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Game 28 - Georgetown (9-18) @ Villanova (15-12)
Nuts & Bolts
Date: February 27, 2024
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Finneran Pavilion - Villanova, PA
How to Watch: FS1
Matchup History: Villanova leads all-time series 46-41
Last Meeting: Villanova def. Georgetown 70-54 on 2/16/24
Betting Lines: Via DraftKings
Spread: Georgetown +15
Over/Under: 140
Prediction: Georgetown 69, Villanova 75
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Head Coach: Ed Cooley (1st season, 9-18 record at Georgetown)
Record: 9-18 (2-14, 10th in Big East)
Last Time Out: Won @ DePaul 77-76 on 2/24/24
Player to Watch: Jayden Epps
For the first time since January 6, Georgetown won a basketball game.
Once again, unfortunately, the win was against DePaul, which the Hoyas took down 77-76 in nail-biting fashion on Saturday night in Chicago.
Georgetown has now won just four of its last 53 Big East games, with three of those four wins coming against the Blue Demons.
“Both programs have struggled this year, let’s call it exactly what it is,” Georgetown Head Coach Ed Cooley said after the win. “I thought we were resilient. We didn’t put our heads down, we didn’t play well defensively for about an eight-minute stretch but I thought we had timely baskets.”
The Hoyas were led by Jayden Epps, who put up his second consecutive 30+ point performance, scoring 33 points on 9-18 shooting, adding 4 rebounds and 5 assists along the way.
“I thought Jayden Epps showed incredible leadership,” Cooley said.
It was an extremely close win against a 3-23 DePaul team that was likely in its last good chance to win a game this season. With Georgetown entering the game with significantly more to lose than to gain from the tilt, walking away with a victory is perhaps an incremental step toward some momentum heading into next year.
A great sign for the Hoyas has been the emergence of freshman guard Rowan Brumbaugh.
Over the last four games, he’s averaging 13.5 points per game with 4 assists per game, putting together his best four game stretch of the season by a significant margin.
With him and Epps in the Georgetown backcourt, there are reasons for optimism should Cooley keep the duo together for next year.
At present, Georgetown is all but locked into 10th in this year’s Big East standings with just four games to play, starting Tuesday night against Villanova in PA.
Any win over the final four games of the regular season or the conference tournament in New York would leave the Hoyas with just a bit less of that bitter taste in their mouths that has existed throughout the season.
Head Coach: Kyle Neptune (2nd season, 32-29 record at Villanova)
Record: 15-12 (8-8, 6th in Big East)
Last Time Out: Lost @ #1 UConn 78-54 on 2/24/24
Player to Watch: Eric Dixon
With just four games to go, Villanova is right there, sitting firmly on the bubble for the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats have won three of the last four games, including a win over Georgetown just 11 days ago on February 16.
On Saturday, Kyle Neptune’s team was decimated by UConn, fresh off its loss on the road against Creighton last Tuesday. A tough spot for Villanvoa proved to be too much to overcome, as the Huskies ran away with it 78-54.
Now, ‘Nova has only a handful of chances to bolster its resume. After Tuesday’s game against the Hoyas, they play @ Providence, @ Seton Hall and host Creighton.
Multiple chances at quality wins before the regular season is up.
Of course, Tuesday’s game against Georgetown can’t help the Wildcats, but it can severely damage its chances of making the field of 68 come Selection Sunday.
Regardless of how the final four games shake out, Villanova will not be solidly in the NCAA Tournament when it travels to NYC for the Big East Tournament in two weeks.
The Cats are going to need a win or two to make the dance, and I’d argue might just be the most dangerous team in the field at MSG.
No matter how it goes for Villanova over the final few weeks, the fact that they are in this position after sitting at 11-10 entering February is a real testament to the talent on this roster.
Inconsistent at times, but inarguably one of the best teams in the conference when firing on all cylinders. Can they just do that enough over the next 2+ weeks to improbably make the tournament?
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