LINKS: Depressing DePaul Gets Too Close; Hoyas Hope to Humble Villanova

Georgetown continues to play to their opponent’s level for stretches.

Your Georgetown Hoyas (9-18, 2-14 BIG EAST) got a close win on Saturday, February 24 over the DePaul Blue Demons (3-24, 0-16 BIG EAST). Fans are glad for the win but continue to be surprised by the Hoyas finding new ways to play below their talent level—this time, instead of a slow start, Georgetown looked like they all ate a full Chicago deep dish coming out of halftime. Maybe there is a story to Georgetown’s resilience to battle back, but why is DePaul leading in the second half at all?

A win is a win, but the struggles in the DePaul away game reveal that very little progress has been made since December, especially on the defensive end.

After creating some distance in the first half, 41-28, the Hoyas allowed a 21-7 run to start the first 5 minutes of the second and then settled for a nip-tuck struggle session that came down to the last possession. Georgetown could not stop a coast-to-coast run to the rim and had to depend on DePaul’s inability to slow down for the lay-in as their best defense.

Georgetown was outscored by a whopping 48-36 after halftime. DePaul’s Nelson and Henley scored 10 apiece in the latter half, while Terry scored 16 in the second. Those three made their hay from the line (9-11) in that half. It wasn’t second-chance points (5-2) or points off turnovers (6-2) that killed the Hoyas in the period, it was just straight-up points in the paint 20-12. The Blue Demons shooting 6-12 in threes didn’t help either.

In the first half, Georgetown killed DePaul on rebounds 25-13 (9-3 offensive) but could not capitalize with buckets and only won the second-chance points battle 5-2. The rebound margin was only 14-13 (3-4) for GU in the second.

While Georgetown’s defense continues to be abysmal (allowed 16-31 FG and 6-12 threes in the second half), the Hoyas offense saw familiar issues with only 9 total assists on 23 made baskets. If Georgetown was going to get in a foot race with the Blue Demons, they need to keep their foot on the gas when it comes to ball movement.

Otherwise, fans should be happy with Epps shooting 9-18 FG and 4-10 from the perimeter—even though it was DePaul defending. Styles adding 12 points (7-8 FTs) in 21 minutes before his disqualification was a symptom of the sloppy foulfest. But Supreme Cook having only 6 points (2-4 FG and 2-4 FT) with 11 rebounds and only one personal foul is a bit of a head-scratcher as to his positioning around the rim.

Here are the links:

Jayden Epps leads Georgetown past DePaul for second time | Field Level Media

Epps drained two free throws with eight seconds left for the game’s final points. Jaden Henley of DePaul drove for a potential game-winning shot but it was off the mark, leaving the Blue Demons’ with a 15-game losing streak.

Epps, who reached the 30-point mark for the sixth time this season, shot 9-for-18 from the field with four 3-pointers and went 11-for-13 on free throws.

Rowan Brumbaugh added 14 points and Dontrez Styles had 12 points for Georgetown (9-18, 2-14 Big East), which squandered a 15-point lead.

Hoyas Hold On for 77-76 Win at DePaul – Georgetown University Athletics | Georgetown University Athletics

“This is a really great arena … I enjoy coming to Chicago, we have a lot of alums out here. I’m proud of our guys – both programs have struggled this year, let’s call it exactly what it is. It played out to how each team was fighting – we came out strong in the first, they came out strong in the second half, took the lead, battled back – I was really proud of our men’s resilience. 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, I thought Jayden Epps showed incredible leadership and we were able to prevail.” – Head Coach Ed Cooley …

Jayden Epps led all scorers with 33 points on 9-for-18 shooting from the floor to go along with an 11-for-13 performance from the charity stripe. He dished out a squad-best five assists on the night. It was Epps’ second-straight 30+ point game. It is the second time this season he has recorded back-to-back 30-point performances.

Rowan Brumbaugh added 14 points on five made field goals as well as a 4-for-5 effort from the free throw line.

Dontrez Styles rounded out those in double figures as he tallied 12 points, fueled by a 7-for-8 night from charity stripe as well as a pair of field goals.

Too close: Hoyas hold on for narrow 77-76 win over DePaul | The Georgetown Voice

The Blue Demons went on to take their first lead of the game (49-48) behind free throws as the Hoyas faced foul trouble early on in the second half as both Styles and Bristol fouled out. DePaul continued to score, making 5 of their first nine three-point attempts of the second half. Fortunately, Georgetown started to find their second-half rhythm as a layup from Epps pushed the Hoyas back up 54-51. However, the Blue Demons continued to attack, grabbing rebounds and forcing turnovers, limiting the Georgetown offense and eventually leading by as many as four down the stretch.

With four minutes left to play, the Hoyas regained momentum when Heath sank a three-pointer to tie the game at 68 apiece. This was followed by scoring plays from Brumbaugh and Epps, along with a fastbreak dunk from senior forward Supreme Cook off a turnover, extending the lead to four points (73-69) with under two minutes remaining. However, a 5-0 run from DePaul senior forward Da’Sean Nelson gave the Blue Demons a 76-75 lead with 26 seconds left on the clock. Epps responded by driving to the basket, drawing a foul, and draining a pair of free throws to put Georgetown ahead 77-76 with 8.1 seconds remaining After a Georgetown timeout, Henley missed an open layup in DePaul’s final possession, sealing the Hoya victory.

