Game preview: Seton Hall hosts Georgetown in the first home game of conference play

Date: January 2, 2020

By: Heaven Hill

After picking up a clutch comeback win over DePaul 74-66 on December 30, moving their record to 9-4 and extending their win streak to three games, the Pirates return to the court tonight to take on the Georgetown Hoyas in their second game of Big East play. Tip-off will happen at 9:00 p.m. in the Prudential Center.

It appeared last game that Seton Hall finally got that monkey off their back, that specter of not being able to close out games, out of the way. The Pirates struggled finishing out marquee games against Michigan State and Oregon earlier this season, but in their first conference game of the season, head coach Kevin Willard’s squad went on a 9-0 run to give the Blue Demons their second loss of the year. This ability to find consistent offense and play great defense late in games is vital to the ceiling of this team, and it’ll be an interesting wrinkle to keep track of as the season progresses.

Also in the DePaul game, we saw the return of superstar Myles Powell, who missed the second half against Rutgers and the following games against Maryland and Prairie View A&M with a concussion. Powell came back and was his usual dominant self. He registered 27 points and five steals, including 18 points after halftime to pull out the victory.

Historically, Powell has been amazing against Georgetown, averaging almost 22 points per game against them. He averaged 32 points in the three matchups against the Hoyas last season, so his scoring output will be imperative to a victory, per usual.

Another key to victory for the Pirates will be the other starters finding ways to contribute, whether it’s on the offensive or defensive end. Center Romaro Gill is currently averaging four blocks per game over this current win streak, directly impacting opposing game plans with his rim protection along with Ike Obiagu. His defense will be necessary against Georgetown star center Omer Yurtseven, who has three double-doubles in his last four games.

On the offensive end, Myles Cale scored in double figures against DePaul, for the first time since the Battle 4 Atlantis, finishing with 16 points, 10 of them came in the second half. Quincy McKnight also enjoyed a hot streak offensively of his own against the Terrapins and Panthers, before racking up seven assists against DePaul.

All in all, the other starters must find ways to contribute on the stat sheet for the Pirates to walk out with a win.

Looking at the Hoyas, this is obviously a very different Georgetown team from the start of the season, with star guard James Akinjo and role player Josh LeBlanc being dismissed from the team and transferring to Arizona and LSU, respectively. However, coach Patrick Ewing’s team was on a six-game win streak before getting pummeled by Providence on New Year’s Eve, so this team hasn’t suffered any major setbacks with those players leaving.

The Hoyas offense runs through two players: Yurtseven, playing his first season at Georgetown after transferring from NC State, and Mac McClung, the high-flying scoring guard who sat out against Providence with an eye injury. If McClung misses this game against Seton Hall, then expect for Terrell Allen and Jahvon Blair to attempt to pick up the slack. Also, Jamorko Pickett, currently shooting a scorching 46% from three-point land, will be a vital key to their attack offensively, which leads the Big East with 80.3 points per game.

With Seton Hall winning the season series 2-1 last year, including a decisive 73-57 victory in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals, this is sure to be a good one, and you can find coverage of this conference clash on 89.5 FM WSOU starting at 8:30 p.m., with Mat Mlodzinski and Liam Plate on the call in the Prudential Center.

Heaven Hill can be reached at heaven.hill@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports, WSOU, Men's Basketball