is less than ideal with the brutal conference slate awaiting.
Georgetown hosts Xavier on Friday night to jump into conference play, followed by a trip to UConn on Tuesday, which looks like the clear best team in the Big East.
It’s tough to find another team who has a more difficult first two Big East games than Georgetown.
The team has talent and has displayed it at times, however wildly inconsistent it has been. The Hoyas are out of time to prepare. The Big East schedule is here and there are no more “warm-ups” or “cupcakes.”
Can Patrick Ewing manage a miraculous turnaround? Or is everyone right about Georgetown, and they’re destined to the basement of the conference in what is clearly a down year from top-to-bottom.
Big East opener tonight with the final game on March 1 @ Creighton. Let’s see where they’re at in 11 weeks.
Head Coach: Sean Miller (1st season)
Record: 8-3 (0-0 in Big East)
Last Time Out: Def. Southern 79-59 on 12/13
Player to Watch: Jack Nunge
I’ve got Xavier pegged as the second or third best team in the Big East, neck-and-neck with Creighton who has had a very tumultuous few weeks.
The Musketeers welcome back head coach Sean Miller, who coached Xavier from 2004-2009 before coaching at Arizona for 12 seasons.
Miller found himself in hot water with the NCAA leading to his dismissal at Arizona, leading him to find his way back to Xavier, which he led to the NCAA Tournament in four out of five seasons.
The Musketeers are off to a phenomenal 8-3 start in what was a brutal non-conference schedule.
The three losses came against #12 Indiana, #8 Duke and #4 Gonzaga by a combined 13 points. Recently, Xavier has rallied to win four games in a row, including a come-from-behind victory over West Virginia (which I was lucky to be in attendance for) and a road win over cross-town rival Cincinnati.
Iowa transfer Jack Nunge is a 7”0’ center averaging 15 points and 7 rebounds per game. He is my player to watch as he matches up with Georgetown’s Qudus Wahab. Don’t be surprised if the Hoyas occasionally put lockdown defender Akok Akok on him as well.
Xavier is the heavy favorite on Friday night in D.C. The Hoyas desperately need a quality display, win or lose, to show that they are capable of competing in this conference. Otherwise, it’s going to be a slog to the finish line and the March 1 game against Creighton.
Comments