Georgetown at Xavier analysis: The Hoyas' Crossover Examination

From a team standpoint, Georgetown's first conference game of the season did not go as well as they planned. They weren't up to par with Xavier, who didn't play that well either, but still managed to score 70 points. This was a physical, grind it out, tough game on both sides of the ball and the Musketeers had production from a lot of players who not only scored, but did the dirty work in the paint and dove after loose balls.

Georgetown's defense looked horrible, as they continuously allowed 3-pointers to go down, or kept fouling in critical moments of the game.

Xavier ran a lot of man and zone in this game. This affected lots of players, such as L.J. Peak in particular. Peak is normally used in at least 24 percent of Georgetown's possessions according to KenPom.com, and Wednesday he was only used on 15 percent. This was because the middle of the paint was clogged up, and Peak is the type of player who loves to attack from the top of the key and get in the paint. That wasn't happening with Xavier, who guarded the paint at all times. If Peak was not attacking, at times he would force his shot. He got to the line just four times on Wednesday night, which was an unusual mark for a player with a FTRate of 43.3 percent going into this New Year's Eve clash.

This showed that if a team can clog the paint and stop his penetration, it becomes difficult for L.J. Peak to score.

Georgetown's defense lacked intensity. Though they only allowed 70 points, they could have played better on that side of the ball. They allowed Xavier to shoot 6-for-12 from the perimeter, which is not the type of defense that John Thompson III wants to see. The Musketeers got to the free throw line 29 times, and sunk 24 free throws. The Hoyas got to the line as well, but could not capitalize on their freebies as they went on to miss eight of their attempts. The missed opportunities cannot happen in conference play because they will catch up to you in a hurry. Georgetown's a good free throw shooting team, but they could not convert at the line.

Georgetown team analysis

• Georgetown had a bad shooting night, making only 17 shots on the night.
• Georgetown was held to their lowest offensive Effective Field Goal Percentage by Xavier, 38.3 percent, according to KenPom. That tells you Georgetown's shots were not falling or some shots were forced when they did not need to be.
• Georgetown didn't give up a lot of offensive rebounds. This is good, because during conference play that was huge concern because a lot of teams had second chance points opportunities and converted on those.
• The Hoyas allowed Xavier to get to the line too many times thanks to problems on the defensive end in terms of communication issues.
• Turnovers are still an issue. John Thompson III does not want a team, projected to be the second-best team in the conference, to commit 16 turnovers in a ball game, with some of them being unforced.
• Georgetown forced too many 3-pointers once they fell behind by double-digits, and only made 2 out of the 13 they took. If the 3-ball is not falling, stop taking it. 15.4 percent from the arc is unacceptable.

Individual analysis

• D`Vauntes Smith-Rivera looked like his old self after a inconsistent scoring output in nonconference play.
• Joshua Smith needs to find a way to avoid foul trouble. Georgetown needs him on the floor as much as they can in half-court sets, and they also need him to crash the boards.
• Aaron Bowen was not as efficient as he is normally, scoring just six points and failing to show some energy when the team needed it the most
• Smith-Rivera showed leadership when his team was down, which will benefit him in the long run when they need him to takeover games and lead them to victory.