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Game 4 - Georgetown (2-1) vs. Loyola Marymount (2-2)
Nuts & Bolts
Date: November 18, 2022
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Montego Bay Convention Centre
How to Watch: CBS Sports Network
Matchup History: Tied 1-1
Last Meeting: LMU def. GU 65-52 on 11/16/18
Betting Lines: Via DraftKings
Spread: Georgetown -4.5
Over/Under: 153.5
Prediction: Georgetown 68, Loyola Marymount 63
Official Game Notes: HERE
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Head Coach: Patrick Ewing (6th season, 70-85 record at Georgetown)
Record: 2-1 (0-0 in Big East)
Last Time Out: Lost to Northwestern 75-63
Highlights: Watch HERE
Player to Watch: Primo Spears
Tuesday night’s loss to Northwestern was a tale of two halves for Georgetown. The Hoyas battled for the opening 20 minutes and led by two at halftime after trailing by as many as seven points.
However, the second half was a different story. NU outscored the Hoyas 42-28 in the final 20 minutes while knocking down 14 three’s on the night and securing 20 offensive rebounds.
It’s not a bad consolation for Georgetown, who finds itself in Montego Bay, Jamaica ready to play its first of two games. They take on Loyola Marymount Friday and will play either La Salle or Wake Forest on Sunday.
In the first three games, Georgetown has been horrendous defending the three point line. The Hoyas rank 298th in the country in three point defense and nearly 38% of three point shots are falling against them.
On the flipside, Georgetown ranks 306th in three point attempts. They’re not defending three’s and they are not taking them.
The trip to Jamaica is a wonderful opportunity to right some wrongs for the Hoyas. If they win twice away from D.C., it will largely outweigh the Northwestern loss. However, the opportunity is equal for the wheels to continue to loosen before falling off completely.
Individually, Duquesne transfer Primo Spears needs to continue on his frantic pace to open the year. He’s averaging 23 points per game and hardly ever gets subbed out (averaging over 39 minutes per game).
Georgetown guard Primo Spears has been the best player for the Hoyas / Photo: Georgetown Athletics
Perhaps nobody needs the change of scenery more than Brandon Murray. The LSU transfer scored 18 and 19 points in the first two games, respectively, before shooting 1-10 from the field and finishing with 5 points against Northwestern. The sophomore guard needs a turnaround game in the worst way against LMU.
The Hoyas need to defend the three and they need to knock down open jumpers while becoming more imposing in the post. If getting outrebounded by 17 and giving up 20 offensive boards isn’t a wakeup call to this team, it could be a long year.
This is a huge weekend for Georgetown. Who knows, maybe Jamaica will solve all of their problems!
Head Coach: Stan Johnson (2nd season, 24-27 record at LMU)
Record: 2-2 (0-0 in West Coast Conference)
Last Time Out: Defeated Northern Illinois 63-46
Highlights: N/A
Player to Watch: Cam Shelton
Here’s your stat of the day: Since 1990, Georgetown has been to the Elite 8 only one more time than Loyola Marymount has.
LMU last appeared in the Elite 8 in 1990 / Photo: Loyola Marymount Athletics
The Lions are in the West Coast Conference, the same league as blue blood, Gonzaga. The conference is very up and coming and produced three NCAA Tournament teams a year ago.
LMU, however, finished second-to-last in the WCC last year, only ahead of Pepperdine.
The program enters year two under the direction of head coach Stan Johnson. Previously an assistant at Marquette under Steve Wojciechowksi, this is Johnson’s first head coaching gig.
He’s got his Lions to a 2-2 record heading to Jamaica, with wins over Life Pacific and UC Davis and losses to UC Riverside and UC Irvine.
The team spreads the wealth, with five players averaging at least 8 points per game and and five players who haul in at least five rebounds per game. They run a cohesive offense that I think might cause problems for Georgetown defensively.
Expect more open looks from three for LMU *ducks*.
Individually, the Lions look to senior guard Cam Shelton for offense. The Northern Arizona transfer is averaging 17 points per game, along with 5.3 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.5 steals.
I have Loyola Marymount as competition between Coppin State and Northwestern but much closer to Northwestern.
I expect a very difficult game again for Georgetown and the chips could fall either way, but I like the Hoyas to edge out LMU in a close one to open up the weekend in Jamaica.
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