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Game 14 - Georgetown (11-2) vs. Xavier (9-5)
Nuts & Bolts
Date: January 3, 2025
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Capital One Arena - Washington, D.C.
How to Watch: CBS Sports Network
Matchup History: Xavier leads all-time series 21-6
Last Meeting: Xavier def. Georgetown 98-93 on 3/2/24
Prediction: Georgetown 71, Xavier 82
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Head Coach: Ed Cooley (2nd season, 20-25 record at Georgetown)
Record: 11-2 (2-0, 3rd in Big East)
Last Time Out: Won vs. Coppin State 83-53 on 12/28/24
Player to Watch: Thomas Sorber
The Georgetown Hoyas are 11-2 and have already eclipsed last season’s win total (nine) and have equaled the program’s Big East win total from the past two years combined (two).
Head Coach Ed Cooley has his squad clearly moving in the right direction. The Hoyas have won four straight games since falling at West Virginia, including an emphatic 81-57 win over Creighton in the Big East opener, followed up by a victory on the road against Seton Hall.
Friday night, Georgetown welcomes in yet another formidable opponent, Xavier.
The Musketeers just beat Seton Hall by 22 on New Year’s Eve, a team Georgetown beat by one on December 22. It’ll take another tremendous effort from the Hoyas to move to 3-0 in conference play.
The player to watch on Friday night in D.C. is once again Thomas Sorber. The 6’10” freshman is the team’s second-leading scorer at 15.7 PPG, has recorded four double-doubles this year, and has scored in double figures in all but two games this season.
In his last two games, he’s averaging over 20 PPG along with 10 RPG and has blocked 4 shots in both contests.
If Georgetown is to move to 12-3 with what would be another monster win over Xavier, Sorber is likely to be at the forefront of the Hoya attack.
Head Coach: Sean Miller (8th season, 3rd of second stint, 172-80 record at Xavier)
Record: 9-5 (1-2, 7th in Big East)
Last Time Out: Won vs. Seton Hall 94-72 on 12/31/24
Player to Watch: Ryan Conwell
Sean Miller’s Xavier Musketeers are 9-5, but seem to be significantly better than the record would suggest.
Xavier started the year 6-0 before falling to Michigan in a 78-53 clunker. Since the first loss, the Musketeers are 3-4, with all four losses coming by five points or less.
Xavier lost on the road to TCU 76-72, @ #22 Cincinnati 68-65, @ #11 UConn 94-89, and @ #9 Marquette 72-70.
In the loss to Cincinnati, Xavier lost its leading scorer and leader, Zach Freemantle. The 6’9” senior has missed the last three games, and, while the Musketeers have still played well, Miller would obviously like his star back in the lineup.
"He's progressing. I think we're more optimistic that at some point he'll be able to return. We just don't really know the timetable," Miller said. "Quite frankly, I don't know if Zach does, either. He has to continue to get more comfortable."
It’s a lower body injury for Freemantle; while he’s returned to practice in a limited capacity, they’ll likely be without him on Friday night in D.C.
This leaves the leadership and scoring to junior guard Ryan Conwell. He’s shooting nearly 44% from three and is averaging over 16.5 PPG, twice scoring 20+ since the Freemantle injury.
The matchup on Friday is very intriguing, as it features a team in Georgetown that many believe is overachieving at this point in the year going up against a Xavier team many believe is underachieving as it pertains to its record.
Something’s got to give - should be a fun one in the nation’s capital.
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