LINKS: Rich Ed Cooley and Hoyas Hope to Avoid UConn Clobbering

Eddie Money puts the “capital” in Capital One Arena

Your Georgetown Hoyas (8-14, 1-10) are gearing up for an exciting matchup at noon on Saturday, February 10th against the formidable No. 1/1 UConn Huskies (21-2, 11-1). The game is scheduled for a noon tipoff at Capital One Arena. Plan on heading to the arena early as there will be some GU-sponsored activities to enhance your gameday experience, including a “bucket hat” giveaway.

On the FS1 broadcast, Matt Schumacker will provide the play-by-play commentary and Dickey Simpkins will offer insightful analysis. For radio listeners, Rich Chvotkin, the seasoned Voice of the Hoyas, will be calling the game locally on The Team 980 and nationally via the SiriusXM app on channel 382.

UConn is predicted to run away with the victory on Saturday, but the Hoyas hope to have a great crowd in attendance and maybe keep the number-one team under 90 points. From some angles, it appears that Georgetown’s defense may be improving, but the Hoyas can’t allow the Huskies to score easy points in transition throughout the afternoon. Maybe UConn gets a surprise in the first half while looking ahead to a week against Georgetown and DePaul as a bit of a break from a tough conference schedule.

Of course, Ed Cooley’s “rich as a motherf-ker” jokes have made the rounds and have been met with mixed reactions from fans of Georgetown and the arm-chair analysts of the entire collegiate sport. Ultimately, Cooley will be judged by the performance of his team but this should be a sign that he is still himself even in the midst of (slowly) building Georgetown back.

LINKS:

No. 1 Huskies Visit DC To Take On Georgetown, Saturday | University of Connecticut Athletics

The Huskies are on the longest BIG EAST conference winning streak in nine years and are playing this week atop the national polls for the fourth-straight week. UConn most recently took on Butler on Tuesday night, holding a high-scoring Bulldog squad nearly 20 points below its season average in a 71-62 win. Cam Spencer (Davidsonville, Md.) scored 20 points and Donovan Clingan (Bristol, Conn.) recorded an 18-point, 14-rebound double-double in the win.

UConn is 37-36 all-time against Georgetown, recently taking the lead in the all-time series for the first time since the early 1970s. The Huskies have won seven-straight against the Hoyas, encompassing each meeting since UConn returned to the BIG EAST. The seven-game winning streak is the third-longest for either side in the history of the series, behind only an 11-game UConn streak from 1998-2006 and a 13-game streak from 1982-88 for Georgetown.

Connecticut currently leads the BIG EAST in both scoring offense and scoring defense, also topping the league in field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense. The Huskies balanced offensive attack is led by do-it-all guard Tristen Newton (El Paso, Texas), who leads the team in scoring (15.6 ppg), rebounding (6.7 rpg) and assists (5.6 apg). Spencer checks in a tick behind Newton with 15.5 points per contest, currently ranking fourth in the nation with a 45.1 percent mark from 3-point range.

Georgetown’s Ed Cooley to student heckler: ‘I’m rich as s—t’ | New York Post

“Nothing gets under my skin, man,” Cooley said, per the Asbury Park Press. “Think about this: I coach in the Big East at Georgetown University. What can get under my skin?”

He added: “Kids are going to be kids. I have a problem when adults don’t act like adults. When they’re students, say whatever you want. I always try to have a good interaction with the kids. You know what, they deserve a comment every now and then. Why not have some fun with them? The game was already over and you know what? They all got a pretty good chuckle out of it.”

Cooley and the Hoyas will continue to catch flak until the program returns to relevancy.

Spiraling Georgetown braces for visit by No. 1 UConn | Field Level Media

Spencer orchestrated one of his finest performances as a Husky during last month’s victory over the Hoyas when he drilled 5 of 7 treys and scored 20 points to complement his season-high-tying seven rebounds…

The Hoyas fell to the Pirates 76-70 on Wednesday in Newark, N.J., but showed improvement on defense.

Seton Hall’s scoring output was the first time Georgetown had surrendered fewer than 80 points since its 74-70 setback to the Pirates in Washington on Jan. 9. Wednesday’s game also marked the first time the Hoyas held their opponent below 50 percent shooting from the field since their last win, a 68-65 home triumph over DePaul on Jan. 6.

Men’s Basketball: No. 1 UConn gearing up for DC clash against Georgetown Hoyas | The Daily Campus

The Huskies winning this way is a significant concern for everyone else in college basketball because they have so many weapons to beat teams with. Players like Karaban, Cam Spencer and Tristen Newton aren’t afraid to let it fly from downtown. Spectators have seen at least one of these guys beat defenses at an absurdly high clip nearly every night. Even if the shots aren’t falling, the program has shown the ability to score 40 points in the paint, which opens up the entire floor and gives their shooters better looks.

While UConn comes into this one as the heavy favorite, don’t count out the Hoyas entirely. 6-foot-2 guard Jayden Epps is putting together a solid offensive campaign, averaging 18 points a night on 39% shooting. Like many other hoopers in all levels of the game, the Georgetown guard is very inconsistent regarding his efficiency from 3-point land. There are nights where he will finish 3-13 in this regard or 6-13. Depending on what version of the sophomore guard we get, it will ultimately dictate whether this is a Connecticut blowout or closer than people expect.

