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Game 21 - Georgetown (13-7) vs. #15 St. John’s (17-3)
Nuts & Bolts
Date: January 28, 2025
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Capital One Arena - Washington, D.C.
How to Watch: Fox Sports 1
Matchup History: St. John’s leads all-time series 68-57
Last Meeting: St. John’s def. Georgetown 63-58 on 1/14/25
Prediction: Georgetown 67, St. John’s 77
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Head Coach: Ed Cooley (2nd season, 22-30 record at Georgetown)
Record: 13-7 (4-5, 7th in Big East)
Last Time Out: Lost @ Providence 78-68 on 1/25/25
Player to Watch: Thomas Sorber
Georgetown and St. John’s played just 14 days ago, as the two sides met at Madison Square Garden in New York City in a game that went down to the wire, with the Red Storm ultimately prevailing 63-58.
In the game, Georgetown jumped out to a 15 point lead before getting outscored by 15 in the second half, scoring just ten points over the final ten minutes of the game.
Head Coach Ed Cooley noted after the game that the Hoyas need to win games when the defense allows just 63. On that night at MSG, it was the Hoyas offense that let them down.
The Hoyas turned it over 19 times that night, as Georgetown played with a less-than-healthy Jayden Epps and played the second half without Thomas Sorber.
Georgetown will be much healthier on Tuesday night as Ed Cooley’s team hunts down another signature conference win.
The Hoyas have proven to be pesky in conference play, having already taken down Creighton, Xavier, Seton Hall, and Villanova. However, Cooley’s team is just 1-5 over its last six games, with the lone win coming at Villanova, a game in which the Wildcats were held scoreless for the final 4:52 of the game.
In its most recent game, a disappointing 78-68 loss to Providence, the Hoyas were led by Micah Peavy who scored 27 points, and Thomas Sorber who finished with 25 points and 15 rebounds.
The rest of Georgetown scored 16 points, shooting 6-24 from the field while registering no points or shot attempts from the bench.
If the Hoyas want to get back in the win column against a terrific opponent in St. John’s, they’ll have to find additional scoring options while maintaining the same defensive intensity from the meeting in New York.
Head Coach: Rick Pitino (2nd season, 37-16 record at St. John’s)
Record: 17-3 (8-1, T-1st in Big East)
Last Time Out: Won vs. Xavier 79-71 in OT on 1/22/25
Player to Watch: RJ Luis Jr.
St. John’s Head Coach Rick Pitino has one of the hottest teams in the country.
The Red Storm are 17-3 overall and 8-1 in Big East play, with the lone loss coming by one point on the road against Creighton.
It’s been a tremendous turnaround for the Johnnies since Pitino took over last season, leading the team to a 20-13 season, which many believed would be good enough to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Unfortunately for Pitino’s squad, they were on the outside looking in on Selection Sunday 2024 and opted out of additional postseason tournament opportunities.
In the offseason, St. John’s brought in one of the bigger additions of any team in the transfer portal, securing Kadary Richmond, who spent the prior three seasons at Big East rival Seton Hall.
In 2024-25, Richmond leads the team in assists while putting up 11.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and shooting 47% from the field.
Besides Richmond, junior guard RJ Luis has been having a breakout season for Pitino. He leads the team in scoring, averaging nearly 18 PPG while hauling in 6.6 RPG and shooting 46% from the field.
Defensively, SJU has posed problems for opponents all year. They are currently tied for 18th nationally in steals per game, and 3rd in the nation in blocks per game.
The suffocating defense paired with multiple strong scoring options has transformed St. John’s into a bonafide Big East contender and a clear NCAA Tournament team with a chance to make a deep run into March.
On Tuesday, they go for a second win over Georgetown in two weeks, looking to complete the season sweep over the Hoyas for the fourth consecutive season.
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