DePaul loses heartbreaker to Georgetown | 247

Forward Jaden Henley missed the game-winning layup in the final seconds as the Blue Demons fell to the Georgetown Hoyas (9-18, 2-14) by a score of 77-76 at Wintrust Arena. DePaul has now lost 28 straight regular season conference games with its last win coming 402 days ago.

“Our guys are really down,” interim head coach Matt Brady said. “That’s a locker room that felt like they did a lot to earn a win. But we had to do more. We didn’t get the win. I thought that they made a few more plays in the second half than we did. But it never comes down to one play in athletics. It’s easy to point to a missed shot here or there. But really, we gave up too many opportunities to that team to put ourselves in a position to have to make the very last shot.”

Cam Spencer leads UConn to 78-54 win over Villanova | VU Hoops

Hurley’s gameplan, as mentioned by Gus Johnson, was to focus on Brendan Hausen, who has led the ‘Cats to four wins in their last five games. Villanova’s gameplan late — who knows? Play hard I guess? Convince yourself that you have a chance?

Leading the way for the Huskies was Cam Spencer who hit shot after shot and finished with a game-high 25 points shooting 5-of-8 from three.

Projected lottery picks Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan chipped in 14 and 13 points respectively. If you were watching the final four minutes of the game you would know, because Gus Johnson could not stop talking about it, Tristen Newton finished with a triple-double. Newton finished with 10 points, 10 assists and a career high 16 rebounds.

For Villanova, Eric Dixon did not convert at a high rate, but he is the only player who showed up ready to play and led the way, as the case most nights. Dixon finished with 20 points and seven rebounds. T.J. Bamba was able to contribute 13 points.

Preview: No. 1 UConn men’s basketball vs. Villanova | The UConn Blog

Villanova doesn’t get in on the offensive boards, rebounding just 27.3 percent of its misses. That’s No. 242 in the country. The Wildcats had just six in January’s matchup at Wells Fargo Center (21.4 percent) and any more extended possessions could have tipped the one-point scoreline in the hosts’ favor.

This publication has spilled plenty of Internet ink on UConn’s rebounding prowess and while the Huskies are likely to have the advantage again, particularly because of Clingan’s size advantage over Dixon, as well as Tristen Newton, Stephon Castle and Cam Spencer over Villanova’s guards and wings, this is even more important in this type of game.

These are among the most methodical teams in the country. Both are in the bottom 30 programs in tempo. UConn is No. 335 (64.2 adjusted possessions) and Villanova is No. 343 (63.6 adjusted possessions) of 362 teams. January’s game had just 59 possessions, which is tied for UConn’s season-low and is knotted for second with regard to Villanova.

Each time UConn has the ball, it needs to do something productive with it and prevent the Wildcats from doing the same when it’s in possession, given this game might have fewer than 60 possessions. Letting Villanova get second-chance opportunities, and not getting many for themselves, could spell disaster for the Huskies, as there won’t be many chances to pull away.

No. 1 UConn Downs Wildcats 78-54 | Villanova University

The Wildcats put together a stellar defensive effort for the first 28 minutes, but the Huskies kicked their offense into high gear midway through the final period.

“UConn was extremely physical to start the game, they played well defensively and then really got out in transition in both halves,” stated Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. “I thought that was the difference in the game.”

A New Starter: Hakim Hart returned to the starting lineup in place of forward Tyler Burton. Burton and Lance Ware both battled a non-COVID illness the past two days. Both players were on the bench in uniform and entered the game as reserves in the early going. Each logged six first half minutes and did not score.

“They were sick the last couple of days,” said Neptune. “But it is what it is. It’s part of a season. I thought both guys gave us what they had.”

BOYS BASKETBALL: Roman Catholic & Archbishop Ryan Clash With History and a Catholic League Title on the Line | Philadelphia Sports Digest

The league hasn’t seen a big man like Sorber for quite a while, and when thinking back to some of notable forwards, names such as Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, Rick Jackson, Jalen Duren, Mark Zoller, and even Adonal Foyle and Rakeem Christmas stir in the memory banks of former players and coaches like Mooney who have recruited within the league for decades.

“They have a great team and while they have multiple great players, they have a standout player in Sorber,” Mooney said. “It would mean a tremendous amount because there’s been so much hard work and I know so many people who have played there and will be supporting the team. It means a great deal to the students and facility, and it would also mean a great deal to the alumni and guys who played there.”

PCL Championship Preview: Wood, Carroll girls; Ryan, Roman boys going for titles Monday night | City of Basketball Love

It helps that the Raiders boast the area’s top forward, Georgetown-bound Thomas Sorber. The 6-foot-10 post, in the best shape of his life, dominated Neumann-Goretti in the post in the semifinals, racking up 11 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and five blocks. He’s going up against one of the league’s other preeminent big men, Roman junior Shareef Jackson. A 6-7 forward and the son of former Roman standout Marc Jackson, Shareef went for a 20-point 13-rebound effort in the Cahillites’ win over Father Judge.

Whichever of the two has the advantage in the post will give their team a huge leg up Monday night.

“There’s no doubt about it, Thomas is one of the best high school big men in the country, we’re going to give him a lot of attention,” Roman boss Chris McNesby said. “Shareef plays a different game than Thomas, it’s not exactly the same, but Shareef can do what he can do well and I think he’ll be very productive.”

NB: The PCL Championship stream will be aired Monday night through the Sports Fan Base Network. The cost is $20. https://portal.stretchinternet.com/sfbn/ Check Bob Long Sports for some full-game videos of the playoffs.