Why UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley won’t be coaching at 65 | CT Insider

“It’s more like a high school model, this thing,” Hurley said. “It’s a relationship-based program. What’s unique is the way we coach our players here. There are still parents who want accountability, coaches that push their kid all year round to get better, the old school values that are the core of what we do. But then we also do have the resources to support a big-time program in terms of the way we travel, the NIL, the program’s stature. So you have the resources and you have a lot of these things in place, but you also have people that really want this specific type of coaching.

“There’s still people, and still players. I don’t think everything’s been corrupted to the point where there’s not people out there that are not completely tarnished and still looking for personal development, player development, being part of an organization that is devoid of selfish people, and coaches that are going to give them 11 months of the year of attention in relationship and mentorship. Every day on campus and they’re on campus, we’re with them. We’re not out golfing. That’s kind of the special sauce.”

Dre Davis pours in career-high 25 as Seton Hall beats Georgetown for 2nd straight win | nj

For the Hoyas, East Orange native Supreme Cook went for a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds with several family members in attendance. Dontrez Styles scored 20 with 7 rebounds and Jayden Epps added 15 points and 7 assists.

“Supreme did an unbelievable job of crashing the offensive glass,” Holloway said. “We gotta keep those guys from rebounding.”

Donovan Clingan, Cam Spencer lead No. 1 UConn men to 11th straight win, 71-62 over Butler | Hartford Courant

The Huskies have a two-game road trip to Georgetown (Noon, Saturday) and DePaul (9 p.m., Wednesday) before returning to the XL Center for their first matchup of the year against reigning league champion Marquette on Feb. 17.

“I’m gonna sleep well tonight,” Clingan said. “Tomorrow’s off-day is gonna be great, I’ve got a massage tomorrow. I’m pretty tired but this is what we do. We gotta bring our 100% energy every day, we signed up for this, this is what we love and we need to just bring it every day.”

Clingan Sets Tone For Season’s Stretch Run | University of Connecticut Athletics

Clingan had a career-high three assists against Butler, two of them within the first 5:00 and occurred exactly as he described – holding the ball at the top of the key, patiently surveying the defense, until Alex Karaban broke free and cut to the basket. Clingan immediately hit him with a sharp pass for an open layup. Just over one minute later, he repeated the play, this time finding Cam Spencer for the score.

And, just to be clear, there was also the slam, the rebound, and the block by the Huskies’ big man. In his finest performance since returning from a foot injury on Jan. 27, Clingan had his first double-double of the season with 18 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, as well as 3 assists and 3 blocks. That came on the heels of two sub-par efforts against Providence at St. John’s.

“Obviously, I wasn’t happy with my last two performances,” Clingan said, “so I came here with a better mindset, just realizing that I had to kill my opponent and do whatever I had to do help my team win. Tonight, I felt the best that I’ve felt – I’ve lost a little weight and got my cardio up.”

Donovan Clingan bounces back to help Huskies past Butler | The UConn Blog

Normally, Clingan does most of his damage with put-backs off rebounds or from lobs on high pick and rolls. Against Butler, UConn routinely dumped the ball into the post and let Clingan go to work. The sophomore looked comfortable going over either shoulder to score and use his size advantage to create good angles around the rim, rewarding the Huskies for giving Clingan his highest usage rate since returning from his injury

After hitting a three in UConn’s drubbing of Xavier, Clingan took another attempt against Butler, but missed. While he’s just 1-5 from three this season, the looks from deep and improved repertoire in the post against Butler shows that Clingan is progressing rapidly, a key reason why the big man is widely regarded as a can’t miss talent in this year’s NBA Draft.

Why On3 is higher than the industry on Georgetown signee Thomas Sorber | On3

Sorber carries a sturdy frame, with broad shoulders, and a strong base. He can carve out and establish position on the block and not get moved off his spot. He sets a big target and can move with the defender and keep him sealed.

Sorber has long arms and huge hands, that help him play bigger than his listed 6-foot-10 height, but also keep handle of everything that is within his grasp. He is not only a good area rebounder, he is an instinctive defender, able to protect the paint and the rim. I’ll touch on that a little more later.

Sorber is an efficient player on the offensive end of the floor. I alluded to earlier his ability to establish position on the block, He is very comfortable with his back to the basket, showing go-to moves over his left and right shoulder with a few counters if needed. He has soft hands and natural touch as well as good lift around the basket, able to dunk through contact in traffic.

Dre Davis puts up 25 points as Seton Hall beats Georgetown 76-70 | The Washington Times

Supreme Cook finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and three steals for the Hoyas (8-14, 1-10). Dontrez Styles also scored 20 points and added seven rebounds for Georgetown. Jayden Epps finished with 15 points and seven assists. The loss was the Hoyas’ seventh straight.

Seton Hall turned a three-point second-half lead into an 11-point advantage with an 8-0 run to make it a 51-40 lead with 15:01 left in the half. Richmond scored 11 second-half points in the win.